The intersection of computation and the humanities is a rich area for exploration.  In fields such as the arts, communication studies, music, and history, the application of computation is creating new and exciting opportunities.  Examples include interactive multimedia, digital archives and retrieval systems, serious games, and new methods of capture and visualization.

Sample Projects

Visualization of Archival Data

The visualization spaces at the RENCI@UNC engagement center are being utilized in unique ways.  The Social Computing Room can function as an interactive gallery, and is an excellent platform for exploring large amounts of rich media to compare, contrast, and explore.  In the image below, many documents in an archive of ancient manuscripts (the Archimedes Palimpsest) are being viewed in the Social Computing Room.  The Teleimmersion Room provides a venue to look at minute details of documents, manuscripts, photographs, fabrics, or paintings at extremely high resolution (four-times the resolution of a high-definition display).

Viewing ancient manuscripts in the Social Computing Room

Interactive Multi-media

The interactive multi-media installation, “Spectacular Justice“, by Joyce Rudinsky, is a fantastic example of the combination of creative media that employs visualization, a state-of-the-art environment, and sensor technology to create a unique interactive experience.

Scene from "Spectacular Justice" by Joyce Rudinsky'

Classes are using the RENCI@UNC visualization resources for innovative class projects.  For example, multiple classes are utilizing still and video stereo capture to capture 3D content for display in the Teleimmersion room.  RENCI has an array of photography equipment, from and HD stereo video rig and digital still photography rig, to a stereo 4K (professional, four-times HD) capture rig.

Viewing stereo (3D) photography projects in Teleimmersion

Serious Gaming, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds

Serious applications of virtual worlds and game engine technology for research, training,  teaching, and learning are an important development in the digital humanities.  RENCI is experimenting in these emerging areas.  The current focus is the porting of virtual world and game engine technology to the specialized visualization environments hosted at ITS-Manning.

The Showcase Dome at ITS-Manning is a powerful venue for research or learning endeavors, where you wish to immerse a subject in a synthetic environment.

RENCI@UNC is also investigating the use of the Social Computing Room for virtual world experiences.  The 360-degree display, the audio/video environment, as well as the ability to integrate sensors and robotics make the Social Computing Room a natural venue for projects and experiements that merge the physical and virtual world.  For example, here is a picture of a 360-degree surround Second Life client prototype in the Social Computing Room:

360-degree surround Second Life client in SCR

The Social Computing Room is a unique space on the UNC Campus that features:

• A 360-degree wrap-around visualization display, with a 12,288 x 768 resolution.
• Surround-sound audio.
• Wireless mics and 360-degree camera coverage.
• UbiSense 3D location tracking for people and objects.
• An extensible architecture to support sensors, robotics, and additional projection/display equipment.
• Extensive wiring with Cat-6 to support connection of any type of peripheral electronic gear.
• Unistrut scaffolding to support physical placement of computer or audio/video gear.
• Computer closet space for installation of rack equipment and additional computing hardware.

The Social Computing Room

The Social Computing Room is ultra-flexible.  It’s really a place where you can ‘paint the walls with software’ to create many types of applications.

Since the Social Computing Room opened, we have been amazed by the wide range of applications.  Here are some broad themes that have emerged.

The SCR as a data visualization environment

Given the huge amount of visual real-estate, and the comfortable group setting, the SCR is an ideal space for groups of researchers who need to consider large amounts of data.  RENCI is developing specialized applications that allow groups to interact effortlessly with large amounts of 2D and 3D data, web information, and other tools and service while also capturing and preserving annotations and interactions.  RENCI is also looking at methods for multi-user interaction with data.

Viewing data in the SCR

The SCR as a media space

The SCR environment is a unique medium for digital humanities.  The 360-degree video environment, surround sound, as well as the extensibility and flexibility of the wiring and mechanical systems, provide a great platform for multi-media experiences.

Spectacular Justice

A great example of this is the recent Spectacular Justice installation by Joyce Rudinsky from the Communication Studies department.  Other projects include Max/MSP/Jitter productions that use the entire video environment, and interactive MIDI and musical applications that use Wiimotes and UbiSense location tracking hardware to generate MIDI music.

The SCR as a learning space

In certain cases, the SCR has been utilized as a media rich classroom.  Examples include group presentations of projects developed using different types of media, and photograpy classes.  The space is well-suited to viewing of digital photographs, GIS and map-based data, and other media.  The SCR can also be used for non-traditional and experimental class content.

The SCR as a virtual lab

The visual environment, the audio/video environment, and the ability to augment the SCR with different types of sensors and actuators, makes the SCR a promising environment for novel interactive applications.  For example, there is a prototype of a custom Second Life client for the SCR that provides a 360-degree view of the virtual world, as shown in this picture:

Four channel Second Life client in SCR

Use cases for an environment like this include mixed classes of virtual and physical attendees, lectures to classes by visiting avatars, and research into physical/virtual interaction techniques.

Other uses

There are many examples of ‘outside the box’ uses for the SCR.  These include:

• A presentation space for launching projects, or presenting to supporters of research projects.
• A ‘lab’ for experimenting with new kinds of visualization applications, and new forms of human-computer interaction.
• A ‘game’ space for elementary school visitors to the UNC campus.

The RENCI staff are willing to work with you on new ideas and applications for the Social Computing Room, as well as our other visualization environments.  Please contact us, and request a tour of our spaces.