For our team project we seek to give an intense flight simulation experience to children who have been wheelchair-bound and have no means of experiencing it otherwise. Expensive and LARGE high definition monitors now give us a likely means of presenting an almost-360-degree experience. Coupled with a motor-controlled platform, we could give a wheelchair bound child a feeling of motion and flight.

To create the simulated flight experience we will use the materials listed below.

• A unified central computer will control and drive the various devices used in this project, as well as rendering and manipulating the virtual world 

• The participant and his/her wheelchair will be placed on a tilting device facing a video screen  
  • There must be some kind of mechanism (latches, straps, etc.) to attach the wheelchair safely to the device, and to secure the participant to the chair

• To be as immersive as possible, the video screen should encompass a total of at least 180 degrees around the participant

• The participant will be given some kind of mechanism to control movement in the virtual world  
  • For simplicity, this mechanism should be able to be plugged into a USB or serial port, and should be recognized by the computer as a standard joystick input

• Speakers, possibly surround-sound, will be placed appropriately around the participant

• Other devices (such as fans to control wind speeds) may be included in the system, all controlled by the central computer

Other points of interest:

• Affordability
• Able to plug into a standard wall socket
• Should be built into a location

flight_sim_flow_chart.doc 

CSE 453 Website