From: geoffrey@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz (Geoff Thomas)
Subject: Re: TECH: VR Device/Arcade for Bar Use, info needed!
Date: Sun, 06 Jun 1993 02:02:39 +0000 (GMT)
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand



Just a small point about what Bernie said, refering to the Global
Devices Controllers being almost a throwaway item...

I've been involved in a couple og VR exhibits at a local science
centre, and I used PowerGloves on the exhibits. After only 2 weeks use
(~2000 visitors) the PGs were pretty stuffed. This wasn't so bad in
itself, but PGs are now scarce, as everybody knows, and we had a hard
time getting more. Since it opened in Dec. 92, the centre has gone
through >10 PGs. They are funded by grants from community groups and
commercial organisations, and their current funding is pretty shaky.

NZ$2500 on 1 exhibit in 6 months was starting to get them rather
worried, and they've since decided to build their own glove, based on
the PG.

So a couple of things to watch for:

 - availability of the input devices in the long run;
 - cost of replacing them, and how the pub/bar will pay for them.

Even "throwaway" items need to be considered carefully in an
application considered for the general public.


Geoff Thomas			geoffrey@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz
Computer Science Dept.
University of Canterbury
Private Bag				+-------+
Christchurch				| Oook! |
New Zealand				+-------+


BTW, the PGs look pretty terrible! Anybody want an EXTRA Large,
probably non-working, PG? :-)

P.S. the finger sensors were the main problem. The GD controller is
hopefully designed to keep wear & tear on the sensors to a minimum.
The PG ones developed kinks (causing breaks in the conductive ink)
along the strip, and breaks in the joins where the wires to the
knuckle box connect to the strips.