published on Tuesday, April 12, 2005

CAVE upgrade in full swing

At this moment SARA’s visualization facility the CAVE™ is being replaced by a CAVE with significant larger dimensions and a higher intensity of light. The pictures give you impression of the progress.

A CAVE consists of screens, a floor, projectors and a tracking system. Therefore it looks as if you don’t need a lot of equipment to construct a CAVE. In fact you need an enormous trailer to transport all the crates.

We have learnt a lot from the experiences with the previous CAVE. For example soundproofing is required to reduce undesirable echoes. This is why the new CAVE will get a tailor-made acoustic ceiling.

SARA has formed an alliance with Fakespace Systems, the manufacturer of the CAVE, for the further deployment of this new Virtual Reality technology in the Netherlands and Europe. The set up in Amsterdam will serve as a showcase of the Beacon projection technology of FakeSpace, being the first of its kind in the world.

The CAVE will be ready within a few weeks when the testing period will start. In the summer the re-opening of the CAVE will take place.

The dismantling of the 'old' CAVE.


The arrival of the trailer.


The set up of the frame of the new CAVE.


The positioning of the acoustic ceiling.


The outlines of the new CAVE become visible.