One of the big problems with advocating for virtual reality is that it can really only be experienced first-hand; I can make all the movies I want, and still won’t get the main point across.

So I figured it might be a good idea to host a “VR Open House” at UC Davis, and invite readers of my blog, or the redditors of the virtualreality subreddit where I sometimes hang out, to come and see what I mean by immersive 3D graphics (or “VR”) in person.

But before I do any planning, I need to find out if there’s any interest in the first place; after all, I don’t know how many people live around northern California, or how far people would be willing to travel for something like this (we’re an hour north-east of San Francisco, right off I-80).

So here’s my idea: if you read this post, and would attend such an open house, please leave a reply. If enough people show interest, I’ll schedule something, and then do another poll for people to sign up on a first-come first-serve basis, as I can’t handle a group larger than, say, a dozen. If you do leave a reply, maybe indicate what date ranges won’t work for you.

Some details on what we could look at / play with:

• 4-sided CAVE
• 3D TV with head tracking and tracked input device
• 3D TV with Razer Hydra input device
• Head-tracked HMD (eMagin 3DVisor) with tracked input device
• Augmented Reality Sandbox
• Remote collaboration with “holographic” 3D video
• Massive 3D point cloud visualization
• 3D volume visualization (CAT scans, numerical simulation)
• Interactive molecular modeling
• Walk-throughs of virtual worlds (game maps, architecture, civil engineering, …)
• Visit the Curiosity rover’s landing site on Mars

I’m thinking this could be a half-day affair; that won’t be enough to look at everything, but at least at a good cross-section.

So, please, leave a comment if you’re interested; maybe indicate how far you’d be traveling and what dates are no-no for you. I’ll take it from there.