Projects in Computer Graphics and User Interfaces
CS W3998-07, CS W4901-07, or CS E6901-07
Fall 2000

Prof. Steven Feiner
feiner@cs.columbia.edu
939-7083

Currently available projects include:

• Research in WWW-based thin client architectures. We are looking for a project student to help build a software development kit to be used to create applications with remote user interfaces. In the ``thin client'' technology we are developing, the application runs on the server, while the user interface is displayed on another computer. Our technology improves upon existing systems, such as AT&T's VNC software, in that we have lower server overhead and bandwidth requirements. The project student will aid in the creation of a software development kit that will embody our approach. This software development kit will be used to implement the user interface for Columbia's NSF-funded Digital Libraries project,

  The successful applicant will have a working knowledge of the JAVA programming environment as well as a basic understanding of networks. Experience using RMI and JFC is preferred, but is not required, as these parts of the JAVA environment could be learned while working on the project. Applicants should also be familiar with (or willing to learn) basic software engineering principles.

• Research in automated design of graphics and multimedia presentations. This is part of a project on the automated, knowledge-based generation of user interfaces for healthcare applications, including animation and speech generated on the fly. Prerequisites: C++ programming experience and knowledge of 3D computer graphics. Knowledge of VRML97, OpenInventor, and Java is preferred, but not required.

• Research in augmented reality and mobile computing. We are developing a variety of research systems that explore the potential of head-tracked graphics and sound overlaid on the user's experience of the real world. Our testbed backpack-based system uses centimeter-level GPS position tracking and inertial orientation tracking to track the user's head as they walk around the campus, allowing us to overlay information on an SVGA-resolution see-through head-worn display. Our indoor systems stress the integration of different kinds of displays (head-worn, hand-held, desk-top, and wall-sized) into a coherent multi-user interface. We are especially interested in bridging the gaps between these two environments, exploring the many ways in which indoor and outdoor users can interact. A variety of projects are available, involving the development of applications and system software, writing drivers for exotic devices, and building hardware. Prerequisites: expertise in C++ or Java, knowledge of 3D computer graphics (especially Java 3D).