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Realization of reconfigurable virtual environments for virtual testing

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Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of reconfigurable virtual environments (VEs) for virtual testing. It proposes a hybrid design approach that is derived from a so-called integration and composition of the reconfiguration strategy. The designing process has thus evolved from binding virtual objects using reconfiguration rules within the context of virtual testing scenarios. Therefore reconfigurable virtual environments are established with improved flexibility and scalability, tailored to a wide range of virtual testing applications. Those virtual environments integrate virtual testing scenarios, data acquisition, databases, rule mapping and application interfaces, which yield modular testing functions and an open-ended system architecture with a set of extensible interface tools to realize data exchange within reconfigurable VEs. This enables virtual testing scenarios to be reconfigured interactively based on real time data and communication between virtual environments and real environments. A virtual testing application has been implemented using reconfigurable VEs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computing, Engineering & Technology, Staffordshire University, Stafford, ST18 0AD, UK

    Wen-Yan Wu

  2. Virtual Reality Research Technology Center, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, PRC

    Zheng-Xu Zhao

Authors
  1. Wen-Yan Wu
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  2. Zheng-Xu Zhao
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Correspondence to Wen-Yan Wu.

Additional information

Wenyan Wu graduated from Dalian University of Technology, China, with BSc and MSc in 1988 and 1991 respectively. She earned her PhD degree from University of Derby, UK, in 2002. She had taught and researched in Harbin Institute of Technology, China and De Montfort University, UK. She is currently a senior lecturer in simulation and virtual reality at Staffordshire University, UK. Her research interests include computer graphics, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality system, advanced interface, modelling and simulation, distribution system.

Zhengxu Zhao BSc, MSc, PhD, CEng, CITP, MBCS, full Professor in Applied Computing, Director of Virtual Reality Centre. He is also a Cheng Kong Scholar Project Professor in Virtual Reality Technology and Director of Virtual Reality Research Centre at the Southeast University, P R China. Professor Zhao’s research interests include computing graphics and VR systems, industrial process simulation, CIM and manufacturing management systems.

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Wu, WY., Zhao, ZX. Realization of reconfigurable virtual environments for virtual testing. Int J Automat Comput 2, 25–36 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-005-0025-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11633-005-0025-1

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