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| Research Development behind
"Disclavier" |
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The Laboratories
At NTT there are thirteen laboratories altogether, the principal fields
researched being communication network, multi-media, and fundamental
techniques.The information communication laboratory is for the study
and development of technology connected with the multi-media service.
To meet the coming multi-media new age, ushered in by high speed communication
through ISDN, about 350 technicians are studying and developing computer
and network system development and fundamental information management
technology centering around intellectual communication services and
more sophisticated network operation techniques.
(The laboratories are mostly in Yokosuka and Musashino.)
The Laboratory Group
Under the heading "tele-education," an education support
system using the network is at present being studied and developed.
The purpose of tele-education is to offer the optimum educational
environment to every individual anywhere, any time, and at any terminal,
irrespective of time, space and individual differences. The group
which developed HyClass, the cooperative educational support system
that formed the basis of the present work, makes cooperative learning
the focus of its research. Hyclass aims at carrying out scientific
experiments and creative activities within a virtual space. In addition,
the group researches into the fundamental learning process in human
beings, intelligent learning support systems using the WWW, medical
education systems using ultramicroscopic displays, and MPEG2 encoder
boards.
Content
HyClass, the cooperative educational support system that formed the
basis of the present work is, so to speak, a three-dimensional CG
board MUD (multi-user dungeon). A number of users connected through
the network can walk through the common space, manipulate objects
and so on. Moreover, HyClass can flatten out the movement of an object
on-line, and change its color, texture or scale. The user can also
dynamically introduce a created objected into the common space, manipulate
it in cooperation with other users, or edit it. Some of the special
characteristics of HyClass were incorporated into the present work,
and improvements introduced in the user-interface. Since, in the present
work, communication between users is supported not just in the graphics
area but also through sound, the sound aspect had to be strengthened.
To that end, a MIDI signal is put out by the PC to the Mac, and the
MAX software that controls the MIDI signal in turn puts out the input
MIDI signal to the sampler and effector, thus controlng the tone color.
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April 19 - 27, 1997 [Finished] NTT InterCommunication
Center [ICC]