The OptIPuter Project

1
The OptIPuter Project Tom DeFanti, Jason Leigh,
Maxine Brown, Tom Moher, Oliver Yu, Bob Grossman,
Luc Renambot Electronic Visualization Laboratory,
Department of Computer Science, UIC Larry Smarr,
California Institute of Telecommunications and
Information Technology, UCSD National Science
Foundation Award SCI-0225642
Problem Statement and Motivation
The OptIPuter, so named for its use of Optical
networking, Internet Protocol, computer storage,
processing and visualization technologies, is an
infrastructure that tightly couples computational
resources and displays over parallel optical
networks using the IP communication mechanism.
The OptIPuter exploits a new world in which the
central architectural element is optical
networking, not computers. This paradigm shift
requires large-scale applications-driven, system
experiments and a broad multidisciplinary team to
understand and develop innovative solutions for a
"LambdaGrid" world. The goal of this new
architecture is to enable scientists who are
generating terabytes of data to interactively
visualize, analyze, and correlate their data from
multiple storage sites connected to optical
networks.
Key Achievements and Future GoalsUIC Team
Technical ApproachUIC OptIPuter Team

• Deployed tiled displays and clusters at partner
  sites
• Procured a 10Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) private
  network UIC to UCSD
• Connected 1GigE and 10GigE metro, regional,
  national and international research networks into
  the OptIPuter project.
• Developed software and middleware to interconnect
  and interoperate heterogeneous network domains,
  enabling applications to set up on-demand private
  networks using electronic-optical and fully
  optical switches.
• Developed advanced data transport protocols to
  move large data files quickly
• Developed a two-month Earthquake instructional
  unit test in a fifth-grade class at Lincoln
  school
• Develop high-bandwidth distributed applications
  in geoscience, medical imaging and digital cinema
  
• Engaging NASA, NIH, ONR, USGS and DOD scientists

• Design, build and evaluate ultra-high-resolution
  displays
• Transmit ultra-high-resolution still and motion
  images
• Design, deploy and test high-bandwidth
  collaboration tools
• Procure/provide experimental high-performance
  network services
• Research distributed optical backplane
  architectures
• Create and deploy lightpath management methods
• Implement novel data transport protocols
• Design performance metrics, analysis and protocol
  parameters
• Create outreach mechanisms benefiting scientists
  and educators
• Assure interoperability of software developed at
  UIC with OptIPuter partners (Univ of California,
  San Diego Northwestern Univ San Diego State
  Univ Univ of Southern California Univ of
  Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Univ of California,
  Irvine Texas AM Univ USGS Univ of Amsterdam
  SARA/Amsterdam CANARIE and, KISTI/Korea.

2
Invention and Applications of ImmersiveTouch, a
High-Performance Haptic Augmented Virtual Reality
System Investigator Pat Banerjee, MIE, CS and
BioE Departments Prime Grant Support NIST-ATP
Problem Statement and Motivation
High-performance interface enables development of
medical, engineering or scientific virtual
reality simulation and training applications that
appeal to many stimuli audio, visual, tactile
and kinesthetic.
Key Achievements and Future Goals

• First system that integrates a haptic device, a
  head and hand tracking system, a cost-effective
  high-resolution and high-pixel-density
  stereoscopic display
• Patent application by University of Illinois
• Depending upon future popularity, the invention
  can be as fundamental as a microscope
• Continue adding technical capabilities to enhance
  the usefulness of the device

Technical Approach