About IMSC
Over the past decade, IMSC has become a worldwide leader within this burgeoning field. In its first five years alone, IMSC attracted more than US$50 million in additional funding from government, industry and academe, and is leading the way in advancing the software and hardware framework to create immersive environments in which people can interact, communicate and collaborate naturally in a shared virtual space.
IMSC has been an energetic force in the expansion of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, serving as the catalyst for six new curricular programs: two undergraduate minors in Multimedia and Creative Technologies - one for engineering students and another for non-majors; a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in Integrated Media Systems; a Master of Science in
Integrated Media Systems; a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Multimedia and Creative Technologies; and a Master of Science in Computer Science with a specialization in Multimedia and Creative Technologies.
This screen shot shows real-time video from 12 cameras projected into a scene model. The thumbnail images on the right are pre-set views used to facilitate detailed inspection of areas of interest by steering nearby PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras to optimal views.
The Center also has created a vibrant program for industrial collaboration and technology transfer. Since its inception, IMSC has had 96 invention disclosures filed at the USC Technology Transfer Office, 51 patents filed, six patents issued, 88 commercial licenses and technology transfers, and nine company spin-offs established. The Center's vision and leadership in integrated media and creative technologies have garnered widespread acclaim from the National Science Board and the National Academy of Engineering, as well as from other elite research universities and industry leaders.
As a leader in the Internet and multimedia field, IMSC has developed such unique immersive technologies as three-dimensional face modeling and animation, immersivision panoramic video technology, and the world's most advanced immersive audio. Major progress has also been made in haptics - touch-related technologies that have enormous potential for advancing health care and improving lives - as well as data compression and wireless communications.
IMSC's integrated research approach is progressing toward Immersipresence, the Center's vision for the future of the Internet. IMSC views Immersipresence as the next great breakthrough in our digital era that will dramatically change our world within this decade, transforming our two-dimensional world of computers, television and film into three-dimensional immersive environments.
IMSC's industry program members include Google, Honeywell, The Walt Disney Company, FX Palo Alto, MacNeil/Lehrer Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Lockheed-Martin, The Walt Disney Company, and numerous smaller entrepreneurial companies. IMSC also partners with such government agencies as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
IMSC Director, James Baker
Having completed its NSF funding, and under the new leadership of James Baker, the former CEO of Fuji-Xerox Palo Alto Labs, IMSC is focusing on four core research thrusts, all of which intersect with the Center's overarching vision of immersive reality: decision support, scalable immersive systems, serious games and human performance engineering.
Beyond its research mission, IMSC is also dedicated to training engineers for careers in the fields that rely on this technology. In support of USC's ongoing commitment to the community, IMSC continues to implement outreach programs that provide interface opportunities to at-risk youth and those who have traditionally lacked access to this technology.
The Geospatial Decision -Making visualization/simulation project is one of many research focus areas at IMSC. GeoDec conflates various data on a 3D desktop application which extends upon Google Earth- like technology to provide advanced temporal data integration.
IMSC and Immersive Reality
IMSC has been pursuing the vision of Immersive Reality since the Center's inception in 1996. The importance of immersive reality systems is justified at once by the size of the current entertainment market (the largest export market in the United States, leading both aerospace and computers), by the explosive growth of the gaming industry, by the certain impact of immersive technologies on the information-decision challenges associated with Homeland Security, and also by the potential influence on the fundamental educational effectiveness of U.S. schools.
The photo above demonstrates 10.2 channel audio streaming of the world’s first immersive concert performance, which IMSC showcased at last year’s annual Internet2 conference, and (below) three-way live high-definition teleconferencing.
The establishment of IMSC was an investment in interdisciplinary research program to coherently address major technical barriers in application-specific performance and functionality, an investment in a neutral site for hardware and software integration in a controlled educational environment, and an investment in a new generation of undergraduate and graduate students steeped in the cultural edge of the information age.
The highly diverse nature of immersive technologies stretches far beyond the framework of existing engineering research and educational programs. In fact, advanced technology alone will not secure a technology leadership position, as engineering advances are no longer the sole drivers of product evolution. Advancements in engineering technologies that do not have engaging end-user applications have traditionally failed in the marketplace. Widespread acceptance of immersive technologies will require the system-level integration of engineering advances with innovative applications in order to offer technology-transparent, easy-to-use products and program content to the end-user.
For more information contact:< br /> Brandon S. Blair, Associate Director, Industry & Foundation Relations< br /> Phone: 213.740.2592 Email: brandosb@usc.edu