Augmented Reality and Virtual World - Pervasive Systems and Ubiquitous Computing - page 13

According to the grid computing concept, with multiple computing
resources in a network aimed to give a shared and integrated environment,
the goal of Access Grid is to allow users to arrange distributed cooperative
environments, called nodes, so as to help interaction among multiple working
groups.
Access Grid pursues its goal by starting a high-performance video-
conference in a location suitably equipped for group work as for both install-
ation and logistics.
The location effectiveness of course depends on the availability of audio-
video equipments, such as wide displays, and software for sharing ideas,
applications and discussions.
The ideal cooperation environment will be a space designed to satisfy
some main requirements. It must gratify who is inside, and it must entail a
feeling of co-presence with other groups who are using similar spaces.
In addition, as far as remote interactions are concerned, the active
space will reflect human communication modes as, for instance, the way of
engaging somebody in conversation, frontally, privately or whispering, as
well as all the mental conditioning occurring when we are in a group in a
same place.
Acknowledgements
This chapter was written with the contribution of the following students
who attended the lessons of 'Grids and Pervasive Systems' at the faculty of
Engineering in the University of Palermo, Italy: Scrima, Di Trapani, Lo
Cascio, Failla, Meli, Fichera and Sangiorgi.
References
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Technology Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 1995.
[3] Johnston, R.S. & Willey, S.R., Development of a commercial retinal
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13, 1995, DOI: 10.1117/12.209726.
[4] Cruz-Neira, C., Sandin, D.J., DeFanti, T.A., Kenyon, R.V. & Hart, J.C.,
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