INDUSTRY
Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Selects SGI Tech
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- SGI (NYSE: SGI) today
announced that Tokyo-based Japan Science and Technology Corp. (JST) has chosen
an SGI(TM) Reality Center(TM) facility for the National Museum of Emerging
Science and Innovation. The state-of-the-art museum opens in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 10. Featuring
a large, semicircular screen, the Reality Center display, which focuses on the
human brain, will allow participants to learn about new research into the
mind's capabilities by virtually walking through various layers of the brain.
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation will deliver the
latest information about science and technology research while entertaining
young and old alike. Visitors will experience cutting-edge science and
technology research through experimental exhibits and interchange with
scientists and engineers.
The SGI Reality Center will be one of the main exhibits within this
eight-story, 355,000-square-foot museum. This immersive, 3D visualization
environment seats 40 participants in a theater setting with a 120-degree
cylindrical screen. It features the latest InfiniteReality3(TM) graphics
subsystem in the Silicon Graphics(R) Onyx(R) family (a 64-bit R12000-processor
Silicon Graphics(R) Onyx2(R) system with three graphics pipes), projected on
three Barco high-precision projectors. The computer graphics system consists
of eight CPUs and four GB memory.
Tokyo-based Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. has been instrumental in developing
the system, while the company's Toppan Media Center is responsible for
integration. Toppan Printing Co. Ltd.'s wide successes in the design,
development and administration of virtual reality theaters include the Tokyo
University Production Engineering Laboratory at Roppongi, the Tokyo
Metropolitan Art Museum, a Reality Center facility in its headquarters and a
virtual walk-through at the Tokyo National Museum of a temple that was
constructed 1,200 years ago.
"To convey cutting-edge scientific technologies accurately and readily, we
need to rely heavily on the power of real-time graphics," explained Hitoshi
Saito, JST assistant director of New Business (National Museum of Emerging
Science and Innovation).
"SGI is playing an increasingly larger role in helping science centers
change the paradigm of what information they present and how they present it,"
added Afshad Mistri, director, SGI Scientific Education and Arts. "For the
first time ever, the general public in Tokyo will have the ability to explore
the human brain in ways that parallel brain mapping research that is being
conducted in many parts of the world. These real-world examples, combined with
the total immersion and unprecedented realism offered by SGI Reality Center
solutions, allow a new level of interactive education."
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation is a core facility
within the Tokyo Academic Park, a joint project of the Ministries of
Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology and of Economy, Trade and
Industry.
The Silicon Graphics Onyx2 graphics system, which is equipped with
high-bandwidth ccNUMA architecture, fuses supercomputing and visualization
technology to make real-time processing of 3D graphics/2D graphics imaging and
video data possible. It is an ideal visualization solution for various fields,
including manufacturing, engineering, science, technology, research
development and entertainment. The Silicon Graphics Onyx family makes it
possible to set up a system flexibly according to need, from deskside to
multirack systems.
Like the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, science
centers, planetariums and museums around the world are creating unique
experiences by offering high-resolution imagery and interactive capabilities
in their theaters. Content can be quickly updated in response to new
discoveries or the latest news, creating a compelling and educational
experience that keeps visitors returning again and again.
For further details
about SGI's involvement with science centers, visit
http://www.sgi.com/solutions/sciences/museums/index.html.