The CAVE (tm) is a multi-person, room-sized, high-resolution, 3D video and audio environment. In the current configuration, graphics are rear projected in stereo onto three walls and the floor, and viewed with stereo glasses. As a viewer wearing a position sensor moves within its display boundaries, the correct perspective and stereo projections of the environment are updated by a supercomputer, and the images move with and surround the viewer. Hence stereo projections create 3D images that appear to have a presence both inside and outside the projection-room continuously. To the viewer with stereo glasses the projection screens become transparent and the 3D image space appears to extend to infinity. For example a tile pattern could be projected onto the floor and walls such that the viewer sees a continuous floor extending well outside the boundaries of the projection-room. Three dimensional objects such as tables and chairs would appear to be present both inside and outside this projection-room. To the viewer these objects are really there until they try to touch them or walk beyond the boundaries of the projection-room. There are many rips and tears on projections screens where viewers have forgotten to be careful when walking within these invisible boundaries.

Specifically, the CAVE(tm) is a theater 10x10x9 feet, made up of three rear-projection screens for the front, right and left walls and a down-projection screen for the floor. Electrohome Marquis 8000 projectors throw full-color workstation fields (1024x768 stereo) at 96 Hz onto the screens, giving approximately 2,000 linear pixel resolution to the surrounding composite image. Computer-controlled audio provides a sonification capability to multiple speakers. A user's head and hand are tracked with Ascension tethered electro magnetic sensors. Stereographics' LCD stereo shutter glasses are used to separate the alternate fields going to the eyes. A Silicon Graphics Power Onyx with three Infinite Reality Engines is used to create the imagery that is projected onto the walls and floor.

Students studying calculus, linear algebra, and other mathematics subjects at Virginia Tech are engaged in an exciting new way to learn. From the outset, they know a course's learning goals, plus important learning milestones they must meet. They set their own schedules. They learn at their own pace. They receive immediate feedback on quizzes and problems. They explore alternative approaches to learning challenging material. They interact one-on-one with faculty and other students. They master coursework as well as -- and often better -- than in conventional classrooms.

Virginia Tech students are able to do these things and more thanks to a bold experiment called the Math Emporium, a place where technology and teaching are changing the way students learn and succeed. It's an experience that's right in step with the kind of learning they will encounter in the workplace when they graduate.

Located near campus, with plenty of free parking and frequent bus service, the Math Emporium is a brand new facility with 500 high-performance dual-platform computers arranged in state-of-the-art workstations. Customized, easy-to-use computer programs guide students through the coursework, allowing students to breeze through material they quickly master and to concentrate their time on more challenging concepts. In addition, they can work individually or in groups of up to eight students, giving all students the opportunity to create the best match between their learning environment and their own learning style. Students also have the opportunity to work one-on-one with professors and with graduate and undergraduate student coaches as much or as little as they need.

Because the Math Emporium is open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, students can proceed through course material at their own pace, on their own schedule. Professors and tutors are on hand 14 hours a day to help with more difficult material. Students can receive that help by clicking a button or by displaying the red "help" cup on their computers. All students taking math at Virginia Tech can take advantage of a math assistance area within the Emporium, where they can learn how to install and use mathematics software on their own personal computers. And since the Math Emporium is connected to the Internet, students at other sites also can link these courses as well as the special assistance that goes with them.