Delphi Will Host 'Virtual Reality Open House' on April 15
5 April 2000
Delphi Will Host 'Virtual Reality Open House' on April 15 To Inspire Detroit-Area Students to Pursue Science Careers
TROY, Mich., April 5 Delphi Automotive Systems
will host a "virtual reality open house" later this month for metropolitan-
Detroit area students, with the hope of inspiring the attendees to pursue
math, science and engineering careers.
The open house, to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 15,
2000, at Delphi's engineering center in Troy (1401 Crooks Rd., corner of Maple
and Crooks roads), will show students how Delphi engineers use virtual
simulation and computer programs to design vehicle interiors.
Engineers and executives from Delphi, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors
Corp., and TACOM will attend the event and talk to students about how to best
prepare for similar career opportunities. Also in attendance will be contacts
from Oakland Schools, Mott Community College and Kettering University to
describe new programs available for students at their institutions and
representatives from Automation Alley to reinforce the link of these career
awareness activities to future economic development and great jobs for the
community.
Admission is free. While children of all ages are welcomed, the event is
primarily designed for students in grades 7 - 12 who would like to learn more
about career opportunities in the high tech field of virtual design.
"This is an excellent opportunity for area students and their teachers to
see up-close the directions engineering is taking and, hopefully, be inspired
to be a part of it all," said Barbara Sanders, engineering director, Advanced
Development, Delphi Interior Systems. "This event continues Delphi's
commitment -- which started with FIRST -- to help create a strong and talented
corps of young engineers, scientists and designers."
Delphi currently fully sponsors six high-school teams and partially
supports three others in the national FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology) robotics competition. The final round of the
competition takes place April 7-8 in Orlando, Florida.
About Delphi's Open House: Virtual Reality in "The CAVE"
The feature demonstration will be the CAVE(TM) (Cave Automatic Virtual
Environment) that creates the perception of "virtual reality" through 3-D
imagery involving sight, sound and touch. By simulating 3-D images with near-
perfect accuracy, the CAVE saves time and money that would otherwise be spent
on costly research and development.
The CAVE was the world's first virtual reality technology that allowed
multiple people to immerse themselves in the same virtual environment at the
same time. Through a "shared" virtual experience, CAVE dwellers enjoy high-
tech flexibility and exciting benefits that include problem solving, rapid
prototyping, and collaborative design over distances. The limitless
applications for virtual reality CAVEs include engineering, research and
development, manufacturing, architecture, geophysical exploration, atmospheric
science, medicine, marketing, interactive electronic art and more.
Delphi will demonstrate to area students how this cutting-edge VR tool can
aid automotive engineers in designing "virtual cars" from the passenger's
perspective and help companies shorten manufacturing processes.
Beyond Delphi's Open House: Summer "Virtual Simulation Summer Camps"
Delphi's open house, which is co-sponsored by Job Skill Technology, Inc.
and Deneb Robotics, Inc., also will highlight "Virtual Simulation Summer
Camps," where middle- and high-school Detroit-area students can spend one week
learning about and experiencing more virtual reality technologies.
While Delphi does not have any direct involvement with the Camps, its open
house on April 15 will feature detailed information about the program so
interested students and school administrators can learn more about it, Sanders
said.
For more information on the Virtual Simulation Summer Camp, please call
800-783-5780.
Delphi Automotive Systems, headquartered in Troy, Mich., USA, is a world
leader in transportation and mobile electronics components and systems
technology. Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety,
Thermal & Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communication --
provide comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has
approximately 214,200 employees, and operates 178 wholly owned manufacturing
sites, 41 joint ventures, 53 customer centers and sales offices and 27
technical centers in 39 countries. Regional headquarters are located in
Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Delphi can be found on the Internet at
http://www.delphiauto.com