Old Dominion University and The Center for Advanced Engineering Environments
select Haptek for advanced learning modules
SANTA CRUZ, California, February 14, 2003 - Working under a grant from NASA
Langley Research, researchers at Old Dominion University in the Center for Advanced
Engineering Environments and seven other institutions are assembling a distancelearning project to teach aerospace-engineering concepts to students across the country.
Haptek Generation 4 software has been chosen to provide the virtual human solution in,
what many predict, will be a revolution in knowledge management and deployment.
NASA initiated and funded a university consortium led by Old Dominion University's
Center for Advanced Engineering Environments to develop the Hierarchical Learning
Network. HLN's lead architect is Dr. Ahmed K. Noor, a professor of aerospace
engineering at Old Dominion. Dr. Noor says that the lessons "would be learning modules
in revolutionary technology areas in which no university courses exist today." Dr. Noor
goes on to say: "this would be highly interactive, with the technologies built into [the
programs] being far more sophisticated than the computer-game technologies of today."
In choosing the Haptek character solution, Dr. Noor adds, "My team is very pleased with
the broad functionality and realism of Haptek Characters ... Haptek is the best solution
available today."
When the learning modules are complete and the lessons are deployed, they will be
managed by professors from Old Dominion and its partner institutions in the project,
which include Cornell University, George Mason University, the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology’s Media Lab, Syracuse University, the University of Florida at
Gainesville, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Haptek software creates photo-realistic, 3-D, full-bodied, fully automated, morphing and
emotive characters in dynamic environments. The characters are non-repetitive and
visually and verbally interact with the user and with one another over the Internet, in real
time and at virtually any bandwidth. Haptek’s recently released Generation 4 technology
leads the industry, setting a new standard for fully interactive virtual character
technology.
Contacts:
Jack Wiley, CFO
Haptek, Inc.
P.O. Box 965
Freedom, CA 95019-0965
www.haptek.com
jack@haptek.com
Voice: (831) 728-0770
Dr. Ahmed K. Noor
a.k.noor@larc.nasa.gov
Center for Advanced Engineering
Old Dominion University
MS 201 NASA, Langley Research Center
Hampton, VA 23681