*IEEE VR2006* *CALL FOR PARTICIPATION* Saturday, MARCH 25, 2006 through Wednesday, MARCH 29, 2006 ALEXANDRIA MARK CENTER, ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA, USA We invite you to participate in the IEEE Virtual Reality 2006 conference in Alexandria Virginia, USA, March 25-29, 2005. IEEE VR 2006 is the premier international conference and exhibition in virtual reality. It provides a unique opportunity to interact with leading experts in VR and closely related fields such as augmented reality, mixed reality and 3D interaction. Test your own work and educate yourself through exposure to the research of your peers from around the world. And of course, there will be time to renew friendships, make new ones and experience the diverse culture and cuisine of nearby Washington D. C. Submit your work and learn more about the conference at its website: http://www.vr2006.org *SUBMISSION DETAILS* All submission venues have the same deadlines, but different submission formats. Detailed information on format can be found at the website below, or by contacting the relevant chairs. *Important Dates:* Submissions due: September 4, 2005 Review decisions expected: November 13, 2005 Website Call For Participation: www.vr2006.org *** In conjunction with IEEE VR will be the 14th Symposium on: HAPTIC INTERFACES FOR VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT AND TELEOPERATOR SYSTEMS For more details, see the following website: http://www.hapticssymposium.org and the 1st Symposium on: 3D USER INTERFACES For more details, see the following website: http://www-human.ist.osaka-u.ac.jp/3dui2006 *** *CONFERENCE REGISTRATION* Registration information and fee schedules for the conference, tutorials and workshops will be available from our web site. Plan to register early and take advantage of our reduced early registration fees. *HOTEL AND LOCATION* VR 2006 will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. For more details, see the following website: http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=DCAAHHH. Reservation and further information is available on the conference website. *** *CALL FOR PAPERS* IEEE VR 2006 seeks original, high-quality research in all areas of virtual reality, as well as augmented reality, mixed reality and 3D HCI. Research papers should describe results that contribute to advancements in state-of-the-art software, hardware, algorithms, interaction, or systems development. Papers must be in English, not exceed eight (8) pages in length and be formatted using the IEEE Computer Society format described at http://www.cs.sfu.ca/~vis/Tasks/camera.html. This year VR will use a *double-blind review process*. Submissions should *not* contain information (including citations and optional videos) that unnecessarily identify the authors or the institutions or places of work. More details will be available on the website. All papers must be submitted electronically. Authors who do not have web access should contact one of the program chairs listed below. Authors may submit videos to aid the program committee in the review of their submissions. Videos must be submitted following the instructions at the conference website. Videos submitted with papers will be automatically considered for possible inclusion in the video proceedings. For details, see the regularly updated conference website call for papers or contact the program chairs. *Program Chairs:* Bernd Froehlich, Bauhaus-Universitaet Weimar Doug Bowman, Virginia Tech Hiroo Iwata, University of Tsukuba mailto:programchairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR APPLICATION AND RESEARCH SKETCHES* VR2006's Sketches program provides a forum to present the latest implemented applications and research developments in all areas of virtual reality, augmented and mixed reality, and 3D HCI. Sketches can provide overviews of newly-fielded VR systems or first looks at new research results. Sketches will be peer-reviewed and published in the regular proceedings. Applications and Research Sketches must be in English, not exceed four (4) pages in length and be formatted using the IEEE Computer Society format described at http://www.cs.sfu.ca/~vis/Tasks/camera.html. Include the author's name(s), affiliations, addresses and electronic mail address. All papers must be submitted electronically. Authors who do not have web access should contact one of the research sketches chairs listed below. Authors may submit videos to aid the committee in the review of their submissions. Videos must be submitted following the instructions at the conference website. Videos submitted with research sketches will be automatically considered for possible inclusion in the video proceedings. For details, see the regularly updated conference website or contact the research sketches chairs. *Application and Research Sketches Chairs: *Jim Cremer, University of Iowa Randall Smith, General Motors mailto:sketchchairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR PANELS* Lively discussions incorporating differing points of view help focus attention on significant and/or controversial topics. Interested parties are invited to submit proposals for interactive panel sessions with the goal of addressing a specific VR or related topic from several perspectives. Panel sessions should not be structured as a series of individual stand-alone presentations but rather should address debatable material that is presented in a lively manner so as to involve all panel participants and engage the total audience. Panel proposals should be submitted electronically and should include a title for the panel session, a brief description of the overall issues to be discussed (roughly 250 words each), and the names, contact information and short (roughly 100 words) biographies for the organizer and each panelist. Panelists should come from multiple organizations. For information or to submit a proposal contact: *Panels Chairs:* Joe LaViola, Brown University Jennifer Seevinck, Old Dominion University mailto:panelchairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR SURVEY REPORTS* Within the conference, survey reports will provide a compact overview about the current state of the art in a specific area, such as technology, algorithms, systems, etc. in VR and related fields. A survey report should introduce the most relevant achievements from various researchers with video documentation within a 45 min presentation. Survey reports must be in English, not exceed eight (8) pages in length and be formatted using the IEEE Computer Society format described at http://www.cs.sfu.ca/~vis/Tasks/camera.html. Include the author's name(s), affiliations, addresses and electronic mail address. All surveys must be submitted electronically directly to the survey report chairs. For information or to submit a survey contact: *Survey Report Chairs:* Sabine Coquillart, INRIA Grenoble Haruo Takemura, Osaka University mailto:surveychairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR TUTORIALS* Learning and sharing knowledge are at the heart of our success. Interested parties are invited to submit proposals for full-day or half-day tutorials to be presented during the two days immediately prior to the VR 2006 conference. Proposed tutorials may address topics of interest to the VR, mixed or augmented reality, or 3D HCI communities, and may be at an introductory or advanced level. Proposals for tutorials should be submitted electronically and should include a title for the tutorial, proposed length, a brief description of the topics to be addressed (roughly 250 words), the intended audience and the names, contact information and a short biography (roughly 100 words each) for the proposed instructors. For information or to submit a proposal contact: *Tutorials Chairs* Benjamin Lok, University of Florida G. Drew Kessler, Lehigh University mailto:tutorialchairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR WORKSHOPS* We are planning full-day workshops to bring together researchers, developers, and users for a lively discussion of issues and an informal exchange of ideas and information. Workshops may target a specific application or a topic of general interest. We invite individuals or teams interested in presenting such a workshop to submit proposals. Workshop proposals should be submitted electronically and should include a title, a brief topic description (approximately 250 words), and the names, contact information and brief biographies (roughly 100 words) of the workshop organizers. The proposal should also identify the intended audience, its size, and all technical requirements, including space, audio/visual, computer, and communication needs, etc. For more information, or to submit a proposal, please contact: *Workshop Chairs Massimo Bergamasco, Pisa University Ed Swan, Mississippi State University mailto:workshopchairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR VIDEOS* We invite participants to submit videos showing the results of VR-related research or applications, including efforts from 3D HCI and mixed or augmented reality communities. Videos describing work in a submitted paper are welcome. However, videos can also be submitted independently of a paper submission. Selected videos will be included in the Video Proceedings. Videos must be narrated in English, should stand on their own and not exceed 5 minutes in length. Each video must be accompanied with a one-page description including the title, a 200 word abstract, references, acknowledgements, and contact information with author names, affiliations and an email address for the lead author. For details on submission, contact: *Video Chairs:* Catherine Zanbaka, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Mark Mine, Disney mailto:videochairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR LAB PRESENTATIONS* We seek research demos from any lab or research group (including industry). Demos should interest the broad VR community and be presentable in a conference setting. Research Labs will be invited to participate in an exhibition-like INNOVATION PARK with an appropriate new and innovative demo. The conference will provide basic infrastructure for the labs. In addition to the demos, the invited labs will have a time slot in the Lab Presentation Session(s) to communicate more general the work in their lab and the respective demo. Proposals for lab presentations should be submitted electronically to the lab presentation chairs. Proposals should include a 1 page description of the demo and the set up, as well a one page description of the research lab. For more information contact: *Lab Presentation Chairs:* Anthony Steed, University College London Masahiko Inami, The University of Electro-Communications Andre Hinkenjann, FH Bonn-Rhein Sieg mailto:labchairs@vr2006.org *EXHIBITOR INVITATION* IEEE VR provides a unique opportunity for your organization to reach the world's foremost VR researchers and application builders. We invite government, academic and commercial organizations to showcase VR hardware, software, integrated systems, peripherals, innovations, literature or anything else of interest to our conference participants. Regular refreshments will be offered in the exhibit hall and the conference reception will be held there, ensuring a good audience for exhibitors. Posters and research demos will also be located by exhibitors, Additional sponsorship and marketing opportunities will also be available. *Exhibits Chairs:* James Chung, Dynamic Animation Systems Skip Rizzo, USC, Los Angeles Jarrell Pair, USC, Los Angeles mailto:exhibitionchairs@vr2006.org *CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS* We are looking for dedicated and enthusiastic student volunteers to help "make it all happen". Volunteers may commit to ten or twenty hours of volunteer effort and will receive conference registration, proceedings, snacks, t-shirt and other items of appreciation based on level of commitment. For more information visit our website or contact: *Volunteers Chairs: *Jian Chen, Virginia Tech Susan Yin, General Dynamics mailto:students@vr2006.org Information from: Benjamin Close cisbjc@cs.unisa.edu.au