Messages - Message from the General Chairs

Welcome to IEEE VR 2009, the premier conference for virtual reality, augmented reality, and 3D user interfaces. We have planned an outstanding program with the latest innovative research, groundbreaking technology, and pioneering concepts in all those disciplines. The conference opens with a weekend of exciting workshops, tutorials and the 3DUI Symposium. This year we have expanded the weekend program to incorporate hands-on experiences in the tutorials as well as more industry participation in the workshops presentations. The exhibit area, opening Sunday evening, has also been expanded, incorporating a great balance of research demonstrations and commercial products. The main conference brings a strong program of papers, sketches and panels, still in a single session to allow you to fully enjoy all the conference has to offer. The keynote address promises to be compelling and stimulating. Elizabeth Baron, part of Ford Motor Company´s Digital Innovation Group and manager of the VR Center in Product Development, will be sharing her experiences on deploying immersive systems at Ford that address the unique challenges of automotive design and engineering. She will also be giving us insight on where gaps exist in current VR tools, and thoughts on the future of human/computer interaction for vehicle engineering and design.