Can’t keep calm over a ‘hyperwall’
2016-01-12
Though it looks like something straight from a sci-fi movie, you’ll find this hyperwall standing tall and proud in Building 57 at Johnson Space Center. Constructed from 12 TV screens powered by six different computers, this hyperwall is the first of its kind at JSC, and the possibilities for its use continue to grow — along with the wall itself.
When interns Mackenzie Carlson and Donald Venus accepted their offer to work at Johnson for the semester, they had no idea they’d be creating a hyperwall. Their project description included the phrase “facilitate and improve the co-working space,” and improve the space they did.
“The difference between a hyperwall and a big screen,” shared Carlson, “is with ours, you can project your own computer files on it — your desktop, a YouTube video. With a hyperwall, two or more computers can work on it at once, rather than a projector, where you have to pick a single item you want to see.”
They showed off their developments first by opening a Word document and then by displaying animation from another user’s computer, all on one hyperwall.
Mentors Nick Skytland and Alicia Llewellyn assigned the construction of the hyperwall to Carlson and Venus with full faith in their abilities, and the students didn’t disappoint.
“The benefit of having interns is that they never use what they don’t know as an excuse not to do something,” Llewellyn said. “They’ll go figure it out. They say, ‘challenge accepted.’”
So why a hyperwall?
“We want to push forward the way the agency uses data,” Llewellyn said, “and being at NASA allows you to go beyond your academic training and explore a new frontier.”
[Pssst! Now is the time to request a summer intern for your project. Read about acquiring an intern or put in an opportunity directly.]
Though they were excited, the interns had their initial doubts.
“I thought we could do it, but it would cost a couple thousand dollars,” Venus said. However, the pair were able to use materials available on-site, so the final project cost no more than an astounding $20. The real cost came in the form of time and hard work — especially with the software crashing over and over again. After four tries, Carlson found bugs within the program and fixed them herself to get it up and running.
Eventually, the creators hope to have the hyperwall connected with walls already in existence at Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This would allow for files from each center to be displayed on the hyperwalls simultaneously. Potential future developments also include motion-detection technology so that when users walk up to the wall, a virtual window opens to walls at other centers, allowing users to have a simulated face-to-face conversation in real-time.
Carlson and Venus aren’t finished with the project just yet: It currently requires six computers to run the hyperwall, with each computer powering two monitors. The interns plan to eventually consolidate the wall to operate on just one computer.
“We have four more screens left, too, and I think we could probably fit 10 more screens in this space,” Skytland said. “I’m always a big fan of more screens.”
Itching to see the hyperwall for yourself? Since it’s in the Building 57 co-working space, not only can you go see it anytime you’d like — you are highly encouraged to use it. By using your own laptop, you can wirelessly access the hyperwall, or just use the available touchscreen option already connected to it.
As uses for the hyperwall continue to expand, its creators and their mentors encourage the JSC team to discover different ways to use it. Don’t be limited to presentations or projections on your boring old TV. Venture to Building 57 for your next meeting and test out this futuristic-feeling technology.
From left, interns Donald Venus and Mackenzie Carlson pose in front of their project: a hyperwall.
Leah Cheshier
NASA Johnson Space Center
When interns Mackenzie Carlson and Donald Venus accepted their offer to work at Johnson for the semester, they had no idea they’d be creating a hyperwall. Their project description included the phrase “facilitate and improve the co-working space,” and improve the space they did.
“The difference between a hyperwall and a big screen,” shared Carlson, “is with ours, you can project your own computer files on it — your desktop, a YouTube video. With a hyperwall, two or more computers can work on it at once, rather than a projector, where you have to pick a single item you want to see.”
They showed off their developments first by opening a Word document and then by displaying animation from another user’s computer, all on one hyperwall.
Mentors Nick Skytland and Alicia Llewellyn assigned the construction of the hyperwall to Carlson and Venus with full faith in their abilities, and the students didn’t disappoint.
“The benefit of having interns is that they never use what they don’t know as an excuse not to do something,” Llewellyn said. “They’ll go figure it out. They say, ‘challenge accepted.’”
So why a hyperwall?
“We want to push forward the way the agency uses data,” Llewellyn said, “and being at NASA allows you to go beyond your academic training and explore a new frontier.”
[Pssst! Now is the time to request a summer intern for your project. Read about acquiring an intern or put in an opportunity directly.]
Though they were excited, the interns had their initial doubts.
“I thought we could do it, but it would cost a couple thousand dollars,” Venus said. However, the pair were able to use materials available on-site, so the final project cost no more than an astounding $20. The real cost came in the form of time and hard work — especially with the software crashing over and over again. After four tries, Carlson found bugs within the program and fixed them herself to get it up and running.
Eventually, the creators hope to have the hyperwall connected with walls already in existence at Ames Research Center, Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This would allow for files from each center to be displayed on the hyperwalls simultaneously. Potential future developments also include motion-detection technology so that when users walk up to the wall, a virtual window opens to walls at other centers, allowing users to have a simulated face-to-face conversation in real-time.
Carlson and Venus aren’t finished with the project just yet: It currently requires six computers to run the hyperwall, with each computer powering two monitors. The interns plan to eventually consolidate the wall to operate on just one computer.
“We have four more screens left, too, and I think we could probably fit 10 more screens in this space,” Skytland said. “I’m always a big fan of more screens.”
Itching to see the hyperwall for yourself? Since it’s in the Building 57 co-working space, not only can you go see it anytime you’d like — you are highly encouraged to use it. By using your own laptop, you can wirelessly access the hyperwall, or just use the available touchscreen option already connected to it.
As uses for the hyperwall continue to expand, its creators and their mentors encourage the JSC team to discover different ways to use it. Don’t be limited to presentations or projections on your boring old TV. Venture to Building 57 for your next meeting and test out this futuristic-feeling technology.
From left, interns Donald Venus and Mackenzie Carlson pose in front of their project: a hyperwall.
Leah Cheshier
NASA Johnson Space Center