VIRTUAL GORILLA PROJECT
"GORILLAS IN THE BITS"

The Virtual Gorilla Project is an educational tool being developed by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology's Graphics, Visualization and Useability (GVU) Lab and PhD program in the College of Architecture in conjunction with researchers and staff from ZOO ATLANTA. In conjunction with established Zoo Atlanta conservation efforts, the Virtual Gorilla project is being developed as an immersive education tool to aid in the instruction of K-12 grade students in the interactions and behaviors of gorillas.

Virtual Reality will help zoo visitors to understand and appreciate gorilla behavior. By entering a gorilla world and joining a gorilla family, the visitors will begin to think like a gorilla might think and behave like a gorill might behave. What better way to endear zoo visitors to the wonders of gorilla life? What better way to prepare visitors for learning about the conservation needs of gorillas? By making this personal contact with a virtual gorilla family, visitors will be encouraged to open their hearts and minds to gorilla conservation issues.

The project was first demonstrated to the public at Zoo Atlanta on May 15, 1996 (see "Our Day at the Zoo") and has since been seen on CNN and published in numerous scientific and scholastic publications.

For more details on the project, click on an area of interest listed in the side column.

Georgia Tech Campus ... Fox ... Portman ... Public Spaces ... Chicken ... Billboards ... Varsity ... Atlanta Essay ... Gorillas ... Stone ... Dreams & Crossroads ... Symphony ... Links ... Neat Stuff