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ZOO ATLANTA AND GEORGIA TECH TEAM UP TO CREATE FIRST VIRTUAL REALITY ZOO EXHIBIT"
Georgia Institute of Technology May 9, 1996
Press conference: 9 a.m., Wednesday, May 15, 1996
Demonstrations: 9 a.m. to noon; 1 to 5 p.m.
ATLANTA -- As a soft breeze breaks through the springtime heat at Zoo Atlanta, a young female gorilla's mind turns to troublemaking.
She heads toward a large silverback male resting in the shade of an immense oak tree.
At first, he simply glares at the youngster as she playfully lunges at him and strikes aggressive poses she's learned from the others. But when his stares and annoyed coughs go unheeded, he suddenly charges the juvenile, screaming and beating his fists against his chest. Wisely, she flees.
Excited and a little scared, the female retreats to a nearby wooden shelter and pulls off her helmet. This gorilla, as it turns out, is actually a humann student seeing firsthand how apes interact in the wild, through virtual reality.
The experience is part of a unique educational program made possible by Zoo Atlanta and Georgia Institute of Technology. Beginning with a 9 a.m. press conference, researchers from both organizations will demonstrate the world's first Virtual Reality Gorilla Exhibit throughout the day on Wednesday, May 15.
Local schoolchildren will be on hand to try out the virtual reality system, which puts them into a real gorilla habitat as a member of a gorilla family. The demonstrations will be in the Ford African Rain Forest's Gorillas of the Cameroon Interpretive Center, against the backdrop of the home of Zoo Atlanta's most famous gorilla, Willie B.
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