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Z3VR - An Interactive VR Learning Environment for One of the First Computers (Konrad Zuse’s Z3)

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Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality (HCII 2024)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 14708))

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Abstract

This paper presents Z3VR, an interactive simulation of Konrad Zuse’s Z3 computer in a Virtual Reality (VR) environment, intended to give users the full experience of working with this historically significant machine. The paper explores other Z3 simulations and VR programming environments and draws comparison to Z3VR in terms of their accuracy and interface approach, where applicable. It details the creation of the project in various aspects and lessons learned from implementing and testing the VR user interface. It further evaluates how effective the project is as an educational tool in terms of teaching users about some concepts of low-level programming, and proposes future work to be done on Z3VR for higher usability and potential application in museums.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.historicsimulations.com/ZuseZ3.html, accessed 13.8.2023.

  2. 2.

    https://sourceforge.net/projects/pipzusez3, accessed 13.8.2023.

  3. 3.

    https://www.web3d.org/content/vrml97-functional-specification-and-vrml97-external-authoring-interface-eai, accessed 14.8.2023.

  4. 4.

    https://scratch.mit.edu/, accessed 14.1.2024.

  5. 5.

    https://xkarel.sourceforge.net/eng/, accessed 14.1.2024.

  6. 6.

    https://www.python.org/, accessed 6.9.2023.

  7. 7.

    https://www.beatsaber.com/, accessed 14.1.2024.

  8. 8.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation, accessed 1.9.2023.

  9. 9.

    https://unity.com/, accessed 30.8.2023.

  10. 10.

    https://www.khronos.org/openxr/, accessed 30.8.2023.

  11. 11.

    https://fspy.io/, accessed 21.8.2023.

  12. 12.

    https://www.blender.org/, accessed 21.8.2023.

  13. 13.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUXnhVrT4CI, accessed 21.8.2023.

  14. 14.

    “Die letzte Rechnung der Zuse Z3” https://youtu.be/TbW-qNxD1lE.

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Acknowledgments

This project would not have been possible without the plentiful resources provided by the Konrad Zuse Internet Archive [15], and especially professor Raúl Rojas, whose works on Konrad Zuse’s calculating machines are a very good resource for anyone intending to learn about them.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures and Augmented Reality, The Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Lukas Moersler, David A. Plecher, Christian Eichhorn & Gudrun Klinker

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  1. Lukas Moersler
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  2. David A. Plecher
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Correspondence to David A. Plecher .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD, USA

    Jessie Y. C. Chen

  2. U.S. Army Combat Capabilities, Orlando, FL, USA

    Gino Fragomeni

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Moersler, L., Plecher, D.A., Eichhorn, C., Klinker, G. (2024). Z3VR - An Interactive VR Learning Environment for One of the First Computers (Konrad Zuse’s Z3). In: Chen, J.Y.C., Fragomeni, G. (eds) Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality. HCII 2024. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14708. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61047-9_8

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