Founded in 1993, the New York University's Media Research Laboratory (MRL) was established with the goal of developing new ways for people to interact with computers and information. Affiliated with the Department of Computer Science, research performed by MRL personnel addresses a diverse set of problems in human computer interaction, intelligent agents, tracking devices, animation, computer graphics, micro-robotics, programming language, distributed interactive systems, language recognition and generation, display devices, and vision algorithms. Investigative work of this type is best conducted in rapidly adaptable computing environments. However, currently research is performed in space originally constructed in 1982 for an industrial-scale manufacturing and robotics program and has never been renovated. ARI funds will be utilized to transform the facility into a tailored multimedia space that will make research more effective. Renovations will encompass: reconfiguring space, upgrading HVAC, electrical and lighting systems, installing safety devices and security systems, and network infrastructure, and making ADA improvements; all required to create a state of the art facility. Three new laboratories will be established: an Immersive Environment Lab will respond in complex ways to the presence and actions of human beings; a Multimedia Project Lab will accommodate testing for new interaction, presentation, and computation paradigm; and a Collaborative Project and Human Factors Lab used for developing and testing research applications with collaborators from industry and academe. This project will enable the MRL to build on its past success as it moves into the future.
