Mechdyne Receives 2008 Award for Excellence in AV From ARCHI-TECH Magazine and InfoComm

C6 Room at Iowa State University Virtual Reality Applications Center Cited for Design, Integration and Unprecedented Resolution


MARSHALLTOWN, IA--(Marketwire - June 19, 2008) - Mechdyne Corporation today announced that its work on the C6 Virtual Reality Room at Iowa State University received a 2008 ARCHI-TECH AV Award. Presented on Wednesday by ARCHI-TECH Magazine in conjunction with InfoComm, the award recognizes Mechdyne for its integration of advanced technology and design in the C6, the world's highest resolution virtual environment.

At a ceremony today during the annual InfoComm Show in Las Vegas, five projects were honored as outstanding examples of the creative and effective integration of audiovisual technology into otherwise traditional construction and design projects. Mechdyne was recognized for its management of the complex retrofit installation, the innovative first ever use of Sony cinema quality projectors for immersive stereo display, and integration of a state-of-the-art graphics computing cluster to produce nearly lifelike 3D images.

The C6 uses 24 Sony SXRD projectors to deliver 100 megapixel per eye imagery in a fully-enclosed cube located within the Iowa State University Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC). Conceived as an upgrade to an earlier-generation VR room, the C6 is housed in an enclosure architected to mimic the tornados that are indigenous to the Ames, Iowa region in the spring and summer of the year. A key restriction was that this enclosure and the center could not be expanded or altered in any way. The center also had to continue operation as a research and learning facility throughout the upgrade. With extensive experience in system engineering and staging, the Mechdyne team readily met the challenge of working within the architecturally designed space.

"The success of the C6 project was the result of exceptional effort and team work with our partners at Sony and the ISU staff, including a mechanical engineering team that redesigned the HVAC plant to accommodate increased thermal loads," said Chris Clover, President and CEO of Mechdyne. "Sony worked with us to engineer a graphics-ready version of its SXRD projector that allowed us to far exceed the resolution of any previous display system. And the University had the vision to support the development of a new technology approach that defined a new state-of-the-art in advanced visualization."

About ARCHI-TECH AV Award

ARCHI-TECH, a publication with an exclusive focus on combining the elements of design with the rapidly evolving technologies used in non-residential buildings, presents the annual AV Award in conjunction with InfoComm International, the leading organization serving the professional AV communications industry worldwide. The C6 and other projects named as 2008 Award recipients will be featured in the July/August print edition of ARCHI-TECH, which can be found at www.architechmag.com

About Mechdyne Corporation

Mechdyne Corporation is the world's largest company dedicated to consulting and development of immersive, networked and collaborative visualization systems. The company addresses complex projects where an in-depth understanding of user requirements leads to the development of products and customized solutions involving elements of visual, software and support systems. Mechdyne's product divisions provide advanced display technology, audio/visual systems design, and implementation services, as well as immersive and interactive software development and support. Headquartered in Marshalltown, Iowa, Mechdyne's customers include leading government laboratories, military research programs, energy companies and a variety of 'edutainment,' manufacturing, and other users of visualization technology. More information is available at www.mechdyne.com.

NOTE: For more information about the C6 and Virtual Reality Applications Center, visit: http://www.vrac.iastate.edu/c6.php

Contact Information: For more information: Jeff Brum Mechdyne Corporation 519-664-0036, ext. 221 Matt Schmidt FS Communications 650-345-3549