Visual Basic Targeting Software for a Headup Display

Now that the hardware works and the firmware to control the hardware is in place, I usually end up building a user interface.  This means that not only do you have to be a competant hardware designer, you can't get away from having to complete the job for the customer.  And the user interface can make or break the whole application.  There are a number of tools that I use to create the software, which is usually targeted at Microsoft Windows.  At the early stages of design, I prefer ultra-rapid prototyping.  This can mean bulding an entire application and the drivers in as little as one afternoon (if I am in the right mood).  To do this you need a rapid prototyping language.  And this is where Visual Basic comes it.  I use VB.Net 2003 and 2005, for the latest designs. Targeting the Avalon engine in the forthcoming Windows Vista. 

Head up Display indicating awareness of tactical information on the Wearable Computer (2004)

Visual Basic is an extremely powerful programming language and is arguably the fastest way to build a proof on concept app.  It runs as fast as its friends such as C# and its intellesense enables the user to create code and the find the functions they need really quickly.  Sometimes I get annoyed when people make the mistake that VB is not as powerful as c++ for example.  Its a tool, its managed code, and an application that would take 3 weeks in c++ can be done in one afternoon. 

Command Server - Able to cope with 1023 clients at once, keeps battlefield information.

The speed of execution is no longer a barrier, and even if advanced processing is required, you can always write just that bit in C, and build it all together.  If you can do it in windows at all, you can do it with VB.  An example is the BattleField Virtual Radar Application shown above.  It is a multithreaded command server capable of handling complex battlefield data in a geospatial display - and at 60 Frames per second.