An apparatus and method for underwater coupling of a fiber-optic cable to a light source without exposing the light source to the surrounding water. The apparatus employs an optically clear coupling element having one or more blind holes on one surface sized to snugly hold a fiber optic cable. The coupling element closes a watertight enclosure containing a light source such that the blind holes are on the exterior of the enclosure. Light emitted by the light source can pass through the optically...

A method and system are provided which allow sounds emanated by objects in a viewer-interactive, computer-generated graphic virtual world, and other virtual world sounds (e.g., a music score), to be reproduced using flexibly and automatically scheduled resources of a virtual world sound system. Sound system resources are allocated in accordance with priority values associated with sounds, sound-emanating objects or requests for sound channel allocation.

An innovative communication device and learning tool that enables marine mammals, such as dolphins, to communicate with humans and with each other. The communication device includes a keyboard having a plurality of hollow keys. Each key includes a switch which can be activated by the dolphin, and a two- or three-dimensional object which can be distinguished by dolphins from other objects in other keys both visually and through echolocation. A microprocessor based controller can be used to associ...