Rycharde Hawkes’ work has ranged from the creation of artificial creatures in their own virtual 3D world to a WAP-phone alert service for bus and tram passengers.

Hawkes joined HP Labs in Bristol in 1996 to continue his specialist work in the business applications of virtual environments and the Internet.

This work has involved the invention of new technologies for HP Labs, and representing the company on industry groups such as the Web3D Consortium, an Internet standards body.

His projects include LivingSpace, a multi-user 3D graphical virtual environment with integrated 3D voice conferencing.  Hawkes has also developed Web collaboration technology for use in customer relationship management.

In 2000, he was the main developer in HP Labs of a pilot public transport tracking project in Helsinki, which sends customers a WAP-phone alert as their bus approaches. Hawkes designed the Java and XML-based software ‘backend’ and interfaces, while communications company Elisa developed the WAP user interface for the system.

More recently he worked on a proof-of-concept for a new  entertainment format with a large media customer.  Currently Rycharde is looking at the demands digital media applications will place on HP's utility computing platform, specifically rendering.

Hawkes has a background in both academic and industrial research. He graduated from Coventry University, UK, in 1991 with a first-class honours degree in Computer Science. He then joined the Real World Graphics company to develop software for rendering 3D geometry in real-time. As a demonstrator, he co-developed the first immersive virtual roller-coaster ride, complete with head-mounted display (HMD) and head-tracking.

In 1992, he joined the Virtual Environment Laboratory at Edinburgh University as a research associate. His work there led to a virtual environment system for running real-time simulations to aid research into visual perception. The system ran on a network of PCs, supported a wide range of input and display devices, including HMDs, projection screens, 3D audio and datagloves.

Its largest single application was a fixed-base driving simulator that Hawkes designed featuring half of a Ford Fiesta car, force-feedback steering, a projection screen and synchronised data capture of head and eye movements for human performance analysis.

Hawkes completed his PhD thesis entitled, A Software Architecture for Modelling and Distributing Virtual Environments, in 1996.

Later that year he developed the GetALife artificial life engine and support infrastructure for TechnoSphere II, an online environment allowing users to create artificial creatures and observe their interactions in a simulated 3D world. TechnoSphere II won a distinction award in the .net category of Prix Ars Electronica in 1997, was a finalist in the Imaginaria Art and Technology Awards 1998 and has been nominated for many other distinctions.

Hawkes has published a number of technical papers and continues to supervise advanced degree students at Bristol University.

June 2003