As was highlighted on a previous Slice of SciFi episode, the friendly Alberta town of Vulcan is about to go where no one has gone before by launching a new, one-of-a-kind $250,000 virtual reality game. The latest star in Vulcan’s space tourism universe, the “Vulcan Space Adventure”, officially launches June 8, 2007 on the first day of Galaxyfest-Spock Days, Vulcan’s annual, fun-filled weekend-long Star Trek convention. Already on the radar for its famous name and for its homage to the Star Trek TV series, Vulcan celebrates June 8 to 10 with this exclusively designed game.

The “Vulcan Space Adventure” uses GestureTek’s patented “multi-camera” technology which, combined with holographic images, light and sound effects and even a transporter, creates a thrilling virtual reality experience that puts visitors squarely into the black boots of Starfleet officers. For $10 each, up to 3 Trekkers at a time can enter the Star Trek inspired world of “Starflight Academy”, where they are tutored via video by the man himself, “Captain Krok”, before stepping through the Swishing doors and onto the bridge of a Starship. From here they launch into the ultimate adventure. Using the revolutionary GestureTek “point & click” gesture-based computer interface, players (aka Starflight Trainees) face a large holographic screen on which they receive instructions from command, and fight off alien invaders by moving their hand through thin air to point and shoot their weapons.

GestureTek’s technology has been thrilling users in public and private installations around the world since well before the movie “Minority Report” popularized the concept of gesture control. The “Vulcan Space Adventure” is one of only 2 such GestureTek installations in Canada, and a first opportunity for Western Canada to see and experience this technology in action.

The Official Launch of the sprawling “Vulcan Space Adventure” attraction, which takes up almost a third of the town’s Tourism & Trek Station, marks the next generation of Vulcan’s homage to Star Trek and Science Fiction. It follows in the wake of the opening of the Tourism & Trek Station – town’s spacey tourist information centre in 1998; the unveiling of the 5-tonne Vulcan Starship FX6-1995-A in 1995; and the town’s first Star Trek Convention held back in 1993; not to mention the space murals and alien signage that grace the walls and street corners of this little town on the prairies.

The “Vulcan Space Adventure” project was funded by the Town of Vulcan, with marching funds from the Alberta Lottery Fund. The Alberta Lottery Fund reinvests gaming revenue from VLTs, slot machines and ticket lotteries into projects that matter to Albertans. It is the “here and now” fund, working this second in places you never knew. When you see the Alberta Lottery Fund log, you will see funds at work.

Vulcan is just an hour’s drive from Calgary and Lethbridge and the short journey promises a blast of fun that can’t be found anywhere else in Alberta… or maybe even the universe.