Imagine traveling through the solar system and holding models of planets in your hand, then moments later you are kayaking through the Antarctic with a killer whale swimming alongside your boat. Next, you step into a conversation with Ann Frank as she walks you through some of the places made famous through her diary. Finally, you end the experience holding a pumping human heart that with the swipe of the hand shows the difference between an irregular and regular heartbeat.
Over the last semester, the Innovation Foundry partnered with venues across the campus to demonstrate the potential and immersive nature of Virtual Reality (VR). Virtual Reality allows the user to travel to the far corners of the earth, time and space without ever leaving the room. By demonstrating some of this potential, the Innovation Foundry was able to develop new relationships with faculty interested in this new horizon of educational technology.
We look forward to more of the VR Pop Ups in the spring so even more students and faculty can experience Virtual Reality for themselves.