University of California, Berkeley is being given a corporate gift by virtual reality (VR) company Immerex to create a brand new research lab for VR and augmented reality (AR) projects.
The new lab will be for research into applications of VR and AR technologies, such as those that can train doctors in new techniques as well as other related fields such as human-computer interaction, human cognition modelling and robotics. It will be located within UC Berkeley’s Cory Hall and will be named the Immerex Virtual Reality Lab.
The new VR lab will be a space where both graduate and undergraduate students can develop projects using state-of-the-art VR equipment. Immerex will also provide funding for scholarships to support students studying in the AR/VR field.
“Immerex is thrilled to partner with UC Berkeley and support the future of VR research at the world’s leading AR/VR lab,” said Kirin Lee, CEO of Immerex. “While Immerex is solving many of the VR limitations our industry sees today, we understand it is partnerships like this that will continue to push the industry forward to new and exciting places, and we are happy to collectively work towards the same goal of seamlessly merging the virtual world with the real world.”
S. Shankar Sastry, Dean of the College of Engineering added: “Thanks to Immerex, we will be able to host advanced student projects and offer new innovative curriculum in virtual reality. We expect the new lab will make a positive impact in strengthening Berkeley’s leading role in Silicon Valley and globally on the innovation of disruptive technologies that connect information, people and society.”
In January Immerex announced a partnership with CloudMinds Technology Inc. to share industrial resources, technical and personnel expertise in a bid to improve its VR platform.
VRFocus will keep you updated with further information on Immerex and VR in learning.