Edutainment – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

March 29, 2019

Madame Tussauds goes AR: Partnerschaft mit ARtGlass bringt AR-Wachsfigurenausstellung

Das populäre Museum Madame Tussauds hat seinen Sitz in London und weitere Niederlassungen auf der ganzen Welt. Innerhalb des Wachsfigurenkabinetts werden berühmte Persönlichkeiten und Prominente der Zeitgeschichte nachgebildet und somit lebensnah präsentiert. Eine neue Partnerschaft mit ARtGlass erweitert den amerikanischen Ausstellungsort in Washington, D.C. um eine technologische Komponente und erweckt die Figuren nun in einer neuen AR-Erfahrung durch Hologramme zum Leben.

Madame Tussauds und ARtGlass – AR-Wachsfigurenausstellung in Washington, D.C.

Durch ARtGlass gehören Museumsbesuche mit Audioguides zukünftig der Vergangenheit an. Das Unternehmen spezialisiert sich auf AR-Guides, um historische und kulturelle Güter in Einrichtungen und geschichtsträchtigen Orten zum Leben zu erwecken. So werden Statuen, Bilder und weitere materielle wie immaterielle Güter durch Hologramme dargestellt und mit immersiven Storytelling durch interessante Fakten und Informationen erweitert. Zudem werden zusätzliche Interaktionsmöglichkeiten bereitgestellt, um das edukative Erlebnis zu erweitern.

Die Edutainment-Touren wurden bereits über eine Million Mal von Besuchern an diversen Orten gebucht. Dazu zählen bekannte Orte, wie beispielsweise der schiefe Turm von Pisa. In einer Finanzierungsrunde konnte sich das Unternehmen im November 2018 Investments in Höhe von 1,3 Millionen US-Dollar sichern.

Eine neue Partnerschaft mit dem Wachsfigurenkabinett Madame Tussauds bringt die AR-Technologie nun im Sommer in ein amerikanisches Museum, um ausgestellte Ebenbilder von historischen Personen wie Martin Luther King Jr. oder Ikonen der Popkultur wie George Clooney digital in 3D, 360 Grad und Surrond Sound zum Leben zu erwecken.

Check out the coverage on our newest partnership with Madame Tussauds DC! We are excited for the newest tour offering… https://t.co/KUTLHOv0TC

— ARtGlass (@artglassgroup) March 21, 2019

So äußert sich Therese Alvich, General Mangerin von Madame Tussauds Washington, D.C. optimistisch über die zukünftige Zusammenarbeit:

“Das ARtGlass-Team bringt die perfekte Kombination aus technischer Innovation und kulturellem Wissen mit. Wir freuen uns, mit ihnen zusammenzuarbeiten, um unseren Besuchern eine einzigartige Erfahrung mit transformativem Storytelling zu bieten.”

Und auch Greg Werkheiser, CEO und Gründer von ARtGlass blickt vielversprechend auf die gemeinsame Kooperation:

“Diese Partnerschaft kombiniert die Kreativität und Freude von Madame Tussauds’ legendärer Kunstfertigkeit mit der “Edutainment”-Power von mobilen AR-Endgeräten, um die bemerkenswerten Figuren zum Leben zu erwecken.”

(Quelle: VR Scout | ARtGlass | Twitter: ARtGlass | Titelbild: ARtGlass Facebook | ARtGlass USA Team YouTube)

Der Beitrag Madame Tussauds goes AR: Partnerschaft mit ARtGlass bringt AR-Wachsfigurenausstellung zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

July 10, 2018

Review: HoloLAB Champions

Schell Games might be better known among virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts for its escape room experience I Expect You to Die, but the studio is becoming more prolific in the edutainment sector. Using VR as a means of interactive education has been gaining ground in the teaching field as a way of engaging students in more traditional subjects that are seen as difficult or less appealing. So Schell Games has created HoloLAB Champions, a VR videogame aimed purely at the subject of Chemistry.

HoloLAB Champions

For HoloLAB Champions Schell Games has taken a gameshow style theme, putting you in front of a virtual audience – made up of brains – and of course a host (called Earl), who makes a few wisecracks to lighten the mood. While the focus is on learning, putting real world facts and figures in front of you, the whole process certainly feels more towards a light-hearted classroom that isn’t going to judge if you drop something.

The title has two main components to it Chemiluminescence and Identify Unknowns, both of which tackle various tasks within chemistry. As the name suggests Chemiluminescence is about the creation of glowing chemical solutions by mixing the correct amount of liquid and solid ingredients. While Identify Unknowns is about correctly identifying various substances using only a limited amount of reference information.

Each one starts off gently, acclimatising you to the mechanics of the experience. You get to learn about the various cylinders and beakers used, weighting solids on scales, how certain chemicals react with one another and much more. As each test is completed – there are 10 in total for each segment – the next one will added to what you’ve already learnt, building up that knowledge base for the final exam.

HoloLAB Champions

While the whole process is engaging from the outset, only feeding information in bite sized chunks, what’s remarkable is the finesse and accuracy of the experiments. Just like in a real lab measurements need to be spot on to the millilitre (ML) or gram which Schell Games has notably managed, especially on the liquid tests.

On the graduated cylinders for example each of the ML can be seen and poured to. Even the curve of the meniscus is visible to get an accurate measurement. Achieving this level of detail on the HTC Vive is certainly an accomplishment due to the fact that normally most VR developers keep items at a reasonable distance due to the screen door effect.

It’s this sort of attention to detail that makes HoloLAB Champions a shining example of what can be achieved when mixing the worlds of VR entertainment and education together, thoroughly focusing your attention for the entire time. Do remember however that this is more of a teaching tool rather than a videogame product. As such it is short, with each section taking around 30 minutes – or less – each, depending on if you get stuck at all.

To keep things interesting HoloLAB Champions does time and score you, penalising you for taking too long or spilling chemicals – trashing the equipment will massively reduce the final score. On the other hand, perfectly pouring ingredients out and solving the tests quickly will achieve max points.

As a normal piece of VR content HoloLAB Champions is short but sweet, offering an informative introduction into the world of chemistry. This isn’t the sort of title where you can go all mad scientist and create crazy concoctions – there’s Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-Ality for that – but it’s not meant to be. As a teaching tool it’s quite easy to see how VR has a place within education.

July 6, 2018

Can VR Make You Smarter? The VR Games Designed to Educate

Virtual reality (VR) is a great place to while away a few hours in some fantastical universe, go on an adventure, shoot some bad guys, or just relax in some tranquil surroundings. The technology isn’t just for entertainment purposes though as it can be used as an educational tool if you want to get that grey matter fired up. So VRFocus has decided to compile a list of edutainment titles available today that are worth a look.

Number Hunt

Perfectly falling into this category is Number Hunt, a mathematical videogame which was recently launched on Steam Early Access by two-person indie team PaleBlue XYZ. The premise is very simple, all you have to do is shoot numbers wandering around a level. The difficulty comes by the fact that you’re given five specific numbers to achieve on each round, and a gun that can Add, Multiply, Subtract and Divide.

The numbers wandering around range from one to nine, while the target numbers can go all the way up to 900. So you have to use some arithmetic skills to shoot the right numbers and hit those targets as quickly as possible. Plus there’s a time limit so there’s no hanging around.

Featuring both single-player and multiplayer modes Number Hunt is still early in development but showcases one of the best ideas for combining mathematics and fun gameplay.

HoloLAB Champions

The latest VR title from Schell Games (I Expect You to Die), HoloLAB Champions isn’t actually out just yet as its due to be released on 10th July for HTC Vive. VRFocus decide to include the videogame as it was so close to launch and accurately fitted the edutainment profile.

Created with support from the Institute of Education Science, HoloLAB Champions is focused on teaching chemistry via way of a game show layout. The single-player experience has each person interact with equipment and materials that they’d find in an actual lab, challenging them to scoop, pour, and burn their way through several mini-labs before the final lab challenge.

Whether you’re already learning Chemistry or just want to know more about the subject, HoloLAB Champions offers a fun approach to the subject.

VRobot: Robotics in VR

Another Steam Early Access title, VRobot: Robotics in VR is a far more technological offering than the last two, providing a virtual engineering workspace with all the tools and educational materials needed to build your own mechanised being.

Inspired by the work of past projects helping children engage with STEM subjects developer VRobot decided to create a practical and informative experience to teach anyone across the world about robotic design, without the usual expense.

You’re not going to create a T-800 just quite yet with the software currently offering a basic design to learn about LEGO EV3 Mindstorms. You’ll learn not only how to build it but also the programming side as well. Then in future iterations of VRobot: Robotics in VR more robots will be added.

Brush Up VR

One for the younger VR players among you, Brush Up VR is a humorous take on teaching children how to better brush their teeth.

Developed by GamesThatWork, Brush Up VR teams the player up with a friendly blue robot named Budd. Armed with a giant toothbrush, the player must brush all the green gunk from Budd’s teeth within the time limit. Failure to do so will be bad for your little blue buddy.

Titanic VR

Created by Immersive VR Education – the team behind Apollo 11 VR – Titanic VR takes you beneath the waves to learn about one of the most famous maritime disasters of the 20th Century.

The educational experience is set in the near future, but explores a more-intact 1985 model of the wreck. Players take on the role of Dr. Ethan Lynch, Associate Professor of Maritime Archaeology at the fictional University of Nova Scotia. With funding from a mysterious investor, Dr. Lynch and his PhD Candidate Jean Robinson have set out aboard a research vessel to dive the wreck and answer questions that have remained submerged for a century.

The Steam Early Access version features seven dive missions and seven lab missions, with additional content to be added over the course of the next 6 to eight months.

Star Chart

One of the earliest educational apps for devices like HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, Star Chart is a VR planetarium where you can look up at the night sky and through the solar system to see a real-time simulation. Explore all 88 constellations as well as out nearest planets, from the smallest moons of Saturn to the coldest, darkest, farthest reaches of Pluto.

Google Earth VR

For those interested in a more terrestrial journey then there’s always Google Earth VR. Launched for free in 2016 for HTC Vive, the app then came to Oculus Rift the following year. Allowing you to explore virtually anywhere on Earth, from the driest deserts to the busiest cities, the most recent update to the app also introduced Street View, so you can get an even better look at the world around you.

Discovery VR

The Discovery Channel doing what its does best, just this time in 360-degrees. A one stop shop for the channels many immersive productions, the app originally launched in 2015 with nine short experiences. Since then the content has expanded dramatically, showcasing films from shark-infested shipwrecks to freeboarding the windiest street in the world.

3D Organon VR Anatomy

Designed as a fully-featured VR anatomy atlas, 3D Organon VR Anatomy enables users to learn about the human body, with full 3D male and female body models and systems including: Skeletal, Connective, Muscular, Arterial, Venous, Nervous, Lymphatic, Heart, Respiratory, Digestive, Endocrine, Urinary, Reproductive, Sensory organs, and Integumentary (skin).

Supporting both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift 3D Organon VR Anatomy is one of those apps designed for users who want better sense at what makes the body tick.

Operation Apex

Time to head below the ocean waves again just this time for very different reasons. Operation Apex teaches players all about the underwater eco-system while on the hunt for a Great White shark. They play a marine scientist looking for the largest Great White ever known but in the process need to scan the local aquatic life to build up data and a better understanding of what’s being hunted.