Western New England University is boosting its offerings with augmented reality, with university leadership touting an “extended reality lab” that could lead to more immersive learning for the Springfield campus’s programs.
Nestled deep in the D'Amour Library is WNE’s new "XR Lab" - a hub decked out with virtual reality headsets, monitors and spaces designed to enhance education at the university, WNE officials say.
“This is more than just a lab - it is a hub for innovation, collaboration and leadership,” said WNE President Robert E. Johnson Friday, leading a ribbon-cutting for the facility Friday. “It positions WNE at the forefront of immersive technology, ensuring our students are ready to lead and thrive in an evolving world.”
Already up and running, the room features about a dozen laptops, with monitors and chairs sectioned off by tape – space for users to stand or sit in and interact with the haptic tech.
The equipment, which includes Meta Quest headsets as well as VR platforms like Nvidia’s “Omniverse,” has been on the market for a while now. Their integration at Western New England is the product of a collaboration between the university and technology partner, Link to VR – a company overseen by WNE alumnus Edward Zemba.
“This is an extended reality lab, as opposed to just a virtual reality lab, which … nothing wrong with that - we've stood those up too,” the president and CEO told WAMC. “Virtual reality labs are only for VR. This is an extended reality lab – this, actually, is going to give access to the community and to the students of Western New England virtual, mixed, augmented reality, supported with AI solutions, all in one lab.”
The AI component was on full display during demonstrations. Many of the stations sport a platform known as “Bodyswaps” – a “VR-based platform for soft-skills training through AI-driven simulations,” according to the university.
Those simulations can vary from public speaking engagements to job interviews, with AI-controlled characters gauging and reacting to the user’s actions. The user can also review their own actions after the fact.
According to Dr. Marcus Davis, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences as well as director of the XR Lab, it’s that review that can provide some of the most valuable learning experiences for students – building those soft-skills while providing a space where the stakes are low, but the takeaways can be high.
“Let's say you screw up - you can replicate it. You can also go back into the environment after you've done the module and see yourself presenting, and study it and see were you using your hands correctly? What did your argument look like?” he told WAMC. “And so, gamifying these professional environments is an exciting skillset. It's used all over industry in areas such as, where you might be trying to learn how to work in a hazardous environment, such as in an engineering area or with hazardous equipment. Think about surgeons, for example, that can work in a virtualized environment before they're working with actual patients.”
Davis says there’s plenty of potential to apply the technology. The programs and platforms that make up XR could translate to entrepreneurial students practicing interpersonal and marketing skills or law students possibly refining their litigation strategies in moot court simulations.
For now, the lab’s rollout continues. The dean tells WAMC that, as of this semester, seven faculty members across disciplines are planning to integrate the lab in some way, including Bodyswaps. Already, communications and psychology faculty appear to be onboard, he says.
Kaily Godek is a junior majoring in sports management, with minors in communications and athletic coaching. She tells WAMC her journalism class will be using the lab soon.
“We don't fully-know what we're going to be doing with it, but probably using the Bodyswaps, which has been used in a lot [by] the people that have been using [the lab] today,” she said. “It's just a really cool thing, to practice your public speaking, interviews, different things like that.”
Davis says while the lab is starting at a moderate size, he anticipates more disciplines joining in by fall, with a hope to see computer science and engineering courses getting in on the lab, in addition to potential research activity.
By way of disclosure, Western New England University hosts WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau, with members of the station participating in its journalism-related courses.
