This Virtual Reality Solution Helped Higher Education Researchers Retain Data

Keith Klentz, director of visualization and simulation for Christie, says the glasses take learning with technology to another level, especially with the 3D feature.

“There’s active stereo, which means that the glasses have what you call a shutter,” he says. “So, the right eye turns off, the left eye turns on, and vice versa. When you’re looking at the system, each eye gets its own picture. The brain is good at integrating that into a normal picture that looks correct, only it’s in 3D.”

Klentz also says immersive technology like the CAVE is spreading like wildfire in the higher education space.

“With these large systems, there are a lot of advantages to them versus the oculus rift type stuff. …Quite frankly, this is not an inexpensive investment at first, but there are many advantages to be able to step into this virtual world, rather than looking at a desktop monitor. Once people get in it for the first time…they see the value of it.”
Keith Klentz, director of visualization and simulation for Christie Digital

It gives end users the opportunity to work in a collaborative space for one project, and have a more personal work experience with another.

“I think in the last ten years or so, the technology that is in these systems is a lot more readily available to consumers,” Klentz says. “I think the last wave of 3D cinema has helped with this. All these other immersive experiences have started to get a little steam, and some of these universities are starting to see that “gosh, this could be a great teaching tool, a great tool for the industry around us to share”…They’re looking for more of this technology and more of this visualization than what was available back then.”

LaDisa says this was the case with Marquette University’s CAVE.

“Fortunately, there are many of these immersive labs around the country, so we talked to a bunch of them,” he says. “We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. We asked them how they operated, how they worked and modelled our operation [after them].”

Even though CAVE technology is gaining popularity, Klentz says decision makers should think long and hard before pulling the trigger on an investment.

He says immersive reality solutions like Marquette University’s are expensive, and that decision makers should consider all the uses end users can get out of it.

That way, they can ensure the technology is used by multiple departments across the campus, and serve various needs for years to come.

“Marquette really opened it up to other areas on campus, where they have theater people using this as props and backdrops,” he says. “They also have some fitness classes, like spin classes and yoga where you can change the environment. So instead of it being a CAVE, it’s more of an immersive projection theater in a lot of ways.

“I think it’s a neat idea for them to think campus-wide rather than department-wide,” Klentz says. “The more you have an understanding what you want to accomplish and what things you want to see and do, that helps develop a use case and helps them understand where their return on investment could be. To me, that’s one place to start.”