Immersive Telepresence Technology Lets Rutgers Law Campuses Cyber-Combine Classrooms

“These are networked conference rooms with a 200-inch-diagonal high-definition monitor, studio quality lighting, and surround sound,” says Ryan.

Additional room components in the RPX “kit” include a “seamless cinematic video wall,” “ceiling cloud with studio quality lighting, and a “multipurpose front table with power outlets and network connections,” he says, with optional second and third tier tables, along with acoustic wall treatments, carpeting, and seats. (The RPX 428 has 28 seats, in rows/tiers of eight, ten and ten.)

The result was a pair of rooms – one at each campus – each with four displays along one wall, providing an experience so real that faculty and students began referring to it as the “Holodeck,” similar to the Star Trek universe holographic virtual-reality facility.

“Unlike some of the alternative products, with Polycom’s displays and layout, the professor can walk around and still be seen, as opposed to being ‘cut off at the shoulder’ when they stand up,” notes Jerry Dunn, VP Sales, Northeast US, BT Americas.

In the Polycom-based facility, notes Rutgers’ Tom Ryan, “Everyone is ‘sitting across the table from each other.’ And the lighting is studio quality. You can see everyone in each row, hear them, their expressions. It’s a much higher level of interaction than the traditional distance learning set up.”

The physical presentation also contributes to the experience, Ryan adds.

“Ours is a boardroom type of setup, conference table, wood veneers, faux leather chairs,” he says. “It’s a very professional looking environment. We have a multi-tiered flooring system so everyone can be seen.”

The total expenditure for both campuses, according to Ryan, including equipment, installation, renovations, chairs, training, BT project management fees, and three-year warrantee, was approximately $2 million.

However, Ryan notes, “the cost of the classroom technology was offset by grants of $750,000 from the State of New Jersey’s Equipment Leasing Fund (ELF), which finances various project at Universities across the state.”

The bulk of the installation, including major work to the rooms, was done over the 2014-2015 winter break, and the new rooms were used during the Spring 2015 semester for five courses.