{"id":1431,"date":"2022-01-29T14:22:33","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T14:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/?p=1431"},"modified":"2023-08-02T15:12:59","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T15:12:59","slug":"um-leaps-into-the-metaverse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/um-leaps-into-the-metaverse\/","title":{"rendered":"COVER STORY: UM Leaps Into The Metaverse"},"content":{"rendered":"

L\u00e9a Dorne<\/strong> still vividly remembers visiting a Syrian refugee camp and standing inside a family\u2019s United Nations trailer in Jordan. But she wasn\u2019t actually in the Middle East. Dorne observed the family\u2019s reality through an Oculus Quest headset while watching a film shot in virtual reality (VR).\" \u201cIt\u2019s very different than seeing a video clip on your smartphone,\u201d said Dorne, a senior majoring in Music Business<\/a> at the University of Miami Frost School of Music<\/a>. \u201cWhen a movie surrounds you [in VR], you can\u2019t escape it. Therefore, the impact is multiplied. It\u2019s much stronger, bigger, and more emotional, and these films can get a message across in a more impactful way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVirtual reality has had the impact of making me think about other people and going to places I couldn\u2019t go\u201d<\/h3>\n

Dorne saw the film, \u201cClouds over Sidra,\u201d as part of an Interactive Media<\/a> class in the School of Communication<\/a>. The experience solidified her decision to apply for and accept a Plus One Scholarship<\/a> to spend an extra year at the University learning how she can blend immersive technology and music to amplify the power of film. \u201cVirtual reality has had the impact of making me think about other people and going to places I couldn\u2019t go,\u201d pointed out Dorne, who is also developing a VR application with the programming help of Varun Krishnan<\/strong>, first-year Miller School of Medicine<\/a> student. \u201cIn terms of education, that\u2019s so powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VarunDorne and Krishnan are part of a growing community of University students, faculty, and staff members exploring the use of immersive technology\u2014which includes virtual, augmented, and mixed reality\u2014to improve the world around them. The University\u2019s XR Initiative<\/a>, launched in 2018 with Plantation-based Magic Leap, continues to evolve across three campuses as more students and faculty members develop projects that utilize immersive technology and can be viewed on a growing variety of devices and headsets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Internet will become immersive, and this is how we will experience things online,\u201d said Kim Grinfeder<\/strong><\/a>, Director of the XR Initiative and Chair of the Department of Interactive Media<\/a>. It comes at a time when immersive technology is becoming a critical tool to engage in the metaverse<\/a>\u2014or a virtual version of society\u2014which could be even more convenient for students, professionals, and educators in times of necessary isolation.<\/p>\n

Learn in a Virtual Location<\/h4>\n

\"William<\/p>\n

For example, students can attend classes and learn in a virtual location of their choice using virtual reality headsets. This is something that Grinfeder, along with William Green<\/strong>, Professor of Religious Studies, and Denis Hector<\/strong>, Associate Professor of Architecture, is exploring this semester in the second edition of their course \u201cReligion and Sacred Space in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality.\u201d They hope that every class can be held in a different sacred space around the globe, with both students\u2019 and professors\u2019 avatars sitting around a virtual discussion table (using University-owned Oculus Quest headsets to attend). (Professors Green, Grinfeder, and Hector are pictured above, L to R.)<\/p>\n

\"DeanUsing augmented reality (or AR) applications, digital images or information are layered on top of our physical environment. These apps can be viewed through either a phone or tablet\u2019s camera or by using headsets like the Magic Leap One or the Microsoft HoloLens 2. Today, AR is used widely to create architectural models that allow users to touch or click on certain areas of a building and learn more about them, said Rodolphe el-Khoury<\/strong>, Dean of the School of Architecture.<\/p>\n

\"Magic<\/p>\n

Last fall, students in the senior design studio class displayed AR models of their proposal for Cutler Bay\u2019s new Town Hall and of a neighborhood redevelopment project near Atlanta, at the School of Architecture\u2019s Homecoming tent. Using tablets or their own phone cameras, visitors could see an augmented version of the students\u2019 design, with information like the water and elevation conditions for each site and expected population density. They also could visualize greenspaces within the model.<\/p>\n

\"University<\/p>\n

“We are investing in emerging technology in a variety of platforms to ensure greater access to immersive learning experiences”<\/h3>\n

\"Ruth\u201cWe are investing in emerging technology in a variety of platforms to ensure greater access to immersive learning experiences,\u201d said el-Khoury, adding that the school is also utilizing virtual reality and that lecturer Ruth Ron\u2019s<\/strong> Introduction to VR and AR class has gained a steady following. \u201cAt Homecoming, we wanted the students\u2019 designs to be as accessible as possible so that people could use their phones as a lens through which they could view and interact with the project. When headsets become more pervasive, this will be an even more immersive experience. And we are preparing students for that reality, which we anticipate will be prevalent in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grinfeder has watched the desire to utilize immersive technology steadily progress since he worked on his first VR project in 2014 at the School of Communication. \u201cThe University of Miami is well-prepared and ready when it comes to immersive technologies,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m thankful that the administration had the foresight to notice how important these technologies are and to invest in them. That was very forward-thinking, and it\u2019s why we\u2019re not behind the curve today.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Grants Offered to Build New XR products<\/h4>\n

Each year, through the XR Initiative<\/a>, more students, faculty, and staff members who want to explore the field are learning how to incorporate AR, VR, and XR into their research and scholarship. Those with an idea to advance their field of study can apply for funding through the University\u2019s XR grants<\/a> and the Provost XR Awards.<\/p>\n

So far, 32 faculty members and 11 students have received funding to produce XR applications. Dorne received a grant to build an app inspired by synesthesia: a neurological condition where two of a person\u2019s senses are experienced simultaneously\u2014like if certain sounds elicit images or colors. In her app, users can play different notes on a drum, and each note elicits a different colored firework on the horizon. Soon, the drum notes are powering a ship forward through the ocean, and the player engages in a rhythm duel with an enemy ship.<\/p>\n

\"University<\/p>\n

\u201cMy intent was to incite a spark in people\u2019s creative minds to establish connections between two forms of art,\u201d said Dorne. \u201cSo, the user can be playing a drum set, and by playing certain patterns or sequences it triggers a visual narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BerkBerk Basarer<\/strong>, a senior studying electrical engineering, is launching \u201cAR Translate,\u201d an application that offers users real-time language translation using an augmented reality headset so that people could communicate even if they do not speak the same language. With the app, users would see real-life subtitles of what the other person is saying and could express themselves in their preferred language.<\/p>\n

Gaining Firsthand Knowledge<\/h4>\n

Currently, at least 26 University courses incorporate virtual and augmented reality into their curriculum. There are also several places on campus where students and faculty members can experience immersive technology. All University students, faculty, and staff members have access to the XR Community Lab<\/a> on the third floor of Richter Library, although appointments are recommended. In addition, students and faculty members in the School of Communication can use the XR Studio, and students and faculty members at the School of Architecture can visit the Responsive Architecture and Design (RAD) Lab<\/a> and its VR\/AR facility.<\/p>\n