Envision Center to host 3rd event in Collab XR Demo Series
Purdue University’s Envision Center, part of the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC), has developed a virtual reality platform that utilizes the Meta Quest 3 headsets to bring the future of teaching and learning to our doorstep. The technology, known as Collab XR, is a shared learning platform that puts advanced visualizations at the fingertips of professors and students, immersing them in a learning environment like never before. To introduce students and faculty to our new Collab XR platform, the Envision Center is hosting a series of demonstrations to highlight the real-world use cases of this technology across different domains.
The Collab XR (XR=extended reality) platform is a shared environment that allows anyone in a headset to view and interact with the same virtual content pieces together, viewed in fully virtual (the entire field of vision is virtual, obscuring all of the real environment, and other participants appear as virtual avatars) or passthrough augmented reality (cameras feed the real room and people to the headset view, overlaying virtual content to appear to exist in the same space). Developed in conjunction with Professor Danny Milisavljevic, the Collab XR platform is the first of its kind, merging virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) capabilities with training, research, and education.
The Collab XR 
Demo Series is comprised of three demonstration events to help familiarize faculty and students with the new technology, as well as help them imagine how they can use it in their own classrooms. As part of the design of the series, each event will take place in a different location on campus, showcasing the versatility of the technology, as well as providing participation access to a broader audience. Two events have taken place thus far and were tremendously successful. The third event is set to occur on Monday, March 10 in the Marriott Hall Atrium.
Event 3: Focus on Immersive Learning
Date: March 10, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST
Venue: Marriott Hall, Atrium
Our third Collab XR demonstration will focus on the power of immersive learning. This will be a hands-on interactive event in which attendees will experience scenario-based learning and visualization in cultural heritage, social engagement, fine arts, and historical artifacts.
Registration for this event is not required, and the demonstration is open to all students, faculty, and staff. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with this cutting-edge XR technology developed by the Envision Center!
Get Collab XR in your Classroom
Collab XR aims to take experiential learning to the next level, arming professors with a tool for delivering their course material in a more impactful way, and giving students the opportunity to learn on an accelerated curve. Thanks to the work put in by the development team at the Envision Center, any field or discipline can utilize the Collab XR platform to bring advanced visualization capabilities to the classroom. As long as the instructor has an idea of what they want and the data needed to create the visuals, the Envision Center can get them up and running on the platform in no time.
“We are very excited to have developed our collaborative visualization platform and to have it grow into a functional co-located mixed reality tool,” says George Takahashi, Lead Visualization Scientist at the Envision Center. “Having the ability to intuitively communicate complex three-dimensional information was previously limited to physical models. Virtual Reality opened the door to bring people together virtually to observe physics-defying large models. By moving to mixed reality and generalizing the models to accommodate data from any domain, this platform brings people together physically and is more scalable and accessible than ever before.”
To get a preview of what the Collab XR platform can do, please visit: https://www.rcac.purdue.edu/envision/xr-lab
If you are interested in getting Collab XR in your classroom, please fill out our Consultation Form.
Written by: Jonathan Poole, poole43@purdue.edu