Re-Opening the HIVE

Ever caught Pokémon while "exercising" at the park? Visualised a new wall colour with an app on your phone? Or perhaps you've performed remote surgical procedures using an augmented reality headset?

Alright, that last anecdote might be that relatable. Still, the next generation of immersive technologies is beginning to expand our digital experience and the lines traditionally separating virtual and real elements are beginning to blur. Augmented reality (AR) applications are now available on most smart-phones, 3D scanning is accessible, and (after decades of dreaming) standalone virtual reality systems are now readily available (and awesome!).

As we hurtle towards the (¡buzzword!) metaverse, it’s important to have a space to learn, explore, and establish which experiences live up to their hype. That’s we the HIVE comes in.

What is the HIVE?

The HIVE (Hub for Immersive and Virtual Environments) aims to provide an opportunity for the UniSQ community to explore immersive technologies and break down the barriers to innovation. We welcome students, educators, researchers, and professional staff to explore our online resources and engage with us in person at our physical space.

We aim to create a community of exploration where ideas, problems, and concepts can be openly shared, and anyone can get help to aid the creation of their innovative ideas that currently lie idle in their imagination.

We are constantly developing activities for anyone to explore at home or in our physical space and encourage you to reach out if there are any technologies, experiences, or apps you’d like to try out. Furthermore, we’ll keep you up to date with the latest news, projects, and recommendations with our blog.

What are immersive technologies?

How long have you got? No, I’ll keep this section brief. I’ll start by acknowledging the broad umbrella definition the HIVE uses.

In short, we aim to demonstrate any technology that extends beyond the traditional mediums of text, photos, and videos to include some form of three-dimensionality. This includes 360 photos, 3D modelling, as well as extended reality (i.e. virtual reality) technologies. But to give you a little more food-for-thought, let’s breakdown the terminology just a little bit.

Considering the relatively standard definition of “technology” in this context, let’s discuss how the word “immersive” is used within the context.

To immerse is to plunge within and, from a technical perspective, this pertains to surrounding a person with spatialised stimulus. But the academic discussion around this concept has always reiterated that there is also a mental component to being immersed.

“The questions isn’t whether the created virtual world is as real as the physical world, but whether the created world is real enough for you to suspend disbelief for a period of time.”

Pimental and Teixeira (1993 p15)

While this topic could be discussed laboriously, consider your favourite book. You couldn’t put it down because it (very effectively) achieves mental immersion. You aren’t physically transported anywhere, and yet your imagination embeds you within the virtual world with evocative realism. Now imagine you could embed yourself within the book; not only will you be able to experience the narrative, you will physiologically perceive it as real.

That is the goal of immersive technologies: to create realistic experiences that trigger real emotions and enables one to literally walk in someone else’s shoes. And this experience can be extremely powerful.

My favourite anecdote pertains to an experience I had early on in my foray into virtual reality. The application featured low-quality graphics with no ability to move; the story was hard to follow (borderline incomprehensible).

I looked around me, unable to move, and, as I heartily enjoyed the laughable implausibility of the experience, a (very unbelievable) pig-human hybrid monster reached out to attack... Needless to say I almost broke my virtual reality headset in the panicked attempt to escape.

Even in the absence of mental immersion, the physiological responses within virtual reality experiences can be profound. Chris Milk notably discussed this emotive potential in his TED Talk outlining how immersive technologies are supremely suited to creating empathic experiences. And this emotive potential remains one of the most promising components of immersive technologies.

But how do we expand our existing knowledge to include these new contexts?

The main thing to consider in your early explorations is that immersive technologies simply extend current mediums. For example, 3D models are three-dimensional representations of objects or environments, an extension of (two-dimensional) graphics. Similarly, 360 spherical photos or videos capture a scene but extend traditional pictures/films by letting you choose where to look. And although you may not be currently familiar, extended reality applications use well-established (and accessible) 3D game development techniques.

Our goal is to equip you with the skills to extend yourself into these new areas and begin exploring new possibilities.

What tech is available at the HIVE?

Our inventory is tipped to grow over the next year to include recent innovations in 3D scanning, augmented reality and virtual reality technologies. But as it stands, you can access:

And with the technologies listed above, you can explore photogrammetry, 3D scanning, 3D modelling, extended reality development, mixed reality capture, and 360 photography/videography.

Want to learn more?

Reach out to us to discuss your big ideas!

Or visit us at Room S108, Toowoomba campus (Tues – Thurs, 10 am – 3 pm).

References

Pimental, K and Teixeira, K. Virtual Reality: Through the New Looking Glass. 1993. Windcrest/McGraw-Hill/TAB Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA, USA. 352 pages. DOI: 10.1177/027046769401400415