Author: Jiayi Chen, Jiawei Liu
Mentor: Hao Tang
Institution: BMCC
Abstract: Laboratory experience is an important part of the process of education for engineering and science students. It can help students improve their practical ability and deepen their understanding of engineering and science concepts. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students are not allowed to conduct experiments in a laboratory. Some students are asked to analyze and calculate the experimental data provided by instructors at home, other students may work on science experiment simulations, which have been developed with two-dimensional web interfaces. At the same time, because all these simulated experiments are calculated by the exact physical equations, the results are perfect. This is impossible in our real world. Therefore, we design and develop a Virtual Reality (VR) physics lab application to simulate a physics laboratory, which allows students to conduct physics experiments individually or collaboratively, to enhance their learning. Immersion into VR is almost like students are doing an experiment in the real world. Students can utilize various experimental equipment in the VR space to conduct experiments through the Internet without time and space restrictions. Additionally, they can share resources with other students, achieve cooperative experiments remotely, to improve the efficiency of learning and research.
Design and Develop a Virtual Reality Physics Lab
Katherine Conway
This is much needed – as evidenced by the pandemic – we need to find ways to enable students to learn from locations outside the classroom. Also will allow students more flexibility in terms of organizing collaborative work with other students.
Oneil Mahoney, Shemaine James
OM: Hello Hao Tang , Id like to trial your application, what platofroms will it be availble on
SJ: I think that this is a very innonative and creative way to still be able to carry out experiments in a virtual setting. I can only imagine the experiment possibilities and their outcomes
Roderick (Shane) Snipes
Jiayi & Jiawei, This is useful and interesting research as are others from CIS during this BARS. Its practical applications are quite good. I wish you be best in developing it. Please advise if you are applying to CUNY Startups to keep expanding this idea; CUNY I-Corps would be another place that might offer funding to build the app. Let me know if you have entrepreneurial questions.