eXtended Reality lab ( XR-Lab)
USING EXTENDED REALITY TO SOLVE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS.
The Extended Reality Lab (XR-Lab) is dedicated to examining the ways in which individuals interact with simulated environments via Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality. We aim to enhance communication and collaboration through XR technologies across various domains, including education, healthcare, safety, and professional training, catering to academic and industry sectors.
Extended Reality (XR) is an emerging umbrella term for all the immersive technologies virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).
Location: Digital Futures Building, Cincinnati Innovation District.
Lab Director
Ming Tang, Registered Architect, RA , NCARB, LEED AP (BD+C), Professor at the School of Architecture and Interior Design, College of DAAP, University of Cincinnati.
XR-Lab facilities
The XR-Lab boasts state-of-the-art facilities equipped with high-end VR-ready computers, each workstation loaded with premier development tools such as Unity and Unreal Game Engines, alongside a broad selection of modeling and animation software. These systems are integrated with a variety of Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), including Oculus Quest Pro, 3, 2, Rift; HTC Vive Pro Eye, Elite; as well as cutting-edge eye-tracking devices and analytical tools like Tobii Eye Tracking Glasses and screen-based eye-tracking solutions. Further enhancing the immersive experience, the lab features a KAT Treadmill for virtual movement, Mocopi for full-body motion capture, Microsoft HoloLens for mixed reality, and 360-degree cameras for panoramic visual capture.
In addition to its dedicated resources, the XR-Lab benefits from access to shared facilities within the Digital Futures initiative and the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), fostering a collaborative and innovative environment for exploring the vast potential of extended reality technologies.
The VR/AR Center at Digital Future
The VR/AR center at Digital Future features a 20×30 ft. 14-camera (Arqus 5 Wide) Qualisys motion capture volume for full-body, facial, and hand tracking, a 20×30 ft. multi-user VR volume for up to four simultaneous users, and a variety of AR/VR systems such as the Microsoft Hololens 2, high-end tethered systems (Vive Pro 2, HP G2 Reverb Omnicept, Varjo VR2) with HP VR backpacks, and portable all-in-one systems (Oculus Quest 2, Vive Focus 3).
Additional capabilities also include a whole-body (Teslasuit) and hand (Manus) haptic feedback, Biometric data capture (eye-tracking, heart rate, skin response), Shimmer GSR sensor, 360 video filming services (Insta360), AR/VR and simulation development services, and Environmental scanning and photogrammetry services.
Computer lab at DAAP. The computer graphic center (CGC) at DAAP includes 40 high-end workstations equipped with 3D modeling software such as Maya, 3dsMax, Rhino, and graphic, video, and audio editing programs. The Lab also provides plotters, scanners, and IT tech support.
Students funded through lab
2024
Dr. Ruixu Liu (Postdoc Research Associate), Mikhail Nikolaenko ( XR-Lab Fellow), Aayush Kumar ( XR-Lab Fellow), Eian Bennett, Ahmad Alrefai, Sid Urankar, Yue Wu, Dunn Dalton
2023
Dr. Ruixu Liu (Postdoc Research Associate), Aritakula, Rishi Tej ( DF Lab Fellow), Mikhail Nikolaenko ( DF Lab Fellow), Aayush Kumar, Zhixiao Yang, Wahl, Ethan, Sparsh Priyadarshi, Qianhong Ji, Landon Polack
2022
Rishi Tej Aritakula ( DF Lab Fellow), Zhixiao Yang, Mana Alismaili, Ethan Wahl, Sparsh Priyadarshi, Rakshita Jain, Anshumi Dhingra, Brooke Ritzler, Julia Lecy, Allie Wickman, Nick Chism, Songyue Gao,
2021
Zhixiao Yang,
Mana Alismaili, Joshua Mendenhall, Will Harshberger, RayaAl-Abdali, LambHarper, Lauren Southwood, Joy Mullappally, Nick Chism, Rishyak Kommineni, Mana Alismaili, Ryan Tinney, Karolyn Hasselfeld, RishyakKommineni, Nathan Dininger, Drew Fischer, Ha Nguyen, Zhixiao Yang , Jessica Nagy, Hang Phan, Dongrui Zhu, Snigdha Bhattiprolu
2020
Drew Fischer, Ha Nguyen, Zhixiao Yang, Jessica Nagy, Rishyak Kommineni, Dongrui Zhu, Rubi Qiu, Snigdha Bhattiprolu, Jing Tian, Morgan Raman
2019
Jing Tian, Ganesh Raman, Dongrui Zhu
Students with independent study before 2019
Ph.D Students: Niloufar Kioumarsi
Graduate students: Turan Akman, Michael Rogovin, Craig Moyer, Shinji Miyajima, Seth Davis, Sagar Desai
Undergraduate students: Ivan Klus, Laura Kennedy, Alex Bowman, Andrew Letourneau,