Extended Reality (XR)
Reshaping how we imagine, design,
and experience education.
What is Extended Reality (XR)?
Extended Reality (XR) is an inclusive term used to describe a variety of immersive technologies encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and technologies that have yet to be imagined.
What We Do
Unity’s XR initiative is invested in bringing to life virtual environments where students can partake in experiential learning. These environments are each in constant development, growing in complexity and richness as we take advantage of emerging technologies to enhance the quality of a Unity education and bring the benefits of XR innovation to a wider audience.
If you would like to support the XR initiative, please consider making a contribution.
These environments (so far) include:
Virtual Ocean
Board a NOAA research vessel to conduct offshore population surveys of large marine mammals.
Future development
- Improving shipboard navigation and distance sampling challenges
- Improving realism of sea mammal behavior and population densities
Virtual Forest
Counting Rabbits
Hike through a forest with a laser rangefinder to count animals and analyze their locations and timing, helping you estimate a species’ population.
Burned Forest
Explore the forest after it has been decimated by fire and determine where, and how, the fire originated. Navigate back and forth in time to learn more about how the fire may be avoided.
Future development
- Adding plant and animal species to the virtual forest
- Programming plant and animal population changes in response to environmental/inter-species drivers
Virtual Dog Park
Take your robot dog, Ajax, to the local dog park to socialize him with other robot dogs and teach him basic commands.
Future development
- Adding behaviors and animations for dog play, dog conflict, dog stress, and commands
- Adding new body types for robot dogs
- Adding more complexity to the underlying logic guiding dog behavior, bringing new and different challenges to dog behavior management
Virtual Farm
Teach a robot gardener how to take care of plants. Identify and treat the pests currently infecting those plants.
Future development
- Adding new pests and treatments
- Adding gameplay to other parts of the farm (arboriculture among the orange trees, for instance)
