VR/AR

The ed tech company, which has created its own VR headsets, announced a learning platform for K-12 that can be accessed by any device and brings students into a virtual environment for lessons and field trips.

With the participation of more than 20 universities and their researchers, a VR platform developer is mounting a study to gauge how schools can make the most of AR/VR tools for different age groups and use cases.

A student engagement company and a virtual mapping company are collaborating to offer VR-driven 3D mapping services to universities, made for designing 360-degree online tours for students, faculty and parents.

Meta has shared its plans to make political ad targeting data available through its Ad Library and Facebook Open Research and Transparency project. The process would entail updates to both platforms.

Virtual and augmented reality tools are gaining traction in both K-12 and higher-ed institutions, but experts say more planning and collaboration are needed to make the content practical and useful.

For training purposes, police in Westfield, Mass., can now experience de-escalation and use-of-force situations through virtual reality. One advantage of VR training is that officers can train day or night with the tech.

Governments may be reluctant to invest in metaverse-based services without a clearer sense of how the space is forming and how residents want to use it. These early days could be time for learning what the technologies might offer and how interventions could encourage equitable development.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department recently installed VirTra at their Crown Point headquarters this year after the system was purchased in 2021, making it the latest technology the department has added to its tool kit.

Metaverses are commonly described as immersive, persistent, interactive digital environments, and often ones that can support social and commercial activities. Several metaverse-like platforms exist today, but the full vision has yet to be achieved.

As part of its Future of Work Academy, the university is working with Coursera to enhance courses with interactive 360-degree video, virtual media production, mobile phone augmented reality and VR simulations.

The university is one of 10 that have partnered with VictoryXR to use virtual and augmented reality to create a “digital twin campus” and make online classes more immersive. The pilot program starts this fall.

Community colleges and technical training programs across the state are using AR/VR tools from the workforce training company TRANSFR for virtual workforce training and to teach residents about career opportunities.

Crisis intervention training in Bucks County, Pa., now utilizes virtual reality to give police officers a more realistic view into interactions that involve individuals with mental health challenges.

A defense lawyer in Florida has filed a motion asking a judge to have jurors use virtual reality goggles that would give them a simulated look at an alleged crime from the perspective of the defendant.

Specialty docket clients in some Ohio courts will begin using the Anchored To Hope platform, which includes machine intelligence and VR meditation to combat addiction through 24/7 access to resources.

The Erie, Colo., Police Department will soon be using one of the new technologies intended for officers to train and learn from mistakes via exclusive virtual reality training software, according to Erie officials.

As the likes of space travel and facial recognition made headlines in 2021, state and local governments looked at how — and if — emerging technologies can be put to use for public-sector business.

CEO Patrick Cozzi, whose Philadelphia-based software company Cesium is positioning itself as a major player in the construction of the “metaverse,” explains what the metaverse is and how it will work.