Shawn Wu // The Watchdog
Bellevue College Library and Media Center has long been interested in developing a cutting-edge technology lab. With the help of one of its founders, Fulbright scholar James Riggall, the center investigated a lab to explore the benefits of virtual reality all the way back in 2018. At the time, it was just a room cluttered with unfamiliar technology. But now, any student can sign up to use the Bellevue College Extended Reality (XR) Lab for a variety of projects.
One would expect that the lab and its capabilities have grown significantly since its inception, and rightly so: the XR Lab goes beyond virtual reality to also encompass two other major sections of the “virtual reality continuum,” which defines the spectrum between our reality and pure virtual reality.
Augmented reality (AR) allows virtual elements to be overlaid onto real-world spaces. Pokémon Go introduced a system that allowed players to catch Pokémon in real time as if they were right in front of them. In fact, there is also a relatively new medical development called AccuVein, which utilizes AR to ease the process of locating veins for nurses and doctors.
Virtual reality (VR) sits at the other end of the spectrum, blocking out the real world and replicating locations on Earth while giving the user total immersion in a “fake” world. The most foreseeable use of this technology is in the gaming industry, with major companies developing games that put users in the middle of the action.
Mixed Reality (MR) is a more vague term that encompasses the area between fully virtual and the simpler applications of AR. Through MR, the user typically interacts with the virtual space itself. The most prominent examples of this in the past are Apple Vision Pro and Google Glass, which are advertised as a headset and glasses that allow you to watch movies, interact on social media, and do whatever else you want.
The technological implications of XR are vast, further blurring the line between reality and computer generation. Bellevue College boasts that these systems can serve educational purposes, and they certainly are. In the spring 2022 semester, BC’s XR Lab hosted several students for capstone project challenges, including a virtual shopping center where students demonstrated how they could use a VR headset to shop for themselves before ordering food. Additionally, Captain Dick Nelms, a veteran pilot from World War II, is currently working on his own fully online project, using XR to tell his wartime story and teach about the planes he flew.
BC’s XR Lab is available for bookings this summer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 15. To inquire about the lab, please contact xrlab@bellevuecollege.edu.
