Google, Labster open Daydream VR Labs for STEM students


Google VR Labs

Google today announced that it has partnered with science education company Labster to create more than 30 virtual labs on the Daydream platform. This will allow students to do their lab work in VR without having to walk, drive, or fly to a campus.

Google says that students in Arizona State University’s online B.S. in Biological Sciences program began their work in these virtual labs for full course credit. Soon it will also let students at the University of Texas at San Antonio, McMaster University, and other institutions across North America and Europe to do their lab work in VR as well. Using Daydream View or the Lenovo Mirage Solo with Daydream, students can do things like examining organisms under a microscope and sequencing DNA which previously required a physical lab.

These VR labs will also let them do things like seeing and manipulating DNA at the molecular level and visiting Astakos IV, a newly discovered exoplanet being explored as a potential habitat for human beings. Students can review theories, concepts, and techniques as many times as they want. Additionally, students receive personalized feedback in the app to help them understand which concepts they need to review, and which techniques need more practice.

Courtney Hampson Program Manager, Google AR & VR in a blog post said:

Through its ability to take people anywhere, virtual reality can be a powerful resource for students who otherwise would not have access to the lab time they need to complete their degrees.

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