Inspiration
College is more than just the classes you enroll in. It is the friends you make, the student groups you join, and the ability to explore interests. At many colleges, there are hundreds of options that can define a student's experience. Often, the only information a student has about all of these options are a static and dull list of groups with a brief description. Learning more about the group from a member is challenging and time consuming.
What it does
We revolutionize this experience by enabling students to immerse themselves in an example event or meeting for each group to really understand what they do. Through the use of Google Cardboard, our VR app allows students to navigate through the list of activities and experience a meeting or event that group runs. Always wanted to know what the butter churning club at Wash U does but don't really want to actually go to a meeting to find out? Now you can!
How I built it
We used the game development platform Unity.
Challenges I ran into
None of us have ever done any development for VR before so this was quite the learning experience! We struggled for a really long time trying to get up to speed on what it is. We faced many issues with limitations around unity. We didn't have a pro license which is needed to have videos as textures on our cubes.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
We believe this app has the potential to bring college campuses to life. As a potential student, being able to see what students do and are like at different universities would be much more valuable than a fact-filled tour. For current students, this could encourage them to try something new and to feel more connected to their campus. We are excited about technology improving the way in which students select and experience college.
What I learned
We learned a lot about what is involved in developing for VR and creating games.
What's next for immersifyU
Washington University's student technology services will receive the idea and prototype and have the option of continuing it. Next steps would include collecting footage from the student groups and releasing the app for student use.
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