XR Hygiene & Safety

person in a VR headset wearing a mask

Studio X’s Hygiene Protocols

To ensure the safety of our patrons and staff, we take the following steps:

  1. We apply a nanotechnology spray solution to the fabric (cloth, Velcro, or any moisture-permeable surface) of each headset after unboxing it. We reapply the spray every three months as suggested.
  2. Each headset has its own silicone face shield as an additional health and safety measure. This mask also helps to the protect the fabric and prevent skin irritation.
  3. We sanitize the headset after each use using a CleanBox UV Disinfecting Box. The UV box uses powerful UVC lights to sterilize every inch of the headsets in just 60 seconds.
  4. We wipe the controllers with disinfectant wipes.

We ask patrons if they are experiencing any symptoms of cold, like a sore throat, coughing, or sinus issues to please not use the equipment.

Product Solutions

  • Cleanbox – UV disinfecting box for XR hardware

Strategies

Resurrect3D

screenshot of a 3D modeled mbira on Resurrect3D

Resurrect3D is a browser-based 3D viewer currently in development by the Digital Scholarship Lab and the Lazarus Project. It is designed specifically as an open source alternative to services such as Sketchfab, with a suite of tools designed to facilitate scholarship and research of 3D objects. Contact digitalscholarshiplab [at] library.rochester.edu for more information.

Examples
Tuatara Skull (ward project)
mbira (Sekuru’s stories)
Hunt-Lenox globe (NYPL)
Instructions and Features
How to upload 3D files into Resurrect 3D and upload them to WordPress sites
A quick overview of Resurrect3D’s advanced features

New XR training for UR doctoral students

Biomedical engineering graduate student Tom Stoll, right, adjusts a virtual reality head-mounted display on assistant professor Ross Maddox. The array of speakers in Maddox's lab allows researchers to simulate realistic listening environments.

A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will provide additional impetus to a University of Rochester initiative applying augmented and virtual reality in health, education, product design, remote communication, entertainment, and other fields.

The grant will enable 62 doctoral students to be trained in the skills needed to advance AR/VR technologies and will also help them gain an appreciation for the broader cultural and societal implications of the technologies, says Mujdat Cetin, the principal investigator behind the grant. Other Rochester faculty supporting this initiative are Jannick Rolland, the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering; Michele Rucci, professor of brain and cognitive sciences; and Zhen Bai, assistant professor of computer science.

Biomedical engineering graduate student Tom Stoll, right, adjusts a virtual reality head-mounted display on assistant professor Ross Maddox. The array of speakers in Maddox's lab allows researchers to simulate realistic listening environments.
Biomedical engineering graduate student Tom Stoll, right, adjusts a virtual reality head-mounted display on assistant professor Ross Maddox. The array of speakers in Maddox’s lab allows researchers to simulate realistic listening environments. (University photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Read the full article on the University of Rochester’s Newscenter.

Training Brains with Virtual Reality

Brenna James '20 wearing a virtual reality headset with a computer in the foreground of the photo

Duje Tadin, associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences; Jeffrey Bazarian, professor of emergency medicine; and Feng (Vankee) Lin, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, are working together to see how VR can help treat people with Alzheimer’s disease and those suffering from concussions. Through access to technology and training, Studio X will prepare students to collaborate on and conduct cutting edge research.

Brenna James ’20 suffered a concussion in high school. Rochester researchers are using VR to create therapeutic treatments that be used at home by patients like her.

Read the full article via the University of Rochester’s Newscenter.

Augmented Reality Chemical Plant

Coffee mugs on a glass table in Wegmans Hall are transformed into an AR classroom exercise that simulates a sprawling, real-life chemical plant.

Andrew White, assistant professor in the chemical engineering department, and April Luehmann, associate professor and director of secondary science education at the Warner School of Education, are collaborating on research that explores how AR can enhance the way students learn about engineeringStudio X will provide a much-needed space where educators can develop new approaches to increase student learning and engagement.

Coffee mugs on a glass table in Wegmans Hall are transformed into an AR classroom exercise that simulates a sprawling, real-life chemical plant.

Read the full article via the University of Rochester’s Newscenter.

The Temple of Jupiter

screenshot of the reconstruction of the Temple of Jupiter

Elizabeth Colantoni, associate professor of religion and classics, wanted to visualize ancient Roman topography to explore how the Temple of Jupiter fit within the larger context of Roman society. To do that, she collaborated with others at the University of Rochester to create the virtual reality experience seen here, which provides scholars and students new perspectives and expands scholarly conversation.

The experience is based on a model of the temple that Daniel Weiner ’16 (a dual major in computer science and classics) created as an undergraduate, using a program called Sketch-up. Then, in the fall of 2018, Blair Tinker, the Digital Scholarship Lab’s GIS specialist, built this virtual reconstruction, using combined spatial analysis and 3D modeling in Unity Gaming Engine.

Elmina Castle

screenshot of digital elmina unity project.

In “Digital Elmina,” three University of Rochester faculty members—Renato Perucchio, professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering and director of the archeology, technology, and historic structures program; Michael Jarvis, associate professor of history and director of Smiths Island archeology project; and Christopher Muir, professor of mechanical engineering—created 3D reconstructions of Elmina Castle, which were then visualized through Unity Gaming Engine.

Built in 1482, Elmina is the best-preserved and most complete example of early European masonry construction in Ghana and served as an active commercial outpost over four centuries. The castle was also one of the most significant stops on the Atlantic slave trade route. Immersive technologies help us understand Elmina Castle’s past, convey this knowledge in the present, and ensure the castle’s survival in the future.

Check Out the Studio X App!

Examples of the various screens for the Studio X app.
screenshots of the Studio X user interface.  Shows the home screen, the select an experience (AR or VR) screen, an instruction screen, and a screen that demos an augmented reality experience of a fox dancing in the Eastman Quad.
Studio X Screenshots

In preparation for the launch of Studio X, try out our new app where you can fly around the Eastman Quad in a virtual reality (VR) experience, select the augmented reality (AR) experience of engaging with a digital model of a groundboi or quadfox, and learn about University history through curated content from University Archives, RBSCP. Now featuring dynamically updated content!

Available on the Google Play Store and the App Store.

VR / 360 Features

  • Google Cardboard-enabled streaming 360 video of curated VR experiences developed at UR (requires WiFi or data connection).

AR Features

  • Interact with different UR-inspired 3D models.
  • Capture images or video and share it via #URXR.

Subscribe to push notifications for news on updated models and 360 / VR experiences!

XR & Accessibility

a VR headset on a yellow background

Resources

Quick Access

Zotero Library

The accessibilities section of the Zotero library is an accumulation of various articles, papers, and other resources that have been collected by Studio X’s librarian. Link to Zotero

Important Links

XR Accessibility User Requirements – W3C
Designing Subtitles for 360 Content – Andy Brown and Jake Patterson, BBC
Accessibility, Disabilities, and Virtual Reality Solutions – Lorelle VanFossen, Educators in VR
XR Access – A community committed to making XR accessible to people with disabilities

Education

XR Access

Link to Webpage
Education, Teaching, Research, Organization, Conferences, Resources

Accessibility Needs of Extended Reality Hardware: A Mixed Academic-Industry Reflection

Link to Article
Education, Hardware

Barriers to Supporting Accessible VR in Academic Libraries

Link to Article
Education, Libraries

XR Accessibility Initiatives in Academic Libraries

Link to Article
Education, Survey, Libraries

DLFteach Toolkit: Lesson Plans on Immersive Pedagogy

Link to Toolkit
Education, Libraries, Teaching

Exploring Virtual Reality Through the Lens of Disability

Link to Article
Education. Teaching Resource

Design, UI/UX

Designing XR for Accessibility and Inclusion

Link to Article
Design, UI/UX 

An Accessible Future – XR: Considerations for Virtual, Mixed, and Augmented Reality

Link to Article
UI/UX, Metaverse, Conferences

Why VR/AR Developers Should Prioritize Accessibility in UX/UI Design

Link to Article
UI/UX, Development, Inclusive Design, Accessibility Setting

Computers Helping People with Special Needs

Link to Resource
Conference, Resource

Unity UI Accessibility Plugin

Link to Store
Development, UX/UI 

Development

Introducing the Accessibility VRCs

Link to Article
Developers, Oculus, Game Development

Initiative aims to make virtual, augmented, and mixed reality accessible

Link to Article
Development

W3C Accessibility User Requirements

Link to W3C
Development, UI/UX

XRA’s Developer Guide: Accessibility & Inclusive Design in Immersive Experiences

Link to Guide
Development, UI/UX

Oculus’ Designing Accessible VR

Link to Guide
Development, Production

Accessible Mixed Reality

Link to Webpage
Development, News

Software

WalkinVR Add-on Makes VR More Accessible to Disabled Gamers

Link to Article
Software, Gaming, Accessibility Settings

Using AI, people who are blind are able to find familiar faces in a room

Link to Article
Microsoft, Developers, Software, HoloLens, AI

Hardware

Accessibility, Disabilities, and Virtual Reality Solutions

Link to Article
Education, Healthcare, Assistive Hardware

Inclusivity of VR and AR Accessibility for the Visually and Hearing Impaired

Link to Article
Assistive Hardware

For more detailed information about these resources, visit this blog post.

Experiences

VR Experiences About Disabilities

Goliath: Playing with Reality

Subject: Schizophrenia

Link: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3432432656819712

Through mind-bending animation, award-winning GOLIATH: PLAYING WITH REALITY explores the limits of reality and a true story of so-called ‘schizophrenia’ and the power of gaming communities. Echo (narrated by Tilda Swinton) guides you through the many realities of Goliath, a man who spent years isolated in psychiatric institutions but finds connection in multiplayer games. Combining heartfelt dialogue, mesmerizing visuals and symbolic interactions, weave through multiple worlds to uncover Goliath’s poignant story.

Notes on Blindness

Subject: Loss of Sight/Blindness

Link: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/1946326588770583

In 1983, after decades of steady deterioration, John Hull became totally blind. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began documenting his experiences on audio cassettes. These original diary recordings create the basis of this interactive non-fictional narrative which is a cognitive and emotional experience of blindness. Storytelling, art direction and graphical universe form a unique and singular immersion, completed by movement tracking, spacialized sound and controller interactions.

InMind VR

Subject: Exploring the Brain/Root of Mental Disorders

Link: https://luden.io/inmind/ (Note: Not on Quest 2, on SteamVR and Rift/RiftS)

This first demo allows the player to experience the journey into the patient’s brains in search of the neurons that cause mental disorder. Submerge into the microworld and experience the miracles of the human mind. The future is nigh. The humanity is standing upon the brink of a new era where modern healthcare makes tremendous scientific advancements. With the help of nanotechnologies a surgical prototype bathyscaphe allows its operator to shrink to a microlevel and travel inside the patient’s body.

The Party

Subject: Autism

Link: You can watch the film as a YouTube 360 video. If you want to watch it as a VR experience, download the Guardian’s new VR app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and watch it using Google Cardboard or Daydream.

The Party allows you to enter the world of an autistic teenager, Layla, who is at a surprise birthday celebration. You will hear her thoughts about what she is experiencing and how it is affecting her, and share the sensory overload that leads to a meltdown (an intense response to an overwhelming situation). The drama provides viewers with a powerful first-person perspective on the challenges that social situations may present to someone on the autism spectrum.

Accessible VR Experiences

Moss

Link to Experience
In Moss, players meet Quill, a young mouse with dreams of greatness beyond the confines of her settlement. While exploring the woods, she finds a mysterious Glass Relic and an ancient magic is awakened. With her uncle now in grave danger, Quill must embark on an epic journey—and she needs you there by her side. Together, you’ll travel to forgotten realms, solve challenging puzzles, and battle menacing enemies. Alone, no one can conquer what you’re up against. But united, you just may defeat even the darkest of villains.

Res Infinite

Link to Experience
Experience 360 degrees of mind-blowing synesthesia as you blast through waves of enemies and giant transforming bosses, with colors and sounds that sync and blend to the beat of Rez’s legendary techno soundtrack.