Dublin City University is taking a big step towards innovative and immersive education with their implementation of virtual labs. Starting in January 2022, students in the chemical engineering program will be able to learn the procedures for using specialized equipment, specifically ion chromatography instruments, through a series of virtual labs developed by PNX Labs. These instruments are expensive and require careful handling, usually under the supervision of experienced graduate students or lab technicians. By utilizing virtual reality simulations, DCU students can learn to use the instruments in a hazard-free environment, allowing them to complete their training much faster and prepare them for physical lab work.
Immersive digital tools such as 3D learning environments, virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality offer students experiential learning that enables them to grasp theoretical concepts in greater depth and at a faster pace. PNX Labs' proprietary platform offers immersive features such as VR instructions and widgets to help students and professors familiarize themselves with the technology, and real-time data generation, which can be obtained in Excel format for further analysis.
The Oculus Quest 2 will be the hardware for these labs, and students who have access to an Oculus device can request their own license. Virtual labs not only offer students a cost-effective and flexible way of learning, but they also open doors for future online learning platforms. With the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crises faced by several nations, virtual labs have become increasingly important for educating students in STEM programs where laboratory experiences are crucial.
The Oculus Quest 2 will be the hardware for these labs and any student who has access to a Oculus device can request his/her own license. Virtual labs will not only allow students to learn but will also open the doors for future online learning platforms. Nowadays education faces several challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis faced by several nations. This will increase the adoption of virtual labs since they are the only mean to educate students in STEM programs where laboratory experiences are important.
At PNX Labs, we are fully committed to delivering the best customized virtual labs in the market. Since April 2020, we have developed over 1000 virtual experiments to help universities around the world continue their education agenda. Our goal is to provide accessible and immersive learning experiences for students through XR technologies that reduce training and education costs, shorten the go-to-market timelines, and improve manufacturing and engineering of new products.
Starting in September Lamar University in Texas will use for the first time a series of Virtual Labs for Engineering. Students will be able to do multiple experiments in both Windows PCs and VR Headsets, perform calculations, record data and modify key variables with real instrument models. All the data used to develop the simulations was gathered from real experimentation so students and professors can be confident the same data generated by the virtual labs will math that of the real world.
Starting in September 2021 the Florida International University will make use for the first time of a series of Virtual Labs for Engineering. Students will be able to do multiple experiments in both windows and HTML platforms, perform calculations, record data and modify key variables with real instrument models. All the data used to develop the simulations was gathered from real experimentation performed by the faculty so students and professors can be confident the same data generated by the virtual labs will match that of the real world. Some of the experiments that were developed by PNX Labs for FIU are the following:
