As part of our department’s Open DEI initiative, we recently had the opportunity to host a visit, from several secondary school students, to the Virtual Reality Lab of the Department of Informatics Engineering at the University of Coimbra. This was an exciting and educational experience for these students, as they got to try out a variety of virtual reality activities and explore the possibilities of this cutting-edge technology.
One of the highlights of the visit was the chance to play Beat Saber, a popular virtual reality game that involves using lightsabers to slice through incoming blocks to the beat of the music. The students (and professors) were thoroughly engaged in this activity, and it was great to see them using their hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness skills to keep up with the fast-paced gameplay.
In addition to Beat Saber, they also had the opportunity to try out a virtual environment made from a photogrammetry capture of the botanical garden of the University of Coimbra. This was a truly immersive experience, as they were able to explore parts of the virtual garden in detail, examining the plants and trees up close and even walking through the paths and pathways as if we were actually there.
Overall, the visit to the Virtual Reality Lab was a fantastic opportunity for these students to learn about the latest developments in technology and to explore the potential of virtual reality for educational and entertainment purposes.
