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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GEORGIE DE MATTOS | MUSTANG NE WS OUTSIDE THE BOX | Learn by being there with technology like Google cardboard and quadcopters that allow you to be inside a world of virtual reality. Companies like Google continue to explore opportunities.
Changing the virtually impossible to the virtually possible Suha Saya Imagine you could transport yourself anywhere — watch the Northern Lights in Alaska one moment, then observe the pyramids of Egypt the next — all with the use of a cardboard box. It’s possible. Virtual reality (VR) is a technology trend that places users in a computer-generated environment, allowing them to interact with the world in a seemingly real way. Google and other companies have come up with affordable options of VR by giving consumers a simple cardboard box. The box holds mobile devices in a way that consumers can create a mini VR experience. VR — a term coined by computer philosophy writer and computer scientist Jaron Lanier in the 1980s — has been frequently used in gaming and entertainment. But now VR is spreading. VR is reaching areas such as education, student marketability and the world of journalism. Learn by being there: Learning about the world through VR Robert Hernandez, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California (USC) who specializes in emerging technologies for
journalism, recalled one memorable, nonjournalism VR story that received a tremendous amount of national feedback last year. Perspective — a series created by Morris May and Rose Troche — consists of an episode about college date rape called “The Party.” The VR fiction story starts off having users experience a college party as a woman talking to a man at a party. While both are intoxicated, users see it from the woman’s perspective. The episode then proceeds to the man and one of his friends walking into the bedroom in which the girl is passed out. “It’s haunting and scary,” Hernandez said. The episode then shows the story again, but switches the perspective. Instead of being the woman, users are now the man, experiencing it from his perspective. “To really put yourself in another world is pretty intense,” Hernandez said. “With the video game and entertainment side of VR, I can create anything and have you experience it … We can go back in time, we can go in a made-up world. Of course, we have to be aware of how to use it. So if someone has been traumatized by rape, we don’t want to put someone through that.” Hernandez explained how out of all the emerging technologies he studies, VR feels different. “VR is an empathy machine,” Hernandez said. “You just feel it.” Along with educating on sensitive and
ANGELA FAUSONE | COURTESY PHOTO INNOVATION
| Virtual reality can allow you to feel like you’re in two places at once.
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serious topics, VR educates students As a learning institution, Cal Emerging Technologies in Jouron things they could learn from a Poly is already ahead of the game nalism — he recruits students all textbook, but tells it in a more en- in getting students familiar with across the university to essentially gaging way than words on a page. this up-and-coming technology. participate in a hackathon that inThis is especially true for Edwin The Innovation Sandbox is a key tertwines journalism and technolAquino, biomedical engineering player in bringing this technology ogy. When his class explored the junior and Student Director for to students. technology of VR, they were able to Innovation Sandbox — a facilcreate stories about cyclists, roller ity for students to foster learnderby and Mexican wrestling. ing and innovation through Outside of USC, news orgahands-on experiences. nizations around the world “In the use of a classroom, are using VR to tell news your teacher could create stories. world history — you’d be In Cal Poly’s journalable to see the pyramids ism department, profes“It’s so new, that if students instead of looking at a sors and students have picture,” Aquino said. started to realize the specialize in this right now, they “In your workplace, impact VR can make on you can view anything reporting. In fact, Muscan stand out tremendously.” face-to-face. VR gives tang News experimentJOACHIM SCHOLZ you more of that personal ed with it earlier this year touch toward spaces.” when Cal Poly scored the CAL POLY And sometimes, it can simwinning shot against the UC MARKETING PROFESSOR ply be used for fun. Santa Barbara men’s soccer team. While that VR story was a mileHow understanding VR can stone for Mustang News, adviser get you a job The Innovation Sandbox owns a Pat Howe explained that different Aside from experiencing VR, starter development kit from Oc- trade-offs — such as battery life knowledge of the technology is ulus. This allows students from all and memory — all have to be made something Cal Poly marketing disciplines to try their hand at VR. when dealing with VR. professor Joachim Scholz says can One of the projects Innovation “We made trade-offs because we increase student marketability in Sandbox has conducted with VR were in the initial stages of explorthe job market. is using it to allow its quadcopter ing this, but it also just takes a ton “It’s so new, that if students spe- pilots to see the perspective of the of computer time and memory to cialize in this right now, they can aircraft as it explores the skies. put this together,” he said. “It’s not stand out tremendously,” Scholz According to Aquino, the facility an easy process.” said. “One of the reasons Facebook has been allowing students to exThough the amount of money was so enthusiastic about buying periment with the equipment for a spent on a VR project can easily Oculus Rift is because it’s an op- little more than a year now. play a role in the final result, Howe portunity to shape the next new “VR is one of the first things that explained that even the simple technology trend, which they see interested me when I walked into technology by the journalism dethrough VR and AR (augmented this space,” Aquino said. “Whenev- partment has the power to make a reality). It’s the same thinking tied er we’re giving a tour, people don’t difference in storytelling. to anyone here at Cal Poly — by usually say no to trying Oculus.” “If you have an unlimited amount searching for courses like digital of money, you can produce an inmarketing or by using this in jour- A look at ourselves: VR credible effect,” Howe said. “But nalism for information consump- in journalism and in the honestly, even with the barebones tion, those are the things that you general future level of technology that we have — can use to stand out.” In addition to learning about the I think we spent 400 or 500 bucks Scholz studies augmented reality world through VR, Hernandez total — I think we could probably and virtual reality. Though he discussed how the world of jour- achieve something that could be specializes in AR, which is nalism has started to use VR for high definition.” an in between of the dig- storytelling. And according to Howe, this is ital and physical world “We (journalists) can (come in just the beginning. — such as being able and) create stories of all different “Have you ever watched any to see arrows on the types — from small experienc- of those early 1904 movies? It sidewalk as you use es to deeper experiences as the was basically waves crashing and your phone to guide technology becomes easier and trains running by and cats boxing. you in an unfamiliar more sophisticated for us to use I think that’s kind of where we’re area on campus — the idea — journalism plays a role there,” at,” he said. “We’re trying to figis similar, simulating a way for users Hernandez said. ure out — how does this work to to engage more. In Hernandez’s class at USC — tell a story?”
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