Google has partnered with science education company Labster to create more than 30 virtual labs on the Daydream platform, where students can do their lab work in VR without having to walk, drive or fly to a campus. Google says that these VR labs can be particularly useful to students at the rapidly-growing number of schools that offer online science degrees.
Earlier this month, students at Arizona State University began using the technology and soon, students at the University of Texas at San Antonio, McMaster University and other institutions across North America and Europe will be able to do their lab work in VR as well.
Using Daydream View or the Lenovo Mirage Solo, students can do things that previously necessitated a physical presence in a lab, like examining organisms under a microscope and sequencing DNA. They can also do things that wouldn’t be possible in the physical world, like seeing and manipulating DNA at the molecular level and visiting Astakos IV, a newly discovered exoplanet being explored as a potential habitat for human beings.
Because there’s no time limit, students can review theories, concepts and techniques as many times as they want. In addition, students receive personalised feedback in the app to help them understand which concepts they need to review and which techniques need more practice.
Google says it is hoping to make the virtual lab experience available to more students worldwide, including undergraduates, graduate students and high schoolers.
