Crytek, a German virtual reality company, has announced a sponsorship with Oswego State, providing virtual reality (VR) research opportunities and a human-computer interaction graduate program.
VR is a computer-generated program that is viewed from specific headgear with a screen placed in front of users’ eyes. VR’s specific draw is that the program allows users to feel as though they are in a 3-D location, which is a dynamic shot allowing the image in front of a users’ eyes to move in sync with a user.
VR First is an initiative to integrate VR and create labs in higher education institutions nationwide. The aim of VR First is to link schools to a global network of virtual knowledge and research while providing state-of-the-art equipment to researchers and developers.
The need for jobs in the VR market is rapidly growing, according to Jolanda Tromp, a visiting professor at Oswego State.
“Experts are needed to help with improvements to the hardware and there are a multitude of application areas opening up, such as big data visualization, explorations of the microbiology world, medical training, health and safety training for hazardous environments, college education programs of all sorts, fashion, journalism, marketing, to name a few,” Tromp said.
Oswego State has joined a partnership of schools sponsored by Crytek including Purdue University, Oklahoma State University, University of Florida and many others spanning six countries.
The academic initiative with Crytek has allowed for the creation of a virtual reality lab in the Shineman Center, with VR headsets. In addition, all headsets will be complete with Crytek’s software, CryEngine.
“It’s becoming affordable, the technology is improving and the headsets are smaller and more comfortable to wear,” Tromp said.
Last spring, students in Tromp’s graduate VR course delved into the myriad of opportunities that are presented with the technology. The technology is applicable not only to the science and technology but also to the fields of medical, marketing, psychotherapy, space travel and journalism.
“There is a need for software development talent in this field,” Tromp said.
Many students of various majors and studies are provoked by the new technologies and their opportunities in the job market.
“It’s becoming cheaper and more common to produce headsets and I really feel as though the ideology of being able to interact with virtual technology paves a way to new technologies I cannot even begin to fathom,” said Joseph McGee, a sophomore computer science major.
One Oswego State student has taken the technology and applied it to pain management.
Second-year graduate student Ryan Kikta is using VR to help patients undergoing medical treatments feel as though they were in a non-medical location.
Tromp said this technology can be used in many settings.
“It’s a green technology,” Tromp said. “It saves resources and time. Its flexibility is incomparable.”
For students interested in the vast world of VR technology, Tromp is teaching a graduate level VR course again in the upcoming spring semester.
“Creating VR experiences is something that can be learned online and there are many online tutorials, and there is a huge enthusiastic worldwide online community that you can ask for help 24/7,” Tromp said.
