Discover how UH pupils are revolutionising digital experiences through innovative VR and AR projects, blending technology with creative storytelling.
As part of a class partnership between the UH Mānoa Information and Computer Sciences Department and the UH Academy for Creative Media System, students at the University of Hawaiʻi made new and interesting virtual and augmented reality experiences. These included interactive stargazing and yoga in space.
The Creative Computational Media course enabled pupils to develop interactive and immersive experiences showcased in global exhibitions such as Beyond Van Gogh, Beyond Monet, Disney Immersive and TeamLab Borderless.
The Information and Computer Sciences professor Jason Leigh, who co-developed the course, explained that whilst these immersive experiences might appear as entertainment — which is indeed a flourishing industry — they teach useful ways to get complicated information or ideas across to large groups of people. He said that this is very important for success as a scientist or engineer because it helps people understand and believe what they are learning. He also talked about the projects they are working on together with the Waikīkī Aquarium, NASA, and the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office.
More than 30 undergraduate and postgraduate pupils from multiple UH campuses joined the term-long course taught at UH Mānoa and UH West Oʻahu’s state-of-the-art ACM Create(x) Laboratory — the sole venue in the state where pupils can access the necessary cutting-edge equipment, expertise and hands-on training in developing augmented reality applications, virtual reality environments and interactive projection-mapped experiences.
In approximately a month, pupil teams conceptualised ideas and designed and developed prototypes for their immersive experiences. Projects included:
- Stargaze: A beautiful and highly challenging panoramic projection show that follows constellations from the points of view of Native Hawaiian, Inuit, Japanese, and Korean cultures.
- Yoga in space: A groundbreaking project that looks into how immersive settings might be able to help and improve yoga routines.
- Fit the wall: A straightforward yet dynamic video game where players must physically move their bodies to fit through holes in oncoming walls.
- Fantasy wonderland: A fun, interactive experience that takes people to a dream and wonder-filled world.
- Sparkles: A dream flower yard where people can move around and interact with sparkles.
Katelyn Sung, a third-year creative computational media pupil, shared that this was her first computer class that was more art and creative driven. She found it interesting and enjoyable, noting that it reveals numerous different aspects of potential careers in the computer science field beyond software engineering.
The class has not only allowed pupils to experiment with new technologies, but it also paved the way for future projects and collaborations. The Waikīkī Aquarium has already tapped into this innovative field by commissioning past pupils’ work to create immersive exhibits for their own visitors.
Senior vice president for research and innovation at UH, Vassilis L. Syrmos, said that this course shows how important it is to learn from different fields and how important it is to combine creativity with technical skills. He also said that it was a great example of how the University of Hawaiʻi is committed to preparing students for the future in areas like AI and digital media.
This course forms part of a new Creative Computational Media concentration within the ICS Department’s BS/BA degree programme. This programme is specifically designed to equip pupils with the skills to merge creative media with computing, preparing them for careers in fields such as video game development, special effects for movies, digital media pieces, museum displays, theme park layouts, and digital marketing.
