Dewey Wilkerson from the popular sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” once famously said, ”The future is now old man,” and that statement rang true on Thursday, Jan. 25, when the Southern Utah University Virtual Reality Club held their opening social event to educate and demonstrate what the future looks like.
The founding of this club follows the recent addition of the VR/AR Innovation Studio to SUU, which gives students access to the latest VR technologies, including an advanced console called the Meta Quest 3. The club currently has 25 VR headsets.
Several students volunteered to go up on stage and experience the features of the Quest 3, showing off the advanced capabilities of the device. A “mixed reality” feature of the headset allowed for a seamless blending of reality and the virtual world. The club also showed off the “room scanning” feature of the headset, which maps the room the headset is in and sets up a safe play area.
SUU student Bryson Paul had the opportunity to test out the technology on stage.
”It was pretty fun,” said Paul. “It’s cool how it scans the room and saves the data of that room.”
Aundrea Frahm, the director of the VR/AR Studio, shared some information on the purpose of the club.
”The VR/AR Club is to provide a space for students to come and build community and have a sense of place and belonging in a group of people who love virtual reality,” Frahm said. She also encouraged students to join the club if they have any interest at all in these technologies.
The VR/AR Club meets 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 109 of the Multipurpose Building. More information about the club can be found on Instagram.
Author: Aidan Mortenson
Photos: Aidan Mortenson
Editor: Nick Stein
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