About

The virtualXdesign

The virtualXdesign seeks to pioneer the integration of immersive technologies into research and education. The lab brings together faculty, researchers and students across MIT to conduct cutting edge research on emerging digital technologies and to create innovative and thought-provoking projects at the intersection of design, science, and engineering. Our research reaches a broad community through our publications, presentations in prominent venues, intensive workshops, and exhibitions.
The virtualXdesign lab will work across a broad range of investigations, from basic research to creating new interaction paradigms for virtual and augmented reality to developing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that analyze architectural spaces. We broadly define our research program under three categories:

Immersive Technology for Basic Research

Basic research at virtualXdesign  involves rigorous empirical research methodologies and perception science to understand how people perceive spaces and interact within them. Virtual reality enables the simulation of both naturalistic environments and imaginary scenarios, while also permitting tight control over different variables. Studying human responses to immersive environments can lead not only to better designed architectural and urban spaces but also to new characterizations of common spatial memory deficits such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Immersive Technology for Designing Experiences

virtualXdesign  actively explores the opportunities presented by virtual and augmented reality for designing spatial experiences. Our design-oriented research ranges from designing immersive experiences to represent place, community and history to developing remote collaboration tools. We use cutting-edge sensing and modeling technologies such as photogrammetric modelling, stereoscopic 3D videos, and large-scale spatial tracking tools to create novel architectural experiences.

Immersive Technology for Education

virtualXdesign aims to play a leading role in the dissemination of virtual and augmented reality technologies in education within and outside MIT community. Immersive technologies will soon become ubiquitous in educational settings; our work aims to identify new learning modalities and affordances in those settings. Our activities include developing the first-ever immersive design studio and organizing immersive technology workshops, lectures, hackathons, and exhibitions.

Contact

MIT Virtual Experience Design Lab
77 Massachusetts Avenue 5-414
virtualxdesign@mit.edu