VR Showcase in 2019 -- LNN

By Karsen Marczuk

Lethbridge College’s Merging Realities returns to showcase VR applications

May 25, 2021 | 4:24 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB- From agriculture to architecture, health care to history, education to entertainment, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) is providing its effectiveness in a wide variety of industries.

The focus of Lethbridge College’s fourth annual Merging Realities event will be taking a deeper look at how VR/AR can help businesses of all sizes.

The free event is set to take place on June 8, with a free multi-faceted program hosted over both Zoom and AltSpace platforms.

“For the past few years, Lethbridge College has trained students in virtual reality, yet many people aren’t fully aware of the value it can bring to their business,” says Kris Hodgson-Bright, Digital Communications and Media instructor, and Merging Realities organizer.

“This conference will help people gain a greater appreciation for the incredible opportunities it creates and the ways it can be used in tourism, health care, architecture, and training for all sectors.”

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Using VR/AR offers opportunities for businesses and organizations to create realistic and interactive scenarios that support their work. This year’s event will feature four presentations, each focusing on VR/AR supporting business:

• The team from Economic Development Lethbridge will outline how the college has helped bring its events to businesses and organizations through AltSpace virtual platform.
• Alvin Fritz will share how VR/AR has helped modernize his architecture business.
• Those involved in the CareGiVR project, which helps train health care professionals to care for people with dementia, will give an update about the Winter 2021 semester.
• College researchers involved in a collaborative project with Lethbridge Police Service will discuss the partnership, which explores how VR can be used to help police recruits develop communication skills to deescalate difficult situations.

In 2019, the Virtual Reality program used 360-degree video and VR to bring real-life training scenarios to students in the Criminal Justice program.

Read More: https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/09/02/new-project-brings-virtual-reality-to-lethbridge-college-program/

“The demand for VR/AR solution development is dramatically increasing,” says Mike McCready, President’s Applied Research Chair in Virtual and Augmented Reality. “The Spatial Technologies Applied Research and Training (START) initiative at Lethbridge College is working with partners, alongside students and grads, to solve industry challenges with immersive technologies. With our expertise in curriculum design and applied research, we are uniquely positioned to support our partners as they dive into the next computing revolution.”

Merging Realities 2021: Impact will begin with a session for people who are interested in applying to the college’s VR/AR or Architectural Animation Technology (AAT) programs. The main program will include multiple presentations from industry partners on how they have worked with Lethbridge College to integrate VR and AR into their work.

To end the day, attendees can see first-hand the work being done by students in the VR/AR program.

Lethbridge College is a leader in the VR/AR field, having launched the Virtual and Augmented Reality certificate and Architectural Animation Technology diploma programs in 2019, that story can be found here: https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/04/02/two-new-groundbreaking-programs-announced-by-lethbridge-college/

Merging Realities started as the world’s first full-day VR/AR conference held entirely in virtual reality.

If you would like to attend the event, or want more details, visit here: https://lethbridgecollege.ca/events/merging-realities-2021-impact