Landscape Architecture
DoLA XR lab is an advanced center for exploring effective applications of Extended Reality (XR) technologies – including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) – for advancing landscape architecture education and research. The lab currently leads several multidisciplinary and collaborative research projects focused on using immersive technologies to promote health, wellbeing, and learning.
Can an existing cutting-edge internet-based marketing tool – high-quality interactive virtual tour (IVT) be used for health-promotion in childcare centers serving children aged birth to 5 that face the greatest barrier to good health? Licensed childcare centers (~125,000 centers nationwide serving 11M children), by improving their outdoor environments, can play a significant role in children’s health and wellbeing.
Innovation is needed for promoting a culture of health of transforming childcare outdoor environments to childcare health-outdoors (CHOs) incorporating design best practices to encourage children’s nature-interactions, physical activity, and healthy eating. Coalition for Natural Learning (CNL) at Texas Tech University (TTU), Natural Learning Initiative (NLI) at NC State University (NCSU), and Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) at the National Wildlife Foundation (NWF) will collaborate in this project with primary goals of:
Advances in technologies related to capturing high-resolution 360 images and videos for Virtual Reality (VR) contents have opened possibilities of innovations in creating engaging distance education tools. Potentials for VR as a pedagogical tool have been explored in different fields but their effectiveness for environmental and agricultural education is relatively unknown. The need for such innovations and research has increased due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation (and threats of recurrence in the near future) which is forcing educators to explore distance education tools to promote learning engagement and interactivity.
The goal of this research is to take advantage of the new XR Lab (fully equipped with the latest VR technologies and resources) in the Department of Landscape Architecture (DoLA) and explore the effectiveness of a variety of VR tools in different CASNR distance courses. The proposed research is consistent with CASNR Strategic Priorities related to transdisciplinary collaborations within and beyond CASNR. Proposed activities will include collaborative meetings with CASNR faculties, IRB submission, developing VR learning tools, tool testing, and preliminary data collection regarding tool effectiveness and learning outcomes.
The XR Lab is home to many talented graduate and undergraduate researchers.
Muntazar Monsur, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Texas Tech University
Dept. of Landscape Architecture
Email: mmonsur@ttu.edu
Phone: (806) 834-3108
Image sensor and processor produce more realistic 360° content. High-speed data transfer allows to quickly and wirelessly upload 14 megapixel stills and high-resolution videos for immediate showing and sharing. Omni- directional audio recording functionality enables 360° spatial audio.
Fusion captures 360-degree video and photos.
Capture and Map 360° Environment, create 3D Maps, Models, and Schematics, View Footage in 3D and VR Applications, Real Estate, Architecture, Engineering, Add Metadata, API for Custom Coding, High-Quality 2D Still Capture, Collaborate with Matterport Cloud, Leica BLK360 Integration Support.
The BLK360 is a compact imaging laser scanner that uses a 360° laser distance meter and high definition panoramic imaging to create a 3D point cloud of the space around it.
Oculus Go is a portable, all-in-one VR headset.
These headsets work with most cell phone models. Cell phones can be mounted in these headsets to experience VR contents.
