The CREC Academy of Science and Innovation asked SphereGen to develop a solution to help drive more interest in their school and appeal to a wider, more diverse audience of potential students. We did this by creating an interesting, memorable experience that was easily accessible without needing to be onsite at the CREC facility. The solution, which showcases their unique environment and academic credentials, is usable at recruitment fairs and by users in their own homes.
SphereGen developed a multiplatform VR application that allows users to participate in a 360-degree image tour of the school. In the experience there is commentary about each room, narrated by current students who are interested in that area of study. The novelty and tangibility of VR draws people in, and the information delivered by existing students reinforces the school’s message and brand.
The application uses a gaze system to allow users to navigate through the various rooms. This is achieved by having the user simply look at a given choice on a menu for a small amount of time in order to select it. By omitting the need for button presses or complex control schemes the application is intuitive and readily accessible by users of various age groups and backgrounds. Combined with the immersion that the 360 VR view provides, the experience is effective in generating interest in the Academy of Science and Innovation.
Two versions of the application were developed:
- For home use, SphereGen facilitated the production of school branded and customized google cardboard viewers. These can be sent through the mail and allow interested students to participate in the tour simply by scanning a QR code and installing the linked application onto their phone. The cardboard devices are cost effective and an ideal way to showcase the school outside of a recruitment fair setting.
- For more formal events, SphereGen developed a version of the application that runs on Samsung Odyssey VR headsets. With the processing power provided by a discrete graphics card, this version showcases more information as well as additional multimedia content including a promotional video that is accessed from one of the rooms in the tour. Another benefit of the Samsung Odyssey headset is the ability to stream the user’s VR experience to an external monitor for spectators to see in real time.
The mobile version of the tour is now public on both the iOS and Android app store, simply search for CREC Innovation. You can download and try it with any cardboard viewer today!
Let us know if you have an idea you’d like to promote using Virtual Reality; we here at SphereGen would love to help!
