Located at the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, our Virtual reality lab is a unique facility housing VR representation of products that are yet to be realised. The lab features three-dimensional (3D) projections on the walls and floor, as well as sensory feedback. Throughout your studies you’ll visualise designs, develop immersive VR environments, and get to test new VR and AR technologies.
The lab hosts a range of activity across all study levels. You’ll use the labs during your final-year projects for designing and testing VR solutions – with course units facilitating the design and prototype of your ideas.
If you take part in the School of Engineering outreach activities, you can visualise your designs and capture environmental information through 360-degree photos and videos.
PhD students from across the University use the lab to conduct their research using virtual and immersive environments.
The VR lab facilitates research across several areas, including human-computer interaction (virtual reality, haptics, new techniques and technologies) deployable virtual reality, mechatronics, and virtual and augmented reality medical simulation and training.
You’ll have the opportunity to manipulate objects like medical tools and, through advanced technology, be able to feel the weight of an object, as well as the resistance of push back and pull creating a new level in the height of realism in a virtual environment.
The VR Lab is home to an interdisciplinary team with the diverse skill set required to work effectively in VR and AR. The team consists of experts in computer-aided design, 3D modelling, programming, IT, computer science and mechatronics.
Deakin is ranked in the top 100 universities globally for computer science and engineering*, as well as in the top 1% of universities worldwide for computer science and information systems.^
For me, the most exciting thing about working in virtual and augmented reality is seeing the potential of the technologies that are providing us with new capabilities. The opportunities are endless.
Associate Professor Ben Horan
Director of the VR Lab
The facility is one of the first to offer reconfigurable large-scale VR interfaces that can be interacted with by individuals and large groups of people. It offers ambisonic 3D surround sound and full acoustic isolation across the lab and a large-scale six degrees of freedom haptic device for force-based VR interaction.
State-of-the-art hardware
The computing architecture of the lab supports deployment across the full range of VR and AR hardware – anything from large in-situ systems to wearable headsets and mobile devices. The lab includes:
We hold strategic relationships with many of the world’s largest players in VR and AR, spanning industry, academia and research organisations. This enables us to leverage our expertise, resources and equipment to be able to scale, be responsive and deliver projects to the highest standard.
* 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
^ 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject.
If you have further questions about our lab, please get in touch.
