Imagination is the frontier of innovation. At the Living Environments Laboratory (LEL) at WID, researchers are bringing this frontier ever closer, allowing scientists and human subjects to not only imagine new technological and healthcare possibilities, but to also virtually develop and physically “jump in” to these visions.
LEL focuses on the use of advanced visualizations and information architectures to explore scientific, clinical and aesthetic applications for various visualization technologies, including a C6 fully immersive virtual reality CAVE. LEL develops and simulates spaces via advanced computer technologies that allow people to perform various tasks and behaviors.
Current LEL simulations include a fully functional kitchen, bathroom and operating room. The lab also experiments with environments on unfamiliar or complex scales, such as molecules or the entire galaxy. By allowing humans to interact in natural ways with virtual environments, LEL researchers aim to discover clues about behavior that could yield improvements in medical devices and therapies to help patients develop healthy habits or rehabilitate after disease or injury.
LEL’s larger goals are to advance the science of immersive virtual reality, advance the art and science of design, and create innovative home care technologies. LEL provides the spaces and computational power to observe and imagine new possibilities for human behavior, with particular emphasis on home care technologies.
LEL Podcast