MACE Customer Success Story: Kent State University VR Lab
Long Story Short: The Executive Summary
MACE joined forces with Kent State University to launch a virtual reality lab, in a discipline where few would expect it: sociology. Now, VR can help researchers better understand social hierarchies, probe into a human mind under stress, and immerse subjects in an experimental reality. This is the kind of novel research happening at universities bold enough to pursue virtual reality. MACE was on hand to make the adoption and implementation of it all a little less imposing.
The Situation
Imagine you’re a sharp-witted social scientist, trying to study the human brain in high-stress environments. You may just find that putting your subjects in a laboratory, or having them play a nerve-wracking video game, isn’t the most effective environment to test your theories. As Dr. Will Kalkhoff and Joshua Pollock of Kent State discovered, these methods were just “a little too fun, and couldn’t replicate the feeling of imminent danger” so vital to yield reliable results. A more immersive environment was needed, one that could offer a level of “mundane realism” and make it difficult for participants to discern between reality and the lab.
“Laboratories are too removed from reality; sitting in front of a computer screen is not a good simulation of real world environments. So how can we ensure lab environment testings apply in the real world?”
The solution? A virtual reality lab, and a partnership with MACE.
Goals
As an academic discipline, sociology has been limited in the types of experiments it could run, particularly when dangerous environments were a variable. But with virtual reality in their toolbox, Kent State could still exert control over the threat, manipulate the environment at will, and guarantee the subject would perceive the threat with sufficient realism. They could measure user responses and gather a treasure trove of physiological metrics, like eye movement and heart rate, to pour over and glean information.
Although they strive to become experts in the VR space, Kalkhoff and Pollock knew they would require assistance in the launch and implementation of the VR lab. The hardware, layout of the lab, and execution of experiments would require the consultation of a seasoned expert.
Why They Chose MACE
Armed with ambitions to create a VR lab, Kent State developed a proposal and submitted it to the Department of Defense. This opportunity arose from a longstanding relationship with the ARO (Army Research Office), who had previously funded Kent State projects studying human social status. The construction of a VR lab was considered the “next logical step” in this sequence of projects.
Prior to securing funds, their search for a VR partner began. They scoured the US and Europe, and were ultimately directed to MACE by their partner, Virtuix, makers of the Omni VR Motion Platform. MACE was influential throughout the entire process; they helped develop the budget and suggested the high-fidelity equipment needed to make the proposal viable.
So why were they drawn to MACE over a glut of other competitors? With an expansive catalog of partners, MACE offered access to a wide breadth of technology. This was appealing to Kent State, who wanted everything under one roof. The venture could grow convoluted with too many companies involved, and they sought to have everything simplified and streamlined. Not to mention, they hit it off with MACE team members, Edgar Acosta and Josh Bankston.
Another strong selling point was MACE’s considerable experience integrating hardware from disparate vendors, as well as their unmatched expertise with VR technology, fleet management, physical installation, and ongoing remote support thereafter.
The Process & Challenges
Technology moves at a breakneck pace - and by the time the grant was finally approved, the proposed hardware was outdated and the budget had changed dramatically. This punctuated the need for expert VR partners like Acosta and Bankston, who worked with them for the better part of a year and a half, working through all the iterations of the proposal.
Acosta suggested hardware and provided insights and feedback whenever approached with ideas from Kent State. The MACE team guided them in what they call an “ongoing, consultative relationship.” “They went above and beyond… MACE did an outstanding job. We’re trying to get ahead of the curve with the adoption of virtual reality. MACE brings an energy to do innovative things that benefits and re-energizes everyone involved.”
Hardware and Software Used:
Omni treadmills
Varjo headsets
Vive HTC trackers
Manus haptic gloves
Alienware desktops
The Results
Being among the first universities to build a VR lab, Kent State has emerged as a trendsetter in the field of sociology. In what they call “a transformative moment for social science,” they believe that MACE helped them “expand their horizons,” and are now looking into applications for their studies that would enable them to work with police departments.
While the official launch and implementation were delayed by the Coronavirus pandemic, the Kent State team is gearing up for a grand opening in the fall. The event will feature a “virtual haunted house” as its main draw for students. Ideally, this will generate interest from undergrads, who are being invited to submit research proposals that leverage the lab. This underlines the ultimate goal of the lab: to support training and education with virtual reality as a high-tech tool.
In anticipation of this launch, Kalkhoff and Pollock have shown the lab to campus members under highly restricted conditions. The pair describe themselves as “kids on Christmas morning, who can’t open their presents yet.” To have been forcibly separated from the lab and all that they can do with it, is in their eyes, “a crying shame.”
Interest from Other Departments
Sociology isn’t the only department catching wind of the infinite potential of virtual reality. Other departments at Kent State are hankering to leverage the lab, including Geography, Communications, Fashion and Psychology. They’re quizzing Kalkhoff and Pollock on the lab’s capabilities, and hope to use it themselves.
Why Your University Should Launch Its Own VR Lab, According to Kent State
If there’s one thing Kalkhoff and Pollock understand, it’s how intimidating a VR lab launch can seem to other university researchers. They already have to get versed in some extremely complicated systems to conduct their day-to-day research. VR is another new system they have to learn to set up and analyze. Faced with all that work, the status quo can start to look very attractive.
VR feels foreign, complex and out-of-reach to most researchers, but Kent State (and their evident success) are quick to debunk this perception. They insist that what people need to understand is that resources like MACE are available, and that changes the time. The adoption of virtual reality won’t require them to retool their entire careers, and relearn everything they know about conducting research. It’s a much smoother process, with implementation facilitated by the kind, enthusiastic and innovative team at MACE.
And perhaps most importantly, Kent State stresses that creating a VR lab “is not prohibitively priced.” While onlookers are quick to assume it “cost a small fortune,” it simply didn’t. “We need to show people how relatively easy it is. If you’re smart about it, and have advice from MACE.”