Virtual field trips with networked depth-camera-based teacher, heterogeneous displays, and example energy center application

This demo presents an approach to networked educational virtual reality for virtual field trips and guided exploration. It shows an asymmetric collaborative interface in which a remote teacher stands in front of a large display and depth camera (Kinect) while students are immersed with HMDs. The teacher's front-facing mesh is streamed into the environment to assist students and deliver instruction. Our project uses commodity virtual reality hardware and high-performance networks to allow students who are unable to visit a real facility with an alternative that provides similar educational benefits. Virtual facilities can further be augmented with educational content through interactables or small games. We discuss motivation, features, interface challenges, and ongoing testing.