XR-room

On the 6th floor of the Kaisa House you can find room 6026, which is intended for trying out and using various virtual and augmented reality applications. In the room, you can try different immersive applications that require VR headsets. In particular, the aim is to make applications developed at the University of Helsinki available for testing. In addition, researchers can use the room and its equipment to support their own XR projects.

The room has been designed to be as easy to use as possible. However, getting started with VR headsets still involves a slightly higher threshold, so on the first visit it is recommended to get acquainted with the room with the help of an expert. After the initial introduction, users may be granted booking rights for independent use.

What is XR?

XR, or eXtended Reality, is a term/abbreviation that brings together different immersive technologies under one concept, such as:

• VR – Virtual Reality
• AR – Augmented Reality
• MR – Mixed Reality

In practice, the differences between these subcategories largely depend on whether the user sees only a computer-generated environment around them, or whether they see their real surroundings through the headset, with computer-generated content such as text or graphics added on top.
 

In the room, you will find the following equipment:

• 1 Meta Quest 3 headset
• 2 Meta Quest 2 headsets
• High-performance workstation
• TV for screen mirroring
• 2 docking monitors for your own laptop

The Quest headsets are used in an environment managed by the university, and the room has its own Wi-Fi network. You can also connect your own devices to this Wi-Fi network; instructions are available in the room. Personal Meta accounts are not required for testing purposes; instead, a University of Helsinki group account is used to install certain applications on the headsets.

Meta Quest headsets are so-called stand-alone headsets, meaning that they have their own processor, memory and app store, so no separate computer is required for use. However, the headsets can be connected to the high-performance workstation with a USB cable, allowing them to run more demanding VR applications downloaded to the PC.

Quick-start guides for the equipment are available in printed form in the room.

The room calendar can be found in Outlook under the name Kaisa-talo, 6026, XR-huone.

To begin with, request an introductory visit from the Educational Technology Infrastructure and Innovations unit and mention the XR-room in the subject of the message: uni-help@helsinki.fi. Independent use of the room and future calendar booking rights require this initial introduction.

Please also describe what kind of activity you have in mind and which applications you would like to have available on the headsets. When you would like to have the initial introduction, first check that the room is not booked at the times you prefer, and suggest these times in your message. The XR room support team will then book the room for you. More detailed Outlook calendar instructions are available on the Helpdesk pages: OWA instructions, Outlook instructions.

As the room is a shared space used by multiple users, please also remember to:

• Put the VR headsets on charge so that the next user has a full battery.
• Clean up after yourself.
• Do not book the room for long continuous periods, for example using an all-day booking.
• Delete any bookings you will not use.