Purdue University Students Create Virtual Reality Simulations
The chairman and chief executive officer of Centerline Biomedical in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Jai N. Gupta earned his PhD in electrical engineering and mathematical sciences from Purdue University. Dr. Jai N. Gupta continues to support the university and donates funds toward its computing laboratory.
In February 2017, Purdue University announced that students working in the university’s ITaP (Information Technology at Purdue) Envision Center are utilizing cutting-edge technology for virtual reality simulations. Classmates Amanda Luginbuhl and Jordyn Lukomski used the Microsoft HoloLens, which is a mixed-reality headset not yet available to consumers, to create an application. They piggybacked off a two-dimensional simulation created in 2015 by students enrolled in an entomology class of Professor Christian Oseto. This two-dimensional program allowed students to remove an insect’s appendages and investigate its organs without stepping into a classroom or dealing with the smell of formaldehyde.
The new application coupled with the mixed-reality headset lets users virtually dissect a grasshopper and creates the experience in a three-dimensional format. Students can move around and examine the grasshopper from a variety of perspectives, allowing them to see exactly how the insect’s organs work. The two students used this project as their thesis within their senior capstone course, and hope to secure funding to develop it further.
