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Mobile VR Lab

Discovering the human brain and behaviour is one of the most important research topics in Cognitive Science. As the interest for research in a more natural environment grows, the more the limitations appear. That is where virtual reality (VR) environments could come in handy. The Mobile VR Lab of the NBP opens up a door for you to enter a more naturalistic world to gather data in. Among others, NBP's Mobile VR Lab hosted spatial navigation studies which were the most performed VR studies in this lab.

Using the VR Lab

To gain access to the VR Lab you need to concat the Lab manager to make an appointment for getting the required training. After you are done with the training you will get access to the Lab calendar where you would be able to book the lab and use it.

Training

Having the knowledge of how to operate the VR devices is a necessity for using the VR lab. This is one of the key points of the training. In the training you will learn how to use the VR headset, the controllers, the lighthouses, to calibrate and validate the eye tracker, and to troubleshoot the devices, as well as how to take care of them while using them. You will get to know which PC and additional equipment in the lab is suitable for which purpose and the rules of how to use them. Apart from that, you will get acquainted with the hygiene concept of the lab to keep you and your participants safe and healthy. Lastly, you will learn how to book the lab, log your visit, and take care of the lab during your visit. Depending on your prior knowledge about VR the training duration can vary between 1 and 2 hours.

Equipment

In the mobile lab you get access to HTC vive pro eye VR headsets which are equipped with a built in eye tracker. An oIder version of HTC vive headsets for experiments that do not need an eye tracker is also available. The lab is equipped with both VR vive controllers and index valve controllers. A powerful windows machine is available to host your VR applications, as well as an ubuntu system. Another windows machine is also available in the lab and could be also used for running your questionnaires. There are also other tools and devices available for fully utilizing the experiments, e.g., a rotating chair used for spatial navigation studies, noise cancellation headphones, and experimental buttons.

Additional Information

The Mobile VR Lab is located on the first floor of the university's building 50 in room 114. To know more about the lab you can look through the Mobile lab's handout and contact the lab manager with the rest of your questions. You can find the lab handout here and the lab manager's contact info here.