XR on Tour: Navigating the Future of Education and Research Across the Netherlands

From discussing pressing challenges to the promising opportunities, we engaged with various member institutions to get a firsthand look at how XR is shaping futures in education and research. Read on to discover key takeaways, next steps, and what it all means for the evolving realm of XR technology.

We now have a live website from our tour, see it here.

Challenges

Our XR on Tour unveiled a set of unique challenges faced by educational and research institutions. These included:

• A lack of centralized platforms to share simulations, applications, and content.
• Privacy concerns, given XR's ability to track a user's eyes, voice, and movements.
• Difficulty integrating XR technologies into traditional classroom settings, especially in smaller spaces.
• Challenges in scaling and managing XR equipment.

Insights

Despite these challenges, the journey also revealed some insights:

• The XR community is incredibly diverse, stretching across multiple use cases and technological challenges.
• Many institutions are facing similar issues, highlighting the need for a collective approach to problem-solving.
• XR teams within these institutions are often isolated yet self-sufficient, eager to showcase their work.
• More advanced institutions have established dedicated XR hubs to streamline development.

What’s Next?
Looking forward, there are several exciting developments:

•    SURF has launched an XR Developer Network to foster sharing and collaboration.
•    SURF and TUDelft Library hosted together the first ever National XR Day on July 5, 2023! Read more about the highlights of the National XR Day or watch videos of the presentations that were recorded.
•    Advancements in network infrastructure promise to facilitate larger and more interactive simulations.
•    SURF has initiated Responsible XR activities to address ethical concerns around XR usage in education and research.

Final Thoughts

Our tour exposed both the challenges and opportunities lying ahead for XR in education and research. As we move forward, it is essential to continue collaborative initiatives to harness the full potential of these technologies. It's an exciting time, and we can't wait to see where the next steps will take us.

Month of XR

In the month of September we pay extra attention to the possibilities of XR!

Keep an eye on this page for the latest updates https://www.surf.nl/en/xr