Following extensive co-development with department of Chemistry staff and students, Digital Media Lab (linked tag) has produced a digital twin of a lab teaching space on campus, to aid students in preparing for physical lab experiences.
DML crew used multiple methods to sample and recreate Imperial’s Briscoe teaching lab, including items and their component parts, light and how materials reflect it, exact dimensions and sounds. This high-end experience has been optimised for stand-alone untethered delivery, having been piloted with Year 3 undergraduate chemistry students.
“Taking that fun, that enthusiasm and transferring that to practical chemistry is really important. Learning through play while learning how to regroup after failing is a key part of scientific development.” Professor Nick Brooks, Dir. of Undergraduate Studies, Dept of Chemistry
briscoe demo
“The skills and knowhow required for this level of fidelity emerged out of needs our teaching colleagues in departments had first pointed out. The skillsets, assets and code acquired have already delivered value for other DML collaborative projects, making bespoke, higher-end experiences development faster and more affordable.” Daniel Mitelpunkt, Director of Digital Media Lab
The benefits are multiple: students are able to familiarise themselves with lab space and equipment before attending the lab in person; they can practice an experiment in a safe ‘low stakes’ environment; pressure and time demands on teaching staff can also be reduced (and all this is as well as opening the door to more efficient affordable production of subsequent, similar experiences).
To find out more about the creation of digital twins, get in touch with the Digital Media Lab.