Inside the new reality

By DEVIN WEEKS

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — From the outside, it seems like it's just a person wearing a headset and goggles with arms flailing at things unseen by others.

But on the inside, entire worlds are being explored, lessons are being learned and an immersive, innovative and exciting experience is taking place.

It's another reality — a virtual reality.

“They’re using VR in so many ways right now. I’m blown away,” said Barb Mueller, co-founder of Gizmo-CDA. "It's teaching people how to walk again so they get the experience; they’re literally seeing themselves doing the walking and they can physically make their neurons fire down their nervous system to help them walk. The whole thing is amazing to me."

Gizmo-CDA on Friday held a VR workshop for Lake City High School and Sandpoint Middle School students and teachers as well as Community Library Network staff to introduce them to and familiarize them with new software and devices such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive Virtual Realty System.

"One of the reasons we’re here today is because the Community Library Network is starting a new position where we’re going to be focusing on emerging technology, so we want to be giving people access to virtual reality, 3D printers, these kinds of things,” said Nick Madsen, youth services specialist with the Hayden Library. "We want it to be for all ages. Most of the time we focus on the children’s programs. Now we want to expand these opportunities for everybody."

Participants spent time experimenting with different applications and elements of VR, including Google Cardboard, a program that allows people to build virtual worlds.

"I like learning some of the uses for platforming," said LCHS junior Izzie Romagnolo, president of the school's Game Creators Club. "Before, I didn’t really know much. I could only make still things or things that moved back and forth."

A "platformer" is a video game where the character(s) jump from platform to platform. Along with this kind of entertainment, Izzie said VR has a wide variety of uses.

"I can see it as gaming, but not only that," she said. "Job training for potentially dangerous situations like the police force, firefighting, and some less dangerous things like space travel. And maybe culturally — you can visit other parts of the world with VR. And maybe something simpler like real estate, you can check out a house."

Mueller said it's also a lucrative, growing field.

“One of the highest paying jobs right now is creating virtual reality, augmented reality, AI,” she said.

She said Gizmo plans to build an approximately 1,500-square-foot VR lab that will connect to its new space in the Hedlund Building at North Idaho College.

“There’s a whole bunch of stuff going on with VR and augmented reality and animation. It’s the new way of telling stories,” Mueller said. "The tools for VR, animation and augmented reality, they’re not prejudice. You can put a kid on it and do a game, you put an architect on it and he builds a house, you put a scientist on it, he’ll map your spinal cord and tell you where the block is. You can do all these different things with that same set of tools. So, what if you build a lab where you can invite young kids in, build that skillset, and it’s something they want to do? It’s an easy entrance point for a child."

The training was sponsored by a grant from the Idaho STEM Action Center.