GIGXR has received a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract from AFWERX to develop its Extended Reality (XR) simulation training to help the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadets improve learning and engagement in vital chemistry studies.
The $750,000 funding will be allocated to developing HoloChem, a new mixed reality application for USAFA 100 and 200 level chemistry courses.
“Traditional chemistry labs lack the immersive, safe-to-fail environments students need to develop the critical thinking skills for using chemistry in the real world,” said Captain Wale Lawal, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry for the U.S. Air Force Academy.
“GIGXR’s mixed reality learning solutions allow USAFA educators to immerse students in ultra-realistic, interactive scenarios to transform their understanding of chemistry from rote memorization or rigid ‘cookbook chemistry’ to real-time problem-solving.
“This kind of learning mimics the challenges they might face in the future, which would otherwise be impossible to simulate or place our students at risk.”
HoloChem leverages GIGXR’s ability to create lifelike mixed reality learning experiments. Traditional chemistry curricula, with its focus on abstract understanding of concepts such as bonding and solvents, fall short in both facilitating learning outcomes and keeping students engaged in the learning process. HoloChem brings those principles into visually compelling scenarios that use gamification techniques to encourage concept retention and critical thinking skills.
“USAFA needed a product that enabled their instructors to provide hands-on, immersive learning and future-proof execution,” said David King Lassman, CEO, GIGXR.
“HoloChem simulates key real life experiences that labs simply cannot and allows instructors to reach multiple campuses or remote students to match the ultra-realistic learning experience available to the cadets in the instructor’s own classroom.”
Delivered through GIGXR’s Saas Application Platform, HoloChem will open up new immersive learning experiences for both teachers and students to benefit from tomorrow’s technology without having to invest time or resources into learning software.
Instructors using the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset create and share content with students either also wearing headsets or connecting via Android or iOS smartphones and tablets.
