Virtual worlds you can experience first-hand: TH Wildau opens the new XR:Lab as an innovation space for teaching

A new hub for cutting-edge technologies has opened its doors on the campus of our university: on Wednesday 1 July, the XR:Lab in room A112 in LOK21 was officially inaugurated. From 1 pm to 5 pm, curious students, teachers and researchers flocked to the light-filled room to immerse themselves in the world of augmented, mixed and virtual reality – without any reservations and through direct, interdisciplinary exchange.

Glasses on, hands up: a glimpse into the opening

As soon as you stepped into the new lab, it was clear: this is where cutting-edge engineering meets a welcoming, creative working atmosphere. Whilst modern PC workstations lined the walls, ready for use, cosy seating areas and bar tables in the centre of the room took centre stage.

One station in particular caught everyone’s eye: the white Apple Vision Pro boxes were waiting on the bar tables. Anyone who put on the glasses was immediately greeted by the system via an iPad feed: “Hold your hands up and look at them”, a quick hand calibration, and before you knew it, the colourful app icons were floating in the middle of the room.

A lovingly designed whiteboard right next to the entrance provided a theoretical yet playful introduction: colourful sketches were used here to explain the difference between AR (digital objects in the real world), MR (interaction between reality and the digital world) and VR (completely digital). Featuring humorous examples such as “petting dinosaurs”, “lounging by the South Seas” or “practising table tennis”, even XR novices immediately lost their shyness about the new technology.

Education rather than mere gimmicks: XR in teaching

The XR:Lab explicitly sees itself not as a mere tech playground, but as a strategic partner for teachers at TH Wildau. The aim is to integrate immersive technologies specifically into curricula, lectures and modules in order to create genuine educational added value.

Whether it involves realistic simulations of complex decision-making scenarios or the visual representation of three-dimensional models – the XR:Lab team supports teachers from the initial idea right through to technical implementation.

Drop by and have a go: What’s next

The XR:Lab is based on an accessible ‘just drop by’ concept, modelled on the successful Open Lab Days of the ViNN:Lab and Opp:Lab. A weekly open day (provisionally on Tuesdays) and fixed consultation hours are currently being finalised and will be announced shortly.

Anyone who doesn’t want to wait that long, or who already has a specific project idea in mind, can contact the team directly at any time. Discussions are also kept alive via a shared Webex group and termly networking meetings.

In conversation with the XR:Lab team: Susann Schulz and Luca Frösler

Two permanent contact persons are now available to provide support with content and teaching methods: Luca Frösler (with a track record in lending and engineering) and Susann Schulz (with a track record in teaching methods).

In this interview, they explain how to get started at the Lab.

How does the support for teachers work in day-to-day practice?

Susann Schulz: The Lab has only just opened, and we want to deliberately shape the support process together with the teachers. The most important question is what the aim is: is it about showing students what is technically possible? Are they developing their own applications? Or does XR serve as an immersive simulation to recreate and test a situation realistically before it is implemented in reality? From there, we work together to consider what suits the respective module. In this way, traditional teaching formats can be enhanced in the long term – not for the sake of engineering, but where XR offers added educational value.

Where do you see the most exciting synergies between AI and XR at our university?

Luca Frösler: We see synergies primarily in three areas. Firstly, AI drastically lowers the barrier to entry for 3D creation – for example, going directly from a photo or a short text to a finished 3D model. Secondly, it helps students understand how to programme immersive worlds, right through to ‘vibe coding’, where an application is created largely through dialogue with an AI. And thirdly, the XR:Lab is right next door to the robotics laboratory, which also makes extensive use of AI; this opens up possibilities for joint projects, such as controlling a robot via Vision Pro using voice and gestures.

How do you help students with no coding experience take their first steps?

Luca Frösler: Anyone who comes up with an idea is usually already familiar with the headset. We then work together to consider how the idea can be implemented in a concrete and technically feasible way. Our basic apps, built in Unity and Swift, are available for students to experiment with independently; their source codes are hosted on the university’s internal GitLab. We’re also currently setting up a Moodle course room with tutorials.

Anyone who wants to build something without any programming knowledge can, in the future, make use of no-code tools.

Susann Schulz: And for those who want to delve deeper, the Interdisciplinary Module (IDM) in the coming semester offers the ideal framework: prototypical app development in interdisciplinary teams using the design thinking approach, including a vibe-coding workshop.

Drop by and give it a go: What’s next

The XR:Lab is based on an accessible ‘just drop by’ concept, modelled on the successful Open Lab Days organised by ViNN:Lab and Opp:Lab. A weekly open day (provisionally on Tuesdays) and fixed consultation hours are currently being finalised and will be announced shortly.

Anyone who doesn’t want to wait that long, or who already has a specific project idea in mind, can contact the team directly at any time. Discussions are also kept alive via a shared Webex group and termly networking meetings.