DEMO
Rishi Garhyan, Nan Kang, Raluca Ilie
We present two Virtual Reality applications developed for Meta Quest headsets that transform how users engage with complex scientific instruments and research environments.
The first application visualizes the University of Bern's MANiaC (Mass Analyzer for Neutrals in a Coma), a mass spectrometer selected for the European Space Agency's Comet Interceptor mission launching in 2028-2029. Users can toggle between schematic, realistic, and transparent cross-section views of the instrument, manipulate particle simulations, and experience a particle's trajectory from within the instrument.
The second application recreates the lobby of the International Space Science Institute in Bern as an interactive environment featuring physics-driven interactive objects, non-player characters, and embedded research content.
Both applications were developed in Unity using the OpenXR framework and XR Interaction Toolkit, with XCharts for data visualization and Unity's AI Navigation package for NPC pathfinding. Custom 3D assets were created in Blender and textured in Substance Painter.