VIrtual Reality

zSpace Introduces New Product, New Partnership

• By Michael Hart
• 06/30/15

3D technology developer zSpace had a busy first day at the ISTE 2015 conference, introducing a new virtual reality learning tool and announcing a new partnership with an e-learning publisher.

zSpace launched its zSpace for Education, an all-in-one virtual reality program that allows students to manipulate virtual 3D objects that range everywhere from human hearts to helicopters, all in an effort to learn concepts like math, physics, engineering and biology.

Previously, a zSpace STEM Lab consisted of a set of 12 student virtual reality stations and a teacher station, each outfitted with an interactive stylus and a variety of software.

zSpace for Education puts it all together in one product that includes:

• High-speed head-tracking that allows smooth interaction between students and the 3D objects they can create;
• A virtual reality stylus;
• Touch-screen monitors; and
• Advanced graphics to create realistic virtual reality experiences.

Students wear 3D tracking glasses to tell the system where the users' eyes are in order to present virtual-holographic images that can then be "lifted" from the screen and manipulated with the stylus within a "tracking zone."

"We do not live in a flat world," said zSpace CEO Paul Kellenberger. "We want to radically change how people use technology in schools."

Joining zSpace and Kellenberger in that mission will be Corinth, a new start-up launched this year that publishes the digital learning software Corinth Classroom.

Corinth's software includes a large library of educational models, ranging from human anatomy and chemistry to biology, many incorporating 3D models.

The partnership between the two companies will mean zSpace users have access now to more than 200 activities for students in grades 2-12 that are aligned to state and national standards.

Schools can now purchase zSpace for Education (and its older zSpace STEM Labs) bundled with Corinth Classroom software.

"Joining forces with the leading virtual reality company in education, zSpace, was a logical step," said Corinth CEO Ondrej Homola. "As a leader in interactive 3D, we are always aiming to push boundaries further."

Both zSpace for Education and Corinth Classroom are on display at the ISTE 2015 conference June 28-July 1 in Philadelphia.