Exploring MolecularWebXR: A New Era in VR Chemistry Education
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Making Science Fiction a Reality in the Metaverse
MolecularWebXR: Your Gateway to Free, Collaborative, Immersive Learning
Access without Registration at https://molecularwebxr.org
MolecularWebXR represents a groundbreaking tool for immersive education and collaborative discussions in chemistry and structural biology. This web-based platform is compatible with all modern devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and VR headsets, allowing users to seamlessly engage with each other and virtual objects within a dedicated VR environment. Users can choose from various pre-configured rooms or create their own for educational purposes. Read on to learn more, see it in action, and explore how to get involved!
MolecularWebXR offers an entirely web-based experience tailored for immersive education and discussions in the fields of chemistry and structural biology. It operates on a multiuser framework in line with WebXR standards, ensuring accessibility across a wide range of devices, from high-end VR headsets to everyday smartphones and tablets.
- Users equipped with advanced VR headsets can interact with objects, zoom in or out using natural gestures, and navigate scenes freely, while appearing as hand-and-head avatars visible to other participants.
- Smartphone users can navigate the VR scene using a joystick or touch controls, and can experience immersive VR by utilizing cardboard goggles.
While smartphones do not yet support hand tracking, users can still see, hear, and communicate during their experience. Smartphones allow for 360-degree visualization but lack displacement capabilities, which can only be achieved outside of VR mode.
- Users on tablets, laptops, or other computers can also explore VR scenes using keyboard controls and mouse gestures, enabling interaction with other users in VR.
Users with computers can navigate scenes using arrow keys or WASD controls, while mouse gestures help direct their view, providing a comprehensive experience even without full immersion.
We hope these descriptions and visuals convey the inclusivity of MolecularWebXR!
All About MolecularWebXR
Continue reading to understand the fundamentals of MolecularWebXR, including its content, usage, history, and the team behind its creation.
Content Overview
MolecularWebXR includes a collection of pre-made rooms featuring educational content relevant to chemistry and structural biology, developed in collaboration with university educators. The initial release covers a variety of topics, including material structures, molecular symmetry, isomerism, and 3D visualizations of biological macromolecules and viruses.
In addition, users can create custom content using PDB2AR, a tool available at https://molecularweb.epfl.ch/pages/pdb2ar.html. This was successfully demonstrated during a conference where presenters utilized PDB2AR to create VR objects for their discussions.
We invite educators, science communicators, and anyone with innovative ideas for new content rooms to reach out to us. While we may not be able to implement all ideas immediately due to resource constraints, collaboration is encouraged!
How to Use MolecularWebXR
When a user initiates a session, they become the Admin and receive codes to invite two types of participants: VR-active users, who can interact freely in VR, and passive users, who can observe discussions without participating.
It is best to create sessions on a computer, laptop, or large tablet for easier access to controls. An Admin wishing to participate in VR should create the session on a laptop and then join using a Speaker code.
Once a session is created, the Admin selects a room with either preset content or an empty room for custom setups, gaining access to controls for audio management and object manipulation.
Object Manipulation for Speakers in VR
Speakers in VR can manipulate objects using hand gestures or controllers, allowing for independent movement, which is ideal for comparing molecular structures.
When two hands are used to grab an object, they can adjust its size by moving their hands apart or together.
Quick Try
Users can quickly experience MolecularWebXR by clicking “Give it a try,” which launches a preset session with example materials.
Multiuser Sessions: In-Person vs. Online
For in-person multiuser sessions, Admins should disable audio to prevent interference and ensure each user sets up their VR space identically. With proper setup, up to 8 users can share the same VR session seamlessly.
In online sessions, no special setup is needed for VR headsets, as integrated audio features facilitate natural communication between speakers and guests.
About the Creators
MolecularWebXR was developed by Fabio Cortés Rodríguez under the leadership of Luciano A. Abriata at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The project received support from various educators and researchers, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Hasler Stiftung.
Eng. Fabio Cortés Rodríguez is a software engineer and technologist with a passion for augmented and virtual reality. He is currently a WebXR engineer at EPFL.
Dr. Luciano A. Abriata, a biotechnologist with a PhD in chemistry, specializes in molecular modeling and simulations, actively working on enhancing educational technologies.
License and Access
Currently, the website is free to use without registration, although sessions are limited to 10-15 minutes to manage server load. For extended sessions or customized versions, please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].
Icons for the website were sourced from flaticon.com and iconscout.com, designed by various contributors.
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