Students and faculty at the University of Minnesota can escape the campus environment with a visit to the University’s Virtual Reality Studio.
Located on the fifth floor in the Health Sciences Education Center on the East Bank campus, the studio offers those interested in exploring virtual reality an opportunity to do so at their own pace. Open hours are available each week with a variety of free workshops to choose from each semester.
The studio, retrofitted with four virtual reality workstations and nine gaming computers, extends 3D spatial experiences to classrooms and students in its 900-square-foot space.
Charlie Heinz, an academic technologist and program lead for the studio, said as a space dedicated to student success, providing access to VR and other technologies is a part of their strategy in advancing student innovation and creativity.
“There was this part of our strategy that talked about student wellness and supporting the whole student and I thought, there’s ways we could do that with VR,” Heinz said.
The studio offers workshops and class activities focused on design, health sciences, travel and more, according to the VR services website. With VR applications available through the University’s library program, participants can explore human anatomy, immerse themselves in the things they draw or create, and even navigate the streets of a different city or country without moving more than a couple feet.
Beyond providing creative outlets with the use of VR, the studio also offers workshops focused on stress management and self-care, according to Heinz.
When you put on the headset for the VR for Stress Reduction: Meditation workshop, users are transported into a virtual meditation space with a scenic and expansive ocean view.
In this immersive environment, users can sit on a suspended platform above a beach for a 30-minute guided meditation, interact with stars and galaxies to ambient music and track feelings throughout the exercises.
For the 3D Modeling with Gravity Sketch VR workshop, users can interact with whatever they design. Using the design apps Gravity Sketch or Open Brush, users can scale, move and immerse themselves in what they are drawing in real time.
Joseph Stoll, a fourth-year student majoring in mechanical engineering, said he helps introduce people to the technology in his role as a student ambassador for the studio through leading workshops like Gravity Sketch.
Stoll said his work in VR and design relate to what he is pursuing academically and professionally.
“I enjoy learning software and technology,” Stoll said. “I’m doing a Product Design Minor, and I’ve done the most computer modeling and stuff in those classes as opposed to my engineering classes.”
Stoll said he and many others happened to come across the studio by chance and later inquired about open positions over the summer.
“When I started working here, my initial interest was in the Makerspace,” Stoll said. “But I’ve really grown to enjoy the technology industry, and so being able to also have tools like the design software here has been great too.”
Heinz said the idea of bringing VR to campus started being considered in 2017 as an addition to the Makerspaces in Walter Library and the Health Sciences Library. The VR studio was set to open in 2020 but COVID-19 ultimately delayed its opening until the University returned to in-person operations.
“We’ve actually been around for about three years, and we still, we still to this day get, I had no idea or I’m a fourth-year student, why didn’t I come here before?” Heinz said.
Across the hall from the studio, one of two Makerspaces run by the Health Sciences Library offers students of all majors and years access to a variety of technology and tools, including sewing machines, craft supplies and 3D printers, in addition to VR.
The studio itself provides a broad selection of VR technology to choose from for workshops and personal use.
In the U. S., 25% of adults own or have used a VR headset and the market is expected to pick up in the coming year with mixed reality VR products emerging like Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro, according to a survey by ARtillery Intelligence, an Augmented Reality and VR research organization.
The AR & VR market is projected to reach $46.6 billion in 2025 and the U.S. is expected to generate the most of that revenue with a volume of $12.6 billion, according to Statista.
In recent years, VR has shown promise for treating stress and related mental health issues, according to studies conducted in 2024 by the National Institute of Health. Many studies observed participants’ quality of life improve and a decrease in their psychiatric symptoms.
The National Institute of Health found overall, VR appears to be a generally low-risk intervention for people struggling with stress.
Victoria Interrante, a professor and director of graduate studies for cognitive science at the University said that while VR has many positive applications, we must be mindful of how we use it and to what extent.
“What I always emphasize to my students when they’re taking my VR classes is what is it that virtual reality technology offers that, say, traditional desktop presentation doesn’t?” Interrante said.
Interrante said VR provides people with an immersive experience that, depending on a person’s current reality, can be beneficial.
“If you put on the headset, you can really escape your current reality,” Interrante said. “I think that’s what offers a lot of potential benefit for situations like hospitalization, incarceration, chemotherapy, dialysis.”
When it comes to vulnerable populations, people struggling with severe anxiety or depression, Interrante said this is where more insight from psychologists regarding VR is needed.
Heinz said that while VR is experiential, the goal is for people to have positive experiences so it becomes another tool for them to use, however fit.
“Come as you are, and we always have someone on hand who’s happy to help you,” Heinz said. “This isn’t set up for people who have a certain technical proficiency, and we hope to cultivate a community that supports all colleges and disciplines.”
