Tarsier Goggles, developed at
Dartmouth College, simulates a tarsier's vision and illustrates the adaptive
advantage of this animal's oversized eyes. The open-access software features
three virtual learning environments: Matrix, Labyrinth and Bornean Rainforest.
Bornean tarsiers have protanopia, a form of red-green colorblindness. In the
virtual Bornean Rainforest, users can move through the forest, leaping and
clinging to trees in a dark, maze-like space that is practically opaque under
human visual conditions but navigable as a tarsier, demonstrating the
advantages of tarsier visual sensitivity.
Tarsier Goggles was built in
Unity3D with SteamVR for the HTC VivePro, and was coded in C#. The Virtual
Reality Toolkit was used to create functionalities such as teleportation. For
many of the visual effects, Unity's built-in post processing stack was
utilized, and the assets were built in Maya. All the visual assets and
experience was coded from scratch by the DALI team based on the lab's
collaborative, human-centered design approach. Tarsier Goggles illustrates the
possibilities for how virtual reality can be applied to science education by
providing students with a fun, interactive way to explore complex concepts.
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