Dassault Systèmes and Harvard University Collaborate to Bring Immersive Virtual Reality to Education and Research

08/05/2012

Harvard University Egyptology Students Gain Access to an Interactive, Immersive and Multi-Platform 3D Experience

WALTHAM, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — May 8, 2012 — Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, world leader in 3D design, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, and Harvard University today announced a project to explore the use of immersive virtual reality and interactive 3D in the education and research fields.

Harvard Egyptology students are being offered innovative courses using an immersive 3D real-time virtual reconstruction of the Giza plateau, based on actual archeological data gathered by Harvard and MFA expeditions to Egypt in the first part of the 20th century.

Peter Der Manuelian, the Philip J. King Professor of Egyptology at Harvard University, uses the immersive 3D experience to virtually transport his students to the Giza plateau itself and enhance the way ancient Egyptian history and archaeology are taught.

“The virtual environment provides a new means for learning about Egyptian civilization. The project has allowed my students and colleagues to visualize the Giza data and update and integrate them in a way that was not possible in the past,” stated Der Manuelian.

“Students transition from an environment where the instructor essentially drives the learning process to one where the students are immersed in the environment and drive the dialogue and discussion themselves,” added John Shaw, chair of Harvard’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.  “The technology associated with the project helps researchers portray their understanding of the past and show interpretations of the applicable science to students.”

The virtual reconstruction of the Giza plateau originated as a collaborative project between Dassault Systèmes and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Students can extend their use of the virtual environment outside the classroom by using an online version of the 3D experience. (See “Dassault Systèmes Recreates Giza Necropolis With its 3DExperience Platform” issued today, May 8, 2012)
 
“Until now, immersive virtual reality was mainly used by our business customers in industrial contexts,” said Monica Menghini, executive vice president, Industry, Dassault Systèmes. “Our goal is to bring these technologies also to the world of education and research to enhance the learning experience of students and facilitate research studies.”

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Über Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes, die 3DEXPERIENCE Company, ermöglicht Unternehmen und Menschen durch virtuelle Welten nachhaltige Innovationen tatsächlich erlebbar zu machen. Seine weltweit führende 3D-Design-Software sowie Lösungen für digitale Prototypen in 3D und Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) erschließen vollkommen neue Wege, Produkte und Anlagen zu konzipieren, produzieren und zu warten. Die Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Plattform besteht aus dem folgenden Bausteinen:

•     Plattform für soziale Innovationen, basierend auf den Brands ENOVIA und 3DSWYM
•     Plattform für suchbasierte Anwendungen(SBA) mit den Brands EXALEAD und NETVIBES
•     Plattform für die Aufbereitung und Simulation von Produkt- und Prozesswissen, unterstützt durch die Brands 3DVIA, DELMIA und SIMULIA
•     Plattform für 3D–basiertes Design und Modellierung mithilfe der Brands CATIA und SOLIDWORKS Real Time Experience - die offene und flexible
•     Plattform für die funktions- und unternehmensübergreifende Anwendungs- und Prozessintegration.

Der Konzern betreut über 150.000 Kunden jeder Größe und in allen Branchen in mehr als 80 Ländern.

CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, SIMULIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, NETVIBES, 3DSWYM und 3D VIA sind eingetragene Warenzeichen von Dassault Systèmes oder seinen Tochterunternehmen in den USA und/oder anderen Ländern.