Google Expeditions

Last updated
Google Expeditions
Developer(s) Google LLC
Initial release2015 (release), 2017 (Expeditions AR)
Operating system Android, iOS
Website edu.google.com/expeditions/   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Google Expeditions was a virtual reality (VR) platform developed by Google and designed for educational institutions. Using Android or iOS smartphones, the companion mobile app and head-mounted displays such as Google Cardboard or Daydream View, students (or other users) could take virtual trips to various destinations. [1] [2] Well-known partners included the American Museum of Natural History, National Geographic, WWF and the National Museum of Korea. [3] The platform was discontinued on June 30, 2021, and was merged into Google Arts & Culture. [4]

Contents

Functionality and offerings

Google Cardboard Assembled Google Cardboard VR mount.jpg
Google Cardboard

The Google Expeditions app offered a variety of virtual excursions. These included trips to natural landscapes; tours of cultural institutions such as museums; and explorations of historical, futuristic, and distant sights (such as dinosaurs or the moon). Students could look and move around freely. The program included Google Street View recordings and "AirPanos" (panoramic captures taken from the air). [5]

Each school class kit contained 30 synchronized Google Cardboards with smartphones and a tablet for the teacher. [6] Over 600 tours were available. [7] Teachers, acting as expedition leaders, could highlight specific details to the class within each scene. Smiley icons informed the expedition leader where individual students were looking. The app also included recommendations for discussion questions and learning exercises. [8] Students could also complete expeditions alone, meaning that teachers could assign these virtual tours as homework. [9] [10] [11] Expedition kits could be purchased in full or assembled from individual purchases.

History

After Google Cardboard was announced in 2014, the product showed immediate promise within the education sector. Google Expeditions was presented for the first time at Google I/O 2015, with a launch date of September 2015. [12] Since May 2016, over a million students have taken part in a virtual tour via the program. [13] In July 2017, Google began a training initiative for the program based in Munich. Expedition trainers visit schools across Germany, bringing with them complete Expeditions kits. [2] The nonprofit organization Stiftung Lesen supports the use of Google Expeditions in schools and libraries. Managing Director Sabine Uehlein views Expeditions not as a threat to reading as a whole, but as a bridge to the written word as a medium. [14] Google also planned to add augmented reality to the program under the title Google Expeditions AR using its Tango platform. This project was scheduled to start in Autumn 2017. [15]

Reception

CNET described Cardboard as the first virtual reality platform aimed at children. [16] VRODO made comments about the platform, expressing a belief in the future of immersive learning and describing virtual reality as an aid to the memorization process. Der Tagesspiegel remarked that Expeditions can give students a new perspective on subject matter while studying. [8] The technology-focused website Chip Online observed that subjects such as geography, history, and biology are ideal for a program such as Expeditions, and gave the app a favorable rating. However, Chip Online criticized the cost of assembling a full Expeditions kit, noting that not every student owns a smartphone. [5] Sigrid Driver from Stiftung Lesen noted that content on the platform must be exciting in order to arouse the curiosity of students, and to ensure students engage meaningfully with topics at hand. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">360-degree video</span> Visual arts technique

360-degree videos, also known as surround video, or immersive videos or spherical videos, are video recordings where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time, shot using an omnidirectional camera or a collection of cameras. The term 360x180 can be used to indicate 360° of azimuth and 180° from nadir to zenith. During playback on normal flat display the viewer has control of the viewing direction like a panorama. It can also be played on a display or projectors arranged in a sphere or some part of a sphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oculus Rift</span> Virtual reality headsets by Oculus VR

Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a virtual reality company founded by Palmer Luckey that is widely credited with reviving the virtual reality industry. It was the first virtual reality headset to provide a realistic experience at an accessible price, utilizing novel technology to increase quality and reduce cost by orders of magnitude compared to earlier systems. The first headset in the line was the Oculus Rift DK1, released on March 28, 2013. The last was the Oculus Rift S, discontinued in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tango (platform)</span> Mobile computer vision platform for Android developed by Google

Tango was an augmented reality computing platform, developed and authored by the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP), a skunkworks division of Google. It used computer vision to enable mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to detect their position relative to the world around them without using GPS or other external signals. This allowed application developers to create user experiences that include indoor navigation, 3D mapping, physical space measurement, environmental recognition, augmented reality, and windows into a virtual world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Barra</span> Brazilian computer scientist

Hugo Barra is a Brazilian computer scientist, technology executive and entrepreneur. From 2008 to 2013, he worked in a number of product management roles at Google, including vice president and product spokesperson of its Android division. From 2013 to 2017, he worked at Xiaomi as vice president of global operations. From 2017 to 2021, he worked as vice president of Virtual Reality and head of the Oculus division at Meta Platforms. In May 2021, he left Meta to join health technology startup Detect as CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Cardboard</span> Discontinued virtual reality platform

Google Cardboard is a discontinued virtual reality (VR) platform developed by Google. Named for its fold-out cardboard viewer into which a smartphone is inserted, the platform was intended as a low-cost system to encourage interest and development in VR applications. Users can either build their own viewer from simple, low-cost components using specifications published by Google, or purchase a pre-manufactured one. To use the platform, users run Cardboard-compatible mobile apps on their phone, place it into the back of the viewer, and view content through the lenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsung Gear VR</span> Virtual reality headset by Samsung

The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus VR, and manufactured by Samsung. The headset was released on August 21, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kubity</span> Cloud-based 3D communication tool

Kubity is a cloud-based 3D communication tool that works on desktop computers, the web, smartphones, tablets, augmented reality gear, and virtual reality glasses. Kubity is powered by several proprietary 3D processing engines including "Paragone" and "Etna" that prepare the 3D file for transfer over mobile devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality headset</span> Head-mounted device that provides virtual reality for the wearer

A virtual reality headset is a head-mounted device that uses 3D near-eye displays and positional tracking to provide a virtual reality environment for the user. VR headsets are widely used with VR video games, but they are also used in other applications, including simulators and trainers. VR headsets typically include a stereoscopic display, stereo sound, and sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes for tracking the pose of the user's head to match the orientation of the virtual camera with the user's eye positions in the real world.

Tilt Brush is a room-scale 3D-painting virtual-reality application available from Google, originally developed by Skillman & Hackett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Daydream</span> Discontinued virtual reality platform by Google

Daydream is a discontinued virtual reality (VR) platform which was developed by Google, primarily for use with a headset into which a smartphone is inserted. It is available for select phones running the Android mobile operating system that meet the platform's software and hardware requirements. Daydream was announced at the Google I/O developer conference in May 2016, and the first headset, the Daydream View, was released on November 10, 2016. To use the platform, users place their phone into the back of a headset, run Daydream-compatible mobile apps, and view content through the viewer's lenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Within (company)</span> Technology company

Within Unlimited, Inc., or commonly Within, is a studio based in Los Angeles developing the VR fitness service Supernatural on the Meta Quest. The company was founded by Chris Milk and Aaron Koblin in 2014 and initially created, acquired, and distributed 360-degree video, AR, and VR experiences across web, mobile, console, and headsets. In February 2023, Meta Platforms Inc., acquired the company.

BaDoinkVR is a virtual reality porn production company founded in 2006. It is the AVN Awards 2018 VR Site of the Year award winner. Sister sites include BaDoink VIP, VRCosplayX, 18VR, RealVR, and BabeVR. BaDoinkVR is headquartered in Rochester, New York with satellite offices in Barcelona, Spain, and Silicon Valley. The company was the first to drive mass consumer trial of VR adult videos by seeding the market with 20,000 free virtual reality cardboard goggles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GameFace Labs</span> American software and hardware company

GameFace Labs is an American technology company that develops hardware and software for the consumer virtual reality market, and was founded in 2013 by Edward Mason. The company's headquarters are in San Francisco, with international offices in London, United Kingdom.

OpenXR is an open-source, royalty-free standard for access to virtual reality and augmented reality platforms and devices. It is developed by a working group managed by the Khronos Group consortium. OpenXR was announced by the Khronos Group on February 27, 2017, during GDC 2017. A provisional version of the standard was released on March 18, 2019, to enable developers and implementers to provide feedback on it. On July 29, 2019, OpenXR 1.0 was released to the public by Khronos Group at SIGGRAPH 2019 and on April 15, 2024, OpenXR 1.1 was released by Khronos.

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer application which allows users to experience immersive, three dimensional visual and audio simulations. According to Pinho (2004), virtual reality is characterized by immersion in the 3D world, interaction with virtual objects, and involvement in exploring the virtual environment. The feasibility of the virtual reality in education has been debated due to several obstacles such as affordability of VR software and hardware. The psychological effects of virtual reality are also a negative consideration. However, recent technological progress has made VR more viable and promise new learning models and styles for students. These facets of virtual reality have found applications within the primary education sphere in enhancing student learning, increasing engagement, and creating new opportunities for addressing learning preferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual reality game</span> Video game played in virtual reality

A virtual reality game or VR games is a video game played on virtual reality (VR) hardware. Most VR games are based on player immersion, typically through head-mounted display unit or headset with stereoscopic displays and one or more controllers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poly (website)</span> 3D object library created by Google

Poly was a website created by Google for users to browse, distribute, and download 3D objects. It was launched in 2017 and intended to allow creators to easily share and access 3D objects. It featured a free library containing thousands of 3D objects for use in virtual reality and augmented reality applications. On December 2, 2020, it was announced that Poly would be shutting down on June 30, 2021, with the ability to upload 3D models to be suspended on April 30, 2021.

Blippar is a company based in the UK that specialises in augmented reality (AR) content creation and publishing to smartphones and the web.

vTime XR Virtual reality and augmented reality social network

vTime XR is a free-to-play virtual reality and augmented reality social network created by British virtual and augmented reality innovation company vTime Limited, developed in Liverpool in the UK. Cross platform, the app allows groups of up to four users to "jump into VR or AR and talk in what is essentially a private chat room. Users can customize an avatar and select a 3D environment to host the chat inside".

RobotLAB is an American educational technology company that manufactures robotics and virtual reality products for K-12 and higher education, as well as business robots for retail, hospitality, and medical companies. The company distributes the Pepper and NAO humanoid robots developed by SoftBank Robotics. They are headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

References

  1. ↑ Adi Robertson (2015-05-28). "Google has a new Cardboard headset, and it supports iPhones". The Verge . Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  2. 1 2 "Google treibt die digitale Bildung in Deutschland mit Macht voran – und drängt mit virtuellen Expeditionen in die Schulen | News4teachers". News4teachers.de (in German). 17 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  3. ↑ "Google Expeditions | Partners" . Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  4. ↑ "Bring your lessons to life with Expeditions". Google for Education. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  5. 1 2 Christian Schwale (2016-06-28). "Ist das die Lern-Revolution: Google startet VR-Expeditionen". Chip Online . Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  6. ↑ Nicole Lee (2015-04-06). "Google makes its case for VR by reinventing the field trip". Engadget. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  7. ↑ Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2017-07-20). "Google Expeditions: Ab sofort sind Solo-Exkursionen möglich". VRODO. Archived from the original on 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  8. 1 2 Hendrik Lehmann (2017-02-22). "Google bietet virtuelle Expeditionen für Schulklassen an". Tagesspiegel . Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  9. ↑ Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2017-07-20). "Google Expeditions: Ab sofort sind Solo-Exkursionen möglich". VRODO. Archived from the original on 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  10. ↑ Mallory Locklear (2017-07-19). "Take a VR trip with Google Expeditions all by yourself". Engadget. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  11. ↑ "Was ist Google Expeditionen? - Expeditionen-Hilfe" (in German). Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  12. ↑ Darrell Etherington (2015-05-28). "Google Launches 'Expeditions,' An App For Shared Virtual School Field Trips | TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  13. ↑ Jordan Novet (2016-05-19). "Google is working with IMAX and Yi Technology to build Jump-ready VR camera rigs". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  14. ↑ Matthias Bastian (2015-09-29). "Google Expeditions startet: Virtuelle Ausflüge für Schulklassen". VRODO. Archived from the original on 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  15. ↑ "Google Expeditions AR". Google . Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  16. ↑ Scott Stein (2015-06-02). "Cardboard for kids: Google's bet on the future of VR is children". CNET . Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  17. ↑ Florentine Anders (2017-03-07). "Digitaler Unterricht in der virtuellen Welt". berliner Morgenpost . Retrieved 2017-07-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.