HoloClass: Enhancing VR Classroom with Live Volumetric Video Streaming

Yu Liu , Bo Han , Qiao Jin , Svetlana Yarosh , Zejun Zhang , Feng Qian
UIST '24: Adjunct Proceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology 2024 conference
HoloClass: Enhancing VR Classroom with Live Volumetric Video Streaming

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) enhances education by creating immersive and engaging learning environments. Volumetric video (VV) further improves VR classrooms by offering realistic, 3D representations of instructors and materials without high development costs. This study introduces HoloClass, a live VV streaming system for VR classrooms. We conducted interviews with 18 students to identify key design needs, resulting in features of HoloClass that support real-time awareness, classroom scalability, and note-taking. Our contributions include empirical insights into designing educational tools with live VV in VR classrooms and the implementation of features that enhance interaction and learning in a virtual setting.

Summary

This paper presents HoloClass, a system that streams live 3D video of instructors into VR classrooms so students can see realistic representations of their teachers during virtual lessons. Based on interviews with 18 students, the team designed features for real-time awareness, scalability, and note-taking, offering practical guidance for building more lifelike and interactive VR learning experiences.