World16 Innovation and collaboration in VR technology

Abstract

This paper outlines the work and organizational framework of World16, a working group of 16 professors from around the world that engage in collaborative research on virtual reality (VR) technologies. Because of the abundance of VR software and the resulting fragmentation of research efforts in this field, World16 shares knowledge and resources using a common software package. A common research platform facilitates the sharing of data and the coordination of research efforts among member professors spread around the world. In addition to the organizational practices of World16’s project management team, various tools and methods of sharing research are described. Additionally, World16’s major research projects are outlined as well as the successes and failures of working within a shared software platform. Lastly, future work and goals of World16 are discussed, including the marketing and commercialization of several computational tools created by member professors.