Google will deliver a laboratory to your dorm room

Virtual reality laboratories… allow you to skip the classroom, danger, and social aspect of biology class in college. These remote virtual labs are brought to you by Google and Labster, a remote virtual lab company. The courses available (30 of them) include gene therapy, cytogenetics, and RNA extractions.

 

It is better than real life… according to an Arizona State University student who was impressed with the VR labs ability to enhance the real world experience. It’s realistic, too – even requiring you to go to the eyewash station after spilling chemicals on yourself. Thus, students can make mistakes that won’t end in disaster. Other features include chatting with virtual patients and the use of virtual microscopes.

 

Making education more convenient… because these VR labs give students the option to get lab work done on their own time. In the past, the online aspect of college has been mostly limited to lectures and not available for hands-on projects. But, as with any new technology, they are still working on the limitations – such as bringing multiple classmates into the experience at once. Do we really need that?