Laval
XR Accessibility
Hackathon
Unity
Virtual
Hackathon
Overview
We recently had the privilege of taking part in the annual #Students - Limited Time competition, an exciting opportunity that precedes the prestigious European trade show dedicated to virtual reality professionals, Laval Virtuel.
Role
As part of a team made up of four students from the IUT of Lannion, I contributed as an active member, focusing mainly on the creation of 3D assets. I also made a partial contribution to the IT development of the project.
Purpose
This year's theme was XR accessibility in the very broad sense. Taking on such a vast subject and defining the objectives of our prototype ourselves was an integral part of our mission.
Technologies
To ensure the stability of our project, we chose to work with familiar VR hardware, using two Meta Quest 2s. We developed our prototype with Unity and created the assets using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Blender.
Process
Each team was assigned a subtheme in addition to the main theme. Ours was “vicariance and perceptual substitution”. After careful consideration of the subject and the resulting possibilities, our concept resulted in a fire simulator designed for businesses, aimed at training employees in the necessary reflexes and familiarizing them with emergency procedures in an environment similar to their workplace. Despite our difference in level with other teams and a lack of preparation, we managed to deliver a functional MVP and defend our concept in front of the jury.
Key Learnings
This experience proved enriching, immersing me in the reality of very short-term projects (30 hours), where preparation and even anticipation are essential to succeed. Despite not following these best practices, effective communication within the group prevented us from failure and allowed us to meet the challenge that this ordeal represented for non-VR students like us.