Carolina AR/VR (aka CARVR) is UNC-Chapel Hill’s extended reality student organization, promoting student exploration and development of XR technologies.

Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term encapsulating any technology that provides immersive experiences through any sensory domain. XR technology is constantly expanding, and immersion can be achieved through a variety of interfaces (e.g. head-mounted displays, olfactory displays, haptic gloves). We can further distinguish the type of XR experience with the following terms:

• Augmented Reality (AR) – Augment what’s already there
• Mixed Reality (MR) – Interact with the real space + virtual content
• Virtual Reality (VR) – Total immersion in a virtual space

While the terms 'AR', 'MR', 'VR' can be useful to categorize XR experiences, many see categorization as a subjective spectrum – increasing in complexity as new experiences are created.

In addition to seeing an XR experience (e.g. by wearing a head-mounted display), we can create immersion through any sensory domain. Each sensory domain can be thought of as a direct correlation to one's sense organs, as described below:

• Visual domain – See XR with your eyes 👀
  • Interface example: Quest 3 Head-Mounted Display (HMD)
• Aural domain – Hear XR with your ears (cochlea) 👂👂
  • Interface example: Apple AirPods Pro earbuds
• Haptic domain – Feel XR with your somatic system (skin, muscles, tendons, joints) 🖐️🦶
  • Interface example: LucidVR haptic gloves
• Olfactory domain – Smell XR with your nose 👃
  • Interface example: LIRIS XR Nebula olfactory atomizer display
• Gustatory domain – Taste XR with your tongue 👅
  • Interface example: Miyashita Lab Electric Salt electric taste interface

Multisensory XR

• Often, we can increase immersion when developing XR experiences by incorporating interfaces for multiple sensory domains. Some people refer to this as multisensory XR, but there are many subjective ways to identify XR experiences that use more than one interaction method (e.g. multimodal XR). New terms gain traction as XR research evolves (e.g. BCIs and vestibular interfaces).

As an XR student organization, we host events and provide opportunities for our members to explore, learn, and develop within the XR space. Most notably, we do the following in these general areas:

• Explore via social events where you can try out various XR hardware while meeting other passionate individuals.
• Learn via workshops, panels, research showcases, and other exciting events.
• Develop via our development team on project(s) of interest.

We welcome undergraduate and graduate students across all fields of study. Additionally, we collaborate with faculty, industry professionals, and various organizations. To get involved, please visit our website and join the Carolina AR/VR Discord server!

• 🌐 Web
  • Creating web-based XR experiences (e.g. immersive websites with A-Frame)
• ⿻ Design
  • Designing XR experiences across all sensoring domains (e.g. 3D UI, modeling, animation, spatial sound production, haptic feedback design)
• 📱 Software
  • Integrating designs and hardware to develop full-fledged XR experiences (e.g. Unity development for Meta Quest, HoloLens, Magic Leap, Vision Pro)
• 🕹️ Hardware
  • Building XR interfaces to improve immersion (e.g. olfactory displays, haptic gloves, AR HMDs)

If you're interested in working on a pre-existing project (or proposing a new project), please let us know in the # 🥽｜projects channel within our Discord server and apply at the beginning of the semester 🩵

We have XR equipment that is available for our student members during the academic year. If you're eligible and interested, please follow the steps in the 🥽｜equipment channel within our Discord server.

• Intercollegiate XR (ICXR)
• Georgia Tech XR (GTXR)'s Starter Guide
• Ashley Neall's XR Version Control Guide

This README was written by Ashley Neall