We probably should not be surprised that the University of Washington's Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering is making headlines so early in the year.
Especially after last year's discoveries such as washable fabric that stores data without batteries, and the students who had the longest ever continuous conversation with Alexa using a "socialbot" they developed.
But this time, it's a $6 million headline as Google, Facebook, and Huawei partner with the school to found the UW Reality Lab.
The funding will be used to develop new courses and provide the infrastructure and access to emerging technologies that will enable UW researchers and students to develop and test new ideas and applications.
"We’re seeing some really compelling and high quality AR and VR experiences being built today,” Seitz said in the UW announcement. “But there are still many core research advances needed to move the industry forward—tools for easily creating content, infrastructure solutions for streaming 3D video, and privacy and security safeguards.”
Adds Brian Curless, director of the new center, on Augmented and Virtual Reality: “It’s big, it’s happening now and there’s a lot of research to be done. We’re thrilled to take a leading role in making it all happen.”
And we can't wait to see what they come up with next.
