USC Unveils New Interactive Building
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(USC Seal/ Wikipedia Commons)
The George Lucas Foundation donated $45 million out of the $50 million needed to build the new interactive facility, while USC is raising the remaining funds.
From The Los Angeles Times:
The three-story, 60,250-square-foot facility, to be opened publicly Wednesday, has the adjustable furniture, the open ceilings and the emphasis on collaborative spaces. But it also mixes the next generation of media and gaming into the labs and other rooms.
Throughout the building, part of the School of Cinematic Arts, students will find Microsoft Kinect motion sensors, Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets, pairs of 3-D glasses and touch-screen monitors for apps and games.
"I've joked that the name should be 'The Building for Very Cool Stuff,'" said the school's dean, Elizabeth Daley. "It's the ultimate playground that lets people really try stuff and collaborate."
For example, those who download a special mobile app can be tracked through Wi-Fi signals as they move around the building. That would allow, for instance, a nearby screen to greet them by name as they go by. The system could be used to draw people into social events or inform them about their contribution to the building's energy usage.
Read the full story here.
