Spatial Experiences Lab (SxL) & Policy

The lab offers courses and training to teach students, faculty, and staff how to independently use the space and resources. The Lab Chair teaches the courses that provide overall training, and the RAs teach the tutorials that cover more specific training needs (see section below on Technology Training). The Lab Chair and RAs prepare the required educational resources and keep the space and technology functional. After training, users are expected to use the space independently and abide by the guidelines described below. The Lab Chair will not always be available to help users, including faculty, with their specific projects or technical needs. However, the RA can provide additional office hours only after the required training is completed and when requested in advance. The Lab Chair and RAs do not produce work or advise on projects, research, and classwork assignments.  Beyond preparing the space before the semester begins, the Lab Chair and RAs are also not responsible for cleaning and organizing the room during the semester. Students, faculty, and staff should expect to get the space cleaned and organized by prior users and be responsible for cleaning and organizing after using it.

Finally, the lab is instrumented with state-of-the-art technology that may require regular updates, calibration, repairs, or replacement. The space and educational resources may also need to be upgraded in preparation for training and course updates. Therefore, users should expect potential calendar changes, delays in tutorials, and periods where full access cannot be granted. Calendar reservations, for example, may be canceled and rescheduled without prior notice. 

The lab will be open between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on regular weekdays. However, access after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends can be granted when requested by faculty and approved by the Lab Chair, and tech support is available for those needs. For example, during high demand–for Midterms and Finals–the hours of operation could be extended until 9:00 pm if needed.

The lab is managed by Daniel Rosenberg Munoz, the faculty chairperson for the lab (Lab Chair). The Lab Chair oversees the lab with support from Daphne Peters, E-track program chair and lab advisor, and Ray Schlachter, the school’s Senior IT and Facilities Manager. In addition to providing tutorials/training, Daniel Rosenberg Munoz supports technology, including software and hardware, in consultation with Ray Schlachter and additional service experts as needed. The calendar for reserving the space will be managed by the Lab Chair with support from   Stephanie Lange, administrative coordinator

The lab will also be supported by two Research Assistants (RAs). One RA will support training and overall operations during the Spring and Fall semesters. A second RA will prepare/clean the physical space and digital files, develop inventory, restock materials/tools, and return items. (Note: Lab users are also responsible for taking proper care of the space.) This second RA will work during the Winter and Summer breaks to prepare the lab for the beginning of the semester. Both RAs will be selected and supervised by the Lab Chair.

The SxL Team

• Lab Chair: Daniel Rosenberg
• SoD Senior IT and Facilities Manager: Ray Schlachter
• Calendar Manager: Stephanie Lange
• Advisors: Daphne Peters (others TBD)
• RAs: Training RA (semesters) and Maintenance RA (Summer and Winter breaks).

Additional faculty members are welcome to participate by (1) requesting access for themselves or their students, (2) providing suggestions, such as new required equipment or operational improvements, and (3) working directly to implement their suggestions when approved by the Lab Chair. Faculty suggestions will be requested using a Course Request Form. This form will be reviewed by the Lab Chair. A meeting with the Lab Chair could also be requested.

• Prototyping: Building a design physically in the space, using regular materials and/or technology. 
  • Example: For their studio project, a student wants to create an immersive experience in which digital projections follow the movement of the person in the room. 
• Teaching: Instruction provided by faculty members or research assistants. 
  • Example: A professor teaching students how to use the motion-tracking system. 
• Testing: Conducting user testing and/or research in the space.
  • Example: For their master's thesis, students track how participants move through the space to test their hypothesis. 
• Reviewing: Presenting work to faculty and/or guest reviewers. 
  • Example: A final review for a class showing interactive large-scale projections on the walls of the room.
• Demonstrating: Show work to visitors for a short period of time (no longer than half a day). 
  • Example: The 3D audio system is shown to a potential sponsor or industry collaborator.
• Documenting: Record objects and/or activities in the space using videos, photographs, or audio.
  • Example: Students create a concept video of their spatial interactions in the room.
     

• Exhibiting: Installing an exhibition that occupies the space. 
  • Example: As part of a conference, a faculty member wants to create an immersive installation that will be installed for a week.
• Non-Spatial: Any use that does not require both a large space and the technology attached to the room.
  • Examples: Talks, social events, user testing of a small artifact, meetings, etc.
• Storing: Keeping projects or materials in the space beyond the time the room has been reserved. 
  • Example: Students built a very large sculpture, and the lab is the only large space where it can be stored. 

• Whiteboard Tables (Quantity = 4)
• Regular Tables (Quantity = 4)
• Chairs (Quantity = 8)
• Ladder
   

Owned by the School:

• PC
• Wall Projector
• Floor Projector
• Motion Tracking (Optitrack)

Owned by Faculty/Used for Research and Teaching:

• Mac
• Ultra-Wide Band Tracking (UWB)
• 3D Audio

• Projector 1
• Projector 2
• Projector 3
• Regular Speaker (to be purchased)
• Bluetooth HDMI Cables (to be purchased)
• IoTs (ESP32)

Owned by the School:

• Motive (Motion Tracking)
• Rhino
• Unity 3D

Owned by Faculty/Used for Research and Teaching:

• Max MSP (in Mac)

Tools:

• Calibration Tools (for Motion Tracking)
• Double-sided tape
• Tripods
• Measuring tape 
• Metallic rulers 
• Cutting boards 
• Laser distance meter (to be purchased)
• 3D scanner (to be purchased)

Materials:

• Markers (for Motion Tracking)
• Marker attachment (M3 and M4)
• Double-sided tape

Fall:

• Prototyping Lab I: Environments
• Spatial Computing Design
• Environments Studio III
• Environments Studio V
• MDes Studio I 
• Graduate Thesis

Spring:

• Prototype Lab II: Environments
• Environments Studio IV
• Senior Capstone
• MDes Studio II 
• Graduate Thesis

We are testing out the following scheduling model to enable more access based on past use and reasonable projections. We will work to make adjustments as necessary.

Depending on the specific activities, the lab can be shared by around 12 users simultaneously, for example, for class instruction. The maximum capacity during the semester cannot exceed 6 courses sharing the space during the week but not at the same time, i.e., each course will have to request its separate hours to use the space. During high demand, it is calculated that no more than 5 courses can be accommodated per day, considering 2 hours per project. The table below shows the distribution of training sessions and courses during the 14 weeks of the semester.

During Midterm and Finals, During this period, the Lab Director may need to adjust the calendar to provide the most equitable access possible. Also, during this high-demand period, priority will be given to users who require both the space and the technology. 

Faculty will reserve the space and resources for their students. However, to gain reservation access, faculty members must submit a Request Form with their course or research needs in advance. This SxL Request Form will be reviewed by the Lab Director. In general, faculty who request the room in advance will be given priority. To help coordinate curriculum and research needs, requests should be submitted before the beginning of the semester for reservations longer than 5 hours per day or 10 hours per week. In this same form, faculty members can share their suggestions for the lab’s improvement.

Trained students will be able to consult the calendar but will not be able to make direct reservations. The calendar will only be edited by approved Faculty and the Lab Director,  Calendar Manager, and Lab Advisors. Students who are trained and taking a course with requested access will coordinate their needs directly with their Faculty. For research projects, faculty members will also submit the Request Form in advance and be in charge of scheduling on behalf of their researchers.

• SxL Requests Form 
• SxL Calendar

• Fall: Spatial Computing Design (open to all juniors, seniors, and graduate students)
• Spring: E-Sophomore Lab (required for E-track sophomore students)
• Note: Both courses cover the basic and advanced tutorials listed below.

• Tutorial 1: Digital Projection
  • Introduction to using digital projectors in the lab.
  • Duration: 30 min
• Tutorial 2: Motion-Tracking 
  • Optitrack (cameras), Motive (software) calibration, and rigid body creation.
  • Duration: 1 hour
• Tutorial 3: Unity for Motion Tracking
  • Unity 3D basics and data transfer from Motive.
  • Prerequisites: Tutorial 2
    • Duration: 2 hours

• Tutorial 4: Unity Scripting (C#) for Interaction
  • Scripting (C#) and remote Unity access from the user's local computer/laptop.
  • Prerequisites: Tutorials 2 and 3
  • Duration: 2 hours
• Tutorial 5: Unity+Arduino for IoTs
  • Unity-Tracking-Arduino integration.
  • Prerequisites: Tutorials 2, 3, and 4
  • Duration: 2 hours
• Tutorial 6: Unity+Max for 3D Audio
  • Hardware basic (speaker array) and Unity-Max MSP integration and calibration.
  • Prerequisites: Tutorials 2, 3, and 4
  • Duration: 2 hours

• Tutorial 7: Dynamic Projection Mapping (to be developed)
  • Projection to physical surfaces moving in the space.
  • Duration: TBD
• Tutorial 8: 3D Scanning (to be developed)
  • Use the 3D digitizing probe to scan large objects or spaces (to be developed).
  • Duration: TBD.
• Tutorial 9: Advanced Motion-Tracking (to be developed)
  • Human Body, drones/robots tracking, flexible materials.
  • Duration: TBD

During the semester, training will be prioritized at the beginning of the term and after the Midterms have been completed. Project development will be prioritized 2 weeks before Midterms and two weeks before Finals. Faculty research will be prioritized during fall, spring, and summer breaks.

Note: Priority means that when reserving the lab simultaneously, higher priority will be granted access over lower priorities. For example, if the lab is requested two weeks in advance by both 1st and 2nd priority, access will be given to the 1st priority. In other words, 1st priority will not be granted access when requesting at the last minute or when the space is already reserved by a 2nd priority over a week in advance.

The Spatial Experiences Lab is a shared resource of the School of Design. As students, faculty, and staff share this resource, they all must follow minimal guidelines to help facilitate access for other users. Below is a list of guidelines that will be shared by email and printed on the lab walls.

• Clean up after you use the space.
• When you leave, keep the lights off, and the blinds closed (the sun may damage the cameras and equipment!).
• Keep furniture organization in place (tables, chairs, pedestals, and large ladder) as much as possible. You can rearrange things but return them to their regular placement when you are done.
• Use your own laptop or create your own Folder on the PC or Mac (and erase it by the end of the semester).
• Do not change/move the cameras, projectors’ orientation, or speaker array placement (this can be requested, but with advance notice to avoid affecting others’ work).
• Do not eat in the room unless food is provided as part of a coordinated event, such as snacks during a final review. 
• For whiteboard tables: Clean and fold tables after use, and please DO NOT cut materials on them.
• Do not use the space for storage of projects and/or materials unless you have received written approval from the Lab Director.
• Do not take any equipment out of the room unless you have received written approval from the Lab Director.  
• You will have independent access to the space and resources. Design or technical support may not be available.