In summary

  • Swinburne's Virtual Universe has opened
  • Visitors are placed in a futuristic space surrounded by high-contrast LED screens stretching over 100 square metres, that deliver compelling 3D imagery and interactive animations
  • It’s possible that it is the largest truly 3D wraparound LED screen for public education ever built
Step inside Swinburne's Virtual Universe

A new awe-inspiring immersive 3D environment has opened at Swinburne University of Technology for public and undergraduate education. 

Dubbed “Swinburne’s Virtual Universe”, or SVU, visitors are placed in a futuristic space surrounded by high-contrast LED screens stretching over 100 square metres, that deliver compelling 3D imagery and interactive animations. 

Audiences can be flown around a virtual solar system with an expert guide piloting the experience and witness the beauty of the planets as if aboard their own spaceship.

Project lead Swinburne’s Professor Matthew Bailes, who won the 2024 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, has designed the system to combine supercomputer simulations, deep space images and 3D visuals to help visitors learn about the wonders present in the universe, and the physical laws that explain them. 

“The facility is so unique that comparisons with other spaces are difficult, but it’s possible that it is the largest truly 3D wraparound LED screen for public education ever built”, he says.

Professor Bailes say public response to Swinburne’s Virtual Universe has been overwhelming.

“It's hard to describe the joy we've seen from both children and adults as they're flown around the stars and planets and how greater understanding of the universe has been unlocked with some of our interactive 3D applications. 

“Our first school group shrieked with joy and ran up to embrace one of Mars’s moons as soon as it appeared floating in front of them! That made all the work behind its design, custom software development and engineering worthwhile. 

“We hope the Virtual Universe will not just be for the staff and students of Swinburne, but a community hub that draws people together and inspires everyone to learn about the science, technology and the beauty of the cosmos.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research Professor Karen Hapgood said the facility, built in partnership with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), is advancing space science in Australia, and the world. 

“Swinburne’s Virtual Universe brings together our strengths in space science, advanced technology and digital innovation in one shared, immersive environment,” she says.

“We are proud to invite people to step inside and explore the universe, connecting our wider community with our research in meaningful and memorable ways.”

The Swinburne Virtual Universe is driven by the latest NVIDIA Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) and real-time rendering engines, with astrophysics data straight from Swinburne’s OzSTAR and Ngarrgu Tindebeek supercomputers.  

Building on the world-leading astronomy facilities already available at Swinburne such as the partnership with the W. M. Keck Observatory, the facility cements Swinburne's place at the forefront of space and aerospace research and technology, a sector that is projected to be worth US $1.1 trillion by 2040.  

The Swinburne Virtual Universe will soon be open to schools, families and the broader community. It will also drive innovative research translation activities and will be a creative and technical resource for Swinburne Film, Games and Animation students, as they explore how to use the facility for cutting-edge filming techniques.

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