As part of their annual Science Fair program, students from John Monash Science School had the chance to rotate through four different activities that each showcased a different technology.
The BioLab was host to a fleet of laptops each linked to a custom-made virtual histology console. This console served to navigate and view details of a web-based histology image that students used in a ‘scavenger hunt’ styled activity. Students compared the use of this novel interface with viewing pre-prepared blood smear slides of malaria, leukaemia and mononucleosis under Leica stereo light microscopes.
Students also had the chance to program RVR robots using the micro:bit coding platform to complete an obstacle course to return an object to a set location. The RVR robots were customised by MTS staff to include custom cameras and sensors that enable the robots to detect objects and use that information to move and avoid obstacles in their environment.
Students drew heavily on teamwork and cooperation in the Escape Box Challenge. The Hololens 2 headsets were used in conjunction with MTS made escape boxes that challenged students’ problem-solving skills and keeping cool under pressure to unlock the box within a short period of time.
Students created a short video of an avatar generated through the use of a suite of software and technologies. First, students worked in small groups to brainstorm an idea for the video. Then, they captured the movement of the avatar with a Rokoko motion capture suit worn by a student who acted out the scene. The ‘skin’ for the avatar was then designed using Tinkercad. A backdrop was created in ProCreate and a narration was recorded in Audacity. The avatar skin was then rigged to their motion-captured footage in Mixamo. All elements were then combined in Unity to produce the final video.
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