A laser etching machine to create artistic images were among the futuristic projects on display during the applied research open house held in its new office Feb. 9.
“It’s a great fit for me because the level of detail in my previous work is great to test out the capabilities of this machinery,” said Eric Chan, the digital artist in residence for the department. “My job is to use the machines, and laser etch onto different materials, such as iPads and laptops.”
Chan, who also goes by the name Eepmon, mainly etches characters from Star Wars, stating it as a good conversation starter.
The open house featured current projects on display from the research centres, and provided attendees with refreshments, as well as prizes to be won.
“There was this great project for the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Learning Centre,” said Cristina Holguin-Pando, the director of the applied research and innovation office. “With that, we had to move out of the main campus because we were in the area of impact. So, we had the great opportunity to move into this facility.”
Holguin-Pando also stated how easier access for the students in the program was another factor in choosing the location for the new office.
During the open house, the various research centers were displaying their exciting projects. One centre, Brinx, was demonstrating their VR technology.
“We are currently working on a program that is trying to make it easy for anyone to have access to 3D modelling,” said Alex Papineau, an associate for Brinx.“We’ve created a 3D modelling application in VR, and we are trying to make use of the nature of VR to make the process very intuitive.”
Students were able to see first-hand the VR technology, and test out the application Brinx had created.
“This technology is the way of the future,” said Eleyeh Hassan, a second-year business marketing student. “This will show people a new way of illustrating art.”
Some of the other projects showed during the open house included the Health and Wellness centre, Immunity Warriors and models using a 3D printer.