Virtual reality software for teaching math featured on WVII

Researchers with the University of Maine’s Immersive Mathematics in Rendered Environments lab showcased on WVII (Channel 7) HandWaver, a virtual reality software they developed. The gesture-based program was developed by students and recent graduates to let learners use their hands to explore mathematical objects in virtual 3-D space. The goal of the program is to help students better understand math and geometry, WVII reported. “One thing you can do with virtual objects that you can’t do with real physical objects is you can investigate them by superposition, you can put them inside each other really easily to understand how their volumes might relate to one another,” said Justin Dimmel, an assistant professor of mathematics education and instructional technology at UMaine. “That’s just a simple example of the kinds of things you can do in these virtual environments.”