Illinois IDEA Lab Offers VR and Gaming for All Students

Students at the University of Illinois now have access to virtual reality equipment, gaming consoles, and 3D printing technology without spending a dime or being an engineering major.

The Innovation and Design in Engineering and the Arts Lab, tucked in Grainger Library's basement, is open to everyone with a student ID seven days a week. Despite its technical-sounding name, the IDEA Lab welcomes students from all majors to explore, create, and even just play.

"It does not matter what your major is," said Stuart Turner, IDEA Lab coordinator. "Try out a headset, rent it out for a week, play around with it. There's no cost."

The lab offers three main services: loanable technology like VR headsets and drawing tablets, collaborative study rooms, and makerspace 3D printing resources. Students can check out equipment for up to a week at a time, giving them plenty of opportunity to experiment.

Professor Christopher Ball uses the lab to teach his Augmented and Virtual Reality journalism course. The equipment helps his students imagine how emerging technologies might shape the future of storytelling and news reporting.

"It's not just a place, and it's not just the equipment," Ball said. "It's the people that are there that help me pull this off every semester."

Last year, one student presentation explored using VR technology to prepare people for emergency situations. Celenia Graves, the lab's experimental learning librarian, called the project fascinating and said it showcased the endless possibilities the space provides.

The Ripple Effect

The IDEA Lab is also becoming a much-needed third space for students to unwind. Turner recently added gaming consoles including Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation, recognizing that students need places to destress with friends.

The timing couldn't be better. The lab sits in the same building as the Computer-Based Testing Facility, one of the most stressful rooms on campus for many students.

"Having that sort of counterbalance at the other side of the building where you can then come and unwind, I feel like that's very valuable," Turner said. Several student organizations already use the equipment for gaming and entertainment.

Ball wishes he'd had access to a space like this when he was in college. Back then, he and his friends had to create their own hangout spots from scratch.

Now he encourages his students to take full advantage of what the IDEA Lab offers, whether for classwork or fun. "That's the kind of thing that makes college really worth it, right? When you get to try out new things, have fun and make friends," Ball said.

The lab is open daily from 1 to 10 p.m., and students can walk in anytime to explore the technology or book the space for group activities.

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