The Institute of Creative Technologies at USC
Dr. Carol Koprowski
In May 2013, TEAM Lab had the privilege of touring the USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT). What an experience! It started off with a talk about the use of technology in training soldiers and physicians to interact with others in the field. Technology was showcased as an effective way to train people how to react and deal with others in real life situations.
ICT shared many programs and technologies during the tour. One program called ELITE (Emergent Leader Immersive Training Environment) was created to help teach leadership and basic counseling skills to leaders in the Army. This technology immerses the trainee in a virtual simulation of a realistic situation and could be used in tobacco control to train counselors and professionals how to speak with smokers about quitting. Another technology that could be used in tobacco control was FOV2GO, which is a do-it-yourself toolkit that creates a 3D virtual reality using smartphones. This can be utilized to simulate a retail store that sells tobacco to train individuals on how to collect data about the retail environment.
The take home message was that technology, especially immersive technology, could be used to recreate real life situations where individuals can learn skills without some of the dangers inherent in the real world. This technology can incorporate so many different factors, including making it adaptable to many different situations and cultures.
The real question is what does ICT and the work it does have to do with TEAM Lab or tobacco control? Well, here is where you need to let your imagination venture outside of the box. How could you envision some of your materials going from print to immersive technology? Keep those ideas coming!
To view an informational fact sheet about the Institute of Creative Technologies, please click here.