Storytelling, virtual reality in 3D on a computer, and children learning at the same time? It sounds like a fairy tale, but it’s real. This is what a new invention offers in increasing a child’s interest in learning.

And it was what won National University of Singapore graduate student Steven Zhou ZhiYing second place at the 2004 International Idea to Product Competition held in Texas, USA, on Nov 13 and 14.

The representative of the Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Department of the Faculty of Engineering swept aside stiff competition from among the world’s best. The by-invitation contest, organised by the University of Texas in Austin and its Technology Entrepreneurship Society, attracted 15 teams from all over the world. Participating world-class universities included Imperial College London, Stanford University, Purdue University, Trinity College Dublin, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, Texas A & M University, and the host university.

Steven Zhou (right) and Head of NUS INTRO's IP Management, Dr Peter Kew at the competition ceremony in Austin, Texas

The NUS team’s winning invention was developed by Steven, together with Dr Adrian David Cheok, Principal Investigator, and Director of the NUS’ Mixed Reality Lab. Funding came from the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA).

Basically, this is how the NUS invention works. The technology adds a virtual reality twist to the traditional storytelling “Magic Story Cube”, where a story unfurls as a child unfolds a specially designed cube. Using just a web camera, personal computer and the specially designed cube, a child will be able to see and interact with stories in 3D virtual reality. This generates a high level of interactivity which increases the child’s interest in learning and maintains his concentration for a longer period.

With Singapore having an estimated school-going child population of 480,000, the technology holds great promise as an effective learning tool in the form of stories, vocabulary builders, board games, books and toys. The Singapore Science Centre has expressed strong interest in collaborating on the design of educational mixed reality applications for schoolchildren.

The Mixed Reality Lab took three years and some $200,000 was spent to develop and test the technology. The NUS has filed three patents with international options on the technology.

The university’s Industry & Technology Relations Office (INTRO) funded the team’s participation in the competition, as part of its drive to bring ideas to commercial application.

Steven has licensed the technology from INTRO and co-founded MXR Cubes Pte Ltd to commercialise the product. NUS Venture Support also facilitated the formation of the company by awarding MXR Cubes S$40,000 under its Student Enterprise Programme. - Julie Liau