Virtual Energy Hero at the VRDAYS

The ZHAW's "Virtual Energy Hero" delighted young and old alike at VRDAYS. The VR game, which aims to bring the topics of energy strategy closer to the public in a playful way, allowed visitors to fly over Winterthur in a hot air balloon with Oskar the owl. The team, which consists of Mirjam West and Onur Yildirim from the ZHAW and the startup Cymmersion GmbH, enthusiastically report in an interview on how the VRDAYS went.

How were the VRDays for you?
VRDAYS was an all-round great experience - from the organisation, the location and the furnishings to the other exhibitors and the visitors.

What was the benefit for you?
On the one hand, we were of course able to rely on our "Virtual Energy Hero" and show that the Institute for Sustainable Development at the ZHAW is also involved in this area. On the other hand, we also received helpful feedback from visitors on how to improve and further develop our game and we were inspired by other exhibitors.

Which visitors were you most pleased with?
We were delighted to see how the game was so well received by the majority of visitors. We were therefore delighted with all the visitors and especially those who had no experience with VR and whom we were able to get excited about this technology.  

How did the visitors react to your attraction?
The VR game was a hit with young and old alike. Hot air ballooning is a popular experience and it was particularly nice to see how even the oddball virtual companion Oskar was able to arouse children's interest in energy topics. The real hot-air balloon basket - the connecting element between the real and virtual worlds - and the large screen with seating were also eye-catching.

Did you also visit other attractions and if so, what did you particularly like?
Of course, we also visited the other attractions and liked them all, especially the creative ones such as the Hanahana stand or the Fusion Arena.

Is there also criticism?
Too bad the workshops were booked out so quickly! Perhaps a larger programme in this regard and perhaps a few more talks on specific topics would be an idea for next year?

What surprised you in particular?
We were pleasantly surprised by the large number of visitors! This allowed for exciting discussions and helpful feedback.

To whom would you recommend the VRDAYS?
Established companies that develop VR applications, innovative start-ups, research institutes and, above all, all VR and technology enthusiasts.

Please complete the sentence: At VRDAYS 2019, there will be We would like to take visitors into a virtual smart city with our enhanced VR game!

The Virtual Energy Hero project is being further developed into the Virtual Smart City Hero in a collaboration between the ZHAW and the city of Winterthur with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. We hope to be able to present this project again at the next VRDAYS. The next event to be held in February will be a public Workshop on the project.