About The Neely Center at the University of Southern California (USC)

The Neely Center at the University of Southern California (USC) is focused on research and development related to extended reality (XR) technologies, which include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR).

Mission

The mission of the Neely Center regarding extended reality is to advance XR technologies and explore their applications across various domains, such as entertainment, education, healthcare, and scientific visualization.

Some of the key areas of focus for the Neely Center in XR include:

1. Immersive media: Developing innovative techniques for creating highly immersive and interactive virtual environments, including advanced graphics rendering, 3D modeling, and motion capture.
2. Human-computer interaction: Exploring new ways for humans to interact with virtual and augmented environments, such as through natural gestures, voice commands, and haptic feedback.
3. Perception and cognition: Studying how XR technologies can enhance human perception, cognition, and decision-making, and how these technologies can be designed to better align with human cognitive processes.
4. Storytelling and creative expression: Utilizing XR as a medium for new forms of storytelling, artistic expression, and creative collaboration.
5. Healthcare and therapeutic applications: Investigating the potential of XR for medical training, rehabilitation, and therapeutic interventions, such as virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety disorders.
6. Scientific and engineering visualization: Developing XR tools for visualizing and interacting with complex data sets, simulations, and models in fields like architecture, engineering, and scientific research.

The Neely Center brings together researchers, students, and industry partners to collaborate on cutting-edge XR projects, with the goal of pushing the boundaries of these technologies and exploring their potential for transforming various industries and aspects of human experience.