The TVLab

The Taubman Visualization Lab (TVLab) is a flexible, collaborative, accessible space equipped with a broad range of Extended Reality (XR) technologies, including augmented and virtual reality, 3D scanning and spatial mapping equipment, computational devices, and more. Designed to accommodate everyone from expert to novice, the TVLab offers virtual production and capture technology resources, including video cameras, 360 cameras, drones, and projectors. The table-mounted robotic arm combines immersive technology with analog fabrication.

Students in all areas of study at Taubman College can experiment with the most innovative tools possible to help communicate their ideas to the broader world using emergent visualization techniques. Various courses incorporate the TVLab as a space to share and learn.

The TVLab anticipates how quickly technology changes and is an ever-evolving, co-designed space developed in partnership with students and faculty to support how we think and work. Leaning into the Taubman ethos of experimentation, we purposefully experiment with new technology and tools best suited for teaching and learning at Taubman College.

While other XR labs focus on the visualization of speculative future possibilities, the TVLab aligns with and advances our commitment to creating positive social impact in the built environment. This attention to the broader significance of XR enhances students’ ability to develop projects that have meaning in the real world.

XR is transforming professional practice, and positions related to XR and visualization are increasingly in demand in firms and organizations, large and small. Knowledge and comfort using new tools and techniques expand career opportunities for Taubman College students.

The TVLab is a space for the Taubman community to work on projects with peers, and it is also a gathering place for teaching, workshops, competitions, and exhibitions. Taubman students have access to additional university resources, including a wide selection of 3D software applications at the nearby Duderstadt Center.

The TVLab aligns with the University of Michigan’s XR Initiative through the U-M Center for Academic Innovation and the U-M Arts Initiative Visiting Artist Integration Project.