ETH Global Lecture Series: Walking on Mars

Walking on Mars

Virtual and augmented reality promise to transport us to places that we can only imagine. When joined with spacecraft and robots, these technologies will extend humanity's presence to real destinations that are equally fantastic. NASA's Operations Laboratory at JPL is spearheading several ambitious projects applying virtual and augmented reality to the challenges of space exploration. Through partnerships with multiple VR and AR companies, scientists on the Curiosity Mars Rover mission are exploring the Martian terrain, engineers are finding new ways to collaborate on 3D designs, and astronauts on the International Space Station are preparing to perform their work more efficiently than ever before. The former director of these projects at NASA, Victor Luo, will share their progress so far, the challenges that lie ahead, and their vision for the future of VR and AR in space exploration.

Victor Luo

For over a decade, Victor Luo explored new immersive visualisation technologies at NASA and other industry partners. He managed group researches, designs, prototypes and developed ways users interact with the software, ranging from desktop to AR and VR systems.

He produced the first application on the Microsoft HoloLens platform for Mars rover operations, astronaut assistance on the International Space Station, and spacecraft mechanical design.

With his expertise about exploration of the red planet, Victor advises X – the moonshot factory, Google’s sister company for the most out-of-this-world projects.

In his new role, Victor will be advancing Amazon Smart Home as Principal Product Manager.

Moderation

Chris Luebkeman, ETH Zurich