News
New Scientist video: "How Virtual Nightclubs Are Changing Modern Society".
Centre for Human-Centred Computing22 September 2025
A New Scientist video about the collaboration between the Human Interaction Lab and Target3D has just been released featuring resaerch by Karl Clarke, Ella Cullen and Pat Healey.
"The movie Ready Player One introduced us to the futuristic idea of a fully immersive virtual world where meaningful human interactions transcend borders. Now, VR technology has moved beyond science fiction, becoming embedded into our daily lives. New Scientist reporter, Linda Rodriguez-Mcrobbie took a trip to a virtual nightclub and immersed herself in a subculture where social identity can be as expressive as your imagination. Guided by club organiser and VR researcher Karl Clarke, we explore the technology underpinning these virtual experiences. We see how applications in movie production, military training, rehabilitation, and health are driving innovation, we reveal its use for training AI models and how it is being used to better understand social interaction. And, in groundbreaking new VR research, our team joins an experiment in which every aspect of their social presence is manipulated, with dramatic and profound implications. Ready Player One, it would seem, is much closer than we think."
People: Pat HEALEY
Contact: Prof. Pat HealeyEmail: p.healey@qmul.ac.uk
Updated by: Emmanouil Benetos
