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K-State Salina, the Salina Airport Authority and the state of Kansas are partnering with Pure Imagination Studios to build a one-of-a-kind spatial computing studio and learning center.
K-State Salina, the Salina Airport Authority and the state of Kansas are partnering with Pure Imagination Studios to build a one-of-a-kind spatial computing studio and learning center.
The K-State Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus is building a multimillion-dollar virtual reality studio for students to utilize.
K-State officials announced the $41 million project Wednesday, in partnership with the state Department of Commerce and entertainment company Pure Imagination Studios. The Kansas Advanced Immersive Research for Emerging Systems, or K-AIRES, facility will house an augmented reality and virtual reality studio. The project consists of a three-story, 55,000-square-foot building, which campus officials said will employ 100 people.
KSU-Salina CEO and dean of students Alysia Starkey said in a statement that K-AIRES will bring “world-leading simulation and artificial intelligence capabilities to the major industry sectors of Kansas, with a heightened focus on aerospace, advanced manufacturing and defense.”
“Once complete, this facility will provide exciting and engaging ways to educate and train students in the enabling technologies of the future,” Starkey said. “We also expect large-scale research grants, sponsored research projects and targeted industry partnerships to support the growth of local and state workforce and economic development.”
Officials said the new studio and spatial computing learning center will feature modern equipment and technology that will allow students to get hands-on learning opportunities and problem-solving experience.
Spatial computing is an overarching term that encompasses digital encounters relating to objects and positions within the physical world. This incorporates augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality simulations of real-world places.
KSU-Salina administrators plan to break ground on the new facility later this fall.
Joshua Wexler, co-founder of Pure Imagination Studios, said in a statement that the choice to anchor the new studio at KSU-Salina “stems from the institution’s thriving ecosystem and the state’s resolute commitment to challenging the status quo.”
“This partnership stands as an investment in the local community and economy with the potential to propel Kansas to the forefront of the spatial computing industry,” Wexler said.
