Focus Areas

At DDI, we problems in observational science and advanced work training through spatial computing

Digital Discovery Initiative is transforming how we do observational and planetary field research. Observational science is not easy in general, but observational science in the field can be especially difficult. It requires disciplined observation with extreme attention to detail across a variety of length and time scales. It requires the ability to maintain focus over many hours regardless of weather conditions and the difficulty of traversing steep or uneven terrain. Some research targets – active volcanoes, landscapes at very high elevations, glacial regions with treacherous ice, and areas with high landslide potential – present dangerous research conditions.

Such concerns make some natural scientists leery of field work, while others have disabilities that preclude their participation. Some students who equate natural science research with the need to do field work way steer away from such careers, especially those who come from urban environments. While field work is considered an essential part of natural science, the difficulties involved may lead to the loss of some potentially brilliant scientific minds. By making field work much more accessible to a broader spectrum of researchers and freeing them from the need to be in proximity to research targets, virtual environment research can revolutionize field observational science.

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Key Focus Areas

With advanced ER tools, astronauts on orbiting stations could teleoperate robotic surrogates on planetary surfaces. Emulated outcrops and landscapes created using datasets acquired by robotic assets could enable synchronous, detailed planetary science research by a broad range of scientists across the globe.

Planetary Science Research

Augmented digital twins of remote natural environments on Earth might be studied by scientists using networks of virtual laboratories. We could explore how different emulated environmental conditions might impact landscapes and natural ecosystems. Many at-risk natural environments – such as glaciers, coastlines, and environmentally sensitive landscapes – could be archived as digital twins for future scientific study in a world where their very existence is threatened.

Earth System & Environmental Research

America’s armed forces are continually working to improve both strategy and tactics for responding to threats, including those related to cybersecurity,

using conventional VR environments for training exercises and for designing new approaches for threat reduction. The transition to ER and addition of more sophisticated AI tools for assisting in threat responses, could substantially improve this effort.

National Defense Research &

Training

DDI could digitally recreate environments where historical natural disasters occurred such as the site near Yarnell, AZ where a wildfire overran and killed 19 backcountry firefighters in one of the deadliest wildfire disasters in U.S. history. Using XR-VEs, such environments could be augmented to include the benefit of hindsight: people immersed in them could also review and evaluate the good and bad consequences of decisions made during the actual disasters.

Human Factors Research

Detailed emulations of human systems could be used to explore process

interactions in the body, with an eye toward improving health care strategies. Such research may help us predict the effects of new drugs on the human body.

We might combine X-rays, magnetic resonance images, and other datasets for individuals to produce digital twins that might guide patient-specific

treatment protocols.

Health Science Research

Digital twins are already widely used in

manufacturing, serving as one of the

foundations of modern product lifecycle

management and revolutionizing

industrial research and development.

Virtual manufacturing environments have

become central to the training of skilled

workers. VR research focused on how

those workers and consumers interact

with emulated products and the

machines that help fabricate them will

inform future improvements in product

development, process management,

and production workflow.

Manufacturing Research

Emulated reality provides opportunities for the high-fidelity recreation of historical sites, specific artifacts, and even entire cities, permitting studies that would otherwise be impossible. These immersive experiences provide "time travel" opportunities as sites that have been heavily damaged, rebuilt, or lost to time can be digitally reconstructed, offering a chance to explore them in their original form.

Archaeological & Historical Research

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools could

revolutionize research on ER environments by personalizing researcher experiences. It could simplify and accelerate the research process. Intelligent virtual assistants could

help navigate emulated environments and suggest logical interpretations. Moreover, AI can analyze researcher behavior and thus identify ways to improve research productivity in future implementations.

Artificial Intelligence in Virtual Worlds