The basement of the Carlson Library houses roller coasters, a medieval alchemical laboratory, and a futuristic space for musical lightsaber performances.

In a way, that statement is 100% true, and it’s all thanks to Studio X, half of the library, half of the University’s experimentation zone dedicated to augmented and virtual reality, collectively known as extended reality (XR). ). The studio released its first annual report earlier this month, recapping the studio’s launch year, which was filled with projects, workshops, and competitions focused on exposing students to these budding technologies and exploring their horizons.

According to the report, the space served 529 first-time users of XR technologies and facilitated 520 equipment reservations in 48 departments and six…