New College Institute Partners with Vytal Studios to Create Impactful Extended Reality Experiences
RICHMOND — Vytal Studios has partnered with New College Institute (NCI) to create several
virtual and augmented reality experiences to serve its students, Southern Virginia, and the
Commonwealth.
As a rural innovation center, New College Institute is pushing the envelope for innovative
opportunities and experiences in Southern Virginia and the Commonwealth. From building workbased
virtual opportunities in the health sciences, to careers in the cloud and high demand
careers such as wind energy, and broadband deployment, NCI and Vytal Studios are setting the
bar for next-gen, virtual education.
“NCI is excited to partner with Vytal Studios to push the edge on virtual and augmented reality
experiences and education.” said Karen Jackson, NCI Interim Executive Director. “Augmented
and virtual reality offer unique opportunities for work-based training and experiences that
transcend traditional limitations of physical space, geography, and geo-political boundaries. NCI
is proud to be partnered with industry leader Vytal Studios to advance these capabilities in the
Commonwealth.”
NCI provides unique certification programs in safety and technical training for wind turbine
technicians. One of only a handful of Global Wind Organization (GWO) certification programs in
the country, NCI will expand the experience for students by partnering with Vytal Studios to
build a virtual reality system that creates several simulations such as standing on a turbine
structure 300 feet in the air. Students will be able to experience and adapt to the real-life
scenarios of working in the field on wind turbines and apply their training virtually prior to going
“live” in the field.
Additionally, Vytal Studios will create an entire archive of 3d augmented and virtual reality
artifacts and experiences where students can explore and learn, and that can be adapted into
the curriculum of any topic. “Experiential learning is a valuable part of any
educational experience or curricula,” says Dr. Ken Russell, NCI’s Chief Information Officer, “I’m
looking forward to working with Vytal Studios to explore all that can be done with this
technology.”
Vytal Studios will provide equipment and software, and produce several virtual and augmented
reality experiences to be debuted in a co-working/co-learning lab currently under development
at the NCI facility in Martinsville, and virtually through NCI’s website. The cutting-edge center
will be open to the public and be a place where both students, citizens, and industry can meet,
work, and enjoy being virtually transformed into a variety of virtual environments.
“We love this opportunity to work with NCI on projects that matter and improve people’s lives.
Students from anywhere will get experiences only available before via in-person in a lab, or on a
construction site, or inside a high-tech facility. Now students can explore and learn virtually in a
detailed hands-on visual experience.” Said Jim Smith, CEO Vytal Studios.
1802 Semmes Avenue, Richmond, VA 23225 · (512) 738-1512 · info@vytalstudios.com
Adding, “Whether it’s exploring the biology of a frog and bird, or taking apart a wind turbine, we
can build virtual and augmented reality experiences that can be distributed to millions,
anywhere, at very reasonable cost.”
Vytal Studios is starting to work on the projects immediately and expects to have the first
releases available to NCI by February 2022.
New College Institute is a state-funded higher education center that provides access to degree
programs (bachelor, master, and doctorate), certifications, and credentials through partnerships
and collaborations with colleges, universities, industry, and international credentialling
organizations. NCI strives to deliver industry relevant content in formats accessible and
appropriate for students of all ages.
Richmond, VA-based Vytal Studios is a digital media production company that positively impacts
people’s lives through the creation of transformative video, short and feature length film, game,
simulation, and extended reality experiences.
