The Applied Visualization Laboratory contains several 3D immersive environments for scientists and engineers to walk into their data, examine it, and provide deep analysis in pursuit of their research.

As mixed, virtual, and augmented reality technology evolves, the opportunities for portable, in-depth analysis of complex data sets increases. Augmented reality solutions are envisioned to allow researchers to have CAVE-like experiences anywhere. Web-based 3-D geographic information systems, mobile applications (for both phone and tablet) and serious games (games built for training or educational purposes) allow users to conduct research at their desks or in the field, enabling discovery outside the lab. Virtual reality exploration systems offer the ability to create visualizations of large data sets that can be projected and run in real-time simulations. Using six-degrees-of-freedom input devices — which allow a body to move forward and backward, up and down, left to right — and stereoscopic output, they offer the benefits of more realistic interaction.

The Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) opened its first Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) in 2010. With the new CAVE installed in 2017, CAES’s Applied Visualization Laboratory is even better equipped to provide researchers from universities, industry and government agencies with a user facility where they can visualize and address scientific and technical challenges.