Creating the animated movements of an alien cephalopod

This work-in-progress video depicts the potential movement of our fictional lifeform called the Europan Minos cephalopod, which can be found near the ocean shelf several kilometers below the frozen icy surface. Their ecosystem, combined with unique abilities of movement and communication, will be explored further in the VR game "Europa Prime." One key feature we're developing is the Enhanced Responsive Inertial Control Kinetics system, which uses a procedurally generated movement algorithm to give the Minos the look and feel of free body movement in water.

Developed by MXTreality for and with EdGE at TERC, terc.edu/edge, as part of an NSF-funded

project (#2005447) researching and developing a STEM-based VR game for a

broad audience, including neurodivergent players.

This work is part of a collaboration between MXTreality & TERC to broaden participation in informal STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) learning for all, yet with a special focus on neuro-diverse and autistic learners through the magic offered via virtual reality.

Watch the video here

NSF Grant: DRL-2005447

#uniVRsal #EuropaPrime #TERC #MXTreality #neurodiverse #neurodiversity #NSF #Jupiter #Minos #FlameJelly #Space