IDIA Lab The Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts at Ball State University

06/09/2026

Ball State IDIA Lab Launches Mesa Verde Virtual Companion App

The Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA Lab) at Ball State University has launched the Mesa Verde Virtual Companion, a free mobile app for iOS and Android that uses augmented reality, interactive 3D content, animated interpretation, and educational experiences to help users explore the cultural heritage of Mesa Verde National Park.

Developed under contract from the Department of the Interior, with guidance from tribal experts and designed for both on-site and remote learning, the app provides new ways to engage with the history, architecture, and cultural practices of the Ancestral Pueblo people. The experience includes accessibility features such as voiceover-supported learning content and intuitive mobile navigation.


Learn more and download the app:

Ball State University Press Release
https://buff.ly/gUclrV3

06/04/2026

Join Ball State University’s IDIA Lab and the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning TODAY, Thursday, June 4 from 5–8 p.m. at Harmony Movement Studio, 312 E Main St., Muncie, IN, for a hands-on interactive installation that transforms movement into live digital performance.

Using a real-time game engine and depth-camera technology, visitors can move, dance, and puppeteer a 3D digital character through gesture and motion. Step into the experience, explore creative technology, and play with immersive art in motion.

06/03/2026

Ball State University’s IDIA Lab is developing a large-scale virtual recreation of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Acropolis in Athens for immersive LED wall experiences powered by Mechdyne’s getReal3D platform.

Designed for interactive educational exploration, the experience combines historically informed 3D environments, real-time rendering, and advanced immersive visualization technologies to allow audiences to engage with ancient architecture and cultural heritage in new ways. The project is being developed in collaboration with Mechdyne for next-generation XR and immersive learning environments. Work in progress images below.

Learn more about IDIA/Mechdyne immersive educational experiences: https://buff.ly/znJ0eiT

06/02/2026

Join Ball State University’s IDIA Lab and the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning on June 4 from 5–8 p.m. at Harmony Movement Studio, 312 E Main St., Muncie, IN, for a hands-on interactive installation that transforms movement into live digital performance.

Using a real-time game engine and depth-camera technology, visitors can move, dance, and puppeteer a 3D digital character through gesture and motion. Step into the experience, explore creative technology, and play with immersive art in motion.

05/28/2026

Ball State University’s IDIA Lab is developing a virtual prehistoric fish aquarium simulator for a large-scale LED wall installation in partnership with Mechdyne.

This immersive experience will bring ancient aquatic life back into view, allowing visitors to encounter prehistoric fish at life size and explore how these species lived, moved, and adapted to their environments.

Using an interactive touch interface, guests will be able to learn about individual species, including anatomy, habitat, behavior, and their place in Earth’s evolutionary history. The display will also support stereoscopic viewing, adding depth and presence to the experience and transforming the aquarium wall into a dynamic window into prehistoric underwater worlds.

https://buff.ly/uHnQXP2

Learn more about IDIA Lab: idialab.org
Learn more about Mechdyne: mechdyne.com

Ball State University’s IDIA Lab has created a virtual prehistoric fish aquarium simulator designed for a large-scale LED wall installation. The immersive experience will bring ancient aquatic life back into view, allowing visitors to encounter prehistoric fish at life size and explore how these r...

05/26/2026

Ball State University’s Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA Lab) is pleased to announce a strategic collaboration with STQRY, a leading provider of digital storytelling solutions for destinations, museums, cultural organizations, and visitor experiences.

BSU and STQRY signed off on the cooperative agreement to explore deeper opportunities to develop immersive digital experiences that connect people, places, and stories through emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, AI-enhanced systems, high-fidelity 3D visualization, and interactive spatial storytelling.

As a world-class VR/AR development hub within Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning, IDIA Lab specializes in transforming complex ideas, environments, and data into meaningful interactive experiences. Together with STQRY’s mission to help visitors engage deeper, explore further, and discover more, this collaboration creates an exciting framework for innovation at the intersection of technology, interpretation, education, and public engagement.

We look forward to exploring new ways to bring stories to life through immersive media, research-driven design, and experiential learning.

Learn more:
IDIA Lab: http://idialab.org
STQRY: https://stqry.com

05/01/2026

Welcome Eliza and Lillian, our new student research assistants at BSU IDIA Lab! They are currently working hard on building 3D aspects of the Acropolis in ancient Athens for an upcoming project with

04/09/2026

Quantum Computing Meets Generative Art at IDIA Lab

IDIA Lab’s Michael Rhoades has been awarded compute time on IBM’s Kingston quantum processor, one of the fastest quantum systems available today. This groundbreaking access is powering an experimental collaboration with Anthropic’s Claude, exploring quantum hardware as a direct generative engine for spatial audio composition and stereoscopic visual art.

Rhoades’ project, Dance of the Qubits (in progress) offers an early look:
• Built from real quantum circuit executions
• First 4 of 8 circuit schemas run on Quantum Inspire’s Tuna-9 processor (Delft, Netherlands)
• Translates qubit pre-measurement states, entanglement, decoherence, and hardware noise into immersive audiovisual forms
• Focuses on movement, interaction, and spatial relationships

Watch the preview: https://buff.ly/xbqwE6J

Explore the full project: https://buff.ly/xaW016u
Discover more cutting-edge research and creative innovation at https://idialab.org

04/02/2026

University's IDIA Lab part of the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, will showcase videos of recent animation, virtual reality, and interactive projects during Muncie’s First Thursday on April 2, from 5–8 p.m., at the BSU ECAP Downtown Studios, 306 South Walnut Street.

In addition, IDIA Lab will be presenting an augmented reality app experience of our diorama of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, which is permanently installed in the Center of the West Museum in Wyoming. Stop by and visit us!

04/01/2026

Invited as a guest lecturer for the History and Digital World graduate seminar at Indiana University, Bloomington led by Prof. Tatiana Saburova. Just finished presenting our Virtual Heritage work - great group and provocative questions!

Over the past two decades, the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts at Ball State University (IDIA Lab) has produced a diverse array of cultural and digital heritage projects across virtual reality, museum exhibits, mobile apps, and augmented reality. Their VR and 3D simulations have brought to lif...