The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is going to enter the next digital era with the help of future technology, Metaverse, to build MetaHKUST, an extended reality campus.

The university has announced its plans to launch the world’s first physical twin Metaverse system for its campuses in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The platform is said to provide an ‘immersive’ study experience by connecting students, faculty, and alumni to create and innovate.

MetaHKUST will connect the Hong Kong campus with its Guangzhou campus, which launches this September. “A lot of guests might be overseas and can’t attend (the opening), so we will host it in the metaverse,” Pan Hui, chair professor of computational media and arts at the Guangzhou campus, stated.

Students and faculty of both campuses can attend the same lecture at the same time from different physical locations.

Bigger Plans of Hong Kong University

As a primary part of this long-term plan, HKUST will install physical infrastructure that includes XR classrooms, sensors, cameras and visualization tools. After establishing the ecosystem, the university members can generate avatars, NFTs, virtual arts, and other content.

Prof. WANG Yang, HKUST’s Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, said that this system develops online-offline interaction that promotes the integration of the two campuses. Meanwhile, the MC² team has assured continuous development to provide the best metaverse experience for the university members.