Halden VR Centre (HVRC) is organised as a section under the Visual Interface Technologies division at IFE in Halden, Norway.

The three pillars of the VR centre are Halden Project research, bilateral projects, and academic cooperation with universities. In addition to highly qualified staff, we have a well-equipped virtual reality laboratory in which we can perform experimental studies.

Our research addresses activities where spatially oriented decision-making is required during the lifecycle of a nuclear facility, and in particular where decision-making can be enhanced through improved visualisation. By developing concepts and methods, and performing experimental studies, we assess novel 2D and 3D technologies and applications, to determine how best they can support real industry requirements and expectations, without introducing more problems than they solve.
While our research is primarily focused on the requirements of the nuclear industry, the transfer of results to (and from) the petroleum industry and other industries is also an important goal for us.

Our focus is on activities in the following areas:

• Participative and user-centred design
• Outage and decommissioning planning
• Operations and maintenance training

Our technical platform combines a mixutre of virtual and augmented reality, gaming, and data management methods and technologies, however, in order to prototype, test, and implement solutions within the areas listed above, our fundemental research activities cover a range of topics that include:

• Collaborative virtual environments and virtual worlds
• Virtual humans and work scenario simulation
• Scientific visualisation and risk visualisation
• Terrain and natural environment visualisation
• Huge dynamic data sets
• Virtual prototyping
• 3D user interfaces
  
• 3D data management
• 3D graphics and simulation technologies
• Desktop displays through to large screen stereoscopic projection systems

We have a close cooperation with both staff and students at Kyoto University in Japan, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), and Østfold University College. (HiØ). We have also hosted student projects, given lectures, and participated in projects with many other universities around the world.

Halden VR Centre (through IFE) is an academic member of the Web 3D Consortium.