Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the University of Oxford in England have partnered to test proofs of concept for human-machine interaction in education and other research areas using artificial intelligence tools and cloud computing platforms.
The partnership used the Oxford X-Reality Hub as a testbed to observe the potential of virtual reality tools to transform students' experience in the classroom and address an attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils as part of an educational technology project, according to an AWS blog entry posted Thursday.
Ninety pupils took part in the first phase of the study that simulated London in the Victorian era for an English literature lesson and researchers found that VR technology improved educational outcomes by 65 percent in less than four months.
“The AWS team supporting the EdTech in the Cloud project introduced us to technology we did not know at such short reach," said Mattia Montanari, an associate researcher for the Oxford X-Reality Hub project. He added that the team created databases and applied natural language processing algorithms during the effort.
AWS will also collaborate with the Oxford University's mathematical, physical and life sciences division in other projects through 2022 to incorporate AI and cloud technologies to engineer materials for space exploration, automate the case description process, review scientific literature and classify cultural artifacts.
To register for this virtual summit, visit the Potomac Officers Club Events page.