Interview with zSpace CEO Paul Kellenberger
This blog post was adapted from an interview that appeared in CEOCFO Magazine. Read the full interview here.
CEOCFO Magazine caught up with zSpace CEO Paul Kellenberger to talk about how zSpace is making learning come alive. Here is an excerpt from the interview:
What is zSpace?
Mr. Kellenberger: zSpace is a very unique experience. We call it the ultimate learning experience. zSpace is a combination of augmented reality and virtual reality technology that is bundled into a complete powerful solution. zSpace is so unique that it really engages students in the learning experience.
How does it work? How do you engage students?
Mr. Kellenberger: The most important pieces on the engagement side are the applications and the content. For example, in early to middle grade science, as opposed to dissecting a frog...you can do it virtually...zSpace makes the frog seem real and allows the student to interact with it as if it is real. The engagement on the part of the students and the excitement related to learning, with many core courses in many different subject areas is what really gets them interested and excited.
What have you developed that is different than other products currently available?
Mr. Kellenberger: We are the only ones in our own class and have a very unique solution. We are display based. Virtually all of the other players in the AR/VR space are what I call either “goggles based,” like an Oculus, which is one hundred percent fully immersive or more in the augmented reality space, like a HoloLens from Microsoft. Another difference is that we have a complete solution for education.
How do students initially react to zSpace?
Mr. Kellenberger: One thing is for sure...kids nowadays are incredibly technologically savvy. They pick this up so quickly that sometimes it is unbelievable! I have been in situations in school districts where kids will literally, within a few minutes, have mastered the entire user interface.
How do you help schools evaluate the cost against the potential results?
Mr. Kellenberger: There are a couple of studies that have come out. One of them was a top-level study out of NC State. They studied students who learned the traditional way and students who learned using zSpace. The one objective number I can give you is about a forty percent better retention of information, because the students are engaged. They are learning by doing. They are actually doing something virtually that they otherwise might just be just reading about or looking at pictures in a book,
To read the full interview with zSpace CEO Paul Kellenberger, visit CEOCFO Magazine.
