Empow Labs’ Grand Opening

Empow Labs Kicks Off with Grand Opening Ceremony

Working on a career, building a team, or just looking to use virtual reality equipment to enhance a project, Empow Labs shows they have the technology to do it all.

Newton, MA—  A promise of engaging with state-of-the-art virtual and augmented reality software and platforms and demonstrations of the latest in VR/AR tools and equipment brought together teachers, community members, tech-heads, and even the Mayor of Newton for the grand opening of Empow Labs in Newton, MA, this past October 30th.

Empow Labs, a new XR Makerspace from Empow Studios, is a collaborative center primarily created for teens and adults, located at Empow’s Newton studio; its core mission is to provide opportunities for learning, professional development, and peer networking in technologies likely to transform the digital, business, medical, and entertainment industries of the future.  These fields—areas such as VR/AR/Mixed Reality, 3D design and modeling, robotics, wearable technology, the Internet of Things, and human-machine interfaces—hold significant potential in carving out career pathways, yet have been historically difficult to access learning in, simply because of the cost of equipment and lack of high-quality teaching and mentoring.  Empow Labs seeks to change that.

[The] opportunities for learning and innovation are endless…

–Leonid Tunik, Empow Labs Founder

“Augmented and virtual reality is projected to be a trillion-dollar industry over the next decade, enabling and transforming a wide range of markets,” expressed Leonid Tunik, Founder of Empow Labs. “Opportunities for learning and innovation are endless, and I’m excited to support people working or living in the Metrowest region who want to learn and participate in this industry.”

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller (who cut the symbolic ribbon upon the space’s official opening), representatives from the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce, and local media outlet NewTV all got the lowdown from Empow Labs’ team lead and senior instructor Ed Kunakemakorn, who listed, among a diversity of equipment in the studio, a few marquee features: the VR Oculus Go and Oculus Quest, replete with either a wireless headset or wireless hand controllers; the VR Oculus Rift, which works in conjunction with Beat Saber, Google Earth, green screens, and Tilt Brush; and AR accessories like the Epson BT-300 and the Magic Leap.

The ceremony kickstarts a slate of scheduled classes and workshops that begins on November 8th in Newton.  For a full schedule of classes/workshops, click here, or go to empowlabs.com for further information regarding all that Empow Labs has to offer.

For updates and information about all of Empow Studios’ locations and programs, visit empow.me or find us on Facebook.