Passengers on Roosevelt Island’s red shuttle bus recently took part in an innovative experience blending physical and virtual worlds to highlight the urgency of climate change. Equipped with virtual reality headsets, they witnessed the impacts of rising floodwaters through the Communal eXtended-Reality (CXR) system, developed by Cornell Tech’s Wendy Ju and her team.
The immersive experience, featuring nine vivid scenes of climate disasters, aims to bridge the gap between awareness and action. Participants expressed strong emotional reactions, with some moved to tears as they saw flood projections for their community.
The CXR system, praised for its potential in urban planning and public engagement, was designed to galvanize action on climate change by making its impacts feel real and immediate. The project was supported by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and Tata Consultancy Services.
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