The Device Lab provides the Northwestern community with a playground to experience and experiment with the new technologies shaping the future of storytelling.
Why? We believe innovation happens only when immersed in a problem. It’s no secret that media continues to evolve —the question is how and where we choose to lead.
The path forward begins with access. The lab welcomes any NU faculty, students, or staff who want to try something new. Over time, those who want to develop more expertise can use the lab as an incubator for creative projects that test the limits of new platforms.
We’re open every weekday from 11am-4pm, with students staffed to help you:
immerse yourself in virtual reality,
speak to a bot,
record a podcast,
create images using infrared or 3D tech,
test apps and games on different devices, or
jump into the narrative titles on our gaming consoles.
We're located at Fisk Hall, first floor in the Knight Lab (map).
Equipment
We have staff on hand to help you explore all the devices we have.
Mobile Devices
Our display setup can instantly show the same website on a range of phones, tablets and devices instantly so you can see how users of each device will see that site.
Phones
iPhone 5
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone 7
Microsoft Lumia 950
Nexus 6
Samsung Galaxy S6
Sony Ericson Experia
Tablets
iPad Pro (w/Apple Pencil)
Microsoft Surface Pro
Amazon Fire HD6
Nexus 9 Tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S
Virtual & Augmented Reality
We maintain a collection of the latest headsets for both VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality). Also checkout our VR starterkit to start exploring what VR can do with Google Cardboard.