MolecularWebXR: Multiuser discussions in chemistry and biology through immersive and inclusive augmented and virtual reality
Issued Date
2025-03-01
Resource Type
ISSN
10933263
eISSN
18734243
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85212591841
Pubmed ID
39719805
Journal Title
Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling
Volume
135
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling Vol.135 (2025)
Suggested Citation
Cortés Rodríguez F.J., Frattini G., Phloi-Montri S., Pinto Meireles F.T., Terrien D.A., Cruz-León S., Dal Peraro M., Schier E., Lindorff-Larsen K., Limpanuparb T., Moreno D.M., Abriata L.A. MolecularWebXR: Multiuser discussions in chemistry and biology through immersive and inclusive augmented and virtual reality. Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling Vol.135 (2025). doi:10.1016/j.jmgm.2024.108932 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/102968
Title
MolecularWebXR: Multiuser discussions in chemistry and biology through immersive and inclusive augmented and virtual reality
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
MolecularWebXR is a new web-based platform for education, science communication and scientific peer discussion in chemistry and biology, based on modern web-based Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). With no installs as it is all web-served, MolecularWebXR enables multiple users to simultaneously explore, communicate and discuss concepts about chemistry and biology in immersive 3D environments, by manipulating and passing around objects with their bare hands and pointing at different elements with natural hand gestures. Users may either be present in the same physical space or distributed around the world, in the latter case talking naturally with each other thanks to built-in audio. While MolecularWebXR offers the most immersive experience on high-end AR/VR headsets, its WebXR core also supports participation on consumer devices such as smartphones (with optional cardboard goggles for enhanced immersion), computers, and tablets. MolecularWebXR includes preset VR rooms covering topics in general, inorganic, and organic chemistry, as well as biophysics, structural biology, and general biology. Users can also add new content via the PDB2AR tool. We demonstrate MolecularWebXR's versatility and ease of use across a wide age range (12–80) in fully virtual and mixed real-virtual sessions at science outreach events, undergraduate and graduate courses, scientific collaborations, and conference presentations. MolecularWebXR is available for free use without registration at https://molecularwebxr.org. A blog post version of this preprint with embedded videos is available at https://go.epfl.ch/molecularwebxr-blog-post.