In a collaboration between the Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and the Institute of Computer Science at the University of Würzburg, Professor Tobias Brixner, Dr Stefan Müller and Professor Sebastian von Mammen, together with their teams, have been developing a simulated laser laboratory in virtual reality (VR) since 2020. This enables students to learn how to handle laser radiation safely in a practical setting. Universities, schools and industrial companies are now using the Würzburg-developed software at numerous locations worldwide.

The three partners have now been awarded the 2026 Teaching Prize by the German Physical Society (Working Group on Physics Practical Classes) for their development. They received the award at the Society’s annual conference, which took place from 13 to 16 September 2026 at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.

The challenge: learning to handle lasers safely

Lasers have become an integral part of everyday life. They are found in scanners, printers and entertainment devices. They are used in industrial manufacturing, medical diagnostics and eye surgery.

In scientific research, lasers are used across a wide range of fields, from physics to chemistry and biology to materials science. Accordingly, the theoretical optical principles of laser technology are central components of teaching in schools and universities.

However, learning how to handle laser radiation safely in practice remains a challenge. Improper use poses a high risk: even if a laser beam is only diffusely reflected, it can still cause serious injury, particularly to the eye.

Large-scale equipment such as femtosecond lasers, which generate extremely short flashes of light, are often fully utilised by research, meaning they are not available for teaching purposes. Furthermore, setting up scientific experiments is highly complex and requires a great deal of experience in alignment.

This creates a ‘vicious circle’, as physicist Tobias Brixner explains: “Without practical experience, you cannot work safely with the laser, and without working with the laser, you cannot gain practical experience.”

Solution: Virtual Reality simulations

The three prize-winners have found a solution that has already proven its worth in other fields. Flight simulators, for example, enable safe yet realistic practice, which is essential for piloting an aircraft safely. Similarly, in their ‘femtoPro’ project, the Würzburg-based team developed a physical model for the propagation of laser beams and programmed it in VR.

“One challenge was to guarantee the desired refresh rate of 90 Hz, as determined by studies, at which no perceptible stuttering occurs,” explains computer scientist Sebastian von Mammen. Consequently, the simulation and visualisation must be efficient enough to visualise all optical paths 90 times per second whilst responding quickly to user inputs. As femtoPro was designed to simulate complex configurations, the Würzburg-based development goes beyond purely geometric light rays: it simulates aspects of wave optics, including interference, spatial beam profiles and short laser pulses.

Developers provide software free of charge

The programme runs on consumer-grade VR headsets, which are available from 500 euros and do not require an additional computer. The developers make the software itself available free of charge on their website.

Physical chemist Stefan Müller implemented the educational content: “More than 20 predefined exercise units guide users step by step from simple principles through to complex spectroscopic experiments.”

femtoPro has received several awards

This is already the team’s third teaching award. In 2021, the Chemical Industry Fund recognised the project as part of its funding programme to establish new digital teaching concepts in chemistry degree programmes. The team used the prize money to purchase 20 VR headsets, which it now lends to students at the University of Würzburg on a semester-by-semester basis.

Two years later, the German Informatics Society awarded the project the AVRiL 2023 Silver Award as part of its competition for successful VR/AR learning scenarios. With this latest teaching award, all three disciplines involved (chemistry, computer science and physics) have now recognised the pioneering work carried out by the Würzburg team.

Two doctoral theses nearing completion

The project is currently giving rise to two doctoral theses (Andreas Müller and Samuel Truman), which are almost complete. All publications containing further information are freely available. For the future, the developers are planning numerous additional features, such as a multiplayer mode that enables collaborative work and learning within the same VR laboratory.