TUMO Brings Virtual Reality to Life With the Help of Critical Software

TUMO Coimbra is Portugal’s first creative technologies centre, attracting over 900 participants aged between 12 and 18. This is a free-of-charge educational programme incorporating workshops, classes with engineers, and other self-learning tools to empower young people with future-proofing skills. 

The success of TUMO Coimbra is proof that technology is for everyone, and that imagination has no limits.  

This time, some of the Tumonauts were challenged by our Innovation team to create an aeroplane cabin using virtual reality. They worked on this project across June, twice a week and after school hours, and the fruits of their labour were recently presented at a session attended by Critical Software’s innovation team. 

Rita Neves, Head of the Educational Programme at TUMO, explains how important the role of sponsors is to making projects like these happen. She said: "One of the essential components of the project is this connection with the community, the contact with professionals and, above all, having these opportunities to demonstrate how they too are capable of carrying out incredible projects, at a standard which competes with the work at companies like ours." 

Critical, which has collaborated with the Coimbra TUMO centre since its establishment, continues to help the programme’s students achieve their full potential. On this occasion, our Innovation team was challenged to design a workshop that would bring a new perspective to the TUMO students. 

Through a Meta Quest VR Headset and an Airbus A320 cockpit model, made available to the Tumonauts by Critical, they embarked on a journey of true exploration.

The students took control of manipulating the cockpit model and created interactions, and then tested them with the headset, for a more immersive creative experience. 

Filipe Simões, Critical’s Innovation Director, explains how the project has enabled young people to acquire essential skills for today’s ever-evolving labour market. 

"TUMO excellently complements traditional education. As well as allowing young people to explore their creative potential and critical thinking in other, less common areas, it also gives them space to deepen their knowledge and acquire tools in STEM areas. When challenged, they’re able to come up with surprising proposals, showing off their enormous capacities for creativity and innovation: fundamental attributes for future engineers. Investing in initiatives like TUMO is investing in the unlimited potential of the next generations,” says Filipe. 

A total of 15 students - aged between 12 and 18 - took part in the challenge. For Leonor Paiva, aged 14, the most important thing about the experience her realisation that engineering can be an accessible career to anyone: "I've always wanted to do games development, and the fact that I succeeded shows that one day I really can do this." 

TUMO’s unique learning programme offers a blend of self-learning activities, engaging workshops, and access to advanced laboratories, forming a tailored educational experience guided by inspiring learning coaches. 

Don't miss this opportunity to join a community of young innovators. Applications are open here.