Inside the two-story-high bay at Digital Futures, a drone in flight drowns out nearly every other sound with the buzz of its propellers. Behind black safety netting, student researchers watch streams of 3D data appear on laptop screens, generated simultaneously by the drone’s LiDAR system and the building’s motion-capture cameras. Everyone remains still until the drone pilot lands safely on the concrete floor, when the room quickly fills with conversation and high-fives.
Scenes like this unfold every day inside Digital Futures, the University of Cincinnati’s 180,000-square-foot applied science research building in the Cincinnati Innovation District. Robot dogs navigate hallways and staircases, researchers wearing virtual reality headsets build digital twins of neighborhoods across Cincinnati, and students from across disciplines work side by side on projects designed to solve real-world problems.
Now completing its fourth year, Digital Futures has become home to more than 20 interdisciplinary labs and research centers led by faculty from eight UC colleges. The building serves as a cornerstone of President Neville Pinto’s Next Lives Here strategy, bringing together researchers, students, industry partners and community organizations to develop emerging technologies with tangible societal impact.
Over the past academic year alone, researchers working in Digital Futures generated more than $31 million in research funding supporting projects in artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, machine learning, sensing and imaging, cloud and edge computing, cybersecurity, blockchain, augmented and virtual reality, and advanced manufacturing.
For many researchers, one of the building’s greatest strengths is the collaboration that happens naturally when experts from different disciplines share the same space.
“As the director of XR-Lab, one of the things I enjoy most about being part of Digital Futures is the opportunity to constantly connect with researchers across UC,” said Ming Tang, professor in UC’s School of Design and director of the eXtended Reality Lab. “Many of those collaborations happen naturally, through events, shared projects or even casual hallway conversations.”
Over the past year, Tang’s lab completed projects including virtual reality training focused on youth firearm possession prevention with Greater Regional Outreach, immersive material customization simulations with Procter & Gamble, and scalable multi-agent AI research for digital twins in collaboration with UC’s Industry 4.0/5.0 Institute.
The XR-Lab also continues long-running collaborations with Cincinnati Insurance Companies and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, while student researchers earned recognition through Bearcat AI Awards, Astro Awards and HTC VIVERSE Spark Global University Challenge Awards.
Across the building, research teams are translating academic expertise into community impact, health innovation, and commercial partnerships.
In the Cryptoeconomics Lab, researchers recently received a $200,000 Technology Validation and Start-up Fund Phase 2 grant from the state of Ohio to support commercialization efforts related to patented technology developed at UC. The lab’s work on cryptocurrency-related fraud, commonly known as “pig butchering” scams, also earned second place at the 2025 National Security Research Symposium poster competition.
Digital Futures researchers are also advancing healthcare innovation through projects aimed at improving patient outcomes and injury prevention.
Michael Riley, director of the Human Performance Lab, recently served as co-investigator on a newly awarded $1 million Department of Veterans Affairs clinical trial studying pulmonary rehabilitation devices for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Riley also collaborates on research investigating neuromuscular control and injury recovery among youth athletes following ACL reconstruction surgery.
Students remain at the center of much of this work.
Labs and centers throughout Digital Futures are staffed largely by undergraduate and graduate students studying fields ranging from mechanical engineering and computer science to urban design, health sciences and performing arts. On any given day, hundreds of students take classes, conduct research, participate in demonstrations or work in lab spaces throughout the building. Next year, Digital Futures expects more than 800 students to engage with the building through coursework, research opportunities, events and student employment.
Human Performance Lab doctoral student Zoe Webb recently received multiple awards supporting research on exercise motivation, injury prevention and dance performance, including projects developed in partnership with Cincinnati Ballet, Moss Performing Arts Academy and the UC Dance Team.
Digital Futures students and faculty also continue building strong relationships throughout the Cincinnati community. In collaboration with the FC Cincinnati Foundation, researchers helped develop “Kickology: Science & Soccer,” a STEM education program introducing local middle school students to science concepts through soccer-themed activities at TQL Stadium.
The building itself has also become a hub for regional collaboration and community engagement.
Located alongside UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub in the Cincinnati Innovation District, Digital Futures hosted more than 800 events over the past year in partnership with 1819, welcoming an estimated 22,000 guests to the building. Events ranged from academic conferences and industry demonstrations to nonprofit gatherings, student showcases and community programming.
As Digital Futures enters its fifth year, the building continues to serve as a space where researchers, students and partners from across disciplines can test ideas, form collaborations and develop technologies designed to improve lives in Cincinnati and beyond.