Half a million euros available for effenaar smart venue project chronosphere
How can 3D scans of people be made as lifelike as possible? And how do these scans work best in our reality? These are the two key questions that Effenaar Smart Venue is researching in the Chronosphere project. The initiative recently received financial contributions from various partners totaling more than 500,000 euros.
In the Chronosphere project, creative content makers, research institutions and technology companies are researching the possibilities of 3D scanned people through the recently opened Volumetric Video studio in Effenaar. In this 3D studio, dozens of cameras capture all the movements of a living subject simultaneously. These recordings are converted into a fully moving and digital image, which results in a barely distinguishable image.
The project receives financial support from RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), CLICKNL, the stimulation fund of the Eindhoven Metropolitan Area and 4DR Studios, the owner of the Volumetric Video studio. Organisations such as Dutch Rose Media, 360 Imagination, Studio Wildvreemd, BUAS, Natlab, TU / e and SintLucas contribute to the research.
Leading role for progressive Volumetric Video studio
Effenaar researches as Smart Venue the applications of this studio for the cultural sector. Jos Feijen, director Effenaar Smart Venue: "The Chronosphere programme fits in with Effenaar's ambition to connect (pop) culture and technology with each other and to allow artists and the public to experience new applications."
Natasja Paulssen, co-initiator of Chronosphere and founder and director of 4DR Studios: “We believe in the narrative power of Volumetric Video, but we prefer to substantiate this with well-founded research. That is why we are so enthusiastic about this widely supported and unique collaboration in Chronosphere.”
Chronosphere connects (pop) culture and technology
Creative content creators can submit project proposals to Chronosphere that explore and, where possible, push the boundaries of Volumetric Video. In total, there is room for twenty projects that are assessed by an independent board. For example, preparations for a Volumetric Video project around "Advaita" - the new programme by singer Chagall - are in full swing. During her live shows, there will also be a digital version of the singer on stage in the near future.
But the applications go beyond the cultural sector. For example, a project is supported around a virtual health coach for women with heart problems, and there is a project that fights against ingrained prejudices in the workplace, with the aim of initiating behavioral changes.
Six projects, each related to at least one defined research question, have now been approved. During the process, more knowledge about the application possibilities of Volumetric Video is collected in a scientific manner. This knowledge is then used to continue to develop the technology and its application.
Feijen: “It is an enormous opportunity for the region that we can build up knowledge and skills about new, promising technology in this way. Hardly any applications can be found worldwide. This puts Eindhoven in the spotlight and sets the tone in this field within Europe. We have only just begun, there is still much to discover."
This project was partly realised with the help of a PPP-Grant and is carried out within the Social Cohesion Fieldlab.