Walton Institute secures funding for state-of-the-art holographic equipment
Walton Institute at South East Technological University (SETU) has been chosen as one of the recipients of the €16.5 million 2023 Capital Equipment Fund administered by Enterprise Ireland through the Technology Gateway and Technology Centre Programmes.
A total of 48 successful projects from across the third-level sector have secured funding to assist them in purchasing world-leading research equipment that will serve the research, development, and innovation needs of Irish industry.
The Institute will now invest in a suite of immersive equipment including a hologram room, holographic table, and emerging extended reality headsets, enhancing the Institute’s mixed reality lab.
The new holographic testbed will enable multidisciplinary co-design and digital driven innovation by providing a platform where users can view and collaboratively interact with virtual representations of models in real time. This includes for example life-size representations of building plans and machinery which has many benefits for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), automotive, aeronautical and industry training, among others. In the AEC industry alone, this technology could help identify areas requiring rectification at an early stage in the design process which would not only optimise design efficiency but would also enhance client satisfaction.
The Hologram room itself supersedes any immersive reality experience currently available. It consists of a fully enclosed space filled with projectors and tracking equipment that is capable of providing an immersive holographic environment which essentially renders the room’s walls ‘invisible,’ so the user operates under the illusion that they are present in a huge holographic open space. Users are not required to wear virtual reality headsets in the room, instead they wear streamlined eyewear and can even make eye contact with others whilst present in the room where they shall maintain spatial awareness and experience significantly less motion sickness in comparison to VR experiences.
“There is a vast amount of use cases for this state-of-the-art holographic equipment, and I can see how it would be beneficial for architecture, engineering, training, education, and the arts among many other sectors. It would greatly enhance real time collaborations with users being able to view and interact with the same content.,” said Stephen Barnes, mixed reality lab lead, Walton Institute.
“Holographic tables and rooms are capable of displaying life-size virtual objects and even 3D animated models, so it would be possible for users to view and interact with a scan of an entire landscape. The addition of the emerging extended reality headsets will also help maximise the offerings provided by the Mixed Reality and Digital Photogrammetry labs at Walton Institute and optimise industry engagement providing fully immersive VR experiences and enhanced AR capabilities with devices capable of blending real and virtual objects seamlessly.”
For architects or designers and clients the testbed would provide an extraordinary opportunity to fully immerse themselves into a life size model and essentially have the feeling of “living” in the design. This unique collaboration platform would be a vast improvement on current immersive technology solutions, removing the current limitations of collaborative augmented reality experiences with users able to comfortably collaborate in the same holographic environment.
Similarly in the manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries the proposed testbed would enhance industry’s ability to engage with realistic digital twin processes including high resolution interactive representations of their equipment for both lean manufacturing processes and exploration as well as training purposes. While artists and animation studios would have the opportunity to virtually exhibit their 3D work including animations in both a thoroughly engaging and innovative way.
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