Vicon and University of Portsmouth partner to support ground-breaking innovation in virtual, augmented and extended realities

Vicon solutions powering first of its kind Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality

17 November 2020 - Oxford Metrics plc (LSE: OMG), the international software company servicing government, life sciences, entertainment and engineering markets, is pleased to announce that Vicon, a world leader in motion measurement, has signed a contract with University of Portsmouth to help deliver the university’s new ground-breaking Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR) — the UK’s first integrated facility to support innovation in the creative and digital technologies of virtual, augmented and extended realities (XR), currently set to open in October 2021.

University of Portsmouth’s CCIXR Centre is a £5.2 million investment supported by Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and HM Government. Under the terms of the contract, CCIXR will use a selection of Vicon’s solutions including Vicon’s flagship Vantage, Origin and Shogun tracking solutions, including 152 cameras across four of its 12 state-of-the-art XR laboratories for both teaching and commercial use. This includes the use of Vicon’s technology across its new motion capture, virtual reality and volumetric studios, as well as its LED virtual production stage.

Vicon’s tracking solutions will be used for a wide range of applications within the new Centre, including recorded and live performance capture for use in film, TV and games production and driving real-time characters and tracking objects and props for virtual production. The technology will also be used to develop Location-based Virtual Reality (LBVR) experiences for entertainment and training purposes across several different sectors, including defence, maritime and construction.

Vicon has played a huge part in helping us to become the UK’s home of ground-breaking innovation in immersive XR technology.

Alex Counsell, University of Portsmouth

This partnership will not only help students to build the skills needed for the rapidly emerging immersive and XR industries but will also lower the barrier to entry for businesses who are looking to understand what XR is and leverage its capabilities. The new Centre will be able to provide a compelling showcase for how these technologies — like virtual production, motion capture and LBVR – can benefit businesses, and will give organisations access to world leading facilities that would otherwise be out of their reach, or require significant budgets.

Alex Counsell, University of Portsmouth, said: “Vicon has played a huge part in helping us to become the UK’s home of ground-breaking innovation in immersive XR technology. It’s important for us to be able to demonstrate to everyone coming into the Centre what creative technology can do for them in a rapidly advancing digital world. With Vicon’s technology at the heart of this project, the Centre will be able to become the very first establishment in the UK to bring the whole immersive pipeline together. We are very excited to continue working with Vicon to develop the future of XR — in all of its forms.”

On securing this contract, Nick Bolton, CEO of Oxford Metrics, commented: “Virtual production and immersive environments are gaining traction, which have been further accelerated by COVID-19. We have been saying for some time that motion measurement is moving into the mainstream with a broader range of applications continuing to emerge and partnering with the University of Portsmouth to help power their new game-changing facility is yet more evidence of this. We are delighted to be at the forefront, enabling students to learn and build new digital skills, which showcase the benefits of virtual, augmented and extended realities and continued innovation in growing areas like virtual production.”

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