Kognitiv Spark, a provider of industrial mixed reality (MR) solutions based out of New Brunswick, Canada has recently announced that it has partnered with the University of New Brunswick (UNB) to help the institution advance its immersive technology research. The partnership will provide a pipeline for UNB students to receive hands-on training within a mixed reality research lab and collaborate with Kognitiv Spark.
The Spatial Computing Training and Research Lab (SPECTRAL) is an applied research outfit under the direction of UNB professor Dr. Scott Bateman. SPECTRAL works with partner companies like Kognitiv Spark on the cutting edge of spatial computing and MR, in order to provide access to MR tools, such as real-time instruction, knowledge sharing and virtual task guidance.
“An example of real-time instruction is providing healthcare at home,” stated Dr. Bateman. “A patient can perform the motions in real time that are captured in 3D, allowing them to receive guidance for rehab exercises in their home from a physiotherapist. Additionally, using MR goggles allows us to create the illusion that the physiotherapist is standing right in the room with the patient.”
The partnership will equip graduating students with training and experience in MR and virtual reality (VR) research, which is a highly specialized field. Kognitiv Spark added that three former UNB students from the SPECTRAL Lab are in fact members of its own development team, working on real-world software solutions.
Also commenting on the partnership, Duncan McSporran, Chief Operations Officer and VP Defence and Public Sector at Kognitiv Spark, said: “The partnership with UNB and SPECTRAL is not just a benefit for Kognitiv Spark. The capabilities that we collaborate on are critical for the development of long-term impact from the technology that we are able to commercialize in a global market. What is truly exciting is the way in which we are partnered to address fundamental issues in society, including support to rural and disadvantaged communities, regardless of location.”
SPECTRAL has received comprehensive start-up funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, which has provided access to resources that the research outfit might not otherwise have been able to acquire, according to Kognitiv Spark. The company itself has also further collaborated with SPECTRAL on research funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF).
“Working with Kognitiv Spark, we can test new tools for training people remotely using leading mixed-reality devices like the Microsoft HoloLens,” Bateman added. “We are providing world-class opportunities in New Brunswick.”
For more information on Kognitiv Spark and its mixed reality solutions for remote support, click here. To find out more about SPECTRAL at UNB, click here.
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Image credit: Kognitiv Spark
