Bump into media with FLAME

In March, FLAME project partners the University of Bristol and VRT hosted an interactive FLAME-based media research study at Millennium Square in Bristol, UK.

Student participants from the University of Bristol enjoyed working with the FLAME project in this research study. The project aims to change the way people interact by fundamentally changing how they send, receive and perceive the world around them.

After evaluating the VRT prototype (with “Sustainable City” as the main topic for the experience narrative) students elaborated two new future city concepts in a workshop at the Bristol VR-Lab, located near Millennium Square.

In the first concept “The Living City”, the city is gradually transformed from a set of unrelated spaces to a social network of adaptive and meaningful places. This improvement process was guided via collecting citizen data at locations and applying AI technologies.

In the second concept: “Augmented City”, the city was perceived as an open laboratory or shared blackboard for interactive learning using AR technologies. Physical and virtual learning worlds get seamlessly blended wherein city objects play a tangible, ‘experienceable’ role.

Finally, several desires on future media were listed.

• We should be able to literally bump into media
• Promote the exploration of places via physical and virtual embedding of media
• Sustain a live link and feedback loop between the online community and real-world community
• Media should be locative and time-bound

VRT wishes to thank the University of Bristol, the participating students, City expert Stephen Hilton from Bristol Futures Global, and the FLAME partners for their extensive support.

Blog by Marc Godon, VRT