The University of New Brunswick (UNB) has partnered with Kognitiv Spark, a provider of industrial mixed-reality solutions based in New Brunswick, Canada, to boost its research in immersive technology. Through this collaboration, UNB students can work with Kognitiv Spark and gain practical experience in a mixed-reality research lab.
Dr. Scott Bateman, a professor at UNB, is the leader of the applied research group known as the Spatial Computing Training and Research Lab (SPECTRAL). To give users access to MR tools like real-time training, knowledge sharing, and virtual task guidance, SPECTRAL collaborates with partners like Kognitiv Spark for advanced Spatial Computing, Immersive Tech, and MR.
“An example of real-time instruction is providing healthcare at home,” said 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.”
Giving medical care at home is an illustration of real-time instruction. A physiotherapist can provide direction for rehab exercises at home for a patient by having them perform the motions captured in 3D in real-time. Additionally, wearing MR glasses enables the physiotherapist to appear in the patient’s room beside them.
In this highly specialized field of MR and virtual reality (VR) research, the partnership will provide training and experience to graduating students. Three former UNB students from the SPECTRAL Lab, according to Kognitiv Spark, are now part of the company’s development team and are working on real software solutions.
“The partnership with UNB and SPECTRAL is not just a benefit for Kognitiv Spark. The capabilities that we collaborate on are critical for developing long-term impact from the technology that we can commercialize in a global market,” said Duncan McSporran, Chief Operations Officer and VP of Defence and Public Sector at Kognitiv Spark.
According to Kognitiv Spark, SPECTRAL has access to resources that the research organization might not have otherwise been able to acquire, thanks to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s startup funding. The company has additionally worked with SPECTRAL on research projects financed by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Follow us on Linkedin.
Read other Articles
