Tech Project
Description of the challenges faced by the Tech Project
The tools as described above can be operated in PC or Mac computers with a recent browser. Although the created experiences can be run on a 2D screen, they are to be mostly explored in a VR headset such as HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, or on a mobile phone. The interaction capabilities of this type of devices vary, and therefore one of the challenges will be to either use different interaction metaphors adequate to different devices, or explore innovative metaphors that can be used as seamlessly as possible in different devices. Evaluating the impact of these experiences in the users is also something that we would like to do, and preparing that evaluation is also part of the challenge.
Brief description of technology
In the AV360 project, we have developed an interactive 360 video viewer with dynamic annotations and navigation guides, along with an editor for such experiences. This is a web-based set of tools, designed to be used both on desktop and VR (Rift, Vive, Cardboard) scenarios. Primarily developed in the context of news media outlets, we are looking for new ways of exploring these tools, by creating cultural and artistic pieces, and in the process improving or adding functionality to the tools. To this end, we provide the artist access to the 360º video cameras, the editing and viewing tools and hardware, as well as support for their usage as necessary.
What the project is looking to gain from the collaboration and what kind of artist would be suitable
We are looking for an artist that is able to leverage the tools that we have developed and pushes their boundaries to create a new form of immersive experiences. Thus, we are aiming at someone who is creative, has experience in designing interactive content, is comfortable with audiovisuals, and would like to explore with different technologies. We are particularly interested in someone who is able to question and look around our other projects and suggest additional lines of combination/exploration of other technologies. With this, we expect to find better, alternative, more creative uses to the technologies that we have been developing, and possibly seed ideas for new ones.
Resources available to the artist
We provide access to our lab located at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. There the artist will have access to the hardware aforementioned: 360º video cameras, VR equipment (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Cardboard/Android devices). We also provide access to our editing and viewing software tools, and support for their usage as necessary.