https://xr2industry.fundingbox.com/
Not directly related to education or research at this point, but some new and useful hardware additions can come out of this. The EC-funded XR2Industry project has just opened a call capable of funding up to 7 SMEs and Midcaps with up to E500k for each XR hardware project over a period of 15 months.
XR2Industry is looking for projects that develop and integrate innovative hardware based on emerging technologies (such as 5G/6G, IoT, data, artificial intelligence, edge and cloud computing, and microelectronics) to enable possibilities of XR experiences by addressing one of the XR2Industry challenges.
The challenge the call applicants need to solve are to be chosen from a set of pretty specific ones, described in detail in the Guide for Applicants:
- Challenge 1: Haptic Gloves for XR standalone headsets supporting OpenXR
- Challenge 2: Universal Tracker (“Taking an existing tracking solution and making sure it works with
the XR standalone headsets”) - Challenge 3: Hard hat with the front of the HMD (“Integration of the front of the R2 on a certified hard hat. Special focus on the battery, speaker and hinge integration”).
- Challenge 4: High-Accuracy GPS
- Challenge 5: Motion capture system to track several objects
- Challenge 6: External HDR camera
- Challenge 7: Overhear audio with hearing protection (over-ear?)
- Challenge 8: Interaction device that fits disabled people (“Designing an interaction device that allows disabled people to interact with the XR environment.”)
- Challenge 9: External ToF Camera (ToF = time-of-flight)
- Challenge 10: External 5G Modem
- Challenge 11: Biometric Human Sensing (“Design hardware inspired by OpenBCI (for EEG, ECG, EMG), Emotibit (for PPG, EDA / GSR, 9-axis IMU, body temperature), uMyo (EMG) to increase the quantity of sensors per device and reduce final hardware cost. Add an XR headset holder on the OpenBCI ECG headset.”)
Really interesting to see an EC-funded project try to push these kinds of XR-related hardware developments. The European angle is also clearly present:
European dimension: Your project should have a clear European Dimension meaning that you have to demonstrate the project’s contribution towards environmental, social and economic impacts to support sustainable development, Green Deal and other European policies.
Curious, I wonder if “the R2” mentioned under Challenge 3 has any relation to a Lynx R2 that is (reportedly) being designed?
Deadline is 4 June 2024, 17:00 (Brussels time)