STREAM [Synchronous Tools for Realtime Experiential Activity Management]

STREAM \[Synchronous Tools for Realtime Experiential Activity Management\] is a suite of tools designed to support the streamlined delivery of co-present & high fidelity XR experiences to mass audiences. The project is developed by Marshmallow Laser Feast, All Seeing Eye and The VR Lab at the Digital Cultures Research Centre, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).

At present there is a critical barrier to effectively offering the immersive industry high quality, real-time, content alongside high audience or user numbers. This collaborative R&D bid will address this issue. STREAM will be an investigation into removing technical dependency on key hardware in the delivery of All Seeing Eye & Marshmallow Laser Feast's industry leading location-based experiences, as well evaluating the effectiveness of the tools through industry leading user-centred testing.

This research is applicable to all stakeholders in Location Based VR (LBVR) and the broader immersive sector. The tools will shift industry standards for delivery of immersive Location Based Experiences (LBE)s, with impact across entertainment, visitor experience, arts & culture and beyond.

Our industrial research & outputs will provide vital insight for the region to build on through future work with immersive technology. This work will provide a new model for immersive content delivery, which will create market differentiation for the partners whilst offering the sector at large a more inclusionary and viable commercial model.

Project objectives include:

* Disrupt the way content is delivered to audiences by re-thinking the delivery pipeline.
* Augment and improve existing solutions by increasing throughput of audiences at least 3 fold.
* Offer a suite of new tools for deployment solutions
* Validate the processes developed in environments representative of real life operating conditions through user testing
* Explore the commercial application of the toolkit through licensing
* Increase skills and expertise within the team, and wider sector, which will support commercial viability and drive future sector development through innovation.
* Share relevant learnings with the WECA region, targeted to those who can benefit the most from tools such as 1\. those who need to increase confidence in commissioning & presenting immersive work or 2\. those who could offer audiences new compelling content if there was commercial viability.
* Offer the wider sector market leading solutions to support robust commercial delivery of immersive content as LBEs.
* Share world-first research from the West of England region internationally, which gives insight into the immersive audience experience & innovation processes between cultural & technology sectors.