In Matera, virtual reality transforms culture

In Matera

We are at the gates of the first edition of Matera Digital Week, a 5-day event entirely dedicated to technology, scientific experimentation and innovation. The goal is to make the Lucanian capital a high-tech hub where innovation is at the service of industrial and social transformation, starting from the cultural sphere. For this reason, the third, fourth and fifth day of the event will see an alternation of 6 laboratories dedicated to as many emerging technologies, open to companies distributed in the province - and beyond - to create a real space in which to develop collaboration, training and generating curiosity towards still little-known worlds of innovation.

The morning of the third day, Friday 24 June, will be the first of laboratory activities and will be dedicated in particular to 3d experimentation and video capture through use of contents that exploit augmented reality (Ar), virtual reality (Vr) and mixed reality (Xr). It is no coincidence that in Matera the works in this sense have already started and will proceed in parallel - even beyond the Digital Week - through 3 distinct activities: the development of a tool to create author content in Vr / Ar / Xr, the design of usage scenarios directly on the city of Matera and an additional tool to generate immersive scenarios and advanced interaction. All with the support of the National Research Council (Cnr), and the Polytechnic of Bari. But let's go in order.

The laboratory program, between Ar / Vr / Xr simulations and virtual fitting Going into detail, the Experimentation laboratory of 3d Video Capture, Ar / Vr and Mixed Reality will be held from 8:00 to 13:15 at the House of Emerging Technologies of Matera. After the institutional greetings of the mayor of Matera Domenico Bennardi, the program includes the keynote speech by Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann, founder and coordinator of MiraLab at the University of Geneva, to create continuity with respect to the two opening days of the event and open to discussion topics of the day.

The activities within the laboratory will then be presented by the manager Ugo Erra of the University of Basilicata, from whom we have asked for some further previews. "The idea of ​​3D experimentation arises from the fact that today we use a lot of digital content without often knowing where it comes from. Our task will also be to show how these 3D contents can be produced and how to exploit their potential for virtual and augmented reality. We will set up demos to show some use cases such as, for example, a VR application to simulate the measurement of the flow of water courses and a 3D puzzle to reconstruct an ancient vase. Furthermore, we will show how artificial intelligence can be used to further enrich the interaction with 3D content. "A curious novelty will be virtual fitting, a virtual dressing room that allows you to try on a dress using augmented reality." The idea of ​​the 3d laboratory is to create an interactive and cooperative work environment ", Erra continues," where people and companies can experiment with new ways of creating 3d content and applications using augmented and virtual reality ".

A another central theme of the workshop will be the metaverse, explored through a round table organized and moderated by sportsgaming.win which will see the participation of representatives of large Italian and international companies. Finally, at the end of the meeting, a live demo will be held with the involvement of sector startup.

Technologies to enhance the cultural heritage of Matera Matera is a city with a cultural heritage, ambi ental and landscape envied all over the world, and more than ever in this historical moment, high-tech solutions can act as a support to enhance what the territory offers. As Erra explained, "thanks to the use of the most recent technologies, great application progress can be made, for the benefit of local businesses and especially the Lucanian cultural landscape". It is no coincidence, in fact, that from September, new training courses and masters on the use of new technologies to promote the enhancement of cultural heritage will start through the House of Emerging Technologies.

Still in the cultural field, then, during the morning of work we will also talk about cinema and museums, investigating a series of tools capable of making the entertainment process more engaging and stimulating, such as motion capture systems, drones, creation of avatars and creation of models 3d. The various technologies will not only be presented, but will become the subject of a storytelling, so that through narration and communication we can stimulate a constructive debate aimed at searching for new ideas.

In some cases they are emerging technologies, other times of well-known topics that deserve to be further explored. "For example, augmented reality itself is no longer a cutting-edge tool", explains Erra, "but the really interesting part is that today a simple smartphone is enough to take advantage of low-cost technology that is functional to many different contexts. A similar argument applies to virtual reality, where exceptional viewers and tools capable of promoting a decisive paradigm shift are spreading. Even if it is a slightly more niche technology than augmented and mixed reality, in some sectors such as gaming it has already become indispensable ".

A cultural change that also involves companies In fact, many companies in the Lucanian area are already using products related to Ar / Vr / Xr, experiencing improvements both in terms of productivity and in employee training. And as is well known, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated a trend already underway, making it increasingly necessary to spread this type of culture. “The fact that these technologies can have extraordinary potential both from an economic and a social point of view is there for everyone to see, but in some sectors it is necessary to spread positive messages and promote cultural, as well as social change”, continues Erra.

In the city of Matera, the aim of acquiring highly specialized knowledge for technology transfer is combined with the need to enhance the artistic, cultural and landscape heritage thanks to digital tools. In the long term, however, the challenge is more difficult: to create and design virtual, augmented or mixed reality applications to promote the inclusion of innovative technologies in the industrial sector, through integrated approaches that involve a plurality of stakeholders. Last but not least, the 3d experimentation laboratory aims to become a specialization hub dedicated to young professionals, a place "where to create audiovisual products for cinema and animation dedicated to the Italian and international market, in such a way as to intercept the needs of film productions arriving in Matera ”, concludes Erra.