iDISCOVR aims to facilitate the deployment of immersive artworks in venues and events
Crédits photos : iDISCOVR
The entertainment world was the gateway to bringing virtual reality to the general public. This is still true to some extent today, as evidenced by the proliferation of festivals showcasing immersive works and museums offering XR experiences to their visitors. But for the creators and producers of these works, one of the challenges is the deployment of experiences, which is often costly and temporary. iDISCOVR wants to transform the immersive entertainment and location-based VR sector with a platform and network that will enable immersive works to be operated and distributed on a large scale. We spoke with Ramdame Igalouzene, one of the co-founders of this French company, who will be presenting its solutions and ambitions at the next edition of the Laval Virtual event.
Can you introduce iDISCOVR and your products?
iDISCOVR is a French company specialized in the design, production and exploitation of large-scale free-roam immersive virtual reality experiences, mostly in educational, scientific and cultural domains. It was founded by Dr Aimen Zerroug, Doctor in Artificial Intelligence and Neurosciences (formerly CentralSupélec and Brown University, US) and Dr Ramdane Igalouzene, Doctor in Immunology and Molecular Biology (Université Lyon 1).
iDISCOVR develops both original immersive contents and a closed-source software platform, iFlow, dedicated to the operational exploitation of VR locations. The company is intervening on the entire value chain: design, production, technical integration, site exploitation and establishment of sustainable distribution channels for immersive works.
Which of your current products will you showcase at the next edition of Laval Virtual?
During the Laval Virtual event, iDISCOVR will present a demonstration of its platform iFlow, built to operate large scale free-roam VR experiences under actual operating conditions. This demo will focus on many key functionalities of the platform, including management of sessions, groups, spaces and equipment, as well as supervision and operational running.
In addition, iDISCOVR will show “L’Écho de l’Univers” (The Echo of the Universe), a cultural and scientific immersive journey, used as a concrete example to illustrate the articulation between content, technology and exploitation. The goal is to demonstrate how an immersive work can be designed from the outset for distribution to the general public.
All these demos aim to, not only show only the immersive experience itself, but also the tools necessary to its reliable, repeatable and economically viable exploitation.
Can you tell us more about iDISCOVER’s work on innovation?
The innovation driven by iDISCOVR relies on the combination of an exploitation software platform, iFlow, and the development of a structured distribution network under the brand IMMERSIA. The objective is to answer a core problematic in the immersive world: the difficulty for producers to make their works profitable due to lack of long-term, reliable and large-scale distribution channels. iDISCOVR is working to create a network of locations operated either directly of through franchises, that allow producers to distribute their experiences to the general public, beyond festival and occasional events. This approach aims to transform the economy of the area by bringing concrete and durable opportunities to immersive contents.
How does iDISCOVR helps improve the use of immersive technologies in the entertainment industry?
In the world of immersive experiences, most of the current works are presented at festivals or during temporary contexts, which strongly limits their distribution and profitability. iDISCOVR contributes to transform this model by structuring both the exploitation tools and the distribution channels.
Thanks to the iFlow platform and the development of the IMMERSIA network, producers can now consider distribution their work to the general public, in permanent or semi-permanent locations, spread over different territories. This approach allows to extend lifespan of productions, share exploitation costs and create more viable economic conditions for immersive creation, while existing solutions stay fragmented and not very durable.
