OpenHub supports innovative ideas and companies that dare to innovate.
Crédits photos : OpenHub
Belgium-based OpenHub is a portal for innovation and new technologies. The structure helps companies that have an innovative project and want to develop it. OpenHub helps to test solutions, network with experts and even internationalise. The OpenHub will be at Laval Virtual on April 10-12, 2024, on booth A26. Interview with Arthur Pisvin, IoT Lab Manager.
Can you introduce your company?
The OpenHub was born of the initiative of professors at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), with the aim of providing a favourable environment for young start-ups, established companies and even experienced citizens to quickly test and validate their innovative ideas. Our mission is to combine academic research excellence with entrepreneurial creativity.
To do this, we offer a number of specialist Labs in a variety of fields. The FabLab lets you turn physical prototypes into reality using 3D modelling and cutting-edge manufacturing tools. The VRLab offers a virtual space where imagination is the only limit. The IoTLab brings connected objects to life to make everyday life easier. Finally, the IALab puts the power of artificial intelligence to work for entrepreneurs. These four Labs work closely together to help a wide range of innovative projects succeed.
What will your company show at Laval Virtual 2024?
OpenHub will be promoting its VRLab at Laval Virtual 2024. With over 6 years’ experience in implementing virtual reality solutions, our VRLab team will be offering several demonstrators for participants to try out.
However, the added value of the OpenHub is not limited exclusively to the VRLab, but is based on collaboration between our team’s different areas of expertise. For example, our IALab animates in-game characters using an LLM such as ChatGPT. In addition, our IoTLab facilitates interaction between the real and virtual worlds by offering arm prostheses to try on in virtual reality, as well as reconstructions of human characters based on real-time images. Finally, our FabLab enables the creation of car steering wheels for driving simulations. Our presence at Laval Virtual 2024 illustrates our commitment to offering immersive and innovative experiences through the synergy of our various Labs.
What is your company’s current project?
One of the OpenHub’s current highlights is the finalisation of a project in collaboration with a Belgian mutual insurance company, focusing on the classification of home assistance solutions for the elderly. The aim of this approach is to resolve the challenge faced by a proportion of this population, who are often forced to move to specialist institutes for health-related safety reasons. The risk of falls or dementia makes them vulnerable, limiting their ability to stay at home for longer.
A number of European companies are working hard to offer assistance solutions to delay institutionalization as long as possible. In this context, our company has played a crucial role in developing a scoring system to compare the different solutions offered by these companies. This initiative involved close collaboration between our IoTLab and our VRLab. Together, we tested the sensors and recreated a virtual test environment to speed up the evaluations.
This innovative project recently culminated in a publication at the ICT4AWE 2024 conference, illustrating our commitment to promoting innovative technological solutions that improve the quality of life of older people and make it easier for them to stay at home.
What innovation do you think has most transformed the world of VR/AR?
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as a real catalyst for the field of virtual and augmented reality. The emergence of 3D mesh generation tools promises to revolutionise our approach to creating VR/AR applications. The ability to model objects using simple instructions will not only simplify the creation process, but will also considerably lighten the workload of 3D modellers.
It is important to stress that this technological advance is not intended to replace 3D modellers, but rather to support them in their work. By offering the ability to generate basic models from simple guidelines, it will allow artists to focus more on exploring different styles and refining the detail of the objects generated. Ultimately, this collaboration between AI and 3D modellers promises to stimulate creativity and open up exciting new perspectives in the field of VR/AR, while preserving the essential role of human artistic talent.
The baseline of our 26th edition is “Act For The Future”. In your opinion, how can immersive technologies impact the world of tomorrow?
Immersive technologies have the remarkable potential to reproduce reality and enable ideas to be explored and validated in a virtual environment. At OpenHub, we also support engineering students who are helping to shape the future with creative and innovative ideas.
For example, a student contacted us to develop a solution to help amputees choose a robotic arm prosthesis. He had the ingenious idea of modelling different arm prostheses in virtual reality, enabling users to test them without having to invest in expensive mechanical devices. Similarly, another student has created an experiment to desensitise vertigo by exposing people with height phobias to virtual situations on the edge of precipices.
Every day, the OpenHub welcomes creative minds who are exploring these immersive technologies to reinvent the future. By encouraging innovation and exploration, these technologies have the potential to profoundly transform the way we interact with the world around us, paving the way for new solutions and experiences that will help shape a better future for all.
