Winners of the Open Call 1
Below you can see the winners of the XR2Learn Open Call 1.
Implementation of the Open Call 1 funded projects started on January 1st, 2024 and it will last until December 30th, 2024.
Team: BSD design (www.bsdesign.eu)
Proposal Acronym: PROXIMA
Proposal Title: Proximity Machinery through Distributed Augmented Reality HMI Layers for Empowering Industrial operators in Low Resources Scenarios
Proposal Summary: In order for the training to support the Resilient Operator 5.0 and its smart workspace visions, the EU industry training ought to implement effective, sustainable, and replicable human-centered educational scenarios taking the shopfloor technicians/operators in-the-loop or on-the-loop. Based on cognitive ergonomics and human factors research, PROXIMA will bring psychological factors at the heart of education in industry and will develop an Augmented Reality (AR) training kit for supporting contextual, site-specific, and on-the-job training through technology, methods and materials for both educators and trainees in the industry. In particular, PROXIMA will design, develop, prototype, validate and release an Augmented Reality (AR) Training Kit that seamlessly integrates the following services: spatial guidance to the production environment; machine and equipment training; hazard identification, through virtual simulations and real-time on-field and contextual guidance on its use. Based on this, the innovation of PROXIMA resides in the following values: (i) Worker centricity – the investigation on users’ psychological (knowledge, skills, and attitude towards automation), and cognitive dimensions (inspection, awareness, decision-making) will allow making the trainees next to the machine (lat. proximus (a): close to, intimate); (ii) Augmented Reality training authoring – the smart tutoring system will be used by trainers to make the machine next to the trainees (lat. proximus (b): evident, ready-at-hand); (iii) Context intelligent training – trainees will be engaged in on-field AR interactions that sense and respond to the environment allowing to exercise with relevant situations that may occur during production.
Applicants:
- BSD SOCIETA A RESPONSABILITA’ LIMITATA
- ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – UNIVERSITA’ DI BOLOGNA
- PROTESA S.P.A.
Country: Italy
Team: Zengo.eu (www.zengo.eu)
Proposal Acronym: EVR-OSH-5
Proposal Title: VR-based Education of Occupational Safety and Health for the era of Industry 5
Proposal Summary: EVR-OSH-5 project targets innovative VR learning processes in the fields of Occupational Safety and Health and Industry 5.0. The global extended reality market reached $29,26 billion in 2022, rising to over $100 billion by 2026. The educational VR market is expected to grow by 30.7% yearly from the current $4.40 billion to $29.70 billion by 2030. VR training is an immersive and realistic experience, since it closely simulates real-life scenarios. AR and VR are increasingly adopted to improve workplace safety by equipping employees with the knowledge, skills, and awareness necessary to identify potential hazards, mitigate risks, and respond effectively in emergencies. In addition, VR-based education enables companies to train their staff safely, efficiently, cost-effectively, and ultimately reducing accident rates. At present fall-related accidents account for the highest proportion of fatal workplace incidents (35-40%). Objective 1 is to develop a VR app that makes possible to practice work at height in safe conditions. The growth of the Industry 5.0 market is expected to accelerate. The rise in smart industrial robots requires more frequent human-machine interactions, and may lead to more accidents, especially during maintenance, thus specific education for prevention is needed. Objective 2 is to develop a VR app that makes possible to teach the maintenance protocol of Industry 5.0 robotic systems, including reaction to sudden events, in safe conditions. Objective 3 is to address fundamental yet still unmet need in VR-based education with the development of a new tool: Instructors could observe and supervise the progress of multiple users at the same time in a shared view. These objectives of the EVR-OSH-5 project contribute to mass personalization in learning.
Applicants:
- Zengo Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Korlátolt Felelősségű Társaság
- “TOPSAFE” Munkavédelmi és Üzemi Higiéniai Eszközöket Forgalmazó Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Korlátolt Felelősségű Társaság
Country: Hungary
Team: WEKIT ECS (wekit-ecs.com)
Proposal Acronym: CARATE
Proposal Title: Collaborative Augmented Reality Astronaut Training Experience
Proposal Summary:CARATE seeks to introduce XR learning for Industry 5.0 to the aerospace industry, focusing on scaffolding humans with Augmented Reality and wearable technology to achieve higher levels of performance. CARATE strives to innovate XR learning in Industry 5.0 to meet these expectations by focusing on three areas: (a) making XR content creation faster, more collaborative, and more automated, (b) seamlessly integrating human instruction and AR guidance for highly engaging, blended learning, and (c) developing skills and XR literacy for European astronauts and their trainers. CARATE will build on MirageXR, the European b2c open-source flagship initiative for learning with XR, originally conceived in the WEKIT H2020 project, now maintained by the project’s spin out company and lead contractor for this proposal. WEKIT is supported by a growing software development community with 45+ members. The unique approach of CARATE is that the learners, i.e., end-users from the aerospace training organisation ALTEC, will be directing the product design in an intensive co-design partnership with WEKIT, the technology provider. The development will be validated in evaluation pilots at ALTEC premises in Italy and at the ESA European Astronaut Centre premises in Germany. Exploitation as a joint venture is planned, bringing XR learning to the space agencies and companies in the sector. The aerospace industry is a beacon for manufacturing at large, contributing, e.g., with satellite technology significantly to economic growth in Europe. With CARATE, we aim to adapt and extend MirageXR to fulfill the needs of the aerospace industry and by building components for XR learning for Industry 5.0 which supports astronauts with XR training in assembly, maintenance, repair, and operations.
Applicants:
- WEKIT Experience Capturing Solutions Limited
- Aerospace Logistics Technology Engineering Company
Country: Ireland
Team: Lider Teknoloji Geliştirme (liderteknoloji.com)
Proposal Acronym: XR4HRC
Proposal Title: Excellence in Extended Reality for Human-Robot Collaboration
Proposal Summary: The XR4HRC initiative is a groundbreaking effort within vocational education and quality control for robotics-driven industries, leveraging extended reality (XR) technology. Its goals include empowering the workforce, enhancing quality control, and promoting human-robot collaboration within the XR2Learn framework. Key aspects of XR4HRC include enabling remote XR collaboration to reduce costs and promote cooperation among XR developers and educators, tracking progress objectively in immersive XR environments, and designing inclusive training scenarios for diverse skill levels to support European competitiveness in the XR application market. A core innovation of XR4HRC is the seamless integration of XR technology into vocational training and quality control, emphasizing XR application design and development acceleration. Additionally, the project utilizes synthetic data and machine learning to improve fault tolerance and anomaly detection for enhanced industrial safety and competitiveness. Collaboration between LTG, IFARLAB, and BEST is central to implementing XR4HRC, with a focus on enhancing vocational training and quality control using the Mini-ROKOS robotic system in real-world industrial settings. XR4HRC aims to advance from its current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3-4 to TRL 6-7, aligning with XR2Learn’s vision for a sustainable XR2Learn ecosystem. In essence, XR4HRC represents a transformative journey that mirrors XR2Learn’s forward-thinking approach to XR application development and education/training, ultimately realizing XR2Learn’s objectives in a dynamic way.
Applicants:
- Lider Teknoloji Gelistirme Muhendislik Taahhut Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi
- Eskisehir Osmangazi University
- BEST Institut für berufsbezogene Weiterbildung und Personaltraining GmbH
Country: Turkey
Team: NEXUSIT LTD. (www.nexus-it.tech)
Proposal Acronym: PaperXR
Proposal Title: PAper Printing workEr tRaining using eXtended Reality
Proposal Summary: PaperXR aims to revolutionize training in the manufacturing industry, especially in the context of the printing sector. Traditionally, manufacturing has shifted from craftsmanship to complex machinery, demanding continuous training. This incurs substantial costs due to the need for halting production and consuming materials like paper and ink, with significant environmental and economic consequences. PaperXR uses Extended Reality (XR) tools to create a lifelike training environment. It replicates printing production procedures and machine operations, addressing challenges like modeling tasks, virtual hardware design, and real-time interaction. By merging real-world hardware data with virtual models, trainees work with digital twins of actual machinery, fostering a holistic understanding of operations. The project unites three experienced teams from IT, Industry, and Academia. The innovation lies in XR technology’s application to training, offering a realistic, interactive, and cost-effective alternative. XR-based training enhances safety, reduces material costs, and extends the lifespan of equipment. It also supports remote learning, making continuous skill development accessible. However, challenges include high XR equipment costs, content creation complexity, employee resistance, and a lack of industry standards. Overcoming these hurdles requires careful planning, investment, training, and a commitment to integrating XR technology into the printing industry workflow. Addressing these challenges is vital to realizing PaperXR’s full potential in transforming training in manufacturing.
Applicants:
- NEXUSIT Ltd.
- D. Panagiotopoulos & Co GP – Future Format
- UPAT – Special Account for Research Grants
Country: Bulgaria
Team: INNOV-ACTS LIMITED
Proposal Acronym: XR2IND
Proposal Title: XR technologies to empower immersive industrial 5.0 training
Proposal Summary: XR2IND will empower immersive industrial 5.0 training (conveniently called XR2IND) leveraging 3 state-of-the-art domains: a) generative AI libraries, b) XR tools, and c) Industry 5.0 educational knowledge/ content. XR2IND project will develop a novel, ergonomic, and user-friendly XR-AI chat training/learning application to enable industrial users to interact with the training material in personalized, human-centric, and trustworthy ways, which is fully in line with the promises and mandates of the Industry 5.0 concept.
Applicants:
- INNOV-ACTS LIMITED
- DOTE Academy
Country: Cyprus
Team: Venaka Treleaf
Proposal Acronym: X-Alfy
Proposal Title: eXtended reality for Awareness and Learning in Forestry 5.0
Proposal Summary: Forestry 5.0 is a key sector of Industry 5.0. It stands for a new generation of efficient and sustainable forest management and exploitation in which climate change aspects are addressed and actions to create new forest values for the development and social transformation are promoted. The overarching aim of this project is to provide advanced AI-based XR tools for Forestry 5.0, addressing three different yet complementary application areas: Teaching, Learning and Environmental Awareness. These applications are in turn instrumental for the rapid acceptance and a wide adoption of the upcoming Forestry 5.0 transformation. Accordingly, the following specific objectives are addressed: • To implement and deploy an AI-based tool to automatically generate high-resolution images of real forest environments suitable for the creation of 360° panorama shots and VR simulation. • To implement and deploy an AI-based tool for the generation of fictive, virtual content simulating the process of decay or the effect of catastrophic fires in a given forest landscape and/or for simulating forest regeneration for teaching and training. • To implement and deploy an AI-based tool for automated classification of tree species. • To develop a mobile application for: a) easy capturing and sharing of low resolution pictures of forest landscapes, trees and leaves; and b) showcasing the capabilities X-Alfy tools for the generation of virtual and augmented visual content. X-Alfy brings a new technological dimension in the creation of realistic virtual content by exploiting AI-based models; and applying such technology in the forestry sector. The proposed tools also have significant potential in other industrial sectors and may open doors for other advanced applications in Industry 5.0.
Applicants:
- Venaka TreLeaf GbR
- Technical University of Zvolen
Country: Germany
Open Call 1 Timeline
