Zero Point Motion and UWE win grant for virtual reality project Digibeat: Immersive Feedback using Inertial Sensors
Zero Point Motion has teamed up with the University of the West of England (UWE) to explore the use of inertial sensors that measure motion for virtual reality (VR). The collaboration, called Digibeat, has been awarded a £144k grant to demonstrate sensors that can simultaneously monitor the wearer’s finger motion and forces from each heartbeat – a unique capability not yet explored in the creative sector. The technology could prove transformative not only in VR, but also elsewhere in the entertainment industry, and potentially even in healthcare.
The grant for Digibeat comes from MyWorld, a programme run by Innovate UK and funded by UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Strength in Places Fund. MyWorld brings together industry and academia to capitalise on the West of England’s research excellence and strengths in creative technology. The five-year scheme seeks to maintain and grow the UK’s status as an international leader in advanced media production.
Digibeat will be an important proof of concept that a single inertial sensor can simultaneously perform two functions: high-precision fingertip motion tracking and heart rate measurement through ballistocardiography – detection of the forces pushing blood around the body. This combination will be invaluable in the VR sector, where it can offer insights into how a participant is interacting with content, and their level of immersion.
Content creators will be able to use the real-time physiological data, synchronised to finger tracked responses to visual stimuli. This will guide them in further shaping and refining their creative immersive experiences.
UWE’s expertise in extended reality make them the perfect project partner for Digibeat. Their Digital Engineering Lab boasts world-class immersive mixed reality environments such as the Virtual Reality CAVE. This will be an ideal space in which to co-develop and test the new sensor technology.
“Zero Point Motion are excited to demonstrate the power of inertial sensors to track finger motion and measure heartbeat signals at the same time,” said CEO Lia Li. “Our project partner UWE will support us in deploying our sensors within their immersive mixed reality environments through both academic- and student-led activities. The MyWorld ecosystem will introduce us to state-of-the-art facilities and creative expertise, right at our doorstep in the West of England.”
As a project focusing on VR, Digibeat represents an exciting exploration of the possibilities for Zero Point Motion’s inertial sensors, beyond the most obvious applications in navigation. As well as VR, the dual-function sensors could be beneficial in other areas of the entertainment sector. In particular, they could offer significant improvements in the accuracy of finger tracking and hand tracking.
If successful, there are future applications that will bring societal benefits, for example by enabling physiotherapists to remotely monitor how a patient is performing exercises, as well as the patient’s physiological responses to them. This could help the healthcare industry to tailor prescribed exercises accordingly.
A spokesperson for UWE said: "UWE are looking forward to working with Zero Point Motion on this project at the interface between extended reality and health applications which could lead to deeper studies that link the physiological behaviour we detect through ballistocardiography with human emotion and immersion.”
Sarah Addezio, Innovation Partner & Programme Lead for MyWorld at Digital Catapult, said: “There’s such a strong culture of innovation in the South West which we’re so pleased to see reflected in the ideas from this group of exciting companies. With Digital Catapult’s expertise in immersive applications for the metaverse and consumer experiences powered by virtual reality, as well as our work in deep tech areas like photonics and AI, we’re excited to lend our experience during this collaboration to bring these concepts to reality.”