Oxford, UK – 22 August 2016 – Vicon, the motion capture technology specialist for the entertainment, engineering and life science industries, today announced that its Vero motion capture cameras are being used in the Wholodance project, as part of the EU-funded Horizon 2020 programme. The research is investigating the movements associated with ballet, flamenco, Greek folk and contemporary dance – transferring the movements into digital data.
The projects aims to preserve the cultural heritage of each dance genre by exploring the movements of the body during each sequence and documenting the specialised and diverse range of steps. Having collated this information, the Wholodance project will use this data to innovate dance teaching and develop holograms which will enable students to mirror the movements captured through the Vicon system.
Wholodance are using a motion capture stage built by Schram Studios equipped with Vero cameras to track and capture the movement of the dancers. The system not only provides the research team with precise and reliable real-time information, but also the dancers, encouraging them to move around the space and try new movements. The system allows the team to select and capture dance sequences which will form the basis of the immersive teaching and learning material. Creating a digital catalog of movements which choreographers and dance instructors can use to build upon and share ideas and work together on new concepts.
Oshri Even Zohar, at Motek Entertainment explains, “The concept of Wholodance was born about 20 years ago but unfortunately the idea had to be put on the shelf as computers were too slow and real time avatars were not heard of. Fast forward to today and advances in technology have enabled us to pick-up the project again. The Vero system is highly efficient and flexible making it ideal for capturing fast dance movements with very low latency.”
“The Wholodance project brings together motion capture technology and the dance community in a way that has never been seen before,” said Imogen Moorhouse, CEO at Vicon “We’re pleased that Vicon’s Vero cameras has been assisting in the project, enabling the research team to capture movements and sequences that will not only be preserved for future generations but also provide new immersive teaching materials.”
The project has been supported by a consortium of organisations including Motek Entertainment, Coventry University, Lynkeus, ATHENA RC, Politecnico di Milano, Universita degli Studi di Genova, Peachnote, K. Danse, The Lykeion ton Hellinidon and Instituto Stocos
About Vicon
Academy Award®-winning Vicon is the world’s largest supplier of precision motion tracking systems and match-moving software. It serves customers in sports performance, research and biomechanics industries. As well as those in robotics, ergonomics, film, visual effects, video games and broadcast television sectors.
Vicon is a subsidiary of OMG (Oxford Metrics Group – LSE: OMG), plc., the technology group providing computer vision products and services for the entertainment, life science, engineering industries and consumer electronics markets. Other holdings include: OMG Life, our IP licensing business; and Yotta, a provider of software and services for infrastructure asset management.
Among many others, Vicon global clients include:
- Engineering: European Space Agency, BMW, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – South Africa, ETH Zurich, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, NRL, UPENN GRASP, MIT, Ford and General Motors
- Entertainment: Framestore, Audiomotion, The Imaginarium, Quantic Dream, SEGA, Konami, Activision, Sony, Dreamworks, ILM and USC
- Life Sciences: Imperial College – London, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre – Oxford, Headley Court, University of Western Australia, Adidas, Digital Human Research Centre – Japan, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Shriners, Marquette, UMich and Red Bull
For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit: www.omgplc.com, www.vicon.com or www.yotta.co.uk.
