Engineering the metaverse
The Metaverse is rapidly developing into an engineering reality since its beginnings as an imagined, futuristic, virtual world.
Foundational engineering research is at the heart of this realisation across all levels of its construct, from technological ambition through to its evaluation and application. At York we are leading in the development and implementation of technologies associated with the metaverse, including virtual, augmented and extended reality, and simulation and digital twinning.
We work with industry partners across sectors to ensure our work is beneficial to and driven by societal and industry needs.
We bring together expertise from multiple disciplines through successful collaborations across the University and its research centres. This ensures a holistic approach to the development of metaverse-centred research that is successfully translated into meaningful and beneficial outcomes for industry and society.
The University houses cutting edge facilities for metaverse research across its campuses and within its City Centre base, working extensively with industry to accelerate the foundational and translational work in this area. Within the School of PET, these facilities include:
- an interactive multi-channel loudspeaker listening room
- a standards-compliant listening space
- three networked professional recording studios with VR studio functionality
- State-of-the-art hardware for virtual and extended reality
- Mobile body, brain, head, eye and motion tracking and monitoring equipment
- AI for Virtual Environments
Research themes
We work closely with our external partners providing core engineering, design, delivery and evaluation of interactive and immersive virtual environments across sectors, including the UK creative industries, major tech and engineering companies, the cultural sector, health and social care, and government organisations. We apply our research across multiple areas including audio, media broadcast, gaming, music, sports science, healthcare and therapeutic technologies.
Our main focus areas include:
- Immersive Content Creation and Consumption
- Deployment and evaluation of mixed reality experiences
- Multi-sensory interactions, perception and cognition
Projects
MINERVA: Musical Interactions in Networked Environments in Real-time with Virtual Acoustics
An EPSRC funded project which developed and tested workflows for embedding interactive immersive audio into networked music architextures that allow musicians to perform together remotely as though they are in a shared virtual space.
Project Partners: BBC; BONZA Music; York Wellbeing Choir; York Teaching Hospital
XR Stories
A £15m investment by AHRC, ERDF, the University of York, the British Film Institute and Screen Yorkshire. Based in York’s Guildhall it supports research and development with companies working in cutting-edge digital technologies in the Yorkshire and Humber region to champion a new future in storytelling. XR Stories supports a programme of funding, research collaboration and connection working across film, TV, games, media arts, heritage, advertising and technology.
Find out more about XR Stories
To date from a core investment from AHRC of £5.9m XR Stories has leveraged Co-Investment of more than £20m across a portfolio of 80+ R&D Projects, studentships, internships, placements and business assists.
Project Partners include: WarnerMedia, Sky, BBC R&D, National Science and Media Museum, National Railway Museum, Production Park/XLOR, Prox & Reverie, Megaverse, Joi Polloi, Reflex Arc, Studio McGuire, Live Cinema, Tyke Films, Northern Ballet, Opera North, Bang&Olufsen, Charisma.ai, XR Games, Revolution, Bright White, Pilot Theatre, Cooperative Innovations, Vidaveo, BetaJester, AIR TV, Human/HumanVR, Dubit, Fierce Kaiju, Bellyfeel, Duck Soup, Gazelle Twin, IOU Theatre Etc.
Enhancing Audio Description II
A collaboration with TFTI funded by AHRC which seeks to explore the potential of sound design practices and spatial audio to provide accessible film and television experiences for visually impaired audiences https://enhancingaudiodescription.com/
Project Partners include:
Soundfields, in partnership with COMIC (Child Oriented Mental health Innovation Collaboration)
This project, funded by NIHR, aims to develop and evaluate low cost VR games to treat auditory hypersensitivity for autistic children through a co-design panel of children, carers and professionals.
Project Partners: COMIC,
See more audio related projects
Partners
Engineering and Design Industries
- ARUP
- AECOM
- Assystem
Cultural Sector
- National Trust
- York Museums Trust
- City of York Council
- Production Park / Explore
- Houses of Parliament
- York Archaeological Trust
Government Organisations
- Digital Culture Media and Sport
- Business Energy Industrial Strategy
- Local Enterprise Partnerships
- UK Atomic Energy
- Authority
- Hartree Centre
Audio industry
- Meridian Audio
- Bang and Olufsen
- Dolby
- Sony Interactive
- Sonos
- Audio Analytic
Major Tech/Engineering Companies
- Amazon Web Services
- Huawei
- Peratech
- Microsoft
- Xperi
UK Creative Industries (Music, Film, TV, Games)
- Screen Yorkshire
- British Film Institute
- BONZA Music
- Netflix
- ITV
- Channel 4
- BBC
- WarnerMedia
- Universal Music
- Bonza Music
- Sky
- Production Park
- Prox and Reverie
- Sony Interactive
- BetaJester
- MegaVerse
- Joi Polloi
- Cooperative Innovations
- Pilot Theatre
- Opera North
Health and social care
- York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- AgeUK
- Wellburn
- Carehomes
- Grow Medtech
- Autistica
Next Generation Digital Engineering exploits the emerging capabilities of supercomputers and modern approaches to advanced simulation. This includes employing advanced computing to conduct digital twinning to deliver virtual prototypes operating in virtual environments to accelerate a technology to commercialisation.
Exploiting advanced computing also enables simulation to inform safe operation strategies and builds on our existing expertise at York’s Institute for Safe Autonomy. We work closely with industry to develop simulation capability to inform an inspection, monitoring and maintenance strategy that enables safe operations, consistent with the requirements of regulatory bodies.
Our partners
- ARUP
- AECOM
- Assystem
- National Trust
- York Museums Trust
- City of York Council
- Production Park / Explore
- Houses of Parliament
- Digital Culture Media and Sport
- Business Energy Industrial Strategy
- Local Enterprise Partnerships
- UK Atomic Energy Authority
- Hartree Centre
- Meridian Audio
- Bang and Olufsen
- Dolby
- Sony Interactive
- Sonos
- Audio Analytic
- Amazon Web Services
- Huawei
- Peratech
- Microsoft
- Screen Yorkshire
- British Film Institute
- BONZA Music
- Netflix
- ITV
- Channel 4
- BBC
- WarnerMedia
- Universal Music
- Sky
- Production Par
- Prox and Reverie
- Sony Interactive
- BetaJester
- MegaVerse
- Joi Polloi
- Cooperative Innovations
- Pilot Theatre
- Opera North
- York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- AgeUK
- Wellburn
- Carehomes
- Grow Medtech
- Autistica