The successful projects are part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s Audience of the Future programme, which is delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Through this programme, government is supporting the best UK storytellers to create engaging immersive experiences.

The Demonstrator programme is funding industry-led consortia in the creative industries to create new immersive experiences and test them with large audiences.

The projects will develop highly immersive technologies for people to enjoy sporting and entertainment events and performances and improve the visitor experience. These include four key areas, including:

Performance

Led by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)

The project involves 15 specialist organisations and pioneers in immersive technology from theatre, the music industry, video production, gaming and research. They will work together to explore what it means to perform live using emerging technologies such as VR, AR and mixed reality (MR).  Audiences will no longer be bound by location.

Using devices such as mobile phones, extended reality headsets and streams into live performance environments, or even in the home, audiences will experience live performance like never before.

Visitor Experience

A new pioneering collaboration led by Factory 42 and involving the National History Museum and the Science Museum Group

This project will bring dinosaurs and robots to life by placing audiences in new worlds and giving them the ability to interact with them. Two multi-sensory and interactive worlds will be created in the iconic rooms of the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, combining mixed reality technology and immersive theatre.

At the Science Museum visitors will encounter a mixed-reality detective experience featuring high-resolution 3D scans of robots and other iconic objects from its collection to bring the latest in robotics and artificial intelligence to life.

At the Natural History Museum, awe-inspiring dinosaurs from its collection will be brought to life and visitors will experience the detective work of palaeontologists and share the thrill of scientific discovery.

Shorter sampler versions will also tour a number of shopping centres across the UK.

Sport Entertainment

A consortium led by Esports

This project will produce a new platform called Weavr that leverages the data-rich environment of esports to transform the way esports – and further down the line physical sports – are experienced through cross reality technologies by remote audiences. Through a consortium that includes ESL, the largest esports content producer in the world, as well as leading academics and innovators across immersive technologies, data-driven content production and broadcast, Weavr will transform the experiences of millions of esports fans, generate new audiences and open up new revenue streams for the broadcast entertainment industry.

Moving Image

An additional demonstrator covering Moving Image will be announced very shortly.

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Visit the UKRI website for further information on all Future Demonstrator programmes.