Projects R&D
A thorough commitment to innovation in multimodal interactive service technologies.
Discover how Quintetto’s approach to R&D is consistently focused on exploring paths to innovations that can provide actual benefit to communities and organisations, optimising operation and costs. Here follows a selection of the most significant projects.
Qroom-plus
From holographic service desk to holo-co-working and conferencing.
Quintetto’s last in time R&D project kicked off in April 2022 and was terminated well on schedule last spring: its focus to design and create a new holographic two-way communication system in real time to enable conferencing and co-working with all attendees participating as holograms. The project (total value 220.620,00 €) was granted a financing of 138.494,00 € (62%), in the frame of the Investment Programme for Growth and Employment (POR FESR 2014-2020) of the VDA region.
The Qroom-plus project moved its steps from the Qroom technology frame (holographic interactive service desk, a Quintetto patent), and has been developed throughout one year, and delivered as a full functional prototype in April 2023.
Qroom-plus allows several users connected simultaneously to the system, to engage in active and concrete cooperation activities through their holographic representation and reciprocal view/hearing/speaking.
This moves telepresence to a new degree of sophistication allowing it to serve real world situations with practical and user-friendly systems being able to overcome limits of space, distance and functionality.
It has already been tested in real environment and new installations are in the pipeline for the years to come.
Main features of Qroom-plus:
- Cross-directional communication between multiple parties simultaneously in real time (350 ms latency in 4G)
- Extremely low bandwidth consumption (800 Kb/2 Mb per second)
- Sole multi-hologram telepresence system in the world
- Allows real interaction and task execution between participants, being these holograms or live audiences
- Uses market standard equipment
- Illuminated environment
- Operational simplicity and easy set-up
- Low operating and set-up costs
Research tasks and development paths:
- Optimisation of visual and chromatic perception of the 3D image:
– Materials for the optimisation of the holographic presentation
– Materials and definition of the characteristics for the realisation of the privacy filter
– Research on OLED technology for holographic image optimisation - Software evolution of the holographic system and communication and transport of holographic streams:
– Optimisation of the current hologram presentation software.
– New software for communicating holographic streams in real time
– New software for modular presentation of multiple holograms in real time - Prototype construction and operation
HUMANS
HUman-centered MANufacturing System – man-to-robot-to-man interaction in the “4.0 factory”
A project co-financed under the EU Horizon 2020 programme, in partnership with Comau Spa (robotics and hardware components). The project led to the design and development of an application solution consistent with the “Industry 4.0” paradigm, enabling the use of human speech and natural language to command, programme and interact with robotic systems and complex automatic systems, in challenging manufacturing environments and factory lines.
The project benefited from Quintetto’s specific skills in:
- speech acquisition and recognition in a factory production context
- analysis and comprehension of multiple natural languages that convey relational messages addressed to the system
- accurate and safe interpretation of verbal communication messages into instructions sent to the robotized system
The system is based on an advanced best-in-class natural language processing (NLP) solution developed by Quintetto.
- An artificial intelligence system based on neural networks
- Machine-to-man return communication for operation feedback and confirmation of machine understanding
- Ability to handle emergencies or unexpected changes in production
Taking advantage of the high potential of the NLP system used and the unique characteristics possessed by the system with respect to the Italian language, which make it the absolute best currently on the market, Quintetto is developing a new application aimed at supporting visitors in a museum environment, using voice and natural language as the only interaction tool between the visitor and his virtual guide.
NASA
New Alpine Sustainable Architecture – Biophilic immersive schoolroom
The Biophilic Immersive Schoolroom was designed and engineered in collaboration with the University of Valle d’Aosta (Department of Human Sciences), the Municipality of Gressoney, the Valle d’Aosta Regional Government, The European Commission, The Ministry of Economic Development of Italy.
The installation creates an indoor educational experiential environment, which stimulates the children perception of the school environment as a place of positive emotions and thoughts capable of supporting learning processes. The Sensory Schoolroom introduces two main innovations based on pedagogical discipline:
- The creation of an environment for regenerating direct attention in children
- Integrate seamlessly indoor and outdoor experiences through the expansion of the learning space outside its usual boundaries
The installation builds a very evocative learning environment aimed at creating deeply sensory and emotional involvement in children, stimulating sight and hearing but touch and smell as well. The installation integrates several modular devices:
- Interactive wall (visualization, interaction, information)
- Ceiling screen
- Waterfall
- Aroma dispensers
- Variable lighting
- Breeze emulators
- Temperature emulators
- Nebulisers
- 3D sound/noise system
The action combined of the various devices is driven by the content so to build the teaching experience through the emulation of environments, places (the forest, the mountain …) and situations (e.g. a storm). The events generated by the devices are modulated and automatically synchronized with each other creating a unique enveloping and immersive event. The “intelligent” generation, combining and integration of the sensory events is provided by an highly innovative and performing A.I. engine platform developed by Quintetto.
MEDICAL TRAINING – (PILOT PROJECT)
Holographic training environment for clinical practice
A particularly advanced digital system for clinical training allowing trainees to have a three dimensional vision of a particularly complex medical intervention in true real-time, whilst preserving the safety and protection of a controlled intervention environment, representing it holographically on a remote station. Practioners are located in a specially equipped remote position so as to ensure quality vision of the intervention from the front, left and right sides. The solution renders visual and aural access of a real-time operation on the head of a supine patient, allowing maximum visibility of the maneuvers, manipulations and operations performed with reference to specific medical techniques.
The system consists of two stations: a back-end station where the intervention is carried out and resumed (head of the subject under examination and operator’s hands), and a front-end where the intervention is projected holographically and observed by one or more spectators. The back-end station is equipped with three cameras shooting from different angles the operations as they are performed and transmitted to the holographic station designed to support bidirectional communication with the intervention room.
SMARTCITYBOT – (PILOT PROJECT)
Artificial Intelligence for tourism
A new technology platform integrating artificial intelligence to provide enhanced knowledge and guide to visitors in cultural tourism environments, addressing major “smart city” issues and challenges. The visitor and “user” of a specific site or location is turned from being an observer into and active actor of her/his own experience. Using a simple handset the user orchestrates the visit, formulates requests and satisfies curiosities, interacting with a user-specific virtual assistant by means of visual and verbal interaction shot/spoken executed through the smartphone. The platform processes information through semantic analysis of the bidirectional (vocal) flow and the visual (video/still) content including multimedia, enabling the creation of the knowledge base itself, drastically reducing its construction and management costs.
