ToHyVe

What some of you may not know: We do not only engage in spatial science communication, but we also conduct our own research.

One of these research projects has just come to an end. Initiated at the start of the pandemic, the aim of the project named ToHyVe was to develop a toolbox for hybrid event formats. Together with renowned partners such as Deutsche Telekom, DFKI, and three Fraunhofer Institutes, as well as several other SMEs, we worked on this project from July 2022 to June 2024. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

The ToHyVe project focused on developing tools for hybrid event formats to enhance telepresence technologies and make virtual and physical participation more interactive and immersive. It aimed to enable various scenarios such as virtual showrooms, hybrid panel discussions, and interactive presentations. Special emphasis was placed on data protection, security, and expanding the acceptance of these technologies to enhance their sustainability.

But why are hybrid event solutions so important? In fact, they offer a whole range of benefits. Speakers can participate without the need for extensive travel, which is often associated with high costs and emissions. Hybrid events also score points in terms of accessibility, as anyone can join – from anywhere and with ease. People around the world have the opportunity to move virtually within the location and network with others in virtual space. It is about a truly equal participation, for both the stage and the audience.

The technology was successfully tested last week: While the other panel participants were live on stage at the Lanolin Factory, Berlin, our Managing Partner Stephan Spenling was connected remotely. And it worked perfectly.

For us, the project was a great success, resulting in a total of 20 functioning demonstrators. Also, bridging the gap between research and application and experiencing so many wonderful consortium partners over a long period of time is always unique for us.

Many thanks for the great collaboration to the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Deutsche Telekom AG – T-Labs, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security (AISEC), Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI), Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS), iventic GmbH, mac messe- und ausstellungscenter Service GmbH, nanocosmos GmbH, TriCAT GmbH!