5G Innovation helps bring fans together across the UK for a first of its kind immersive and interactive event.

AIX Live is on a mission to bring immersive experiences to your neighbourhood, creating a platform for the global distribution of live, immersive experiences.

Over the last 12 months the MediaCity based start-up AIX Live in Salford has been collaborating with the team at CoSTAR Realtime Lab, Abertay University Dundee.  Exploring how 5G innovation may provide a solution to various challenges faced by audiences in geographically distributed, immersive spaces interacting with the same live experience.

Fans in Dundee, Salford, Cardiff and Belfast took part in an immersive and interactive watch party experiencing Scotland V Wales 6 Nations rugby in a unique way.

This R&D is following on from a successful trial in November which saw audiences from both Dundee and Salford compete in a fast-paced interactive music quiz hosted by BBC 6Music ‘s Chris Hawkins.

A private 5G network was established between two 23m-wide LED Volumes in Dundee and MediaCity, and linked to CultVR (a full-dome experience in Cardiff) and CoStar Screen Lab (a virtual production facility in Belfast.)

Each venue was centrally controlled from Dundee creating an experience responding to the needs of each place. Home venues for both Scottish and Welsh fans and natural venues for those in Salford and Belfast.

An invited audience were immersed in all the action of the 6 Nations through bespoke content, realtime graphics and lighting. Fans were able to interact with the experience through the AIX app helping them get closer to the game and each other through a series of in-app games and realtime responses to the sporting action.

This R&D was designed as a proof of concept, demonstrating how fans in different places can be authentically connected to a single, immersive experience and each other. Leveraging 5G technology to address challenges like system latency and synchronisation, ensuring seamless, simultaneous experiences across multiple venues and devices

David Norris CEO AIX Live said “we want to develop a suite of technologies that bring audiences together, enjoying the same immersive experience but responding to their different needs. There is currently no effective distribution network for immersive experiences and R&D like this enables AIX Live to develop our platform to connect fans around the world with the very best in sports , entertainment, and critically, with each other.”

Professor Gregor White, Director of CoSTAR Realtime Lab said “ The Realtime Lab is excited to be working with such an innovative company. AIX Live and Realtime Lab will undertake an R&D collaboration to build new network solutions for simultaneous audience interaction with live events for audiences across the UK. The collaboration will benefit from the cutting edge technologies at the Realtime Lab in Dundee and the low latency 5G technology in the Tay5G Testbed.

Professor Frank Lyons, CoDirector of the CoSTAR Screen Lab said: ‘this was a fantastic opportunity to showcase genuine innovation resulting from collaboration between different labs in the CoSTAR Network and with industry. The specialist 5G research team and infrastructure at Ulster University and the CoSTAR Screen Lab, funded by DSIT and by AHRC, were excited to help bring this challenging and exciting project to life and look forward to future collaborations which will drive the capability even further.

Caroline Aikman, Marketing and Place Director MediaCity said: “As the UK home of future media we’re excited  to see fantastic innovations such as this being developed, tried and tested  in the heart of MediaCity. We know collaboration is key to progress and the fact that we’ve been able to facilitate this from MediaCity with the technology infrastructure in place paves the way for more progress in this area.”

Andy Waters, Head of Studio, dock10, said: “This was the first time we have collaborated with AIX Live and as another MediaCity-based organisation share the aim of utilising immersive technologies to improve audience experiences. dock10 are always searching for how innovation can open new markets and this is another example of just that. Fan experiences and utilising the very latest of workflows offers exciting opportunities for the wider MediaCity estate

Dundee City Council’s Fair Work, Economic Growth & Infrastructure Convener, cllr Steven Rome said: “It’s great to see this impressive CoSTAR Realtime Lab facility operating here in Dundee with its ability to create immersive experiences for events such as Scotland’s 6 Nations match against Wales.

“Although this is a research and development experiment, it highlights the boundless possibilities that can come with this technology and the fantastic potential for our city from being the base of this world-leading technology in terms of supporting employment and helping attract and retain highly talented individuals.

“Dundee’s creative industries have long been at the forefront of technology and innovation. The CoSTAR Realtime Lab and its virtual production studio has now firmly established itself as a key contributor to the city’s digital cluster. I look forward to the many exciting opportunities it will bring ahead.”

This R&D project is delivered by AIX Live and CoSTAR Realtime Lab, funded by Tay5G, a Tay Cities Region deal supported by Scottish and UK Government and the Scotland 5G Centre and made possible through generous support of MediaCity Immersive Technologies  Innovation Hub, BBC R&D, Dock10, CultVR, CoSTAR Screen Lab Belfast.