.png) | Hands-on Support for Innovators Over the past year 70 different companies of all sizes have utilised our popular residency programme. This enabled them to access support, connections and equipment and create new digital products, services and experiences. All our residents collaborated on joint projects with each other, growing their expertise and impact in the process. | |
Accessing Next Generation Connectivity Our 5G testbed is uniquely designed for smaller businesses to access. Delivered in collaboration with Digital Catapult, over 15 companies have been provided with access to an accelerator programme and have been helped to test their ideas to proof-of-concept stage. These include MakeReal, Mnemoscene, and Cyanapse. Brighton Dome and Festival has now become part of the testbed, helping us to further extend its impact on the cultural and creative sector over the next 12 months. | .png) | |
.png) | Art + Tech = Magic We have always hosted and supported artists at the FuseBox, including sci-fi author Al Robertson Iona Scott, Rachel Henson and more. This year, as part of the arts DRIVA programme, for the first time we ran a programme specifically developed to support artists. We provided twelve artists with an introduction to (and engagement with) immersive, interactive, 5G and quantum technologies, helping the artists to utilise them in their practice. Over the year they worked on incorporating what they learned into a range of different projects. And in December we hosted a public showcase of their work. | |
Outside the (Fuse)Box In October, as part of Brighton Digital Festival and with the support of our residents, we took the FuseBox on the road. We set up shop for a week in Brighton's new Hanningtons Lane in order to give the people a hands-on experience and understanding of new technologies and their effect on society. We covered the concept of reality (with the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science), Quantum Computing (with the University of Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies), immersive and 360 media, and ended the week with a hack which bought to (virtual) life the history and people of the Hannington Estate. | .png) | |
.png) | Bringing Immersive Expertise to Brighton Over 200 people attended our quarterly Immersive Meet-ups, hearing experts speak on a variety of topics including immersive marketing and fashion, 360 storytelling and networked experiences. We also launched and hosted six Immersive Show & Tells which have been hugely successful, providing immersive innovators with the opportunity to receive useful and constructive feedback on their work from their peers. | |
New Immersive Equipment This year also saw some new arrivals in the form of new kit for the Brighton Immersive Lab. The trio of Oculus Quests have proven to be highly popular and the wireless Vive setup has been the basis of some very exciting experiments.But the prize for the most valued piece of equipment of 2019 goes to the Insta360 Pro 2 - this state of the art 3D 360 camera has spent most of it's time at the FuseBox out on film shoots. | .png) | |
.png) | Visitors from Home and Away Over the past year we have been treated to a range of visitors keen to hear about what we and our residents do here at the FuseBox. We welcomed many visitors both local and from abroad, including inspiring delegations from India, Indonesia and Catalonia. | |
Moving On After six years working for Wired Sussex and seeing the FuseBox develop and bloom, our Hub Manager Rosalie decided it was time to move on and see discover what the rest of world has to offer. She is currently exploring South East Asia. On behalf of everyone here at the FuseBox we wish her all the best with her travels. | .png) |
As you can see, it's been a busy year here at the FuseBox. We hope you are as excited as we are to see what everyone gets up to next year!
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