AMPD Ventures Inc announced that its Departure Lounge Inc subsidiary has entered into a reseller agreement with Move.ai, a UK-based provider of a cutting-edge motion capture platform and associated technologies.
The company said the agreement further enhances Departure Lounge’s ability serve as the ‘gateway to the Metaverse’ by adding advanced motion capture to its range of tools and technologies.
Founded in March 2019 by Tino Millar, a computer vision PhD at Imperial College London, Move.ai is defining the future of motion capture - extracting natural human motion from video using advanced AI, computer vision, biomechanics, and physics. The system uses machine vision to capture up to 100,000 data points on a person compared with 10 to 15 points with traditional mocap, automatically retargeting data to character rigs.
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The Move.ai platform uses standard cameras or mobile devices, removes the need for traditional motion capture suits which can be restrictive and uncomfortable, resulting in sensor drift, interference and extensive data clean up. The result is a flexible, powerful platform that is typically more cost-effective and accessible than traditional motion capture setups.
“The addition of Move.ai and its mind-blowing motion capture technology into Departure Lounge reinforces our commitment to assembling a synergistic range of cutting-edge real-time and virtual production tools and technologies under one roof,” said James Hursthouse, Departure Lounge CEO in a statement.
“We are building upon the foundation we have established with the Metastage Volumetric Capture Stage, to develop a ‘one-stop-shop’ for solutions that unlock the potential of the Metaverse. These components are the building blocks for the next generation of fully immersive, creative content development across 2D screens, mixed reality, and fully immersive virtual experiences," he added.
Move.ai COO, Anthony Ganjou commented: “We are definitely operating in a space where creativity and technology come together. Departure Lounge blends a focus on tools and tech with and experienced creative team that can demonstrates their value and support clients with creative projects. We are looking forward to working with the team to expand Move’s presence across North America.”
Departure Lounge recently announced it would be a keystone partner in plans for a Metaverse Innovation Centre as part of an education collaboration agreement with Vancouver’s Centre for Digital Media. Training initiatives and collaborative projects being planned as part of the MIC will also have access to Move.ai technology.
Major presence at Augmented World Expo
In a separate announcement, AMPD Ventures also noted that Departure Lounge and its partners will have a major presence at the forthcoming Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2022 Conference in Santa Clara, California from June 1 to June 3, 2022.
Departure Lounge will be showcasing its range of tools, technologies, and creative services with a major presence at the show. A large virtual production quality LED screen backdrop will transport attendees from Santa Clara into a full digital twin of the 7,000 square foot Departure Lounge headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, showcasing its range of cutting-edge volumetric and other real-time and virtual production solutions.
Departure Lounge founder and CEO, James Hursthouse, will be speaking alongside Metastage Inc’s Head of Production, Skylar Sweetman, on the topic of ‘Volumetric Capture: The Human-Centric Approach to Augmented Reality’ on Wednesday, June 1 at 12.00pm PST in Grand Ballroom H. The talk will cover the benefits of volumetric capture as holographic imaging becomes increasingly crucial for the development of compelling, human-centric immersive content in the Metaverse.
“The AWE series of conferences have always been excellent and bring together hundreds of key people from the mixed reality industry. It’s exceptionally exciting to be able to introduce Departure Lounge at such a prestigious forum,” said Adam Rogers, VP of Creative and Head of Studio at Departure Lounge.
“We look forward to connecting with friends and partners, as well as making several exciting announcements about new partnerships and activities during the show.”
In addition to promoting its primary commercial activities, Departure Lounge also plans to use AWE to promote plans for the Metaverse Innovation Centre that was recently announced as part of an education collaboration agreement with Vancouver’s Centre for Digital Media.
Departure Lounge was established in June 2021 to combine the founding team’s expertise to capitalise on the massive opportunity represented by the ongoing transition to the Metaverse. The company offers innovative tools and technologies to facilitate access to the Metaverse, a creative services team to help build the Metaverse, and a Web3 consultancy team to monetize the Metaverse.
Departure Lounge’s main facility occupies over 7,000 square foot of space at Vancouver’s Centre for Digital Media (CDM) and houses the Metastage Volumetric Capture Stage and Move.ai motion capture rig, alongside its creative services team.
Departure Lounge was acquired by AMPD Ventures in December 2021. Departure Lounge operates as an independent business unit while taking full advantage of the high-performance cloud and compute solutions being offered by AMPD Technologies (CSE:AMPD, OTCQB:AMPDF) Inc.
AMPD Ventures Inc, through its operating subsidiaries, AMPD Technologies (CSE:AMPD, OTCQB:AMPDF) Inc, Cloud A Computing Inc, and Departure Lounge Inc, provides a range of high-performance computing infrastructure and technology solutions designed to host, build, and monetize the Metaverse.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com