The University of Southern California (USC) and Nokia Research
Center (NRC) Hollywood announced a research collaboration
framework agreement that centers on advanced mobile user experiences.
The umbrella framework agreement allows Nokia and USC to work together
on multiple projects in a variety of areas and will streamline the
process for commercializing USC inventions.
Nokia Research Center Hollywood, announced in November 2008, will
focus on long-term research activities to further strengthen Nokia’s
leadership position in the convergence of Internet and mobility.
Building on NRC’s history of successful collaborations with leading
universities, this new lab will further leverage the creative talent
and experience in the media, entertainment, and new technology
companies in the region. USC is the first university to enter into a
collaborative research agreement with NRC Hollywood. The USC Stevens
Institute for Innovation facilitated the licensing transaction.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
The first project under this agreement with USC will focus on the
advancement of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality (AR) supplements a
user’s view of the real world with three-dimensional computer graphic
objects, providing a real-time, interactive and intuitive means of
accessing and displaying spatial information. Where virtual reality
immerses a user completely in an artificial world, augmented reality
lets that user go about normal life, seeing the real world with
additional information superimposed on it. For example, a tourist might
be visiting a street in London and could see information about a pub
they are walking by, or what’s on sale inside the store across the
street.
AR is a key technology in enabling advanced mobile user
applications. In this initial project, USC and Nokia will focus on new
vision-based AR tracking and content recognition techniques, adapted
for use on mobile platforms.
“While there is no limit on future applications for augmented
reality experiences on mobile devices, the enabling technologies behind
complex augmented reality are still in the research stages. It’s a
great opportunity to work with visionary companies like Nokia that are
investing in breakthrough research in visual recognition techniques for
use on mobile devices,” said Ulrich Neumann, professor in the Computer
Science Department in the Viterbi School of Engineering at the
University of Southern California. “It’s exciting to work with Nokia as
part of their commitment to advancing the science of interactive media.”
“USC’s history of excellence and expertise in science, engineering
and the arts will greatly help Nokia in rapidly innovating advanced
mobile user experiences,” said Rebecca Allen, laboratory director,
Nokia Research Center Hollywood. “We are pleased to further NRC’s
heritage of open innovation by working on research projects in
collaboration with universities and research institutes around the
world such as USC.”
“Our goal at USC is to advance the cutting-edge ideas generated in
our academic environment and move them out to market, where those ideas
can create a tangible impact on the way we live, work and play,” said
Joe Koepnick, Senior Director for Innovation Advancement and Business
Development for USC Stevens Institute for Innovation. “In recognized
world leader Nokia, we found a partner poised to help us meet this
goal, by advancing the breakthrough research conducted at USC to make a
dramatic difference in people’s lives.”