Read the interview with Aimilia Bantouna and her winning proposal: Enhancing Telepresence: Real-Time Avatars in Tourism and culture (ANNETTE)
Aimilia Bantouna from WINGS ICT Solutions
ANNETTE brings together a focused consortium with two experienced Greek SMEs: WINGS ICT Solutions (https://www.wings-ict-solutions.eu) and DOTSOFT (http://www.dotsoft.gr). WINGS, established in 2012, serves as the Project Coordinator and applications provider. The company delivers complete integrated and intelligent digital solutions (software, hardware) and transformation for vertical business sectors. DOTSOFT, founded in 2004, serves as a beneficiary and applications provider. The companyis a rapidly growing ICT service and software development provider with a strong presence in the European market.
Both partners develop innovative digital products that enhance the visibility and accessibility of sites of cultural interest, promoting global engagement and outreach.
Can you give a brief overview of your winning proposal?
What are its key objectives and innovative aspects?
ΑΝΝΕTΤΕ validates SPIRIT capabilities through the integration and demonstration of two cutting-edge telepresence tourism and culture applications. WINGS will leverage on the wi.LIVE Culture platform which allows the 3D digitalisation of museums (indoor and outdoor areas, objects), the use of QR points for receiving further information about the exhibits, VR tours, and more.
DOTSOFT will contribute by implementing a compelling cultural use case centered around its Oracle Dodona virtual tour scenario. Both applications (wi.LIVE and Oracle Dodona) will be enhanced through SPIRIT’s advanced functionalities, including real-time animation and streaming of lifelike avatars, split rendering for dynamic load distribution between server and client, and server-side 3D reconstruction enabling seamless synchronisation of user perspectives with real-time animations.
These integrations will allow ANNETTE partners to provide their feedback on the SPIRIT components and support its objectives for multi-domain applications and collaborative telepresence systems, offering transformative potential for scalable applications across diverse sectors.
What motivated you to apply for the SPIRIT Open Call?
Applying for the SPIRIT Open Call provides ANNETTE partners the opportunity to validate and expand the capabilities of their products (wi.LIVE culture and Oracle Dodona) towards immersive reality experiences for their end-users.
Testing SPIRIT capabilities supports the development of components which are easy to integrate and interoperable across similar applications and products, bringing them closer to standardised practices and tools. From a scientific perspective, ANNETTE contributes valuable insights to the broader community by demonstrating practical applications of avatar-based interactions in distributed, multi-site environments. ANNETTE work will showcase the scalability, latency optimisation, and QoE assessment of immersive telepresence solutions, providing a robust use case for future research in collaborative technologies, virtual presence, and digital cultural heritage applications.
In return, using easy to integrate, tested and interoperable components for immersive reality experiences allows ANNETTE partners to enhance the capabilities of their products and reach the market with renewed portfolio more quickly.
How do you envision this project making an impact?
ANNETTE objectives support WINGS’s and DOTSOFT’s vision to enhance citizen engagement and accessibility to Greek culture and heritage through digital tools and to promote them with immersive reality experiences. Key motives and envisioned social impacts for this endeavour include:
a) Cultural heritage accessibility to a global audience, overcoming the barriers of geography, language and mobility;
b) Engaging the younger audience through redefining the way culture is presented and experienced;
c) Facilitating participation by diverse audiences, including people with physical disabilities or limited.
ANNETTE also provides the two companies with a significant competitive edge by enabling them to validate and deploy next-generation immersive communication solutions in real-world, multi-testbed environments. The ability to deliver high-fidelity, real-time telepresence solutions will position the companies as pioneers in digital culture innovation. The successful integration of SPIRIT platform capabilities will enhance our portfolio, expand our market presence, and attract new clients seeking advanced digital solutions.