Continuum: a project that comes at just the right time!

continuum project
Testimonial
Research

Arts et Métiers a partner in the Continuum project (Continuité collaborative du numérique vers l’humain), which has a budget of €13.6 million and brings together 37 research teams from across France. The aim is to create an infrastructure of 30 high-performance visualization and immersion platforms.

Arts et Métiers in the Continuum project thanks to its recognized expertise in virtual and immersive reality and its close ties to industry,” explains Frédéric Mérienne, director of the Institut Image. Continuum is an EquipEx+ project (more information) led by the CNRS as part of the 4th Future Investment Program (PIA4).

37 university teams

With a total budget of €13.6 million, the project aims to establish a collaborative research infrastructure comprising 30 platforms located throughout France to advance interdisciplinary research between the digital sciences and the humanities and social sciences. Through Continuum, 37 academic teams will conduct cutting-edge research focused on visualization, immersion, interaction, and collaboration, as well as on perception, cognition, and human behavior in mixed reality.
Officially launched in June 2021, Continuum is scheduled to run for eight years. The first phase is dedicated to optimizing equipment and networking. The second phase will focus on operations and commercialization.

The Lispen teams in Aix-en-Provence and Chalon-sur-Saône

“Continuum brings together numerous academic partners,” notes Frédéric Mérienne. “It will enable us to collaborate more closely. Continuum will facilitate thesharing of methods and tools for interacting with digital technologies and optimizing remote collaboration. This will promote interoperability between platforms. 
Arts et Métiers through the Lispen teamsArts et Métiers Aix-en-Provence and Chalon-sur-Saône. The allocated budget (€1.37 million) will be used primarily to acquire new virtual immersion equipment, sensory sensors, and sensory interfaces…

Management of the Transfer and Valorization Component

Three committees have been formed to organize the work within Continuum: the first manages scientific aspects (developing methods and tools to ensure digital continuity), the second handles technical matters (equipment management and procurement support), and the third—co-led by Arts et Métiers — Arts et Métiers the project’s transfer and promotion (responding to external requests, ensuring the project’s long-term viability, etc.).

A technological building block for ELF 4.0

“Continuum will contribute to the Evolutive Learning Factories .0,Arts et Métiers strategic projectArts et Métiers at establishing factories of the future on every campus(more information),” notes Frédéric Mérienne. “It complementsJENII, the hybrid training project for the industry of the future coordinated by Arts et Métiers more information), as it is more focused on technological aspects. It is therefore a project that comes at just the right time for the institution!”

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