Time to Concept Chair: Accelerating Innovation with Immersive Technologies

Time to Concept Arts et Métiers Chair

Arts et Métiers with its Laval Institute, launched the "Time to Concept" Chair in February 2018, which aims to increase the competitiveness of companies by making the most of emerging technologies. The Chair is supported by the "Presence & Innovation" research team at LAMPA, the Arts et Métiers research laboratory.

Scientific officer

The scientific activity of the chair focuses on three key areas:

  • The organizational axis. It aims to study the determinants of co-design activities, particularly the impact of physical and virtual environments.
  • The human axis. This involves assessing the acceptability and adoption of immersive technologies. It helps determine the components of the user experience and the characteristics of immersive virtual environments suited to design situations.
  • The technological axis. It enables the identification of barriers to the use of immersive technologies for innovation. It characterizes the algorithms that enable the use of immersive technologies for innovation. 

Objectives

In this context, five objectives are targeted:

  • analyze the links between the characteristics of physical and virtual locations and the performance of design and training activities
  • create a software platform for collaborative design
  • study and recommend the use of each technological building block designed or identified 
  • design algorithms and software components for instrumented innovation
  • transfer results from the Chair to industry to accelerate innovation

Launched with the company Mann+Hummel, a leading automotive equipment manufacturer, this Chair marks a rapprochement between the industrial world and the academic and scientific world. The work carried out within the framework of the Chair is intended to be applied to various industrial sectors. Therefore, the integration of new partners remains possible.

PARTNERS

Clarté, Arts et Métiers Foundation,Caisse des Dépôts Group, Mann+Hummel,EMC2 Cluster, ID4car Cluster, General Secretariat for Investment

Contacts

Simon RICHIR
Holder of the Time to Concept Chair

Laval Institute Arts et Métiers Laval Virtual Center

Tel. 02 43 49 75 80 / Email: simon.richir@ensam.eu 
 

Sylvain FLEURY
Coordinator of the Time to Concept Chair

Laval Institute Arts et Métiers Laval Virtual Center
Tel. +33 (0)7 78 25 88 87 / Email: sylvain.fleury@ensam.eu 

Latest news

Starting in September 2026, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Metz will offer a new Bachelor's degree in Science and Technology, specializing in Materials and Energy, which will be accessible directly after high school graduation.

News, Training

12 Arts et Métiers Specialized Master’s® programs Arts et Métiers ranked in 9 different fields at the national level in the EDUNIVERSAL EEA Ranking of the Best Specialized Master’s Programs 2026!

News, Training

On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at its Paris campus, Arts et Métiers the signing of a sponsorship agreement with Eiffage Énergie Systèmes, a major player in the

News, Company

The partnership between the institute and Orange aims to develop augmented reality remote collaboration tools for the maintenance of communication systems in industrial settings.

News, Company, Research