Animazoo and The University of Sussex receive Technology Strategy Board Creative Industry Award for Research and Development 

Animazoo Ltd, leaders in whole body motion capture systems, and the University of Sussex have been awarded substantial Research and Development funding by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) under its competitive programme for Application of Digital Technology in Creative Industries. The partners will collaborate to produce an upper body motion capture system priced at a level attractive for domestic use in on-line gaming and animation as well as opening up business applications such as advertising, theme parks and internet shopping.

Work will commence immediately on this exciting new project during which will utilise both Animazoos’ market leading motion capture design and development expertise and the university’s advanced academic knowledge to research software aspects of the project, produce the Software Developers’ Kit for the final product and assist in identifying market opportunities within which the product may be applied.

Ali Kord, CEO at Animazoo expands; “It has always been our long-term goal at Animazoo to transfer the experience we’ve gained in high-end motion capture projects into an affordable, mass-market product and this partnership will make that a reality. We will extend our already strong links with the University and with a combination of our industry expertise and their solid track record in applying research we will produce a unique and world-class product”.

The project was funded out of a £10m programme to support R&D within the creative industries launched earlier this year by the Technology Strategy Board. The programme attracted over 130 initial proposals, the eMove – Personal Motion Sensing System was judged by the Technology Strategy Board’s panel of independent assessors to be innovative and offer significant market potential.

Michael Wylde, the university’s Business Development Manager continues, "The University of Sussex attaches great importance to its links with business, and we are delighted to be working with such a pioneering company as Animazoo on this exciting project."

Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90's. Based in Brighton, the company is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy motion capture product range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic IGS-190. It is the market leader in its field and focuses on developing cutting edge motion capture systems that offer unparalleled portability, accuracy and ease of operation. Animazoo products are used for character animation throughout the games industry, for live to air television broadcasts, live performance animation and in both commercial and educational ergonomic design fields.

For further information about Animazoo visit: http://www.animazoo.com/ or call +44 (0) 1273 417440.

The University of Sussex was the first of the new wave of universities founded in the 1960s, receiving its Royal Charter in August 1961. Forty years on, the university has become a leading teaching and research institution with an international reputation for its innovative styles of teaching and for the quality and range of its research work. It has academic links with every continent, with 2,300 international students and teaching/research staff from over 120 nations. Additionally, many Sussex undergraduates spend a year of their degree outside the UK.

For further information about the University of Sussex please visit: http://www.sussex.ac.uk, email business@sussex.ac.uk or call +44 1273 877800.

The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the government. Its role is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

For further information about the Technology Strategy Board visit: http://www.innovateuk.org