DNP to Commence Collaborative Project with Ars Electronica on Future XR Communication Business

Tokyo, September 3, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) is pleased to announce the commencement of a collaborative project with Ars Electronica Futurelab, the R&D division of Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG (Ars Electronica), a global creative organization based in Linz, Austria, designed to create new services based on the theme of The Future of DNP's XR Communication Business1. 

The new initiative will incorporate Art Thinking 2, explore Extended Reality (XR) technology-driven business models, and develop services that provide new value. As a first step, the partners will host a program to share opinions about the society of the future with visitors and experts at the Ars Electronica Festival 2024, a media art festival to be held in Linz in September 2024. The two parties will develop XR communication-related prototypes based on the social perspectives gathered through this program.

Key visual for the project ©Kerstin Blätterbinder

Key visual for Ars Electronica Festival 2024 ©Ars Electronica

Ars Electronica Futurelab

Ars Electronica is a global creative institute based in Linz, Austria that has been active for over 40 years. Established in 1996 as the institute's R&D department, Ars Electronica Futurelab brings together an international, interdisciplinary team of artists and scientists researching the future.

Ars Electronica Futurelab conducts a wide range of cutting-edge research in areas such as AI, robotics, architecture, interactive technology, and new aesthetics, makes the results accessible, and works to deepen discussion about the social meaning and impact of their research.

Ars Electronica Festival 2024

The Ars Electronica Festival is a global media art festival that began as an electronic music festival in 1979. In 2023, approximately 90,000 people visited the festival. As a meeting point connecting art, technology, and society, participants from all over the world gather every year to hold exhibitions, conferences, and performances. This year, the festival will be held in Linz from September 4 to 8 and will be dedicated to the title “HOPE – who will turn the tide”.  

DNP Exhibits

DNP will host an Open Research Program from September 4 to 7. Participants will be able to experience demonstrations of XR technology services developed by DNP, exchange opinions, and consider the value that the ever-evolving XR technology brings to communication and knowledge sharing that transcends space and time. 

In addition, on September 5th, DNP participate in a panel discussion with experts to consider the current state and future potential of XR technology, focusing on its impact on industry and society.

Program contents and session date	1. Open Research Program   NeXus Open Research:scenario-based design with XR: September 4, 6, and 7, 2024, 10:00-12:00 2. Panel Discussion  NeXus Forum:Towards Future-oriented XR: September 5　10:30-11:30
Venue	POSTCITY, Linz, Austria
URL	https://ars.electronica.art/hope/en/

Going Forward

Through this collaborative with Ars Electronica Futurelab, DNP envisions a future in which XR technology-driven communication will be a must have presence for consumers. We will develop services from a global perspective, taking into account the impact XR technology will have on industry and society.

1: DNP’s XR Communication Business: DNP has been developing an XR communication business since 2021 to create new experiences and economic spheres where people of all ages, genders and languages can move freely between the real and virtual worlds. We offer help for Metaverse-driven educational support and the revitalization of regional communities, and leverage virtual space to support the digital transformation (DX) of counter services and the improvement of administrative services at "Metaverse government offices." 

For further information about our XR communication business, please visit: https://www.dnp.co.jp/biz/products/maintag/xr.html (in Japanese only)

And, for adoption examples, please visit: https://hacosco.com/xr/ (in Japanese only)

2: Art thinking: A unique cognitive activity that focuses on the creativity of artists to be used by companies in their own innovation activities, and is used by artists in the process of creating art.

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*The content of this report is current as of the date of publication. It may be changed at any time without notice.