amBX/Carnegie Mellon University deal
"Ambient experiences" tech incorporated into Starship Bridge project.
GDC, San Francisco – amBX UK Ltd. today announced that it has partnered with the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.
amBX delivers full ‘sensory surround’ entertainment experiences by enabling content creators to add real world effects using light, color, rumble and even air flow, through licensed amBX devices, to the virtual worlds of computers, games, music, movies, TV and multimedia entertainment.
The amBX partnership at Carnegie Mellon University will see the award-winning ‘ambient experiences’ technology incorporated into a lighting system for creative and interactive control of surround lighting fixtures on their fifth floor ‘Starship Bridge’ in the ETC, a project space dedicated to exploring new technologies for location-based entertainment for the world-class entertainment graduate program.
The ETC Starship Bridge features over 20 RGB LED Fixtures which are controlled over DMX using amBX to generate automated lighting effects from content created by the students and is also set up to allow students to create custom game and simulation activities using the recently released amBX developer kit at http://developer.ambx.com. amBX is also now being used by lighting professionals to control LED lighting installations and connect lighting to video and sound over DMX. More information can be found at http://pro.ambx.com.
“amBX and the ETC share a common vision for the development of immersive experiences for entertainment and gaming applications using lighting and ambient scene control,” commented Jo Cooke at amBX. “This opportunity places state-of-the-art amBX technology in the hands of entertainment creators of the future and redefines the way entertainment is experienced. We’re really pleased to be able to work with such a prominent institution as ETC to develop the capabilities and application of amBX technology.”
Students are also being provided with Premium amBX PC Gaming Peripherals Kits to experiment adding immersive effects in their gaming and interactive entertainment technology projects.
"The ETC has been dedicated from its beginnings to finding and incorporating the latest technologies into entertainment, education, and experiential applications,” added Don Marinelli, Head of ETC at Carnegie Mellon University. “The amBX technology is a leap in this regard, and the Carnegie Mellon ETC is honored to be one of the premiere test sites for this technology."
amBX has already licensed the technology to many content developers and publishers in the gaming sector and the sponsorship of Carnegie Mellon University highlights the ongoing commitment of amBX investing in the future of world class game development talent.
amBX will be on stand 6414 in the North Hall at GDC ‘09, San Francisco, running the amBX SDK alongside developer tutorials demonstrating how to incorporate amBX effects into games, whilst showcasing real-time effects. To speak to the amBX team at GDC please email gdc@ambx.com.
The Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon can be found at 700 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. More information can be found at www.etc.cmu.edu.