BOW, a universal robotics software company, and XPLOR, the world’s first Live Events research, development, and innovation centre based at Wakefield’s Production Park, have announced a new partnership aimed at integrating advanced robotics into the film, television, and live events industries.
This collaboration seeks to accelerate robotics research and development in the creative sectors, addressing emerging use cases, improving efficiency, and reducing the cost of robotics for production sets. BOW’s robot-agnostic software development kit (SDK) enables the seamless integration of various robotic systems, ensuring smooth operation across different platforms.
The UK is Europe’s largest hub for film and television production, second only to the US globally. In 2022, the creative industries contributed approximately £125 billion to the UK economy, supporting over 2 million jobs. Although the potential for robotics in film and television production is vast, it has largely remained untapped due to the complexities and high costs associated with programming robots.
Initial research projects will focus on programming robotic arms in XPLOR’s virtual production studio, using BOW to deploy robotic solutions in challenging live-action environments, developing automated tracking systems, and integrating robotics into live performances at Production Park.
Current robotics applications in live events and entertainment are limited by the inability of robots to serve multiple purposes across different tasks. BOW overcomes this by converting a variety of robot specifications into a unified driver, enabling real-time simulation and reusing control algorithms across platforms. This approach simplifies complex processes such as motion planning and inverse kinematics, allowing developers to focus on exploring new applications in film, TV, and live events.
“BOW’s partnership with XPLOR will push the boundaries of what is possible in the creative industries through robotics. BOW will serve as a technical backbone, empowering XPLOR to integrate robotics seamlessly into live events and scripted productions, from the biggest film and television productions to star-studded live event performances,” said Nick Thompson, CEO of BOW. “Our technology will not only enable the development of innovative new applications, it will also streamline operations – enhancing efficiency and reducing the cost of deploying robotics on set.”
Phil Adlam, CTO of Production Park, and Head of XPLOR said: “Our partnership with BOW is a transformative step in the evolution of live event and content production. By integrating BOW’s state-of-the-art robotics platform into our operations, we are empowering our team and creative partners to explore newfound possibilities, redefining what can be achieved both on stage and on screen. This collaboration positions us at the forefront of innovation, and as we embark on new R&D projects together, we are excited to share ground breaking use cases for robotics that will shape the future of the creative industries.”
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