2 October 2 2023 – As part of the Think XR project, an event was organized on Tuesday, September 26, at the Noordung Center in Vitanje, where they established the national XR and Web4.0 partnership for the development of digital competencies. On this occasion, the Noordung Center introduced the 3D avatar of Herman Potočnik Noordung, supported by artificial intelligence, which addressed the audience, moderated parts of the event, and also answered questions from the participants. On this occasion, he also expressed gratitude to Luka Slapnik and Žiga Gobec, young artificial intelligence experts from Slovenske Konjice, who developed him under the mentorship of Aleš Pevc from the Technology Park Ljubljana.
Neža Pavlič Brečko, the director of the Noordung Center, welcomed the participants and announced that the digital avatar of Herman Potočnik Noordung would now be hosted at the center and would answer questions from visitors regarding space technology development. In the introductory part, Jasmina Mihelak Zupančič, the director of the School Center Slovenske Konjice Zreče, Dr. Jože Guna from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana, and Aleš Pevc from the Technology Park Ljubljana highlighted the activities of the Think XR project and presented the latest trends in the use of XR technologies in education and industry.
Establishment of a national XR and Web4.0 partnership for the development of digital competencies. © Think XR Project Partners
Anja Blaj, the President of Blockchain Think Tank Slovenia and a political advisor at Crypto Initiative Europe, presented the European Commission’s strategy in the field of Web4.0 and digital worlds. Following that, Tadej Slapnik from Hashnet introduced the main motivations for establishing the national partnership and the content of the memorandum that justifies its establishment. He emphasized that the primary goal of the partnership is to collaboratively shape a national XR strategy, through which partnership members will join forces to develop digital competencies in Slovenia. In the subsequent discussion, many participants expressed their support for the establishment of the partnership and shared their views and ideas for future activities.
Establishment of a national XR and Web4.0 partnership for the development of digital competencies. © Think XR Project Partners
The Think XR project, financially supported through the Norway Grants (Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship programme) since July 1, 2022, represents an exceptional opportunity to enhance digital competencies and education in the field of Virtual and Augmented Reality (XR) technologies. The project is led by the School Center Slovenske Konjice-Zreče, in collaboration with the Technology Park Ljubljana, the University of Ljubljana, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the University of Primorska, the Faculty of Management, Hashnet d.o.o. company, Unior Forging Industry, and Norwegian partners from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Together, they have combined their strengths and expertise to create a future built on XR technologies.
As part of the Think XR project, project partners have established a multidisciplinary team of experts to guide project activities. They conducted an analysis of the current state, needs, and trends in education and the economy. This analysis serves as a foundation for the development of new processes and program modules for education that will incorporate XR technologies. Within the Think XR project, demonstration centers for XR technologies have been established both in Slovenske Konjice and Ljubljana, equipped with state-of-the-art XR technology. Additionally, a 100-hour XR Academy program has been designed to enable teachers and mentors to acquire the necessary knowledge for teaching XR technologies. In the coming months, the project is preparing to implement the first pilot XR content for students, allowing them to gain new knowledge through modern XR technologies.
Establishment of a national XR and Web4.0 partnership for the development of digital competencies. © Think XR Project Partners
The Think XR project connects experts, educational institutions, mentors, companies, organizations, and leading experts in the field of Virtual and Augmented Reality (XR technologies) into an XR partnership for the development of digital competencies. The Think XR project is a step forward towards a digital future that will enrich our society and economy. Project partners express their gratitude to all partners and interested parties who enable the realization of this vision by signing the memorandum and joining the XR partnership.
Source: TP LJ