The University of Newcastle (UON), Ourimbah Campus, will host I2N’s 2018 Ideas Collider in September.
Ideas Collider is an event that provides participants with the opportunity to work with diverse teams, build communication, problem-solving and presentation skills, in a fun and judgement free environment, all in the pursuit of improving the world through technology.
The event is aimed at students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, researchers and tech-savvy community members, who are split into mixed teams of three to five people.
Teams are then given a grand challenge field and tasked with creating a revolutionary product or service from within that field, in just 50 minutes.
Teams then pitch it to the audience and a panel of expert judges, to win prizes.
The Ourimbah event’s grand challenge field is Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR).
“Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) related items are on the precipice of rapid global expansion, and are projected to increase by at least 100 per cent over the next four years,” said I2N Coordinator, Richard Berry.
“As hardware developers make AR and VR headsets more affordable and user-friendly, start-ups are developing new use cases far beyond gaming
“They are applying AR and VR to everything from marketing and advertising to medicine and healthcare, to even space exploration and military training.
“Further, the potential for this technology to help us understand and transform ourselves and the world around us is limitless.
“VR/AR can connect us, and through education via immersive experiences, creates awareness, and can lead the world to act on global issues,” he added.
Ideas Collider will take place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm on Wednesday, September 12.
Source: Media release, Aug 30 UON Media
More details at the UON website