Real-time interaction made possible by low-latency technology enables artists, educators, and cultural professionals to connect and work together seamlessly over distances.
The ANSEL project is Bridging Distances in the Northern Regions
Imagine watching a lightning storm. You see the flash of lightning instantly, but the sound of thunder comes a bit later. This is because light travels faster than sound. Similarly, in network connections, there is often a delay, or latency, between sending and receiving information. The ANSEL project, “Access the North with the Speed of Light,” aims to minimize this delay, ensuring that cultural experiences and educational opportunities are delivered instantly, just like seeing lightning and hearing thunder at the same time.
Funded by Interreg Aurora, the ANSEL project addresses the challenges of long distances and limited resources in the sparsely populated northern regions. By leveraging low-latency technology that uses regular broadband connections, supercharging them to be much faster than the average internet, ANSEL ensures that interactions happen in real-time, making it possible for artists, educators, and cultural professionals to connect and work together seamlessly across borders. This reduction in latency opens new possibilities for producing, developing, learning and teaching about culture.
Innovative Technologies: Enhancing Creativity and Accessibility, Practical Applications in Virtual Reality, Music Education, and Game Development
In January, the ANSEL project consortium gathered at Riksteatern in Stockholm to explore the possibilities offered by the latest technology. Through practical examples, we delved into how these advancements can be applied to our project. The meeting also served as a coordination point for the 2025 demonstrations.
The ANSEL project consortium gathered for a group photo.
During the event, we discussed various innovative examples, including the play Three rooms and The Canterville Ghost production. The play Three rooms in the Innovative rooms project demonstrated how virtual reality can create collaborative spaces for artists and educators, enabling them to work together as if they were in the same room, despite being miles apart. The Canterville Ghost production showcased how augmented reality can be used to create immersive storytelling experiences, incorporating physical sign language to enhance accessibility for audiences and offering theater professionals innovative ways to produce inclusive and engaging performances, allowing users to interact with narratives in real-time.
Additionally, we explored other examples of low-latency technology in cultural . In music education, low-latency networks have enabled real-time remote lessons and performances, reducing the need for travel, and making high-quality education accessible to students in remote areas. For example, a cello teacher from Stockholms Musikpedagogiska Institut (SMI) has for several years been instructing students at Ålands Musikinstitut (ÅMI) at Mariehamn situated in the middle of the sea between Finland and Sweden. By using the high-fidelity fiber technology of Nimbra with an extremely low latency makes seamless interaction between the teacher and the student possible. (Leijonhufvud & Thorgersen 2023; Ylva teaching 2022 WAF NCDP.)
During the January workshop, participants engaged in enthusiastic discussions about the potential of low-latency technology in game development. We shared how the gaming industry has been creating more immersive and responsive experiences, particularly in VR, as seen in titles like “Lone-Echo” and “Beat Saber.” The workshop also focused on integrating music into game development using low-latency technology. Participants brainstormed ideas on how to use real-time collaboration tools to compose and implement soundtracks for games during the development phase. Composers and developers could work together from different locations to create dynamic and interactive music that responds to gameplay in real-time without noticeable delays. This approach not only enhances the gaming experience but also opens new creative possibilities for game design and music composition.
This raised the question of how low-latency technology can benefit the development process itself. As games commonly require significant amounts of relatively fast interactions, and latency has a high impact on gameplay. (K. Raaen and T.-M. Grønli, “Latency Thresholds for Usability in Games: A Survey”, NIKT, Oct. 2014) Therefore, understanding how low-latency technology can improve the development process is crucial.
Following the workshop, all the discussions and ideations inspired an exploration of how we should move forward while preparing for the upcoming demos in 2025. We are deepening our discussions with gaming industry representatives and gathering updated insights about challenges and bottlenecks, such as those in motion capture. Additionally, we are excited to explore the potential of using a role-playing scenario as one of our demo’s creative narratives in the collaborative effort to crystallize how this technology creates value in game development. A key aspect of our continued development goals is to create dialogue and get feedback from game developers and creative artists.
Future Steps: Connecting Creators and Learners Across Borders
Overall, the workshop sparked enthusiastic discussions and an exchange of ideas, which we are now set to bring to life step by step through demos and pilot projects. Our goal is to connect creators and learners across Finland, Sweden, and Norway, breaking down geographical barriers and fostering cross-border collaboration.
By implementing these technologies and pilot projects, the ANSEL project aims to create a seamless and immersive experience for cultural and educational exchanges. This will not only enhance access to cultural resources but also foster a sense of community and collaboration across the northern regions.
Would you like to learn more about ANSEL? Contact us!
Finland:
Centria University of Applied Sciences
Project Manager Taina Tossavainen.
Sweden:
Riksteatern – hela Sveriges scen | Riksteatern
Project coordinator Ann-Cathrine Fröjdö
ann-cathrine.frojdo@riksteatern.se
Project coordinator Andreas Brännlund
andreas.brannlund@sundsvall.se
Norway:
UiT The Arctic University of Norway | UiT
Project coordinator Geir Davidsen
