Immersive media provides wastewater experience in Denmark

The industrial symbiosis case study in Kalundborg IMX gives visitors an understanding of the extraordinary possibilities and wholesale necessity of circular economy approaches - where water and wastewater play a key role as a reusable resource in industry. It is the second of three European IMX installations, which form part of the EU-funded Ultimate project.

‘’[Visitors] can also enter an escape room, where the solutions to exit build on adding new industries and reducing water requested from the industry, as well as reducing wastewater.” Andrew Perkis, NTNU

Project partners Kalundborg Utility and the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway, worked with local stakeholders to design and implement the Danish installation. Two further design installations are taking place in Italy and the Netherlands.

“Immersive media is digital media that immerses the user in an interactive and realistic environment to provide a more complete and engaging experience,’’ said Andrew Perkis, the project lead at NTNU.

‘’Immersive media comes in different forms: virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and are all commonly referred to as extended reality (XR).” The Kalundborg IMX installation comprises a portable floor surface of six square meters, an AR infographics section and a map of a fictional city, highlighting industrial zones. Activities and actions that can recover and reuse water resources and improve water management are performed via gaming elements and infographics.

“Visitors can scan markers embedded in the floor highlighting water activities and will experience graphical information of the city in an interactive and engaging way,’’ said Perkis.

‘’They can also enter an escape room, where the solutions to exit build on adding new industries and reducing water requested from the industry, as well as reducing wastewater.”

Preben Thisgaard, the case study manager in the Kalundborg project says, “The goal of this installation is to showcase the results of the case study and give the player a deeper understanding of the dynamics of what can be achieved by a water smart industrial symbiosis. It is a new way to make the results of the project concrete.” In the Ultimate project, a team of European researchers and engineers from 11 countries are developing solutions to turn wastewater - which can be rich in energy and chemicals - into a resource. The aim is to create economic value and increase sustainability by giving value to resources within the water cycle.

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