Mobius

Project Description

With a total market value estimated at EUR 38 billion, Europe’s book publishing sector is one of the largest in the world. With more than half a million titles published annually in Europe, it is now time for the book sector to reconsider its traditional value chains and business models. It is time to harness the power of prosumers (content producers and consumers). The EU-funded Mobius project will develop new tools to help leverage the potential of prosumers in innovation processes. Specifically, the project will deliver a prosumer intelligence toolkit and new business models enabling fair cooperation. It will also develop cross-media, interactive and immersive book experiences.

More specifically, Mobius will create:

• Möbius book experience: an immersive and interactive book experience through the Möbius Player, using binaural reproduction. Individual users will be able to use the Möbius app for immersive reading (text+ binaural audio) and enjoying the social interaction features;
• Möbius book art installation: A fixed immersive installation showing an immersive experience of about 15 minutes each will be produced by experienced immersive artists trained in the Gianfranco Iannuzzi school and experienced in visualisation of book stories (e.g., Lewis Carrol Alice in Wonderland, and Italo Calvino Invisible Cities).
• Möbius Immersive Book Box (MIBB): a portable immersive installation designed to be easily transported. Möbius will design and construct a projection space with a 4m x 4m x 3m box which can be used by 4 to 5 people at a time. The walls will be transparent tissue screens such that projections can come from the outside and a 3D audio installation is to be adapted for allowing immersive experience. The audio system is designed for the playback of immersive audio signals within the 7.1.4-format (7.1-surround with 4 additional heightspeakers), which is also used by various streaming-services and Blu-ray-discs. The MIBB will be used to experiment with 5G technologies and create use cases related to immersive and interactive book experiences.