LONDON: Oxford Metrics plc, the international software company servicing government, life sciences, entertainment and engineering markets, has announce that Vicon, a world leader in motion measurement, has agreed a strategic partnership with Sandbox VR targeting the fast-growing Location-based Virtual Reality (LBVR) market.

Sandbox VR is a market leader in Location-based Virtual Reality (LBVR) with a total of seven active locations. Their latest and most ambitious experience, Amber Sky 2088, will be powered by Vicon Evoke, part of Vicon’s unique LBVR offering – Vicon Origin, a statement issued to London Stock Exchange (LSE) noted.

As part of the partnership, Sandbox has initially purchased a total of five systems from Vicon. Two of these will be used at Sandbox’s existing locations in Hong Kong, upgrading their current solution. As Sandbox continues to expand into new locations there is significant opportunity to scale the partnership over time.

“As part of our strategy for Vicon, we want to make targeted investments to extend our capability into adjacent markets. LBVR is one of those new, fast-growing markets – experiences are launching all over the world and Sandbox VR are at the vanguard of this movement. We’re proud to have signed this agreement. It is an exciting opportunity for two market leaders to partner together and shape the future of VR entertainment.” said Nick Bolton, CEO of Oxford Metrics.

LBVR is an emerging form of entertainment where participants share collective VR experiences in a specific location, such as a shopping mall, cinema, theme-park or museum. In these experiences, users are free to walk and play within a virtual world and interact with each other. Vicon’s solution tracks the movement of users with greater accuracy, fidelity and volume than ever before, ensuring a fully immersive experience where multiple users can simultaneously appear as characters in the LBVR environment.

Steve Zhao, CEO of Sandbox VR, said, “We are hoping to open 40 experience rooms across 12 new locations around the world. To support that expansion, we needed more than just a motion capture vendor, we needed a partner that can work closely with our product team. Vicon’s system is accurate, scalable and flexible – but most importantly, the team are able to work with us to tailor each experience as we continue to grow. We are creating some of the most advanced VR experiences on the planet and we need a partner developing cutting edge technology if we are to stay ahead.”