The OPTIMAI project held its third – and first-ever hybrid – plenary meeting on July 21st & 22nd, 2022.
Due to previous COVID-19 travel restrictions, it was the first time the entire consortium had the opportunity to meet in person. The event was hosted by our partner FORTH in their beautiful Institute of Computer Science (ICS) building in Heraklion, Crete.
Twenty people attended the plenary meeting physically with the remaining consortium members joining online from all around Europe. Members of the Ethics Board were also present physically and remotely. The event began with a warm welcome from the FORTH team members and an introductory piece delivered by Project Coordinator, Dr. Nikolaos Dimitriou of CERTH.
Both days saw attendees reflect on the first 18 months of OPTIMAI, with the project now past its halfway point. Partners presented various developments, insights and challenges within their respective work packages. Topics of note included detailed explanations about the integration of OPTIMAI technologies at each individual pilot site, and the navigation of the legal and ethical requirements for the use of Artificial Intelligence in the manufacturing sector and the workplace.
Physically and virtually, partners were able to witness for the first time the Augmented Reality (AR) glasses innovated by Youbiquo during a technology showcase. During this display, Dr. Nikolaos Dimitriou wore the AR glasses, experiencing its simulation and virtualisation solutions, while Antonio Zanesco (Youbiquo) and George Margetis (FORTH) described the hardware and software powering the intelligent glasses. A video of this showcase will be available to view on our YouTube channel soon.
The meeting ended with a reflective and progressive open forum discussion which outlined a clear path and action points for the project to target in the coming months.
Partners were very grateful to have had the opportunity to finally meet in person and look forward to more upcoming hybrid event activities. Photos taken during the plenary meeting are available to view below.
Thank you to FORTH for hosting the consortium and for their great hospitality throughout the entire event!
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ICS-FORTH headquarters in Heraklion, Crete, where the plenary meeting was hosted.
Images from the AR Glasses technology showcase.
Image 1, from left to right: Antonio Zanesco (Youbiquo), Nikolaos Dimitriou (CERTH), and Giovanni Mannara (Youbiquo).
Image 2, from left to right: Nikolaos Dimitriou (CERTH), Giovanni Mannara (Youbiquo), Despoina Gavgiolaki (FORTH), and George Margetis (FORTH).
Impressive views from the ICS-FORTH headquarters building.
Some of the consortium members on Day 1 of the hybrid event.