Asier Marzo (Public University of Navarre) has obtained an ERC Starting Grant 2021. His project InteVol (Interactions with Future Reach-Through Volumetric Displays) will produce the first volumetric display that supports direct interaction.

Since Asier was a little kid, he loved computers; he was really into videogames and programming but he also spent a big amount of time playing with electronics, lasers, magnets… He studied computer science at the Public University of Navarre (Upna). Then, he worked as a software developer and as a videogames teacher, and after all of that, he started a PhD at Upna. The initial topic was serious games for education, but he moved into augmented reality and ended up doing acoustic levitation. During his postdoc at the Bristol University Department of Mechanical Engineering, he reconnected with his childhood interest in physical experiments. Afterwards, he moved back to the Upna. He has also contributed to the creation of a MakerSpace and a Virtual Reality Classroom, which will shape the future of Upna.

Which are the main objectives of InteVol?

InteVol will produce the first volumetric display that supports direct interaction. That is, 3D graphics will be rendered in mid-air, and people will be able to see them from different angles without having to wear glasses or helmets; these graphics will provide all the visual clues that we get from real-world objects such as focus accommodation or binocular disparity. The novel aspect comes from how we will interact with these graphics. Instead of doing it indirectly, e.g., with a mouse, we will directly reach with our hand into those objects to grasp them and manipulate them in a natural and intuitive way.

The main part of the project is the technologies that will be combined to realize Intevol, namely acoustic levitation, tomographic illumination, particle tracking and microfabrication. Other important aspects are the creation of novel interaction techniques and demonstrator applications. For example, we imagine people just tracing in mid-air, then, an AI system will recognize the traces and beautify them into interactive 3D objects. It should be a novel tool to share and discuss ideas in a completely revolutionary way.

Why did you decide to carry out your research at the Public University of Navarre?

The Public University of Navarre (Upna) is the university where I studied my undergrad, and where I struggled to do good research before I moved to the UK. Now, I can come back to raise its level and help the next generation of teachers and researchers in computer science. 

The benefits of working here are that there is plenty of room to grow and that the students of Upna are equally talented as those from the UK or USA. The drawback is that it is a small university, with many parts that should be modernized. Yet, the biggest issue is that there is no research culture, and students are unaware of the possibility to do research or have a negative opinion about it. It is not easy to change that and takes some time but I think we are doing a good job.

How do you expect this grant will affect your professional career?

In theory, it should help me to get stabilised as an excellent researcher in the field of 3D displays and interaction. I am proud of having obtained the grant coming from a humble institution and with no mentor that took me under his/her wing. Now comes the difficult part, it is not about my excellence but about making a team that does amazing and impactful research.

I do not know how I see myself in 5 years. Perhaps retired? just kidding. All that I can see is that the achievements will come as a team. I imagine our first submission of a work that we are proud of with a cool video, cool physics, super novel, ground-breaking long-term applications… we celebrate it with pizza and beer.

Are you planning to open research positions at your group?

At least for 2 PhDs and 2 Postdocs, I will try to pay them as well as my university allows. I am mainly looking for Computer Scientists since programming is the most useful skill and the hardest to get. It would be nice if they have knowledge of 3D graphics, electronics, physics or human-computer interaction. I am also open to more physics-oriented degrees as well as psychologists who have an interest in evaluating novel technologies. I am also particularly interested in computer scientists since we desperately need teachers at the CS department since everyone goes to a company and nobody wants to stay at uni. These PhDs/postdocs can be the future of the computer science department, that is why I want to hire the best in terms of skills, passion and values.

Are you planning any collaborations?

Sure, I have colleagues at Bristol University, University Colleague London and Swansea University. Every two months or so I connect with them to talk about cool research that we are planning to conduct. Sometimes we “click” and decide to work together on a project. I also have collaborators in France, Brazil, the USA and other countries. It is also vital for PhD students to do internships on different groups.

Where can we learn more about you and your project?

Group’s website: https://upnalab.com/

Twitter: @AsierMarzo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/asiermarzo

We will dedicate a significant part of our research time to making the results of InteVol open to everyone.

Selected publications

Holographic acoustic elements for manipulation of levitated objects, Asier Marzo, Sue Ann Seah, Bruce W Drinkwater, et. al. Nature Communications (2015)

Holographic acoustic tweezers, Asier Marzo, Bruce W Drinkwate, PNAS (2019)

During the following weeks, we will be presenting those researchers working at Spanish institutions that have obtained an ERC Starting or Consolidator Grant 2021 and their projects. You can check their profiles HERE.