Member Article

Half a million investment at Huddersfield's communication centre

Huddersfield’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC) has invested over half a million pounds in audio visual technology that will help local businesses connect with the rest of the world.

The high-tech hub offers meeting and conference space to all businesses, not just tenants of the centre.

The investment will bring touch screen monitors to the building, as well as the Barco ClickShare system which allows several participants to wirelessly share content from their laptops and other mobile devices to the rooms’ high definition (HD) screens.

Businesses with overseas contacts, can benefit from the three-camera ‘telepresence’ technology which makes parties feel as though they are in the same room.

For larger events, the presentation and exhibition spaces offer full HD projection systems, complete with a three metre wide screen.

The smaller, more informal rooms, come with video conferencing systems. The 3M Room, in particular, boasts comfortable chairs, whiteboard walls that are perfect for brainstorming, and an interactive graffiti wall for creative design.

Technology director at the 3M BIC, Dr Michael Wilson, said: “The TelePresence system in the Board Room is unique as the height of the screens gives the impression of everyone being in the same room. It also allows simultaneous speech, which normal video conferencing usually can’t cope with.

“This is ideal if you are speaking to overseas associates and the line needs to be clear due to the language barrier. The system can also communicate with laptops, smart phones and tablets, so the recipient doesn’t necessarily need the same technology at their end.

“Our newly installed AV facilities complement the technology on our Innovation Avenue, which houses revolutionary equipment for the manufacturing and engineering sectors, including our recent addition, the 3D printer.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .