MAID - Multimedia Assets for Industrial Design

MAID is a 3 year project funded by the Information Engineering Division of the European Commission which started on 1 January 1996 and involves a large number of European partners, including Centre for International Technology and Education - CITE (UK), European Design Centre (NL), University of Bradford Electronic Imaging and Media Communications (UK), Philips Interactive Media Centre (B), Expertise Centre of Digital Media (B), Stichting Centre for International Technology, University of Art and Design (FIN), Wyt Uitgeefgroup (B), Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen (G), Centro de Laboratorios Servicios Industriales de Madrid (S), University de Illes Balears (S), Adetti (P), Athens Technology Centre (GR), and Instituto de Enghenaria de Sistemas e Computadores (P). Total funding is £4.8 Million.

MAID will develop and demonstrate systems which allow designers and design-based companies to:-

• interactively access multimedia databases of products, materials and services
• integrate data into their own design computing environments
• participate in distant work groups and receive on-line design tools
• implement projects at a distance.

MAID addresses a wide range of Information Engineering problems and demonstrates effective systems of multimedia data exchange and asset trading involving existing technologies whilst offering scaleable solutions. MAID will demonstrate networked services based on the concepts of a Design Information Centre and a Design Services Centre for test by target users as a prelude to commercial exploitation. The system will handle conventional multimedia data assets (including video), 3D CAD data and simulation data, and allow the integration of Virtual Reality design tools.

Further information:

Rae Earnshaw
Head, Electronic Imaging and Media Communications Unit (EIMC)
University of Bradford
Bradford, BD7 1DP

R.A.Earnshaw@bradford.ac.uk