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Breakthrough innovation specialists, Cambridge Consultants, and leaders in theoretical particle physics, Durham University, have partnered to create an innovative iOS app that harnesses augmented reality to educate users on what neutrinos are, to visualise where they are produced and to emphasise why they’re so significant to modern science. The partnership aims to spark interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for students in secondary education and beyond.
Created in partnership with the internationally renowned Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology at Durham University, the free app, named NeutrinoScope, is the first of its kind, and enables users to see a real-world visualisation of neutrinos and to learn key facts.
Neutrinos are one of the most important and mysterious particles in the universe. They are produced by many things, including the nuclear fusion processes that power the sun and stars, and may hold the key to how matter evolved after the Big Bang, creating everything around us. Despite this, they are incredibly hard to detect and understand.
With three educational features, the NeutrinoScope app addresses this lack of understanding in a highly creative and engaging way to attract interest in STEM subjects and careers amongst young people.
After an initial quiz to pique interest, app-users are invited to the “Interact” mode that uses augmented reality to project animated sources of neutrinos onto a flat surface, explaining key facts and behaviours. Users can expect to see sources ranging from a power station to the humble banana.
Next, the app invites the user to “Explore”, showing neutrinos superimposed onto the world around them. Although usually invisible, neutrinos are emitted by many common objects and with the NeutrinoScope app users can see sources create the particles in front of their eyes.
Silvia Pascoli, Professor at the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, Durham University and Principal Investigator of the ERC grant NuMass said: “Neutrinos are vitally important and have the potential to solve some of the biggest mysteries in physics, including why everything we see in the Universe is made of matter and not antimatter. Despite this, they are poorly understood. With its rich history of developing breakthrough products, Cambridge Consultants was the clear choice of partner for this important project, creating a unique app that will transform teaching techniques and create a more engaging experience for students to learn about the fascinating world of particle physics”.
The app – available now on the Apple App Store – will be showcased at the ‘Ghosts in the Universe’ exhibit at the prestigious Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, which opens on 2 July 2018.
Tim Fowler, Head of Wireless and Digital Services, Cambridge Consultants added: “Particle physics, and more specifically neutrinos, is an important field of study that is fundamental to our understanding of the world around us. We’re delighted to partner with Durham University on this project, leveraging our software development and user experience teams to create a first-of-its-kind app that will aid education on the subject. We’re excited to launch the app and hope it goes some way to inspire the next generation of STEM graduates.”
Notes to editors
About Cambridge Consultants and Capgemini
About Cambridge Consultants
As the deep tech powerhouse of Capgemini, Cambridge Consultants (CC), is a global team of 800 bright, talented people. We are united by the ambition to turn brilliant ideas into technologies, products and services that have never been seen before. And which will transform business, society and the planet. Deep tech is a mindset; a bold strategy that harnesses radical science and engineering to achieve things no-one else can. It enables our clients to gain unassailable commercial advantage from defendable technology that they own. We are trusted by some of the world’s biggest brands and most ambitious start-ups to realise their critical technology-based aspirations – and we’ve been doing it for 60 years. Cambridge Consultants is part of Capgemini Invent.
About Capgemini
Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organisations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2023 global revenues of €22.5 billion
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