Fluendo awarded SPIRIT Open Call 2 grant: Introducing AIVATAR

We are excited to share that Fluendo has been selected as a recipient of the SPIRIT Open Call 2 grant! This achievement highlights our commitment to pushing the boundaries of multimedia innovation. It will help fund our R&D roadmap, supporting the development of innovation projects like Lynx and Falcon, cutting-edge technologies such as Raven AI, and established products like the Fluendo Codec Pack.

AIVATAR: Artificial Intelligence and Video Codec Enhancements for Realistic Avatar Telepresence

AIVATAR is centered on the concept of multimedia enhancement, combining two complementary elements: one aimed at improving video compression efficiency using MPEG-5 Part 2 LCEVC applied to H.264 streams, and the other focused on delivering AI-based visual enhancements at the edge. Together, these technologies aim to elevate both the quality of experience and the realism of real-time, avatar-based communication in extended reality (XR) environments.

Lynx: Next-generation codecs for improved multimedia QoE

At the core of AIVATAR is Lynx, our innovation project to explore how next-generation codecs can enhance our existing products, enable new solutions for industries such as DaaS and VDI (e.g. RDC), and open opportunities in emerging markets like XR.

Raven for efficient AI-powered visual enhancement at the edge

The AIVATAR project is also supported by Raven AI, our engine for highly efficient AI inference and data processing on edge devices. Raven AI powers our Fluendo AI Plugins, enabling advanced features such as background segmentation, face tracking, and noise removal, all optimized for low-latency environments.

As part of the SPIRIT project, we have developed a dedicated AI model on top of Raven AI and Fluendo AI plugins to enhance avatar video quality in real time. This technology enables smarter, more efficient real-time interactive avatar experiences across use cases such as remote collaboration, virtual desktops, and immersive XR environments.

Driving Value in the VR and XR Ecosystem

Fluendo’s participation in AIVATAR contributes significantly to the extended reality communities. Our efforts include:

• Benchmarking avatar video streaming pipelines to measure and optimize performance.
• Integrating advanced technologies into a GStreamer-based real-time remote avatar streaming demo application.
• Performing rigorous testing under real-world network and hardware conditions, particularly on resource-limited XR devices.

Committed to Sustainable Innovation

In alignment with Fluendo’s values, Lynx and the AIVATAR project prioritize efficiency and sustainability. By reducing CPU usage and optimizing performance for low-power devices, our technology helps lower the carbon footprint of cloud-based video streaming.

Moving Forward Together

Backed by SPIRIT and driven by AIVATAR innovations, we are confidently stepping into a future where immersive, efficient, and realistic avatar-based telepresence is accessible to all. Lynx remains central to Fluendo’s vision, driving the continuous evolution of our products to meet the demands of the future of multimedia.

Stay tuned for more updates as we progress with the AIVATAR project!

For additional information on Lynx and our other advanced multimedia solutions, please visit the Fluendo Lab and our Blog.

Thank you for joining us in exploring the future of multimedia communication.

Funded by the European Union (SPIRIT, 101070672). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The SPIRIT project has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).