SPARK · Project

Augmented Reality Platform That Lets Designers and Customers Co-Create Products in Real Time

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Imagine you're designing a new product — a lamp, a car dashboard, a piece of furniture — and instead of emailing sketches back and forth with your client for weeks, you both stand in the same room and project virtual designs onto a real physical object. You change the color, the shape, the texture, and the client says "yes" or "no" right there. That's what SPARK built: a platform using spatial augmented reality that projects digital designs onto physical prototypes so design teams and their customers can brainstorm and make decisions together, cutting weeks off the usual back-and-forth.

By the numbers

Consortium partners involved in development

Countries represented in the consortium

Industry partners including SMEs in the consortium

Total project deliverables produced

Platform versions developed (up to v3)

The business problem

What needed solving

Design agencies and creative SMEs waste weeks or months in revision cycles because clients cannot visualize proposed designs from flat screens and static mockups. This back-and-forth between ideation and validation creates longer design cycles, slower time-to-market, and ties up expensive creative talent on fewer projects than necessary.

The solution

What was built

The project built the SPARK platform (reaching version 3), which uses spatial augmented reality to project virtual designs onto physical objects, creating mixed prototypes for collaborative brainstorming. It includes modular AR components, content management tools, and was delivered with a user manual and validated in real operational environments with end users and creative industry customers.

Audience

Who needs this

Product design studios and agencies with client-facing design workAutomotive OEMs and consumer electronics companies with in-house design teamsArchitecture and interior design firms doing client presentationsFurniture and fashion companies needing rapid prototyping with customer inputCreative industry SMEs wanting to handle more projects with fewer designers

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Product Design & Industrial Design

SME

Target: Design agencies and product design studios

If you are a design agency losing weeks to client revision cycles — SPARK developed a spatial augmented reality platform that projects virtual designs onto physical prototypes in real time. Your designers and clients brainstorm together in the same room, seeing realistic mixed prototypes instantly. The platform was validated at end users' premises and demonstrated with creative industries and their customers.

Automotive & Consumer Electronics

enterprise

Target: R&D departments at manufacturers with in-house design teams

If you are a manufacturer where your design team and marketing team argue over product look-and-feel for months — SPARK built a co-design environment where mixed physical-virtual prototypes let everyone evaluate solutions on the spot. The platform was tested across 5 countries with 9 consortium partners including 3 industry players, specifically targeting faster idea generation and reduced design cycles.

Architecture & Interior Design

any

Target: Architecture firms and interior design studios

If you are an architecture or interior design firm struggling with clients who cannot visualize proposed changes from flat renders — SPARK created a platform that projects augmented reality content onto physical scale models or real spaces. It was demonstrated with creative industries and customers, specifically aiming to reduce the time needed for generating ideas and speed up client feedback loops.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this platform?

The project data does not include pricing or licensing terms. SPARK was a publicly funded research project (RIA) with 9 consortium partners. Interested companies should contact the coordinator at Politecnico di Milano to discuss licensing, partnership, or commercialization options.

Can this scale to an industrial production environment?

The SPARK platform reached version 3 and was validated at end users' premises and demonstrated with creative industries and their customers. The platform was specifically designed for creative SMEs to manage more projects with fewer resources. Scaling to large enterprise environments would likely require further development.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP is shared among the 9 consortium partners across 5 countries (Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, UK) under Horizon 2020 rules. The coordinator Politecnico di Milano would be the first point of contact for licensing discussions. Specific IP arrangements would need to be negotiated with the relevant partners.

What hardware do I need to run this?

SPARK uses Spatial Augmented Reality, which typically requires projectors and tracking systems rather than headsets. Based on available project data, the platform combines digital projection with physical prototypes to create mixed prototypes. Specific hardware requirements should be discussed with the consortium.

Has this been tested with real companies, not just in a lab?

Yes. The project includes validation at end users' premises (not just lab settings) and demonstration with creative industries and their customers. Student validation groups were also used as control groups. The consortium itself includes 3 industry partners and 3 SMEs.

How does this compare to VR headset-based design tools?

SPARK uses Spatial Augmented Reality, which projects onto physical objects rather than immersing users in a fully virtual world. This means multiple people can see and interact with the mixed prototype simultaneously without wearing headsets. Based on available project data, this approach was chosen specifically to support collaborative brainstorming sessions.

Consortium

Who built it

The SPARK consortium brings together 9 partners from 5 countries (Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, UK), with a healthy mix of 4 universities, 2 research organizations, and 3 industry players — all 3 of which are SMEs. The 33% industry ratio means the platform was developed with real commercial input from creative companies, not just in academic labs. Coordination by Politecnico di Milano, one of Europe's top design and engineering universities, adds credibility in the design and creative technology space. The multi-country spread across major European design markets (Italy, France, Spain, UK, Belgium) suggests the platform was tested across different creative industry cultures and workflows.

POLITECNICO DI MILANOCoordinator · IT
UNIVERSITY OF BATHparticipant · UK
INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DE GRENOBLEparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPESthirdparty · FR
ANTWERP MANAGEMENT SCHOOLparticipant · BE
VISEO TECHNOLOGIESparticipant · FR
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSthirdparty · FR

How to reach the team

Politecnico di Milano (Italy) — reach out to their Design or ICT department for licensing and collaboration inquiries

Order a report on this consortium See POLITECNICO DI MILANO profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the SPARK team? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and help you evaluate whether this platform fits your design workflow. Contact us for a one-page technology brief.

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