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Laboratory

SINTEF Experience Lab (xLab)

SINTEF Experience Lab (xLab) is SINTEF's arena for exploring and communicating research through experiences. Here you get access to XR headsets, IoT, artificial intelligence, sensors, sound and lighting systems and interactive screens – all in one place.

Contact persons

Short video for SINTEF Experience Lab (Norwegian)

Promovideo for SINTEF Experience Lab (xLab)

Bli med inn i SINTEF Experience Lab - et rom der fysisk, digital og virtuell teknologi møtes.

 

Three dimensions working together

xLab combines three dimensions. The physical consists of light, sound and screens you can touch. The digital ties everything together with IoT, AI and automation. The extended opens new perspectives through XR technology. The value lies in the combination: physical objects can trigger digital events, sensors talk to each other, and you can move freely between the real and the virtual.

Examples of what xLab can be used for

xLab is built for ideation, collaboration and exploration. One example is digital twins of energy systems, where you can change weather and production conditions and see what happens in real time. Another is interactive demos where you can try your hand as, for example, a hydropower producer and compete against SINTEF's own optimisation models.

You choose how to use the room

The room is yours to shape. Gather for workshops and meetings, make presentations more engaging with the digital surfaces, or put on an XR headset to see things from a completely new perspective.

 

See how xLab works (Norwegian)

SINTEF forsker, Bjørnar Fjelldal, guider oss gjennom xLab og forklarer hvordan alt henger sammen.

SINTEF forsker, Bjørnar Fjelldal, guider oss gjennom xLab og forklarer hvordan alt henger sammen.

 

Book SINTEF Experience Lab (xLab)

SINTEF Experience Lab is located next to the conference hall in the Energy Building and is open to all institutes in SINTEF, as well as partners and visitors. xLab can also be used in combination with the conference hall – for example for conferences, consortium meetings, workshops and other events where you want to give participants a more interactive experience.

Get in touch to book.

Technical equipment overview

xLab is built as an open platform where all systems can be connected. Here is an overview of the equipment in the room, sorted by dimension.

 

Physical dimension

Platform and network

Product Technology Possibilities
Intel NUC (dedicated xLab server) Home Assistant OS, x86 Runs the entire xLab – Home Assistant, all integrations, add-ons and automations locally
Ubiquiti UniFi (UDR) – isolated network infrastructure UniFi, managed switch, WiFi 6 Dedicated isolated network – full control, safe to experiment with custom devices and protocols

 

Lighting

Product Technology Possibilities
60×60 RGB+CCT LED panel × 25 (36W recessed ceiling panels in a 5×5 grid) Zigbee2MQTT, MQTT, RGB + CCT (warm to cool white) Zone-based scenes, colour animations, pixel-level control per panel, triggered by sensors or data
WLED – ambient LED behind screens and under the table WLED, WiFi, LedFX Sound-reactive light synchronised to music, ambilight effect behind screens, music visualisation
Fibaro FGD212 (dimmer for spotlights) Z-Wave 800 LR Dimming of ceiling spots, scene-integrated lighting design

 

Sound

Product Technology Possibilities
Sonos Amp × 2 Sonos, LAN Room-controlled music, TTS announcements, sound effects and immersive audio – controlled from HA and iPad
Bowers & Wilkins CCM682 × 4 (in-ceiling speakers) Passive, connected to Sonos Amp Even, room-filling sound from all angles – invisible ceiling installation
Sonos Sub Gen 4 (hidden inside the table) Sonos, WiFi Physical bass you can feel in the room – completely invisible to visitors
Music Assistant (streaming service hub) HA Add-on v2.8.6 Streaming from all sources to Sonos, integration with automations
HA Voice (ESP32-S3) – local voice assistant with LED ring ESPHome, WiFi Wake-word activation, voice control, TTS responses, visual feedback via LED
OpenAI TTS + STT (cloud-based voice in/out) OpenAI API, gpt-4o-mini Natural voice in Norwegian and English, AI-driven dialogues and guided experiences

 

Screens

Product Technology Possibilities
Samsung Interactive Display WA65F × 2 (65" touch) Android 14, IR multitouch (40 points), ADB, 4K UHD Live data, video, presentations, interactive whiteboard, screen mirroring from Quest, ADB-controlled from HA
Samsung Interactive Display WA75F (75" touch) Android 14, IR multitouch (40 points), ADB, 4K UHD Largest surface in the room – suited as the main screen for presentations and demonstrations
Samsung The Frame 55" (digital signage) SamsungTV, Wake-on-LAN Facing the conference hall – information, art and announcements
iPad Pro 11" (main control unit) iOS, HA App Primary control surface for lights, sound, screens and automations

 

Interaction and IoT

Product Technology Possibilities
Fibaro Button FGPB-101 × 4 (red, green, white, black) Z-Wave 800 LR Single/double/triple click and hold – triggers any automation in the room
Aqara door/window sensors Zigbee2MQTT Trigger events on opening – e.g. sound simulation or lighting scene
Xiaomi Fan P76 (smart fan) Xiaomi MIoT, WiFi Physical representation of wind data in digital twin demo
ESPHome: solar + wind + hydro (custom-built ESP32 sensors) ESPHome, WiFi Real-time energy data from simulated facilities, triggers lights and sound based on production
Fibaro FGS223 (ceiling service switch) Z-Wave 800 LR Control of ceiling installation, scene integration

 

Digital dimension

Platform and automation

Product Technology Possibilities
Home Assistant 2026.4 (central IoT hub) HA OS, Supervisor, REST/WS API Connects everything – lights, sound, sensors, screens, AI and XR devices in one platform
Home Assistant API (open interface for external systems) REST API, WebSocket, MQTT Trigger lights, sound, screens and automations from anything – XR demo, web app, mobile app, your own script
Bring-your-own hardware Zigbee, Z-Wave, WiFi, MQTT, ESPHome Bring your own sensors, actuators or prototypes and connect them directly into xLab
Zigbee2MQTT + Mosquitto (Zigbee coordinator and MQTT broker) Zigbee 2.4 GHz, MQTT Hub for all Zigbee devices, open messaging protocol for custom integrations
Z-Wave JS UI + Zooz ZST39 LR (Z-Wave 800 Long Range USB) Z-Wave 800 LR Reliable wireless control of dimmers, switches and buttons with long range
Tailscale VPN (secure remote access) WireGuard, mesh VPN Access and control the room from anywhere
JupyterLab (Python notebook environment) HA Add-on Data analysis and prototyping directly on the xLab server, visualise your own datasets

 

Artificial intelligence

Product Technology Possibilities
OpenAI Conversation (AI chatbot in HA) GPT-4o-mini, OpenAI API Natural dialogue, guided experiences, Q&A about projects and technology
OpenAI AI Task (AI in automations) GPT-4o-mini, OpenAI API AI-driven decisions in automations – interpret sensor data, generate responses
OpenAI STT + TTS (speech-to-text and text-to-speech) gpt-4o-mini-transcribe / tts Norwegian and English voice in and out, natural conversation with the room

 

Sensors and presence detection

Product Technology Possibilities
Everything Presence One mmWave + PIR, ESPHome Knows if the room is in use, triggers lights and content automatically on arrival
Everything Presence Lite (4-zone) mmWave, ESPHome Tracks movement across zones – ceiling lights can follow people around the room
Ubiquiti G6 Pro 360 (360° camera with AI detection) UniFi Protect, UDR router Person, sound and motion detection, recording, live feed on screen
HID Seos iBeacons × 7 Bluetooth LE, iBeacon Indoor positioning, personalised experiences based on who is in the room

 

Extended dimension

XR hardware

Product Technology Possibilities
Meta Quest 3 × 2 (VR/MR headsets) Android, HA App, ADB VR meetings, 3D model viewing, MR overlays, HA integration – and live streaming to the 65" and 75" screens
Meta Quest 3S (MR headset) Android, HA App Additional headset for parallel experiences or guests

Contact information

Energibygget at Gløshaugen

 

SINTEF Experience Lab is located next to the conference hall in the Energibygget at Gløshaugen and can be booked by all institutes in SINTEF, as well as partners and visitors. xLab can also be used in combination with the conference hall.

Sem Sælands vei 11, 7034 Trondheim