%20(1).png)
A Royal Visit to The University of East London's Ground-breaking Research Space
- Rebecca Flynn
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
On 6th May 2026, the University of East London welcomed a very special guest: Catherine, Princess of Wales.
In a visit to UEL's Institute for the Science of Early Years and Youth (ISEY), the princess marked the launch of Foundations for Life: A Guide to Social and Emotional Development, a landmark 109-page resource from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, aimed at the professionals, carers and researchers who shape the lives of babies and young children every day.
In her foreword, Catherine writes,
"Research consistently shows that it is our earliest relationships, experiences and environments which lay the foundations for our future health and happiness."
During her visit, the Princess spent time in one of the institute's most remarkable spaces: the
Imaginarium. This immersive 360-degree sensory environment is designed to simulate varied environmental conditions, allowing researchers to understand how noise and visuals affect stress and development in young children.
The princess absorbed the science first hand, as she sat cross-legged on a floor cushion, chatting with a three-year-old named Margot and her mother, and Gemma Goldenberg, Deputy Director of ISEY.
Target3D is proud to have designed and installed the full technical infrastructure powering the Imaginarium, alongside engineering partners at Bild Studios. We built and integrated a six-camera OptiTrack Flex 13 motion capture system, six projectors covering four walls and the floor, and two dedicated render nodes running Pixera, together creating the seamless 360-degree immersive environment that brings the space to life.
Our technology sits at the heart of that space, capturing movement, behaviour and responses with the precision that early-years research demands, in service of understanding what it means to be human from the very first years of life.
"So, we basically use this space to look at the impact of different environments on all different aspects of children's development. We might be contrasting something calm, [a] natural environment, to something much busier, more stimulating, and looking at how that might impact children's stress rates."
- Gemma Goldenberg, Deputy Director, ISEY
Motion capture and spatial sensing technology is often associated with games, film and sports sciences, but projects like this remind us that the same tools that track an athlete or animate a character can also help a researcher understand a toddler's stress response, or help a carer learn how to create a more nurturing environment.
Congratulations to the University of East London, the ISEY team and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. Here's to the extraordinary things that happen when great institutions, pioneering research and advanced technology come together.
See a video of the whole visit here:
Comments