CAVI

What CAVI does

CAVI (Center for Advanced Visualization and Interaction) is a research center at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark, founded in 2000 and operating within the School of Communication and Culture and the Department of Digital Design and Information Studies. The center is co-led by Professor Kim Halskov and Associate Professor Clemens Nylandsted Klokmose, with a headcount of approximately 16 people. CAVI focuses on tangible and spatial interactive technologies that bridge physical and digital experiences, producing a portfolio of research artifacts that includes CoTinker (an educational platform for high school students offering courses in interaction design, computer games, and online store development), The Ice Floes (an interactive playground installation at Dokk1 augmented with movement and environmental sensing), RadarTable (a tangible tabletop music interface), Plant a Light, and the Terracotta Warrior digital cultural-heritage installation.

The underlying technology spans sensing-augmented public installations, tangible tabletop interfaces, and technology-mediated learning activities, with research outputs documented in the CAVI Catalogue for technology transfer. The Ice Floes was nominated for the Spatial Media Art category at the Media Architecture Biennale 2025 in Bangkok, marking the center's main external recognition signal.

CAVI is a publicly funded university research center rather than a commercial entity: per its disclosed pricing model, it does not sell products or services and instead operates on university budgets, research grants, and project-based funding. Its go-to-market is academic, with dissemination through the university's Festival of Research, public installations at Dokk1, educational programs for Danish high schools, and the CAVI Catalogue. The customer base consists of high school students and educational institutions participating in CoTinker alongside general public visitors to installations, with no commercial pricing, revenue figures, or paying enterprise customers disclosed in the available data.

Name

CAVI

Legal name

CAVI (Center for Advanced Visualization and Interaction)

Website

https://cavi.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAVI is an Aarhus University research center that designs tangible and spatial interactive technologies, including the CoTinker high-school learning platform, The Ice Floes playground installation, and tangible installations such as RadarTable and Terracotta Warrior.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interactive Technology Research

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Immersive Collaboration Classrooms (Multiuser VR, Social Learning Spaces) (EDAFAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Center & Audiovisual Lending Operations (Equipment Checkout, Production Support) (EDAEAGAG), STEM & Lab Simulation Media (Virtual Labs, AR/VR) (EDAGALAF)

Keywords

• Interactive technology research
• Tangible interfaces
• Spatial installations
• Human-computer interaction
• Technology-mediated learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Aarhus

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CAVI is a research center at Aarhus University that develops tangible interactive installations and spatial technologies bridging physical and digital experiences. Its core offerings include research-driven interactive installations (RadarTable, Terracotta Warrior, Plant a Light, The Ice Floes), the CoTinker educational platform for high school students covering interaction design, game development, and online commerce, and the CAVI Catalogue documenting research outputs for technology transfer.

Product overview

CAVI (Center for Advanced Visualisation and Interaction) is a research center at Aarhus University developing interactive technologies and installations. The portfolio consists of tangible interactive installations including RadarTable (a tabletop music interface), Terracotta Warrior (museum installation), Plant a Light, and The Ice Floes (playground installation). Educational offerings include CoTinker, a learning activity platform for high school students covering interaction design, game development, and e-commerce. The CAVI Catalogue serves as the central repository documenting all developed technologies. The center operates as a research-to-application ecosystem, translating academic research into tangible interactive experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Terracotta Warrior An interactive digital-cultural heritage installation featuring the Terracotta Warriors, combining tangible and digital interaction using projection mapping and interactive technologies for museum or exhibition audiences.
• RadarTable A tangible tabletop installation for music lovers that enables physical interaction with digital music interfaces through touch and tangible objects on a table surface.
• Plant a Light An interactive installation combining botanical elements with light-based digital interactions, blending environmental awareness with technology-mediated experiences.
• The Ice Floes A playground installation at DOKK1 outdoor playground in Aarhus featuring interactive digital elements and technical sensing capabilities for environmental interaction and movement.
• CoTinker A learning activity platform for high school students offering courses on interaction design, computer games, and online store development, run in collaboration with Aarhus University.
• CAVI Catalogue A comprehensive catalogue of interactive technologies and installations developed at CAVI, documenting the center's research outputs and serving as the central repository for technology transfer to researchers, institutions, and organizations.
• Design Creativity (CIBIS) A research initiative focused on design creativity methodologies and interactive system design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nominated for Media Architecture Award 2025

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MIT Media Lab: Premier academic research lab at MIT focused on tangible interfaces, social computing, and learning experiences. A larger, established counterpart to CAVI's tangible/spatial interaction research.
• TeamLab: International art collective producing large-scale immersive digital installations in public venues. Comparable to CAVI's interactive public installations like The Ice Floes and Terracotta Warrior.
• Moment Factory: Montreal-based studio creating immersive multimedia environments and interactive installations for public spaces. Comparable in spatial interactive installation delivery and cultural venue deployments.

Direct peers

• Tangible Media Group (MIT): MIT research group led by Hiroshi Ishii pioneering tangible user interfaces and radical atoms. Closely aligned with CAVI's tangible interfaces and spatial interaction research agenda.
• IRCAM: French music and sound research institute exploring music interaction and tangible interfaces, including tangible tabletop music tools. Directly comparable to RadarTable's tangible music interaction research.
• Ideum: Designs and fabricates interactive touchscreen and tangible installations for museums, libraries, and public spaces. Comparable to CAVI's tangible tabletop installations like RadarTable and museum-grade interactive experiences.
• Ars Electronica Futurelab: Research center in Linz, Austria developing interactive installations, exhibitions, and educational programs around human-computer interaction and creative technology. Closely comparable to CAVI's installation-driven research and public engagement model.

Emerging players

• Refik Anadol Studio: Media artist studio producing large-scale data-driven and AI-generated immersive installations for museums and cultural venues. Comparable in cultural-heritage-meets-technology installation work like Terracotta Warrior.
• NYU ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program): Academic program at NYU focused on interactive technology, tangible media, and creative learning. Comparable to CAVI's university-based HCI research and student technology-mediated learning activities.

Others

• Buckminster Fuller Institute: Design and education organization promoting design science and experiential learning. Thematically comparable to CAVI's blend of technology research and educational outreach through CoTinker.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cavi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CAVI