Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: virtual reality

Cannot wait for the new AR contacts.

NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — This new IDTechEx report is focused on how the market for smart glasses and contact lenses is going to evolve in the next decade, based on the exciting research and developments efforts of recent years along with the high visibility some projects and collaborations have enjoyed. The amount of visibility this space is experiencing is exciting developers of a range of allied technologies into fast-tracking/focusing their efforts, as well as creating devices and components designed specifically to serve this emerging industry.

Some of the newest devices that have ignited significant interest in smart eyewear are going above and beyond the conventional definition of a smart object; they are in effect, portable, wearable computers with a host of functionalities, specially designed apps etc. that add new ways for the wearer to interact with the world along with smartphone capabilities, health tracking options and many other features. The features of some of the more advanced devices have been based on and have sparked worldwide innovation efforts aiming to create an ecosystem of components that will enable what is bound to be a revolution in form factor for wearables.

User interface is probably one of the most significant features in this revolution. As interfacing with computers undergoes a constant evolution, allowing for wider adoption as interaction becomes more “natural”, smartglasses are bringing about the next big step in this ever-changing space. From keyboards to touchscreens to cameras & positioning/location/infrared sensors, a new wave of innovation is making interfacing with computers gesture-based, and nowhere else is that more obvious than in eye-worn computing.

Read more

VR Movie Studios

Now, that’s a story! Samsung VR Movie Studios; nice ring to it. Instead of “hello Hollywood” we’re now hearing “Hello New York”.

The company behind the Gear VR virtual-reality headset partners with the Sundance film festival to foster new immersive experiences.

Read more

Everyone knows that the real money for VR is steaming VR. Fox Sports is finally bring you boxing in VR. And, CNet founder (Halsey Minor ) has announced his own plans to launch in the coming months a new virtual reality network that will stream live 360-degree video to Samsung Gear VR and Oculus headsets. Now, imagine what this means to Xfinity, Dish, and others.

There is no question by now that virtual reality has finally made its way into every sport. Whether it is used to recruit, train or give fans a different way to experience a game, virtual reality is becoming extremely common.

This includes the boxing world.

David Haye has teamed up with IM360 to launch the first live VR boxing match and Showtime has also created VR boxing broadcasts. Now, NextVR is collaborating with FOX Sports to bring live VR coverage of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) matches.

Read more

The VR sound barrier; how do we address?

I’m staring at a large iron door in a dimly lit room. “Hey,” a voice says, somewhere on my right. “Hey buddy, you there?” It’s a heavily masked humanoid. He proceeds to tell me that my sensory equipment is down and will need to be fixed. Seconds later, the heavy door groans. A second humanoid leads the way into the spaceship where my suit will be repaired.

Inside a wide room with bright spotlights I notice an orange drilling machine. “OK, before we start, I need to remove the panel from the back of your head,” says the humanoid. I hear the whirring of a drill behind me. I squirm and reflexively raise my shoulders. The buzzing gets louder, making the hair on the nape of my neck stand up.

Then I snapped out of it. I removed the Oculus Rift DK2 strapped on my face and the headphones pressed on my ears and was back on the crowded floors of the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. But for a few terrifying seconds, the realistic audio in Fixing Incus, a virtual reality demo built on RealSpace 3D audio engine, had tricked my brain into thinking a machine had pulled nails out from the back of my head.

Read more

Virginia Tech’s Professor Doug Bowman comes to Apple to make VR. This should be very interesting since he won the research grant to work on the “Hololens” — could be interesting.

According to a report in the Financial Times, Apple has hired one of the leading experts on virtual and augmented reality — Virginia Tech computer science professor Doug Bowman. He was recently listed among grant winners for HoloLens research projects and is skilled in creating 3D user interfaces, reports Endgadget. He has also co-authored a book called 3D User Interfaces Theory and Practice.

He’s been working on technologies such as wearable displays and full surround display prototypes at Virginia Tech.

Apple has been building up on its VR arsenal in the recent past with a string of acquisitions in the domain, along with reports of patents and other significant hires. While much has been happening behind closed doors, analysts predict that in 2016, that is going to change. Apple will become “very aggressive on the virtual/augmented reality front through organic as well as acquisitive means in 2016 as this represents a natural next generation consumer technology that plays well into its unrivaled iPhone ecosystem,” FBR & Co analyst Daniel Ives said in an earlier report.

Read more

Interesting; especially how AI is leveraged for enhancing games which does make perfect sense from a pattern recognition and improvement standpoint.

As Central Florida’s video game community enters the virtual reality era, specialists and artists who can create fantasy worlds will be in higher demand here.

Video games often try to transport players to a virtual world, whether it’s a land of wooden zombies or a virtual representation of the Amway Center.

But professionals here say the illusion fails if the game’s artificial intelligence doesn’t realistically react to game situations.

Read more

I cannot wait until I finally equip my home theater with a VR experience — imagine watching a Terminator Movie “Terminator 3 rise of the machines” — it would be scary.

Google released a couple of virtual reality tour locations for its Expeditions Pioneer Program which are Buckingham Palace and the Great Barrier Reef.

Read more

More VR Theme Parks and attractions opening this year. We have the Void opening this summer in Pleasant Grove, UT; a new VR roller coaster in UK’s Alton Towers that opens in April; there is real opportunity for entrepreneurs in the VR space to launch their own portable VR amusement/ entertainment centers for corporate events, parties, etc.

Virtual reality and theme parks may not seem like an obvious match, but these planned attractions may change your mind. Starting this spring we’ll start to see rides that take advantage of VR to offer new and exciting experiences.

Two British theme parks announced VR-powered attractions this month. Alton Towers will turn one of its roller coasters into an outer space adventure using Samsung’s Gear VR, while Thorpe Park is prepping a terrifying new interactive experience powered by the HTC Vive.

At Thorpe Park, the Ghost Train will feature a “13-minute journey through fear,” mixing pre-recorded material, live action and special effects. The HTC Vive makes it possible for each passenger to have their own unique experience, with 12 different journeys and two possible endings to choose from.

Read more

Google is shifting employee responsibilities and forming its own dedicated division for virtual reality computing.

Google is forming its own dedicated division for virtual reality computing, promising some intense competition for Facebook and Microsoft.

Not only has CEO Sundar Pichai moved over a key deputy to run it, but the move also signals Google’s intent to build a viable enterprise business. Because with the executive shift, Google’s massive consumer Web applications now fall under incoming SVP Diane Greene.

Read more