,

Job Opportunity: Lecturer - 3D Modeling/Design for Department of Interactive Media

,

The Department of Interactive Media at VRARA Member University of Miami seeks a dynamic and innovative design educator with diverse 3D modeling, rigging, and sculpting skills. The ideal candidate should be deeply committed to advancing the professional practice of 3D design and animation, particularly in the context of games and simulations. This position primarily focuses on teaching, with opportunities for collaboration in course development for the evolving Immersive Media program curriculum.

Key Responsibilities:

Instruct courses encompassing a wide range of 3D design and related topics, including but not limited to:

  • 3D Character Design

  • 3D Level Design

  • 3D Modeling and Animation

  • Intro to Game Studies

  • Introduction to Immersive Media

  • Immersive Media Practicum

  • Advising Students

  • School Committees

Applicants interested and capable of teaching any of the following in addition will be given priority

  • Introduction to Game Design

  • Immersive Narratives

  • Intro to Creative Coding

  • 2D Character design

Qualifications:

Required:

  • Professional experience or experience in teaching 3D modeling and animation.

  • Demonstrated potential for collaborative interdisciplinary design work and/or research practices.

  • Practical experience outside academia, preferably in a game development studio, design consultancy, or a company focused on immersive projects.

  • Candidates with a blend of academic and practical experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

  • A master's or doctorate degree; bachelor's degree may be accepted with substantial industry experience.

  • Proficiency in any of the following: Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D, Adobe Substance Designer, Adobe Substance Painter, etc.. 

Preferred skills:

  • Some coding knowledge (e.g., Unity/C#, Python, C++, TouchDesigner) is highly desired.

  • The ability to instruct Unity for immersive development is a plus.

  • Experience in creating visuals for immersive performances and interactive installations.

  • Experience with character rigging using motion capture systems.

Application Process:

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents:

  • Cover Letter detailing qualifications for the position.

  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume.

  • Portfolio link showcasing relevant work.

  • Contact information for three professional references.

Note: For full consideration, please ensure all required materials are included in your application.  Application Deadline is open until the position is filled.

For questions, please contact Kim Grinfeder at grinfeder@miami.edu.

The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law. Click here for additional information.


, , , ,

Has Healthcare Reached the “Tipping Point” for Mass Adoption of XR?

, , , ,

The use of virtual and augmented reality technologies (collectively known as extended reality or just XR), in the healthcare industry is on a dramatic rise.  Some industry analysts predict healthcare to be one of the fastest growth industries for the use of XR. 

Recently there have been many press releases and case studies from organizations that have implemented XR solutions for patient care starting from analysis, diagnosis, critical care, therapy, surgical procedures, and of course medical professional training.  Are these indicators that we are at the “Tipping Point” for mass adoption of XR in the Healthcare industry?

However, there are many skeptics and naysayers in the healthcare industry .

So where are we really at in terms of adoption of XR in the healthcare industry?

That was the primary question that was asked during the recent VR/AR Association Healthcare Summit at the University of Miami on February 24, 2024.

This 1 day conference and technology exposition was hosted by the University of Miami and brought together physicians, researchers, and technology companies who are leading the way in using XR to share information, experiences and opinions about where we are, and where we are headed in terms of adoption of XR in healthcare.

With over 100 attendees both in person and virtually on the ENGAGE XR platform this conference exceeded attendees expectations.

We would like to thank the VR/AR Association South Florida Chapter, the University of Miami and our conference sponsor Magic Leap for helping us put on this initial event.

If you weren’t able to attend the Miami event then you can join us in Orlando on April 11th and 12th for the VR/AR Central Florida Chapter Immersive Technology Summit at Full Sail University where we will have a track and exhibitors focused on XR and healthcare such as eXeX (the first company in the world to use the Apple Vision Pro in surgical operations who are from Orlando), AdventHealth University, Orlando Health, the US Defense Health Agency, US Army, Navy and Air Force.  In addition hardware providers such as HTC Vive, Magic Leap, Varjo, Magnetic 3D will participate and be showcasing their solutions and experiences. 

Due to the success of the Miami event we are looking to host Healthcare summits with our VRARA Chapters and other associations around the world. If you are interested, please contact John Cunningham at john@thevrara.com.

Please watch the highlight video of the VRARA Healthcare Summit!  

, , ,

Call for Sponsors: Announcing the Inaugural VRARA Healthcare Summit

, , ,

One of the hottest growth areas for XR and AI technology is in healthcare and the VR/AR Association (VRARA) and the University of Miami Frost Institute for Data Science & Computing are partnering to put on a 1 day conference and expo at the University of Miami campus on February 1, 2024.

Our keynote speaker for this conference is Dr. Robert Masson MD, world renowned surgeon and technology innovator who is also founder and CEO of eXeX, a medtech company that is transforming the surgical industry by leveraging XR and AI technology.

We would like to invite medical professionals, technologists and companies who have experience in deployment of XR and AI in healthcare who want to share that experience to apply to be a speaker.

Call for speakers closes on December 5th. Please email our COO John Cunningham if you are interested .

, ,

Now Hiring: The Department of Interactive Media, University of Miami

, ,

VRARA Member The University of Miami is hiring!

The Department of Interactive Media at the University of Miami (https://lnkd.in/gRf3CQ7c) is currently seeking applications for a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track or tenure-eligible faculty position at the Assistant Professor level for faculty conducting research in immersive media. We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive academic community and enthusiastically encourage applications from individuals who can contribute to this mission. The candidate must possess a Ph.D. in Communication, Human-Computer Interaction, Media and Technology, Media and Society, Media Arts, Emerging Media, Computer Science, or a related discipline by the beginning of the appointment, August 15, 2024.

Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/gt5jNdWA.

, ,

Magic Leap 2 hits the market, and the UM community got a first look

, ,

Originally Appearing on Refresh Miami by Nancy Dahlberg

On Friday, Magic Leap announced that its next generation enterprise augmented reality platform, Magic Leap 2, is now commercially available.

Widespread availability follows its Early Access Program with companies like Cisco, SentiAR, NeuroSync, Miami-based Heru, Taqtile, PTC and Brainlab, where Magic Leap continued to improve the device for training, communication and remote assistance use cases in clinical settings, industrial environments, defense, and retail stores.

Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson said: “The Magic Leap 2 is the smallest and lightest augmented reality device built for the enterprise. After working with customers across industries like healthcare, manufacturing and the public sector, we’re proud to release a device that features innovative breakthroughs critical to driving widespread adoption, including Dynamic Dimming™ technology, the industry’s largest field of view, and unparalleled image quality and text legibility. Magic Leap 2 will take the current use cases to the next level, and we can’t wait to see what our customers create.”

In addition to Dynamic Dimming, Magic Leap 2 is 20% lighter and 50% smaller than its predecessor and includes proprietary optics breakthroughs and the largest field of view (up to 70° diagonal), compared to similar currently available AR devices, Magic Leap says.

The University of Miami has been a Magic Leap partner since 2018. Recently, students, faculty and the developer community were able to try out the Magic Leap 2 with a Magic Leap executive. Here is UM’s report:


By Janette Neuwahl Tannen – Guest Contributor, University of Miami

In a Magic Leap 2 Developer Event held in September, the company let students, faculty members, staff, and local professionals learn more about the newest headset, set to be released Sept. 30.

Oscar Arana and George Thompson have a vested interest in being familiar with the latest technology.

Thompson, a first-year music engineering major, and Arana, a sophomore computer science major, hope to delve into the virtual or augmented reality industries after graduation.

So, on Tuesday evening, they joined a group of students, faculty and staff members, and local extended reality professionals who attended the VR/AR Association’s Magic Leap 2 Developer Event, where leaders from Plantation-based Magic Leap unveiled the latest headsets, which will officially hit the market at the end of the month.

“The headset is very cool, and it will be interesting to think about its applications—I’m excited to see what will come out of it,” said Arana.

Founded by University alumnus Rony Abovitz in 2010, Magic Leap is one of a few companies specializing in augmented reality hardware, which layers digital images and experiences on top of the physical world. For example, augmented reality (AR) applications allow consumers to visualize digital furniture in their actual home, and they could allow first responders to immediately visualize hazards currently hidden behind walls, like gas lines or electrical panels when entering a fire in an actual building.

“The key to the future of digital technology in the physical world is keeping the human at its center,” said Lisa Watts, vice president of product marketing and developer programs at Magic Leap. “And we are here to make that digital content truly exist in the physical world and to enable humans to have that next level of interaction.”

The Tuesday event was hosted by the University’s Institute for Data Science and Computing (IDSC) and the XR Initiative and held in the Lakeside Village Auditorium. It was sponsored by Magic Leap and Unity, which creates software that is often used to build virtual and augmented reality experiences. It came just a few months after the Miami chapter of the VR/AR Association was launched on campus last spring.

“Magic Leap 2 has more capabilities to bring the digital and physical world together, and the University wants to be at the forefront of these technologies to expose our faculty and students to these new realities,” said Nick Tsinoremas, the University’s vice provost for research computing and data, as well as director of IDSC. “We are very excited about our relationship with Magic Leap and Unity, as well as how we can advance this technology and make it more pervasive. Because we want to create the next generation of developers, the next generation of creators, and the next generation of people that can change the world.” 

A representative from Magic Leap shows sophomore Oscar Arana the capabilities of the new Magic Leap 2 headset. Photo courtesy Kim Grinfeder/School of Communication.

During the evening event, Watts explained that the Magic Leap 2 evolved from the company making many revisions to its first headset, the Magic Leap One, to make it more human-centric. Some of these include expanding the user’s field of vision, so that people wearing the headsets can see a wider area.

The company also worked to make the digital images appear more solid before they are layered on the physical world, Watts noted. The new device also has more than 18 cameras and sensors, four microphones, and two speakers to make the AR experience more engaging.

The new headsets also have a global dimming feature that allows digital images to become sharper. In addition, Magic Leap has made its platform more accessible to developers and switched to an Android-based operating system. The device costs $3,299. 

The new features will help the headsets become more useful to people outdoors or in bright light, students and faculty members familiar with the previous headsets pointed out. Sophomore Marcos Morales, who works on the information technology Innovate team to develop Magic Leap applications with faculty members, said many of the changes were positive. 

“It’s a large improvement on how much you’re able to see onscreen in the new device, and the virtual objects look much more real,” he said. 

In 2018, Magic Leap and the University entered a partnership where students and faculty and staff members developed new uses for the devices. Through Magic Leap mini-grants sponsored by the Office of the Provost, applications were crafted to do things like teach three-dimensional vectors in physics and for surgeons to view and interact with 3-D images of a patient’s struggling organs.

Now, the hope is that the University community and professionals from a burgeoning Miami tech industry will help them develop more applications for the Magic Leap 2.

“In this new headset, we’ve given you more tools to help that digital content really blend into the real world,” Watts said, speaking to an audience of potential Magic Leap developers. “And you as the development community need to help us bring this to life. So, we want to enable you and give you access to the possibilities.”

Photo at top of post: A participant at the Magic Leap 2 Developer Event gets a chance to try on the company’s latest headset. Photo: Matthew Rembold/University of Miami.

This story was first published by the University of Miami and Refresh Miami here is republishing it with permission.

,

Recap of our events around BitCoin 2022 in Miami, which had 30,000 attendees and exhibitors!

,

Miami is one of the fastest-growing tech hubs in North America and has quickly become the crypto capital to meet, collaborate, network, and party.

Bitcoin 2022 in Miami had 30,000 attendees and exhibitors (according to the Miami Herald.) The four-day event brought together developers, business leaders, policymakers and builders of the Bitcoin economy.

We’ve had a number of amazing demos and experiences and hosted several business networking, experiential and panel discussion events (video shows some of our highlights). Our goal is to bring together our VR/AR community with the blockchain ecosystem and showcase the best-minds at our Immerse Global Summit, happening in-person in Miami, Dec 5-7, 2022.

Our Summit is a conference+expo featuring revolutionary presentations, exhibits, and special events led by companies and organizations leading global industries. Our Summit is sure to sell out. With past participants such as Microsoft, Google, Disney, and the NBA, our Summit is where leaders in your industry will want to be this December!

Recap of Miami NFT Week with our VRARA Miami and Immerse teams, Plus, real estate mogul Grant Cardone and Scoutible, a metaverse funded by Mark Cuban

Miami NFT Week drew nearly 4,000 attendees (plus 3K+ in the metaverse) in celebration of all things NFT/metaverse, with a busy exhibit area, a very Miami vibe, after-parties and some 200+ speakers coming from the worlds of gaming, art, music, sports, travel, fashion, real estate and more. The event inspired many to create this world in real time, together with the internet that metaverse will be the next step in the evolution of the digital world.

An amazing lineup of speakers and discussions on innovation, NFTs, web3, crypto, and fun time sharing immersive experiences in partnership with our VRARA Miami, immerse Global Summit, and the BitBasel team. The speakers list included many from the Miami ecosystem, including Grant Cardone (real estate mogul) and Angela Antony, the Miami-based founder and CEO of Scoutible (a metaverse funded by Mark Cuban).

Grant said he is only just beginning to explore and asked his Metaverse & Real Estate panelists why he should invest and how to securitize virtual real estate? How much will it cost? What should I offer? Panelists answered don’t be in a rush, but look to add insane value. Also, smart contracts will be the utility (no more need for title companies!) and blockchain ensure the ownership, making it easier to make investing decisions and to manage the property.

Angela Antony discussed the potential of metaverse helping us find the value of our human potential. 85% of us don’t like our jobs, she said. Scoutible is the first gamified professional metaverse designed to help anyone find and achieve their purpose. Scoutible transforms the outdated barriers in today's job market, revealing an unbiased future where everyone has better opportunities and true freedom of choice in their livelihoods. Her famous funder, Mark Cuban, said  Scoutible will allow people to “Learn 2 Earn“ hard skills and soft skills “Careers are dead; everyone is a free agent. I’m a big believer that everyone is amazing at something. We allow you to find your passion,” Cuban said.

The event also celebrated Miami’s aspiration to be the Crypto Capital, the vision of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. Suarez also spoke of the “Miami Miracle” and said Miami understands this opportunity: “We embrace this opportunity. Having been to all part of the world, they know what is happening here and they are scared.. These kinds of democratizing technologies like NFTs are going to change the world. They are going to create access for everyone, and as a city and a country and a world we’ve got to take advantage of it. We cannot create regulations that stifle it,” the mayor continued. “I call upon all of you to continue to believe, continue to build, to create, to innovate.”

Bored Apes (Miami based NFT startup that raised $450M in funding and is valued at US$4B) gets all the buzz now and there will always be a place for digital collectibles, NFT use cases are growing and offering real utility. We’re going to see consumer brands launch seemingly out of nowhere that really understand web3. New platforms that will rise up as well as players like Coinbase, Snapchat and Instagram (launching NFTs soon!) will have the ability to drive billions of users into the space if done in the right way.

This 3-day Miami NFT Week also kicked off the Miami Tech Month! Lots is happening in Miami..


Edwin Rivera named as Advisor to Miami Chapter of VR/AR Association

Edwin Rivera, a recognized expert in the field of Augmented Reality, has been named as an Advisor to the Miami Chapter of VRARA), South Florida’s leading Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality organization. 

Supporting the VR and AR community in South Florida through quarterly events featuring noted speakers and networking opportunities, VRARA’s Miami mission is to educate, connect and grow the area’s VR/AR ecosystem.

“Edwin has been in this field and has been a driving force in VR/AR for more than a decade,” said Miami Chapter President Tarja Stephens. “His wealth of knowledge about the VR/AR field and its practical applications—based upon his years in the industry—is an invaluable asset to VRARA.” 

Rivera launched CG1 Solutions —a South Florida information technology firm which is rapidly becoming a leader in Augmented Reality (AR) with clients ranging from the healthcare to consumer products industries—in the third quarter of 2021.

As a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), CG1 Solutions has specialized in providing engaging solutions for a wide variety of clients such as Walmart, West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Scope AR, Disney Consumer Products, Alliance Laundry Systems, Synnova Health, Mitsubishi and iNewton.

In addition to his impressive list of CG1 Solutions client, Rivera’s current ground-breaking work with Microsoft and South Florida-based Piece of Cake Bakers will enable adults with disabilities to use leading edge technology to be trained for future careers in the baking industry, thus turning these individuals into productive members of society.

 “Being a part of an organization such as VRARA, which is dedicated to growing our industry in the South Florida marketplace, is certainly an honor,” said Rivera, a former Desert Storm Marine. “VR and AR have come of age and are accepted by the public and businesses alike. Now it is time to put the fantastic benefits of this industry to practical, day-to-day usage that will make all of our lives better.”

For more information the Miami Chapter of VRARA, contact Tarja Stephens at miami@thevrara.com

VRARA Miami urges students to shape the metaverse

The VR/AR Association Miami Chapter held is event on the Univ of Miami campus last week, opening its arms to students and faculty members interested in immersive technology.

A clothing line created specifically for avatars. Flight training simulators that rival a real-life experience in the air. And a digital replica of a city to attract new businesses, with the ability for visitors to walk the landscape, see the infrastructure, and observe properties available—all in virtual reality.

These projects already exist using immersive technology.

Industry leaders from the virtual, mixed, and augmented reality fields challenged students to think about what else is possible in the metaverse Thursday night during a launch of the VR/AR Association’s Miami chapter hosted on the Coral Gables Campus at the Bill Cosford Cinema.

“How will these technologies change the way we play, learn, and work?” asked John Cunningham, president of the Central Florida VR/AR Association, who works as head of government and aerospace for Unity, a software tool used to build virtual and augmented reality experiences.

The University of Miami recently became a member of the VR/AR Association (VRARA), allowing all faculty members and students to take advantage of the professional organization’s stockpile of resources available to help create applications in virtual, mixed, and augmented reality. Kim Grinfeder, associate professor and chair of the Department of Interactive Media and director of the XR Initiative, joined the organization a few years ago and found it very useful, so he worked to get the entire University involved.

“Faculty and students will now have access to their educational materials, job search platforms, online training classes, research, and a network of companies and industry professionals working in the immersive space,” said Grinfeder, who shared student and faculty XR projects during the event, including a class he is co-teaching where both students and professors attend in virtual reality.

The international VRARA, which has chapters in 50 countries, had just one chapter in central Florida, started four years ago. With the launch of its Miami chapter, led by Tarja Stevens, chief executive of Metaverse Inclusive, the organization will tap into a growing South Florida tech industry, and VRARA founder and president Nathan Pettyjohn was excited about the new addition.

“We started this because we knew that we needed to build a community of people that could help each other grow their business, help them connect, and help them learn,” said Pettyjohn, who also works full time at Lenovo as its Commercial AR/VR lead. “Today, we have thousands of community members. So, there’s this awesome group of people striving to do more in this industry, and we are trying to help all of them achieve greatness,” he added.

During the launch, titled “The Intersection of AI and the Metaverse,” Cunningham and keynote speaker Amy Peck, the CEO of Endeavor XR, tried to debunk the notion that the metaverse is a new concept. First coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel “Snow Crash,” the term was popularized by Facebook’s new rebrand as Meta, although Peck said it is often misunderstood. One simple way of understanding the metaverse is “It’s the internet in 3D,” she said.

Peck encouraged the audience to think about how they can shape the metaverse, as it evolves and becomes more commonplace. The CEO said that she imagines a time soon when people will simply put on their glasses while they are walking down the street, and if they wonder what a building looked like in the 1800s, an image will appear on the lens. Or, if they are curious about someone’s profession, the glasses could pull up a LinkedIn profile.

Cunningham explained how virtual reality has quickly expanded from a tool to enhance video games to one that will soon impact every facet of our economy.

“A 3D model is pretty, but when you add data to it, that becomes a digital twin,” he said.

Cunningham added that a growing number of companies are using digital twins as a test bed for ideas they may later implement in the physical world. For example, Hyundai is building a digital twin of its innovation center and factory in Singapore. Meanwhile, Samsung is building a digital twin of its storefronts, so shoppers can buy things in the metaverse, which will later be sent to them in the mail.

The University’s Institute for Data Science and Computing launched its Digital Twins Lab this semester, a space that will allow students to work on these types of projects, merging immersive experiences with real-world data.

While the immersive tech industry continues to grow, Peck urged audience members to get involved in  helping to ensure privacy and transparency will be a part of the metaverse. She said it needs to be accessible, created with diverse minds, and socially responsible.

“The metaverse is not just technology, it’s a story of humanity because it’s here to augment the human experience,” she said. “My challenge to you is to paint a perfect picture of that future—if you have a fantasy, it doesn’t have to be based in reality. The possibilities are infinite.”

Learn more about VRARA. Members say one of the best ways to get involved is to join a vertical/committee, and Grinfeder urged those interested to join the VRARA slack channel.

Source

Lavinia Meliti appointed as VP for VRARA Miami Chapter

We are thrilled to have Lavinia Meliti help lead our Miami Chapter!

Lavinia is a born and raised Italian and tech enthusiast on a mission to empower innovation in emerging technologies. Trained lawyer in two legal systems, Lavinia then pursued her career in business and tech combining her legal skills in contractual negotiations to business development and beyond. As Global Head of Business Development for IPwe, Inc., Lavinia leads strategy and execution of business initiatives worldwide, connecting Fortune 500 companies with innovators SMEs across the blockchain and metaverse ecosystems. She is based in Miami, Florida.

“The metaverse is bringing a huge shift into the digital economy and it is crucial to support its innovation. Thanks to VRARA, companies have the option to thrive into the metaverse world, on a platform that allows them to learn, grow, develop, and implement innovations. I am thrilled to support companies in their tech transformative journey here in the Miami community!”
— Lavinia Meliti

VRARA Miami Chapter Event: The Science of Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) and its Potential for VR/AR

VRARA Miami Chapter hosted this event and dove deep into the science behind Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) and its potential for AR/VR with some of the industry's leading institutions and researchers.

We discussed the latest research surrounding BCI, recent advances in BCI systems, and review the applications of BCI technology in various fields, both present and future.

Kristian Bouw, Chief Scientist at Notiontheory gave a brief introduction on the current state of BCI and then moderated BCI panel with:

  • Guillermo Bernal -- Fluid Interfaces Researcher at the MIT Media Lab

  • Sook-Lei Liew -- NPNL Director at the University of Southern California

  • Tim Mullen -- CEO & Research Director at Intheon

icon-monthly-report.png

Free exclusive VR/AR newsletters!

Cart (0)