VR AR Association

VR/AR Education: Take Classes at BCIT Vancouver

Image Source: BCIT

Image Source: BCIT

You’d be right in thinking that Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality education has been all the buzz recently - and with good reason.

The VR revolution has arrived and the aptly named ‘empathy machine’ is just at the tipping point of disrupting all industries. With Apple’s release of the ARKit 2 with iOS 12 and Zuckerburg’s standalone Oculus Go VR headset making headlines worldwide, it has never been a more perfect time to consider a career in emerging technology. (Not to mention, the global augmented reality market is expected to grow significantly to about 90 billion U.S. dollars by 2020 with 1 billion users!)

What does all this mean? Strap on a headset, reach for your controller and get ready to future-proof your career. When immersive technology comes knocking - you’ll be prepared.

Where can I learn? BCIT is one of Vancouver’s treasured educational institutions, with campuses in Downtown Vancouver and in Burnaby. In the fall of 2017, BCIT launched their Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VRAR) Statement of Completion comprising of four part-time courses offered by the BCIT School of Computing and Academic Studies. Check them out below!

COMP 1011 - UX/UI Fundamentals begins with a focus on user experience (UX) and introduces user interface (UI) design.

COMP 1910 - Introduction to 3D Simulations and VR/AR focuses on how to create 3D models with multiple tools to create a simple Unity AR/VR/MR demo.

COMP 2012 - Applied UX/UI for VR/AR transforms existing 2D/3D content and evolves interface concepts based on UCD for MR environments.

COMP 3919 - Applied VR/AR Project applies story-boarding, rapid prototyping and user testing for a VR/AR/MR Project.

With Vancouver globally respected as one of the top VR/AR hubs in the world, and with over 130+ local members in the VRARA’s Vancouver chapter alone, British Columbia is proving itself to be a (virtual) force to be reckoned with.

Apply to one of BCIT’s programs now to join the rapidly growing VR/AR community in Vancouver, and get the skills you need to make, design and reshape your own realities!

The VR/AR Association Debuts World's First Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality News Show

Watch latest episode here

NEW YORK - Oct. 27, 2016 - The VR/AR Association (VRARA) is pleased to announce the debut of its VR/AR News & Entertainment Show on YouTube. The show is the first of its kind, covering the latest trends in the virtual reality and augmented reality industry worldwide.

The VR/AR Association is an international organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of VR/AR technologies and uniting the community of members of this emerging community. Member organizations include Samsung, USA TODAY NETWORK, Orange S.A., Mativision, SpaceoutVR, among others. VRARA has chapters in over 14 cities across the globe and is quickly expanding.

"VR and AR are becoming increasingly more important in today's world economy and our organization is at the forefront of these new technologies," said Kris Kolo, Global Executive Director of VRARA. "That's why after shooting several episodes in NYC and receiving tremendous feedback from our community, we are ready to launch the show globally and bring it into the mainstream."

The show covers the latest news in the VR & AR world, from tech announcements made by companies in the VR space like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook Oculus, to the latest trends in VR & AR content, all in an effort to see how this increasingly popular interface impacts the tech world and culture.

The show can be viewed on the VRARA website (here) or on the VR/AR Association YouTube channel. New episodes will be posted weekly.

New Zealand VR/AR Association Launch

The New Zealand VR/AR Association has just been created by a number of top Kiwi innovators.

It has also secured the rights as New Zealand’s chapter of the global VR/AR Association, with chapters in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Asia.

The association aims to accelerate growth, foster research and education, develop industry standards, connect member organizations and promote services of member companies.

Members of the foundation include Wellington-based holographic VR/AR technology company 8i, Massey and Victoria Universities, along with a number of emerging New Zealand companies, such as Auckland-based Imersia and recently opened Christchurch HTC room-scale virtual reality experience space, The VR Room.

Jessica Manins, executive director for the New Zealand VR/AR Association, says they’re all amazed at the potential of this emergent industry, which is predicted to be worth NZ$205 billion globally in five years.

“Spring-boarding off the game and entertainment industry could see the sector rivalling wine as a NZ$2.5 billon export industry for New Zealand within a decade,” she says.

The association will represent and promote New Zealand’s virtual, augmented and mixed reality sectors nationally and internationally, and will launch its first event in mid-October.

“It’s vital that we connect nationally and build a robust platform for collective offshore representation. Being connected to the rapidly expanding global VR/AR Association is a great springboard to the US and other markets,” explains Manins.

Global VR/AR Association president Nathan Pettyjohn says he is thrilled to see the launch of the New Zealand VR/AR Association and is excited to have the organization join the VR/AR Association.

“The global connectivity created by the two organizations working together will help accelerate efficient growth and knowledge-sharing for companies across the world, and will help the world to tap into the innovation taking place in New Zealand.”

VR/AR Association Appoints Kris Kolo as the Global Executive Director

New York, NY, October 17, 2016 - The VR/AR Association (VRARA) is pleased to announce Kris Kolo as the Global Executive Director for the industry’s marketing association.

The VR/AR Association is dedicated to accelerating the growth of the virtual reality and augmented reality industry. Members include USA Today Network, NYU, GoPro and Samsung, among others.

“It's with great excitement that I announce that Kris Kolo has been appointed as the Global Executive Director,” said Nathan Pettyjohn, Founder and President of VRARA. Kris has been running the NYC Chapter and will continue to do so to maintain a first-hand approach to the VR/AR Association.

Kris will be responsible for overseeing the association's member growth strategy, as well as setting up a new media presence that will consist of a YouTube News Channel, a sponsorship program, and ensuring that their Chapter Presidents have all the tools they need to grow, along with making decisions on Chapter President roles and responsibilities.

“We're going to experience a new level of growth and industry thought leadership as an organization and I couldn't be happier to have Kris in this role. He's proven to be a great Chapter leader,” added Pettyjohn.

“The market is accelerating in growth and it’s maturing. I look forward to the continued global growth of the association by helping member companies grow efficiently, facilitate knowledge sharing and connect at a global level and across verticals,” said Kris.

Kris first looked into AR in 2000 when he was a grad student at MIT, where MIT was working with car makers on windshields with AR. Since then, Kris was an Advisor, Board Member, to FlyBy Media, an AR tech startup acquired by Apple. In addition, Kris was an executive at Toys R Us and Verizon. At Toys R Us, Kris was working on digital in-store initiatives and shopping solutions including using AR with product image recognition with Metaio, a German company acquired by Apple. At Verizon, Kris was responsible for Media, Entertainment, and Location-Based apps & platforms; and he was collaborating with Wikitude to integrate AR into Verizon's GPS Navigation.

For more information please visit www.thevrara.com

About the VR/AR Association

The VR/AR Association (The VRARA) is an international organization designed to foster collaboration between innovative companies and people in the virtual reality and augmented reality ecosystem. The VRARA will accelerate growth, foster research and education and help develop industry standards. Member organizations are promoted and integrated into all marketing initiatives in some form of participation and benefit highly from the global expansion the VRARA offers as a platform with reach of over 5 million via network, partnerships and marketing channels.