Industrial XR to Drive ROI in Immersive Market, Lenovo Says

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

Companies across the virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) industry have begun focusing on the future of industrial XR. Many hardware manufacturers are removing the barriers to successful XR experiences with innovative headsets and solutions aimed the enterprise market.

Organisations have launched numerous platforms to facilitate dialogue on the future of spatial communications, namely as businesses hope to reach their highest potential with immersive tech.

The ongoing Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 is taking place 5-7 December in Miami, Florida. Scores of companies, thought leaders, and experts across the global tech industry have attended the gathering to share their knowledge on the future of Web3 technologies.

At the event, XR Today spoke to Jason McGuigan, Head of Commercial Virtual Reality, on his company’s latest product lineup, his views on the Summit, and thoughts on the industrial metaverse.

XR Today: What are your thoughts on the IGS 2022 Miami, and what have you learned and accomplished so far?

Jason McGuigan: There has been a lot of great energy in the crowd during the keynote. We’re seeing a lot of shakeups in the industry right now, but despite this, everyone at the event still carries impressive energy and excitement.

Regarding the enterprise metaverse, I gave an interactive conversation where people could choose their direction and what they wanted to hear about from a customer perspective.

We want to show how to bring XR technologies to the enterprise, and we’re currently at the spot where we need to prove that to people outside of the industry. We need to also prove return on investment (ROI) as we can’t get people to invest in what’s possible for tomorrow if we do not show them ROI today.

I discussed in my morning keynote about how to prove ROI and getting the next level of the Metaverse, as well as some topics on futurism, generative artificial intelligence (AI), and others. We also mentioned our new ThinkReality VRX headset, which is coming out early next year.

XR Today: Can you provide any updates on the ThinkReality VRX and what you hope it will accomplish?

Jason McGuigan: Currently, we’re walking into a very mature landscape and are not generating something from the ground up. While organisations are still discovering use cases for AR, VR still has a lot of proven ROI.

A lot of business use cases have demonstrated its effectiveness and how it could save enterprises significant amounts of money. From this perspective, organisations believe it makes a lot of sense to invest in. They are going to see that return in a very short period of time while saving money and lives, and protecting the legacy of an organisation.

This is achieved by upskilling employees with better skills, making them less adverse, and avoiding the possibility of having accidents or injuries on the job.

We focus our attention on these things and that is our big push for the next few months: to work with major independent software vendors (ISVs) in VR. This ensures that those bringing their software to our headsets are ready to go on day one.

We’ve got great partners at Qualcomm assisting in this battle, and we’re also excited to bring this out to market soon. Regarding AR, the A3 is a fantastic product. We’re consistently updating the device via the Snapdragon Spaces software development kit (SDK), so it has new and better features all the time.

It’s a device that, even a few months back, had already significantly evolved in just a few short months, and we’ll see that constant evolution of that technology. This is because the software constantly receives updates and improves to enhance features dramatically.

XR Today: What do you think industrial XR will look like in the near future, and will the enterprise drive the creation of the Metaverse?

Jason McGuigan: I think the enterprise will open the doors to industrial metaverse. I’ve consistently talked about the enterprise leading the way as it has the most money to spend. Furthermore, it also has many people managing a lot of devices for multiple use cases.

This also improves the consumer space as well with a trickle-down approach as the enterprise space develops and grows the market. These technologies will eventually move from the enterprise to the consumer, but I think the consumer market could hit a wall temporarily as more people adopt XR.

Many people realise that when they try the device for the first time at work, they eventually buy a consumer device. Using these tools on the job becomes the first encounter with XR for many people, giving them a taste of the technology that leads to its adoption in their personal lives.

XR Today: What are your concluding thoughts on the conference and what do you expect from it in the near future?

There are so many conferences for technology that are generalised for tech. The IGS 2022 is one of the few specifically centred around immersive content. Where I see the difference between this one versus your Augmented Enterprise Summit (AES), Consumer Electronics Show (CES), or Augmented World Expo (AWE), there’s an enthusiasm with this group unlike ever before.

Although it doesn’t take itself quite so seriously, there’s a lot of business getting done, people are making great connections, and it takes place at amazing destinations. The previous one was in Madeira and this one is taking place in Miami, allowing people to attend places they want to visit and experience beautiful locales with the people they enjoy spending time with.

This helps inject creativity and liveliness into conversations that I don’t think you get at some of the other major conferences. I’m looking forward to seeing the continued success, and as we meet many of the same people here, it grows into a really strong community that builds upon itself.

XR, Metaverse to Reshape the Human Connection

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

As 2022 comes to a close, much of the tech industry has seen spectacular ups and downs. Despite this, extended reality (XR) has made tremendous growth in some technological advancements and reached key milestones in immersive human connectivity across the immersive sector.

The Immerse Global Summit 2022 Miami has rallied many top brands across the tech industry to reflect on both its achievements and setbacks. Many enterprises have used the Summit for dialogue, scrutiny, and major reveals for spatial computing solutions.

XR Today spoke to Jay Latta, CEO and Founder of the Strategic Intelligence for New Technologies (STINT), speaker, and futurist. He is also an Emerging Technology Strategist with more than 35 years of experience across industrial and enterprise-based information technologies (IT).

We discussed ongoing trends in virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR). We also explored emerging technologies and the ‘human connection’ across the tech industry.

XR Today: Can you tell me about your experience with the IGS 2022 Miami and your best takeaways?

Jay Latta: The IGS is a very interesting conference because it’s very much like a family. This increased greatly after the pandemic, and the first eight years I’ve attended had already built a strong community.

It has taken a highly-curated, familial approach where everyone understands one another. We are the same creatives [focused on] being together and talking with each other. Most importantly, we talk about things [and] simply work on solutions to deliver what is most beneficial for the world.

XR Today: Which emerging trends should we expect for the industry in 2023?

Jay Latta: 2023 is just around the corner, so not much at the beginning, but we can expect a huge rush from companies to do something in the Metaverse despite not fully understanding it.

I’m expecting things to normalise and people to understand what the Metaverse really is. Regarding technologies and breakthroughs, there are several ongoing experiments in augmented reality contact lenses. We can expect at least additional working prototype displays by the end of 2023, which can really offer a glimpse of what these devices will look like.

There are also several rumours about Apple’s upcoming MR headset. We can expect them to set a benchmark, and many new players will enter to fill in the necessary gaps.

I’m also expecting greater moves towards haptics to enhance our immersive experiences. My favourite is also brain-computer interfaces (BCI). I know one startup that has begun creating something in bidirectional BCI, and in the next 10 years, it could even replace VR headsets with direct feedback.

XR Today: What could you tell us about tech firms leveraging AI to enhance machine and human connectivity?

Jay Latta: Regarding technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is an augmentation of it to help humans become a better version of themselves. If corporations control AI, it’s much more uncertain.’Many in the industry are calling for a decentralised internet, which it already is, but the content has been centralised. This is the issue, especially if it’s the usual suspects.

We need to democratise content, algorithms, data ownership, and data sovereignty. Only then can we use all of these technologies for the good and not for profit.

XR Today: Where do you see XR technologies and the Metaverse heading, and which use cases should we expect in the near future?

Jay Latta: I normally describe XR as a cake with five ‘technology layers.’ We’re very visually orientated and need to see things to understand them. Then you have artificial intelligence (AI), the predictive future modelling layer that makes sense of our data.

There’s also data choreography, linked to big data processing for connected devices. There’s also data connectivity, and many users don’t consider where their data comes from. Is it real-time, replicated, already enriched, or immutable data that allows me to trust it or determine if it has been moved?

You can also use blockchain technologies that use high-end cryptography. As soon as companies and others working with these concepts start to understand this cake and take a ‘piece’ as its own business or vertical. Many are wearing horse blinders, where we just see ourselves and have to stay informed. Sometimes we get impulses from radically different silos, and then magic happens.

This is why XR is so important. It makes things explainable and guides the industry to new use cases. I’m a huge fan of human-centricity, where machines meet our needs and not the other way around. Most people will simply say that XR allows them to perform better in their jobs or social interactions.

XR and Rethinking the Human Connection

Imagine that, during the pandemic, if governments preached physical distancing rather than social distancing. Many omitted the social layer. Regarding user-centricity, that would have been the killer app for a company to develop an optical counterpart to a search engine such as Google.

Rather than using a search box to type in queries, the internet could have a digital twin of a virtual library for information.

We can remember the physical and visual details of the book while taking samples on pages and scrolling through content. If we could manage this with the help of XR, we could potentially accelerate and completely revolutionise how and where we conduct searches. This would be amazing for data sets.

Imagine using these in 3D environments, where we’re not just using two-dimensional objects, but our informational resources have spatial properties to them. This is human behaviour, and XR and its use cases will help us to stay human in the process.

Aequilibrium, the Powerhouse of Culture and Technology

Aequilibrium is grateful to meet all the amazing people at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami, as a sponsor on December 5-7.

As a progressive organization, Aequilibrium believes that the technology of extended reality is integrating at a fast pace with our daily interactions and it has gigantic potential across various industries. We plan to seize the right opportunity in time to make a difference in redesigning the technology of tomorrow as a proactive team of talented individuals.

Aequilibrium is a consulting digital agency headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, focused on digital transformation and innovation for digital and financial services. Aequilibrium provides consulting and implementation services to help progressive companies thrive in the invincible digitized world and drive business growth. 

Clients at Aequilibrium enjoy tailored-to-fit solutions as per their requirements. The global pandemic saw the rise of remote working, and Aequlibrium not only provided clients with options for seamless digital transformation and cloud migration but also offered collaborative platforms for people to work together with ease.

Employees at Aequilibrium are vibrant, energetic, and responsible. The element of fun and culture binds them together at work and also at events that are regularly hosted in virtual and physical spaces. Often the team comes together to collaborate and brainstorm to produce best-in-class outcomes and solutions.

Aequilibrium being a progressive organization values people and their perspectives and believes that the mantra to achieve success lies with the integrity and sincerity of people.

Explore more about Aequilibrium and keep in touch with us.

5G Networks Crucial to Metaverse Future, AT&T Says

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

Telecoms have played a massive role in facilitating the expanded use of unified communications apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and multiple social media platforms.

Fully functional networks have facilitated immense connectivity for families, businesses, and individuals worldwide, namely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The meteoric rise of virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) solutions recently triggered a surge in demand for network infrastructure, forcing telecoms to innovate and strategise coverage across user demographics.

XR Today spoke to Andrew Bennett, Assistant Vice President for Mass Market 5G Products at AT&T on the sidelines of the Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 in Miami. He discussed building stable, reliable, and future-proof networks for the rising spatial communications platform.

XR Today: Could you explain which use cases AT&T has targeted and why they are important for consumers, namely as it focuses on new metaverse solutions?

Andrew Bennett: To continue leading as a connectivity provider, it’s important to ‘spread the chips across the board’ and explore multiple use cases. We understand that different groups are exploring the Metaverse in their own ways and make sure we take a similar strategy. 

This takes place across the players today, all the way up to the Metas of the world, while considering how our networks will support the growth. This is critical as the killer use case could be months or a year away, or even right under our noses. 

XR Today: Why is it key for AT&T to have a long-term metaverse strategy, namely after the lessons of COVID-19, and how will this benefit enterprises in the future?

Andrew Bennett: The majority of wireless capacity was consumed in dense urban environments with higher population density.

As people began leaving the city for the suburbs and elsewhere, we reviewed our current and future infrastructure as customers changed their usage patterns. The Metaverse experienced similar groundswells, but it will eventually hit that ‘hockey stick’ [of market maturity]. 

It’s important to prepare for those inflexion point events, especially after COVID-19 changed the way we work. The Metaverse and XR have tremendous opportunities to advance remote work by boosting collaboration and improving training. 

One of the panellists from earlier today mentioned that remote work and remote learning create additional opportunities to receive immersive classroom experiences outside the classroom. 

We have to consider all use cases and the ever-changing circumstances across the world. 

The Metaverse creates immersive experiences we once could not imagine, such as meeting in a shared virtual conference room. Now, I can put on my VR glasses for a couple of hours and get the same experience as if I was in person.  

XR Today: Which are some of the low latency-based technologies AT&T (cloud/edge) has been deploying and what are their benefits?

Andrew Bennett: Generally, we use the mass market lens. We deploy 5G, fibre broadband, a brand new 5G network core, and boosting edge network nodes. This brings computing and content as close to the customer as possible to receive low-latency experiences. 

For XR applications, latency is key as many XR applications are not hugely bandwidth intensive. This is important to reduce motion sickness, enhance gameplay, and boost reaction times for remote working. Professionals using remote-controlled robots also depend on low-latency networks while using VR, especially for mission-critical tasks. 

XR Today: What does 6G promise to deliver for enterprises, and how will this help to realise Industry 4.0?

Andrew Bennett: We’re currently participating in industry forums and our lab teams are discussing this with global leaders in 6G. Regarding 5G, we’re deploying these networks, and plan to reveal more in due course. 

The first millimetre-wave node went live in 2018, but we’re still in the early stages of 5G. In terms of a true nationwide 5G footprint, that took place from 2020 to 2021. 

We’re currently deploying mid-band networks and 5G still has a ton of runway. In the early days of 4G, we never realised data would play such a key role, or that the Ubers, YouTubes, and Netflix’s of the world would stream so much data traffic on the network.  

XR Today: Anything else you would like to add? What are your thoughts on the IGS 2022 Miami?

Andrew Bennett: The event space [at the Fontainebleau Hotel] is beautiful, and there’s been a great turnout here, and the energy surrounding the event is spectacular. 

To be among thousands of people at this conference that are passionate about technology, it’s infectious to be around that energy and share the goal of advancing the immersive ecosystem. 

Also, there are major benefits to participating in these events as a network provider such as engaging with the immersive ecosystem and understanding the future of this space.  

We also assess whether we’re building the networks enabling the future. We want to learn as much as possible, reassess, and do more. That’s been the most beneficial part of the conference.

Immersal launches AR game arcade solution

(Helsinki, Finland & Miami, United States, 5 December 2022) Immersal Oy, part of Hexagon, launched an augmented reality (AR) game arcade at VRARA Global Immerse Summit in Miami. The solution enables the retail and tourism industry as well as other sectors to gamify their customers’ experience while providing monetisation and learning opportunities. Potential AR arcade games are Pinball, Air Hockey, multiplayer Pong, Pacman, Tetris, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, multiplayer Snakes and Ladders, and more.

With the game arcade solutions, you can decorate an entire neighbourhood in a city with games, for example, placing Tetris on the surface of a high-rise building. A shopping mall can include branded games with a retailer’s logo or products forming part of the game. These AR elements modernise the shopping experience, improve brand engagement and introduce an element of fun.      

Visitors in a new city or shoppers in a mall can use AR through their mobile devices or AR glasses. AR games can be combined with other AR content like navigation or e-commerce as part of a city guide app or shopping mall’s own app.

AR experiences are typically implemented with 5G, either private or public. It is possible to use MEC (multi-access edge computing) servers to ensure the immediate response times necessary for AR content. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) benefit from supporting these solutions to showcase examples of 5G in use.

Immersal previously introduced a similar solution for stadiums and horse racing tracks and has piloted this together with several operators around the world including Rakuten in Japan. 

In June 2022, Immersal also introduced a personal metaverse app which is an unprecedented way to create, share and experience the metaverse. Immersal App is an easy and fun way to merge physical and digital realities seamlessly into one immersive experience. This functionality can be integrated to both stadium and horse racing solutions.

“To make the metaverse accessible for a larger part of society, we need to lower the barriers to entrance. Games are a great way to inspire people to test AR for the first time. Adding creative monetisation and brand visibility opportunities makes this an attractive option for brands, making this the smartest first step into AR world,” says Anttoni Vesterinen, CEO of Immersal.

About Immersal
Immersal is building world-leading spatial mapping and visual positioning tools – the foundation of the metaverse. Founded in 2015, Immersal’s team is based in Helsinki, Finland, and working with partners, developers and creators across the globe to reimagine how we explore, interact and create. Immersal also has sales offices in Hong Kong and in Silicon Valley, California and is expanding its presence and partner networks globally. The company was acquired by Hexagon in 2021 and continues to pursue the vision of a metaverse built and experienced by everyone on any device.

Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 23,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 4.3bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB.

Contact

For related images, videos or additional information please contact:

Päivi Laakso-Kuivalainen, CMO, Immersal Oy, +358 40 757 29 27 paivi.laaksokuivalainen@immersal.com

Aequilibrium, the powerhouse of Culture and Technology

Next week, meet Aequilibrium at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami, as a sponsor. 

As a progressive organization, Aequilibrium believes that the technology of extended reality is integrating at a fast pace with our daily interactions and it has gigantic potential across various industries. We plan to seize the right opportunity in time to make a difference in redesigning the technology of tomorrow as a proactive team of talented individuals.

Aequilibrium is a consulting digital agency headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, focused on digital transformation and innovation for digital and financial services. Aequilibrium provides consulting and implementation services to help progressive companies thrive in the invincible digitized world and drive business growth. 

At Aequilibrium, we craft remarkable experiences by blending innovation, business strategy, technology, project management and governance with a focus on culture and technology.

Clients at Aequilibrium enjoy tailored-to-fit solutions as per their requirements. The global pandemic saw the rise of remote working, and Aequlibrium not only provided clients with options for seamless digital transformation and cloud migration but also offered collaborative platforms for people to work together with ease.

Employees at Aequilibrium are vibrant, energetic, and responsible. The element of fun and culture binds them together at work and also at events that are regularly hosted in virtual and physical spaces. Often the team comes together to collaborate and brainstorm to produce best-in-class outcomes and solutions.

Aequilibrium being a progressive organization values people and their perspectives and believes that the mantra to achieve success lies with the integrity and sincerity of people.

Explore more about our work.

Visit the Aequilibrium booth (#8) at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami on December 5-7 and chat directly with AEQ-ers to share your perspectives and learn more about their mission, vision, capabilities, and offerings.

Majority of Developers are All-In on the Metaverse

Be sure to meet Agora at our Immerse Global Summit ; Tony Wang, Co-Founder of Agora is speaking and Vanessa Mullin, Director of Metaverse, is moderating a panel, Future of Hardware & Headsets with HTC, Qualcomm, Magic Leap & Lenovo. Agora is also exhibiting.

Agora study of 300 US-based developers highlights opportunities and challenges of building and working in the metaverse, with gaming and entertainment expected to be big winners

Depending on who you ask, the metaverse is everything and nothing. A place where everyone is already meeting to work, live and play out their lives digitally. Or a place that really does not even exist yet.

Either way, it is a place of fascination for technophiles and technophobes alike.  

According to a popular definition, the metaverse is an interactive space that combines real-life social interaction with extended reality (XR) and has been labeled as game-changing by many experts across a wide range of industries.

Of course, because the metaverse is projected to be the next internet—internet 3.0 / Web3—over the next two years and become a $300 billion dollar industry, it has everyone’s attention.

We went outside of Agora and spoke to 300 US-based developers to learn more about what they thought about the metaverse and what we will see in the coming years. Why developers, you ask?  For developers, the growth of the metaverse allows the development of new communities and allows them to better connect with users.  

Here’s a closer look at what we found.

Data privacy is key: Who is in charge of protecting your information? 

According to the survey, 33% of respondents believe that data privacy and security are the biggest hurdles that the metaverse must overcome.

The big winners: Gaming and entertainment/leisure

When asked which industry will benefit the most or experience the greatest positive impact from the metaverse, the developers surveyed put gaming and entertainment at the top, with 26% each.

It’s all about being social: Expect social to migrate to the metaverse

More than half of the developers (55%) say that it is likely the metaverse will replace real-life, in-person social interactions and experiences within the next 5 years.

Show us the money: Metaverse currency

The majority of developers are bullish on NFTs and believe they will become the biggest currently in the near team.

Further, 57% of respondents think that the metaverse will become the most popular place to buy, store and trade cryptocurrency, while 18% disagree and 25% feel neutral.

And when asked if cryptocurrency and blockchain technology advancements will be critical to shaping the future of the metaverse, 70% agreed, 9% disagreed and 21% felt neutral.

Who will own the metaverse? It’s too early to tell

It shouldn’t surprise that Facebook/Meta was top of mind in this survey, with more than half (55%) of respondents putting it on top of “owning” the metaverse. The other top responses weren’t surprising either:  

A key to growth

When asked if real-time engagement technology (interactive, two-way digital video and audio) will be the solution to creating a more engaging and connected experience for the metaverse, 72% believe it will be critical, while 5% think it won’t be a prominent factor and 22% feel neutral about it.

Aequilibrium nurturing Thought Leadership in the journey of Innovation

Meet thought leaders from Aequilibrium at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami and learn more about their ideas and forecasts on how technology can change the world with innovation.

Aequilibrium being a progressive organization believes that the key to excellence is knowledge. The thought leaders in Aequilibrium believe that XR has the potential to change the world with immense capabilities in the domain of financial service, retail and commerce, and training across various industries.

Adrian Moise, the Founder and CEO of Aequilibrium, personally nurtures the thought leadership initiative. Aequilibrium has an in-house team to drive this initiative. In preparation for success, the initiative involves reading, learning, and vigorously researching topics focussed on XR, metaverse, digital transformation and strategy, to name a few. 

These articles are rich with information drawn from research and experience and act as road maps for future capabilities. The ideas shared are focused on the past, present, and future of technology and also case studies and possibilities.

The blogs are highly appreciated and applauded and people stay eager to hear from their leaders about new trends and technology. The shared knowledge helps with individual growth, widens perspectives, and is then implemented in the form of work.

Explore our thought leadership articles to gain pace with what's new and innovative across industries!

Visit the Aequilibrium booth (#8) at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami on December 5-7 and chat directly with AEQ-ers to share your perspectives and learn more about their mission, vision, capabilities, and offerings.

Multi-Trillion Dollar Metaverse Ecosystem on Showcase by Global Tech Leaders & Partners at Immerse Global Summit Miami

3-day conference to feature speakers from AT&T, Qualcomm, Meta, Magic Leap, Sony, Lenovo, Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart, Mayo Clinic, HTC, Unity, Shiba Metaverse.

PALO ALTO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 24, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The VR/AR Association (VRARA) announced today many of the 150+ speakers and partners who will be featured at Immerse Global Summit taking place in Miami, FL December 5-7, 2022, covering topics including XR, Metaverse, virtual reality, augmented reality, blockchain, 5G, cloud technologies and other immersive technologies that are impacting every sector of business, media and entertainment.

3-day conference to feature speakers from AT&T, Qualcomm, Meta, Magic Leap, Sony, Lenovo, Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart, immersal, Agora, ResMed, Mayo Clinic, rooom, Emteq, UL, Merck, HTC, aequilibrium, Mozilla, AMPD, Unity, Perfect Corp, FBI, Accenture, General Motors, Shiba Metaverse
and Partner Participation from DreamlandXR, Consulate General of Canada in Miami, Smart Cities Americas, BitBasel, Mission Impact and FIBREE, the Real-Estate Blockchain Association.

With its potential to generate up to $5 trillion in value by 2030, the metaverse is too big for companies to ignore.”— McKinsey & Company, Metaverse Value Creation, 6/2022

Schedule highlights and featured speakers include:

AT&T Keynote - with Andrew Bennett, AVP - Mass Market 5G Products, AT&T

Digital Twins and How Unity is Helping Customers, Dave Rhodes SVP & GM, Unity

Qualcomm Keynote with Brian Vogelsang, Snapdragon Spaces Lead

Building Bridges to the Future: The XR Journey @ Meta

Choose your own Adventure: Journey into the Enterprise Metaverse, Jason McGuigan, Head of Virtual Reality, Lenovo

Metaverse Marketing - It doesn't have to be SCARY! Casey Jensen, rooom

Panels and Activations from DreamlandXR will showcase entertainment and media panels and showcases.

BitBasel, Miami’s Crypto Art Community will host panels on crypto and art, including a pre-event “Immerse-Day” at Miami Art Week.

FIBREE will showcase multiple panels featuring leaders on Blockchain and its Impact on Real-Estate

EQ for XR: Helping Your Retail Colleagues Adopt 3D, Cynthia Maller, Walmart

FBI to Keynote

18 Canadian Companies as part of a delegation supported by the Consulate General of Canada in Miami will be featured as speakers, exhibitors and panelists.

Speed Dating Activation - Get your game face on! You have 3 minutes to meet, pitch, listen and connect with your fellow attendees before the whistle blows and you need to move on to the next person! This is speed networking at its most intense.

And much more!

Miami is one of the high-growth technology cities in the US. Demand for technology jobs is rising, and Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties were among the top markets for the growth of tech job postings during the first six months of 2022, according to the Dice Tech Job Report, an analysis that looks at hiring trends by location, employers, role and skills.

Venue: Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Miami Florida

The Immerse Global Summit will feature dynamic keynotes, industry tracks, demos, exhibits, networking, and amazing VIP events. It will showcase the best that the industry has to offer.

Get tickets to Immerse Global Summit here.
Learn more about The VR/AR Association here.

About The VR/AR Association:

Owned and produced by The VR/AR Association (VRARA), Immerse Global Summit is one of the most innovative technology conference series in the world and has hosted over 70,000 attendees over the past two years at its virtual events and in-person conferences in Europe and North America, with a commitment to facilitating innovation and creativity through cross-pollination of enterprise and consumer technology showcases combined with business growth strategy. The conferences bring together a mix of the most talented business leaders, developers, creative designers, and product managers from around the world.

The VR/AR Association is an international organization designed to foster collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR, AR, metaverse, and blockchain ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations, and promotes the services of member companies.

Contact Information:

Nathan Pettyjohn
President, Immerse Global Summit and VR/AR Association (VRARA)
nathan@thevrara.com

Kris Kolo
Global Executive Director, VR/AR Association (VRARA)
kris@thevrara.com

Kris Kolo
VRAR Association
+1 314-640-1404
email us here

Immerse Global Summit Miami: The Best Way to Connect With Tech Leaders

Agora teams up with HTC and Magic Leap to Provide Immersive Metaverse Experiences to Enterprises

The metaverse holds a promising future as the next evolution of the internet. It is poised to disrupt many industries, sectors, and verticals. But what is the metaverse, and how does Agora fit into it? In broad terms, it is a virtual shared sense of space that connects people, work, play, and any form of interactivity around us - transcending our imagination, physical presence, and state of being into immersive experiences. 

For the metaverse to be immersive, it requires a combination of hardware, software, Extended Reality (XR), and other technologies. Agora is at the forefront of providing scalable developer-friendly, easy-to-embed SDKs for creating web or mobile applications across devices, frameworks, platforms, and tools. As a partner to many top players in the AR/VR space, we are uniquely positioned in delivering interoperability for customizable, highly flexible, reliable low latency coverage and scalability to build into an existing or new stack of technologies.

Agora’s Metaverse solutions and services provide users with the building blocks to add real-time engagement to virtual worlds at any scale—from gaming to enterprise, education to the future of work, and much more. The potential of the metaverse can translate into many emerging use cases and have a positive impact in the coming years. Our partnership with HTC delivers cutting-edge technologies to enterprises, developers, and end-users everywhere, with seamless collaboration between users in the physical and virtual worlds. 

Powered by the Agora Interactive Live Streaming SDK, VIVE Sync enables all users to collaborate and enjoy the same immersive experiences in a shared virtual reality environment on any device, with or without a headset. Imagine a distributed environment where colleagues, students, or friends cannot be in the same physical space yet can collaborate and interact on a product launch, school assignment, or enjoy a music concert without leaving the comfort of their locations. The power of VR technology allows you to interact, present, walk and gain perspective from everyone.

Magic Leap 2 (ML2) headset combined with Agora’s real-time engagement (RTE) technology demonstrates advancements in Augmented Reality (AR) in education, industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), telehealth, and more. Multiple interactions in the metaverse illustrate the expanse of varied modalities that make for an inclusive experience. For instance, in the industrial, medical, or education sectors, onsite workers can collaborate remotely with peers in offsite locations while a supervisor or onlooker watches as they complete a task. 

Agora will showcase the power of real-time engagement and XR innovations along with HTC and Magic Leap at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami on December 5-7. Agora's Director of Metaverse - Social and Gaming, Vanessa Mullin, will also moderate a panel discussion on the Future of Hardware and Headsets with leaders from HTC, Qualcomm, Lenovo, and Magic Leap on December 5 from 4:55 PM-5:25 PM EST. We invite you to join us live on the main stage, or virtually, as we discuss the business drivers, challenges, trends, and use cases in building the future of the metaverse.

If you’re interested in entering the metaverse, stop by the Agora booth #122 to meet our team of experts, experience our demos, get swag, and discuss all the excitement about these emerging technologies. See you there!

Miami to Welcome the XR Tech Leaders at Immerse Global Summit this December

Palo Alto, CA, November 10, 2022 - The VR/AR Association (VRARA) announced Immerse Global Summit, taking place at Fontainebleau Miami Beach on December 5-7, 2022, and featuring keynote speakers and sponsors from Meta, AT&T, Magic Leap, Amazon, Lenovo, Unity, Sony and will include speakers from companies like Walmart and General Motors.

The VR/AR Association is proud to bring Immerse Global Summit to Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Immerse Global Summit is expected to draw over 1,000 attendees for the conference which will feature over 200 thought-leaders in the XR, metaverse, blockchain, and connectivity ecosystem, including those from AT&T, Meta, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Magic Leap, Sony, Unity Technologies, Amazon, Walmart, General Motors, University of Miami, Agora, and emerging companies Rooom, Immersal, Emteq Labs, Aequilibrium, AMPD, Leia Inc., Departure Lounge and many more.

Immersive technologies are proving to be an ever-important part of nearly every company’s digital strategy, from training the workforce in virtual reality to augmented reality entertainment, gaming, and advertising, and putting more demands on mobile networks and the importance of connected devices.

The Immerse Global Summit will feature dynamic keynotes, industry tracks, demos, exhibits, networking, and amazing VIP events. It will showcase the best that the industry has to offer.

“IGS Madeira was a magical event in every way. The top visionaries, the smartest innovators, the most soulful creators — all generously showing up for 4 straight days in one of the most beautiful locations I've ever seen. Loads of appreciation for the organizers — they've created something truly special and I can't wait for their next event in Miami!” -Neil Redding, Founder & CEO, Redding Futures

“We are thrilled to welcome AT&T to the keynote stage at Immerse Global Summit in Miami. The importance of high-speed and reliable data transfer connectivity has never been more important than what we’re seeing in the new digital ecosystem of industries in the metaverse, blockchain, web3, virtual and augmented reality, digital fashion, digital humans, enterprise, and more.”-Nathan Pettyjohn, Founder & President of the VR/AR Association

“Business leaders across every vertical should attend this event and learn how immersive technologies are transforming their business. Many of the world’s most respected companies and thought leaders will be at Immerse Global Summit, in a setting curated to deliver inspiration, and allow attendees to network with game-changing business connections.”-Kris Kolo, Global Executive Director of the VR/AR Association

Tickets are now on sale for the event.

About The VR/AR Association:

Owned and produced by The VR/AR Association (VRARA), Immerse Global Summit is one of the most innovative technology conference series in the world, and has hosted over 70,000 attendees over the past two years at its virtual events and in-person conferences in Europe and North America, with a commitment to facilitating innovation and creativity through a cross-pollination of enterprise and consumer technology showcases combined with business growth strategy. The conferences bring together a mix of the most talented business leaders, developers, creative designers, and product managers from around the world.

The VR/AR Association is an international organization designed to foster collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR, AR, metaverse and blockchain ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations and promotes the services of member companies.

Contact Information:

Nathan Pettyjohn
President, Immerse Global Summit and VR/AR Association (VRARA)
nathan@thevrara.com

Kris Kolo
Global Executive Director, VR/AR Association (VRARA)
kris@thevrara.com

Aequilibrium’s insights on Extended Reality (XR)

Meet AEQers from Aequilibrium at our Immerse Global Summit in Miami Beach on Dec 5-7 and discover their journey into the world of Extended Reality.

Why settle for boring meetings and video conferencing, when you can get immersed in personalized virtual experiences with Aequilibrium?

The in-house dedicated XR professionals at Aequilibrium are equipped to build customized virtual experiences for clients. They can create an entire virtual world and instantly bring together people from across locations in the same collaborative platform for discussions. They also enable VR training for new members to practice in a risk-free environment and believe that with XR, the possibilities are endless.

Clients at Aequilibrium enjoy tailored-to-fit solutions as per their requirements. The global pandemic saw the rise of remote working, and Aequlibrium not only provided clients with options for seamless digital transformation and cloud migration but also offered collaborative platforms for people to work together with ease.

Aequilibrium being a progressive organization believes that the golden key to the metaverse is XR. The current market for XR is growing faster than imagination and shifting to the digital world is the norm of the era. The thought leaders in Aequilibrium believe that XR has the potential to change the world with immense capabilities in the domain of financial service, retail and commerce, and training across various industries.

Discover more about Extended Reality through Aequilibrium’s thought leadership blogs

Visit the Aequilibrium booth (#8) at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami on December 5-7 and chat directly with AEQ-ers to share your perspectives and learn more about their mission, vision, capabilities, and offerings.

AT&T to Keynote at Immerse Global Summit in Miami Beach, Florida 2022

Immerse Global Summit Miami will take place at the Fontainebleau from December 5-7, 2022 and welcomes AT&T as the Presenting Sponsor Keynote alongside other global tech leaders.

Palo Alto, CA, November 15, 2022 - The VR/AR Association (VRARA) announced today that AT&T will deliver the keynote as the Presenting Sponsor at Immerse Global Summit taking place in Miami Beach, Florida December 5-7, 2022.

Immersive technologies are proving to be an increasingly important part of nearly every company’s digital strategy, from training the workforce in virtual reality, to augmented reality entertainment, gaming and advertising. As a result, next-gen connected devices and the bandwidth they require are putting more demands on mobile networks than ever before. 

“The merging of our physical and digital worlds through immersive experiences is only possible with connectivity solutions like AT&T 5G and Fiber.  As the immersive technology ecosystem evolves, AT&T will lead the way, transforming how the world works, lives and plays, connecting businesses and our customers to greater possibilities,” says Andrew Bennett, AVP, Mass Market 5G Products at AT&T and keynote speaker.

Immerse Global Summit is expected to draw over 1,000 attendees to the Fontainebleau Hotel, the venue for the conference which will feature over 200 thought-leaders in the XR, metaverse, blockchain and connectivity ecosystem, including those from AT&T, Meta, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Magic Leap, Sony, Unity Technologies, Amazon, Boeing, General Motors, University of Miami, Agora, and emerging companies Rooom, Immersal, Emteq Labs, Aequilibrium, AMPD, Leai Inc., Departure Lounge and many more. 

Miami is one of the high growth technology cities in the US. Demand for technology jobs are rising, and Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties were among the top markets for the growth of tech job postings during the first six months of 2022, according to the Dice Tech Job Report, an analysis that looks at hiring trends by location, employers, role and skills.

“We are thrilled to welcome AT&T to the keynote stage at Immerse Global Summit in Miami.  The importance of high-speed and reliable data transfer connectivity has never been more important than what we’re seeing in the new digital ecosystem of industries in the metaverse, blockchain, web3, virtual and augmented reality, digital fashion, digital humans, enterprise, and more, says Nathan Pettyjohn, Founder & President of the VR/AR Association who hosts the Immerse Global Summit.   

“Business leaders across every vertical should attend this event and learn how immersive technologies are transforming their business. Many of the world’s most respected companies and thought leaders will be at Immerse Global Summit, in a setting curated to deliver inspiration, and allow attendees to network with game-changing business connections,” says Kris Kolo, Global Executive Director of the VR/AR Association, who hosts Immerse Global Summit. 

The Immerse Global Summit will feature dynamic keynotes, industry tracks, demos, exhibits, networking, and amazing VIP events. It will showcase the best that the industry has to offer.

Tickets are now on sale for the event. Get tickets to Immerse Global Summit here.

To learn more about the VR/AR Association see www.thevrara.com 

Contact: 

Nathan Pettyjohn

President, Immerse Global Summit and VRARA

nathan@thevrara.com 

Kris Kolo

Global Executive Director, VR/AR Association (VRARA)

Kris@thevrara.com 

About the VR/AR Association

Owned and produced by The VR/AR Association (VRARA), Immerse Global Summit is one of the most innovative technology conference series in the world, and has hosted over 70,000 attendees over the past two years at its virtual events and in-person conferences in Europe and North America, with a commitment to facilitating innovation and creativity through a cross-pollination of enterprise and consumer technology showcases combined with business growth strategy. The conferences bring together a mix of the most talented business leaders, developers, creative designers, and product managers from around the world.

The VR/AR Association is an international organization designed to foster collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR, AR, metaverse and blockchain ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations and promotes the services of member companies.

Meet Aequilibrium at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami, December 5 to 7

Aequilibrium is participating at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami and the AEQers are looking forward to meeting you there.

Aequilibrium is a consulting company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. We are considered one of the top digital agencies in Canada, focused on digital transformation and innovation for financial services. Winner of multiple VancouverUX awards for digital product design, Aequilibrium provides consulting (cloud, enterprise architecture, digital and product strategy) and implementation services (UI/UX design, full-stack development, DevOps, and QA) to help progressive companies with strategy, experience, and technology to be more resilient, differentiate, and thrive.

Aequilibrium acts as a trusted advisor to help clients accelerate their speed to market and reduce their risk with the delivery of complex enterprise projects, involving omnichannel experiences for web, mobile, and XR. 

Aequilibrium is a house to multi-disciplinary teams of designers, engineers, and strategists. We use the perfect balance of technology and digital experience design to solve business problems. Our expert software developers, UX designers, cloud strategists, and automation engineers can modernize, optimize, or completely transform digital operations.

As a trusted partner to banking, retail, and healthcare organizations, we solve complex problems in digital ecosystems. We are known for speed, agility, and expertise. We accelerate project delivery and drive faster outcomes with zero compromises on quality. We adapt to the unique needs of our clients and tailor each solution to their needs.

We offer an array of services to help businesses thrive in the invincible digitized world and drive business growth because Aequilibrium crafts remarkable experiences by blending innovation, business strategy, technology, project management and governance. 

Visit the Aequilibrium booth at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami on December 5-7 and chat directly with us to share your perspectives or learn more about our mission, vision, capabilities, and offerings.

Monetizing 5G with Immersive AR applications. Learn more at our Immerse Global Summit in Miami with immersal

Modern telcos and mobile network operators do not want to be just data pipes - they want to create new business for themselves through the opportunities that 5G brings. They want to own the subscribers and the data, and the advertisement opportunities. They want to build their own ecosystems. Immersive AR applications and platforms to create those, are a way to do it. Immersal visual positioning and spatial mapping technology allows telcos to build their own immersive AR apps and include them in their own apps. AR and spatial applications are at the core of the MNO's value proposition to their ecosystem.

Read more about these solutions here.

And have a chat with the Immersal team at Immerse Global Summit 2022 in Miami on Dec 5-7!

The ThinkReality VRX and the Road to Mixed Reality in the Enterprise Metaverse. Learn more at our Immerse Global Summit in Miami with Lenovo!

Meet Lenovo at our Immerse Global Summit in Miami Beach on Dec 5-7

By
Vishal Shah, GM of XR and Metaverse, Lenovo Intelligent Devices Group
Jason McGuigan, Head of Commercial Virtual Reality, Lenovo Intelligent Devices Group

If you’re not in the Extended Reality (XR) industry, terms can be a little confusing. XR includes augmented reality (AR), 3D digital overlays on transparent lenses to view real-world environments, and virtual reality (VR), immersive 3D experience in opaque headsets. AR and VR are converging into mixed reality (MR), the merging of a real-world and digital environments, almost like toggling between AR and VR. Today, it very much looks like MR is the future, and the future is bright!

The new Lenovo ThinkReality VRX is an advanced all-in-one VR headset engineered for the enterprise. The immersive, lightweight, slim profile six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) VR device is powered by the Snapdragon® XR2+ Gen 1 platform and provides full-color, high-resolution pass-through capabilities for MR applications from two front-facing cameras acting as the computer vision for the wearer. See below for key technical specifications.

Let’s focus on how full color pass-through enhances the user experience in many ways and is just the beginning for MR.

First, pass-through enables the users of the ThinkReality VRX to continuously work with the headset on and seamlessly move from immersive use cases like 3D content consumption and collaboration to interacting with real-word surroundings to do normal activities, like for example, speak with a colleague next to you, work on a PC, or even just have a drink of water.

This makes for an overall safer and more enjoyable VR experience in enterprise scenarios. Taking a headset on and off dozens of times a day is just a drag and disrupts productivity.

More important than just convenience to workers, we also envision workers wearing the ThinkReality VRX will use applications to move between VR and AR experiences to get things done. For example, working on a 3D model or digital twin of a jet engine while immersed in VR then moving to pass-through to see the actual same jet engine on an aircraft but with digital overlays, such as annotations or AI-prompted instructions. This enables scenarios where workers are getting some of the best of VR and AR to complete tasks while viewing 3D data and interacting with each other. Such experiences are going to greatly enhance collaboration, productivity and innovation in the Enterprise Metaverse – digital environments where work gets done.

We are really going to see a whole new level of productivity when workers can effortlessly move across different kinds of digital realities to learn, design and collaborate. However, MR applications are still very new. We are very excited to see how developers will take these capabilities and create solutions.

To that end, the ThinkReality VRX is the world’s first VR headset to implement support for Snapdragon Spaces. This means developers will be able to create experiences on VR headsets that are much more like AR on optical see-through devices like our ThinkReality A3 AR glasses. This will offer developers portability between AR, VR and MR to create solutions regardless of the device form factor.

While we are confident MR is the future of enterprise XR, we are just as sure AR and VR headsets will remain much needed for a long time to come. Most AR use cases in a work environment require transparent lenses for situational awareness in potentially hazardous environments like a factory floor or construction site. At the same time, high-resolution passthrough is an additional expense not every VR user will opt for, for example in educational settings and other primarily content-consuming scenarios.

The promise and potential for the Metaverse is years away from being fully realized, nevertheless enterprises deploying XR solutions today are seeing real ROI from increased productivity. Lenovo ThinkReality will stay focused on building better onramps to the Enterprise Metaverse, so customers have everything they need to scale into the new realities of business.

ThinkReality VRX Key Specs

Post originally appeared on Lenovo’s StoryHub

Metaverse To Target 3 Key Destinations, Unity Says

Post orginally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

Our next Summit is in Miami Dec 5-7 Apply to Speak, Exhibit, Sponsor and Get Tickets here: http://immerseglobalsummit.com,

Senior representatives have joined many others at the Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 Europe to discuss conceptualised roadmaps to the Metaverse, the successor to the Internet that merges connectivity and spatial communications, it was revealed on Wednesday.

John A Cunningham, Head of Government and Aerospace at Unity Technologies, delivered his keynote speech exploring the concept at the event, which gathered roughly 500 businesses, analysts, media partners, and executives at the sunny destination of Madeira Island, Portugal.

According to the high-level executive, the Metaverse would become the “next step in the evolution of the Internet” and would lead to “more breathtaking experiences” that differed from current experiences.

Most companies and people with current websites would have “Metaverse-like destinations” in the future, he said, adding that, according to Unity, would result in three primary categories.

Three Categories of Metaverse Destinations

Digital destinations were sites with 100 percent digital metaverses such as Fortnite, Roblox, and VR Chat, among others. Additional virtual spaces would include social and educations Metaverses as well, he explained, adding the film industry would “also move into these digital environments.”

Explaining further, the President of the VRARA Central Florida Chapter said,

“Many of tomorrow’s concerts will sometimes be 100 percent digital experiences, where there is no real-world parallel”

Digital twins also allowed users to try-on clothing with augmented reality (AR) technologies. People can use AR for “trying on a Gucci shirt [or] running a manufacturing line for a manufacturer [or] controlling a smart city or a power plant,” to bridge the real and digital world as digital twins, he said.

World augmentation would augment and reflect images and data via overlays on the real world. Companies such as Jet Propulsion Labs at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration had leveraged Unity Technologies’ gaming engine to visualise and design Mars Rovers for technicians.

He continued, explaining that doctors had also tapped AR technologies to perform surgeries with new technologies and devices such as Magic Leap’s headsets, leading to “a whole new world of possibilities we’re not even aware of yet.”

The ‘New World’ of Immersive Reality

Cunningham concluded his speech, stating the Metaverse would be “always in real-time,” which is the foundation for Metaverse destinations.

He told audiences at the event,

“So whether you are using digital twins operate a big factory or working collaboratively to design a house, doing so together interactively is often better […] You can try on that suit, or sunglasses, or these new pair of shoes with your friends, right in your own room in your house and connected around the world [without having] to fight for parking”

Developers will also create “killer apps” such as contextual app launchers that would “thrive in the Metaverse.” Apps would allow users with smart glasses to check availability at restaurants, showcase architectural designs, and others with nearly unlimited applications.

Concluding, he said that the Metaverse would become “more than just a singular place visited by your universal avatar in VR goggles.”

He said,

“Whether you’re an architect or a small retailer, or a clothing designer, or you direct movies, whether you move furniture, run physical stadiums, or you lead a rock band, or you make high end luxury goods, it’s time to think very deeply about the coming Metaverse and how you will play and succeed in this new world”

The IGS 2022 Europe is taking place from 28 to 30 and aims to rally the global tech community for numerous keynote speeches, product updates, panels talks, and workshops.

The event will see representatives from some of the world’s top tech firms, including Google, Magic Leap, Deutsche Telekom, Adidas, Lenovo, VirtualWare, and many others at the three-day event.

Lenovo Launches ThinkReality VRX Solution

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

Our next Summit is in Miami Dec 5-7 Apply to Speak, Exhibit, Sponsor and Get Tickets here http://immerseglobalsummit.com.

XR Today's David Dungay hosts Jason McGuigan, Head of Commercial for Virtual Reality for Lenovo at the Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 Europe.

In this session, we discuss the following:

1) Details surrounding Lenovo’s latest ThinkReality VRX solution
2) Use cases for the new platform and how it empowers enterprises
3) The company’s views on the Metaverse and what’s to come

If you’re looking for more information on this topic visit Lenovo at their company website.