XR Innovator AVATAR Partners Named World’s First Combined Unity Platinum Reseller and Integrator
AVATAR Partners, an innovator in extended reality (XR) software solutions for heavy-duty commercial and military applications, is the first company to be named to dual status as both a Platinum Reseller and a Managed Delivery Partner for Unity, the ubiquitous software development language for augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality applications.
The focus of the relationship between AVATAR and Unity will be on developing and serving opportunities for XR solutions in key industrial sectors such as AEC (architecture, engineering, construction), ATM (advanced transportation and manufacturing) and aerospace where demand for high-performance, reliable XR solutions is growing rapidly.
“This is a very exciting time for real-time, immersive technologies with fundamental shifts going on in the way people work,” said AVATAR Partners CEO and Founder Marlo Brooke. “We are very pleased to expand our relationship with Unity to bring the benefits of extended reality to an even wider range of potential users.”
The appointment of AVATAR to these two prestigious posts follows a successful track record of projects between the two companies involving Unity products such as Reflect, as well as unity-based AVATAR solutions like Avatar CONNECT, SimplifyXR and the Augmented Reality Maintenance Aid (ARMA).
As a Unity Platinum Reseller, AVATAR will provide Unity solutions for any users, regardless of whether they are an AVATAR customer. In its role as a Managed Delivery Partner, AVATAR will provide a complete set of services including hardware/software purchasing, installation and testing for both AVATAR customers and Unity-generated customers. This comprehensive approach will span the evaluation, analysis, development and sustainment lifecycle to ensure that the Unity platform is optimally utilized.
“We anticipate strong results from this special relationship. It will help further open doors in the industrial market and have a positive impact on how Unity is perceived in the marketplace,” said DJ Parenti, Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Managed Delivery for Unity. “Our goal is to work closely with AVATAR as a trusted partner based on their market presence and their solutions that are proven to add significant value in the industries they serve.”
From business and gap analysis, content development and data integration through product sustainment, AVATAR Partners develops easily maintainable, heavy-duty XR solutions. The company’s strengths and accomplishments are based on a highly skilled, closely aligned and comprehensive team that addresses the full AR/MR development lifecycle in agile sprints, producing very high-quality products cost-effectively. Capabilities include mechanical and system engineers, instructional system designers, storyboarding creators, human factors (UI/UX) designers, multimedia and graphic experts, CAD engineers, software developers, database engineers and AR/MR/VR software developers.
For complete information on AVATAR Partners XR solutions and services, visit www.avatarpartners.com
Contact
Name: Shaye McClory
Email Address: shaye@kcomm.com
Website URL: http://www.avatarpartners.com
Immerse Partners with BP to Create Global VR Training Program
Enterprise virtual reality (VR) software company Immerse has today announced a partnership with multinational energy business BP.
BP will integrate their own VR content into the Immerse Virtual Enterprise Platform (VEP). The training will be deployed internationally, and the platform will generate detailed data and reports on learner progress.
Tom Symonds, CEO of Immerse said “The team at Immerse are excited to work with BP to support the global rollout of their VR learning initiatives. Virtual Reality is in increasingly high demand as a learning and assessment tool, especially in an industry where reporting on compliance remains key.
“With Immerse’s platform, the impact of VR is no longer anecdotal, but clear and evidenced: organisations can truly measure the success of the initiative and the upskilling of learners.”
Anthony Del Barto, Learning Technology Manager at BP, said ‘’ VR and Simulation are key enablers to BP’s digital agenda and initiatives to provide our workforce global accessibility to best in class training. The value of data in the workforce is critical, and the Immerse platform allows us to gather the vital information that we need in order to upskill our employees efficiently in an innovative and engaging way. This is both beneficial to us as a company, but also to our staff to ensure they’re getting the best learning and development possible.”
Contact
Name: James Watson
Email Address: james.watson@immerse.io
Website URL: http://www.immerse.io
AR in the sports industry: How teams & leagues can engage fans remotely using augmented reality & live statistics
Immersiv.io is a startup working in the field of augmented reality for the sports industry. These last years, the company has imagined the future of the fan experience in stadiums and worked with major leagues such as the Bundesliga and sports events such as the Champions League or Roland Garros.
The creation of AR content for entertainment purposes will be very important to win public favors. Indeed, the sports industry has a role to play, sports fans are always looking for outstanding experiences during sports events, and the younger generations are tech adopters and crave for immersion and interaction with their favorite teams.
With its white label solution, ARISE, Immersiv.io wants to mix live data (such as player’s speed, passes, shoot, heatmap…) together with AR content to enhance the viewing experience of every fan (see the video for more). This way of using AR with player live tracking and match data is really innovative and constitutes an opportunity for sports professionals to embrace innovation for the sole purpose of entertaining fans & engage the younger generations.
ARISE: Bring Home the Stadium Experience
Over the last weeks, the company has understood and explored the importance of creating a strong long-distance relationship between teams and fans during these particular times. With the help of emerging technologies, especially through AR, the company has decided to launch a improve its solution to bring home the stadium experience for every fan during remote events.
With ARISE at home, teams and leagues will have the opportunity to engage fans remotely and enrich the fan experience by immersing every fan at the heart of HIS sports show. It will also be a way for sports professionals to reinvent the interactions with fans by offering them an all-in-one second screen experience in front of their TV.
A personalized & interactive experience
Through a 3D mini-pitch and an animated scoreboard placed on the tabletop, every fan can keep an eye on the live game and interact with the pitch to display live statistics and analyze player’s performance throughout the game thanks to live-tracking integrations. Fans can also get closer to their favorite players by making them appears in their living rooms in AR, with real-size 3D avatars and 360 videos.
An all-in-one channel to engage fans communities remotely
With the timeline, fans have access to an informative channel evolving throughout the game, with every match event, video replays and social interactions. It offers the ultimate live view on the main actions of the game, and also permits teams to share editorial content and then animate their fans community remotely (through polls, quiz, match information, curated social media content).
Drive revenue opportunities through sponsorships
Through this interactive experience, teams and leagues can also highlight their partners by monetizing advertising spaces in the timeline, within the pitch or on the scoreboard, exactly like in a stadium. AR content drives effective commercial opportunities for brands to push sponsor presence and merchandising to remote fans.
Paving the way for the Future of Broadcast
AR also permits to create an interactive experience on broadcast by enriching the TV feed, allowing every fan to display multiple screens in front of them. It gives fans the opportunity to interact freely with the content and create their own TV show, by following other games at the same time, displaying replays or exclusive videos in AR directly in their living room at their convenience.
A brand-new solution to reinvent Entertainment in Sport
This experience is set to be available on different devices, from the latest smartglasses (Magic Leap, Nreal, Hololens 2…) to every mobile device (through ARkit & ARcore).
In the near future, AR will have a lot to prove to win mainstream curiosity and show its potential. With the upcoming release of the Nreal Light, the different rumors around Apple AR glasses, or Facebook glasses, the ever-growing importance of Snapchat and its AR lenses... The AR market will continuously evolve and structure itself during the next 5 years.
No doubt that sports professionals, like many other Entertainment industries, must embrace technology to meet new consumer’s expectations. For that reason, working on the future of entertainment by creating original content for smartglasses, which will be a huge trend in the next few years, remains a smart move.
Contact:
Name: Chloe Louis
Email Address: cl@immersiv.io
Website URL: http://www.immersiv.io/arise/
VR/AR France Ecosystem Report. See how 61 companies in France are advancing VR AR for us all! (New Report)
This ecosystem report is a simple yet effective way to show what’s happening in France to the world and so that any business interested in augmented reality can quickly identify key partners to streamline their implementation.
Foreword
Augmented reality got its start in 1968 with the first augmented reality system created by Yvan Sutherland.
Since then, 30 years of hardware and software innovations have propelled augmented reality intothe limelight. 2020 has already seen some big strides, as augmented reality is not considered a trend any more by panel analysts, but a revolution for the B2B and B2C markets.
The coming years will see an even bigger breakthrough, with an expected peak coming in2023-2024, as predicted by Apple’sTim Cook and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.
There is not a day that goes by where AR doesn’t make a an impact It can be through an Instagram filter, innovations in computer vision capabilities, or businesses uncovering valuable new use cases that improve employee productivity and reduce operational costs.
Augmented reality is indeed now a reality, an innovative strategy for companies to stay or become competitive.
However, a lot of new providers are rising up in the augmented reality market as the technology matures.
In the glasses and headsets space, hardware providers are entering the market just as quickly as they are disappearing. Big hardware companies like Lenovo and Apple want a piece of the cake. From a software perspective, only a few platforms can effectively provide scalable and sustainable technology. And finally, there are hundreds of integrators and developers claiming to be augmented reality specialists that only know the tip of the iceberg.
The augmented reality market is constantly evolving and customers are requesting truth and confidence in order to bring their augmented reality projects to life.
Initiatives like the VR/AR Association French annual report are key to achieving this kind of transparency.
That’s why we are sponsoring this report—so any business interested in augmented reality can quickly identify key partners to streamline their implementation.
“Most companies are just getting started with AR, and most have few experts on staff. That’s where partnering with experts is a key factor of success.”
Marc Bringuier
Director of Augmented Reality
PTC Vuforia
Outside3D launches an education app that helps you learn about the world, in augmented reality
Outside3D is an education app that helps you learn about the world, in augmented reality. The app is now live on iOS and Android, and you should check it out.
Some cool features are:
High quality augmented reality experiences
A wide category of topics to explore - from Science to History to Art, and everything in between)
Simplified Explanations & Interesting Fun Facts
High quality voice narrations & even great background music
Fresh new AR lesson content added every single week,
Download experiences for offline use
Users can download and access featured content and lessons for free, or subscribe at just $1.99 per month for unlimited access to all content and lessons.
iOS App Store (iPhones):
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/outside-3d/id1502408356
Google Play Store (Android):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.raregeneou.outside
Contact:
Email: support@outside3d.com
Website: Outside3D.com
Thought-provoking ‘Spatiality’ wins VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Student Competition
At the 2020 VRARA Global Summit, 3D VR company The Wild hosted a virtual design competition, challenging its entrants to showcase their visions for the future of “digital socialization”. The challenge was to design a space that encourages “digital socialization or innovative social distancing” and examples could be the workplace of the future, an office, a public space, a lobby, entry way, room or building or other architectural space.
Six competition finalists showcased their projects during the VRARA Global Summit within The Wild virtual reality platform. Judges Aubrey Tucker (Autodesk) and Amy Peck (HTC) were present inside the virtual environment with the finalists to judge their designs from the inside. Being able to walk around their creations was a unique feature of the competition, and a delight to watch. At the conclusion of the presentations, Peck and Tucker named the winner as Spatiality – a project created by Akshansh Chaudhary.
Spatiality reflects on the Internet, privacy and safety
Chaudhary is a recent graduate of the Parsons School of Design, earning an MFA in Design and Technology. Akshansh originally designed his model using Tilt Brush and Unity and brought his model into The Wild as an FBX. Spatiality features structures representing various social networks and technology companies, and their metaphorical and physical manifestations. To Chaudhary, the project was inspired by his time self-isolating during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic while living in New York City.
Akshansh Chaudhary, winner of VRARA Student Design Competition
“Due to the lack of social interaction in NYC, I wanted to create a space for people to interact and engage socially, and VR has the potential to have that engagement. I was inspired by apps like Altspace VR, VR Chat, and Half Half. The architectural landscape that I have designed is stylistically organic and redefines visits to social media portals. Its design in Tilt Brush makes it a playful interactive experience.”
The floor and the outside shapes in purple are not made up of solid colors, but are layers and layers of text that include his own personal information. According to Chaudhary it includes names and information that would typically be used to exploit privacy – like relatives names and addresses and so forth. Surrounding the space is a gallery of different tech companies – including Google, Facebook and Twitter – in a “technological landscape” that demonstrates both his feelings and impressions of their roles in society and their treatment of private information. In front of Facebook there is a shady looking character which is how Chaudhary “perceive’s Facebook” when it comes to trust around privacy. Each social and tech company has a different feeling and aesthetic, with seating or viewing areas made up of components such as likes, hashtags, or strings that tie people to the technologies that they depend on.
In an interview with SPAR 3D, Chaudhary said his interest in privacy began last year when he was working on a school project on local journalism.
“Journalism is not my domain, but I was reading about fake news and how people perceive it… and as I got involved in the project, I realized that advertisements on news sites are based on infrastructure that is based on data collection – and that gradually became the basis of understanding data being collected, and what we can do as individuals to become more comfortable in understanding the use of that data.”
“As I started researching more, I realized I had to be much more vigilant about [privacy], and it led me to design an interactive experience that allows people to have conversations and create a safe platform that allows for that discussion… My design thesis was about putting people in virtual spaces and asking them to make free decisions on data privacy or data collection and seeing the result of those decisions.”
Inspired by his thesis project, he started to think about how to represent his own feelings and relationships with the social networks around him for the VRARA competition, which where ultimately shaped by his experiences during his isolation from COVID-19. He reflected that he had made Facebook quite dystopian looking, probably due to the news around the platform at the time, and Google is cleaner and feels safer in the space.
“I was starting to get comfortable with having a Google Home at home – I started talking to it more once I was isolated, I was indoors and needed someone to talk to, and it affected the landscape as I created it.”
You can watch a full tour of Chaudhary’s space is below (starts at 33:33 minutes).
Whimsical Lounge Pods earns Honorable Mention
Designed by Nicholas Peruski, Lounge Pods received an honorable mention in the competition. Taking a playful, almost Dr.Seuss-ian design, Lounge Pods models an outdoor work or break space, featuring stairs, viewpoints, and platforms that line up in pleasing curved and circular modalities throughout the space. Peruski created the space in Rhinoceros 6 by manipulating and extruding curved shapes, cutting holes, and drawing shapes. Also a New York City resident, Peruski was inspired by social distancing circles painted on the grass of Domino Park in Brooklyn, New York. The platforms, or Pods, are separated with adequate distance yet allows comfortable groups of friends and families to enjoy the company of those in the other Pods. A collection of stairs and tubes represent a series of passages and thresholds as in a quarantine or disinfection scenario.
If, like me, you are in need of something to be inspired by lately – I encourage you to take a moment to watch the video tour through all six of the competition’s excellent entries (below). The time and inspiration that these students put into their work is exceptional, and we are sure at SPAR 3D that they will be the among the visionaries defining our 3D spaces of the future.
Schlumberger reveals epic results for Remote Collaboration solutions
See the latest VR & AR solutions at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Conference+Expo Sept 16-18
During our Online Meet for the Energy Committee, Schlumberger presented how they use different remote collaboration solutions from different vendors for different use cases. The case studies were superb. What really stood out was the map graph showing the adoption of these solutions across the globe (shown in picture below).
“The committee knew that this was likely to happen in this new reality, but it was great to see a visual and hear from you directly,” said Co-Chair Susan Spark.
Highlights from today's @thevrara Energy Committee online meet on Remote Collaboration presentation by Schlumberger. Join us next time! #VRARA pic.twitter.com/Aj4Jus2s2L
— Kris Kolo..Big ONLINE event in Sept! (@kriskolodziej) June 25, 2020
Big Cat Rescue VR Tiger Tracking Game Available for Rift in Oculus Store
Carole Baskin speaks out publicly for the first time since Tiger King...well, that is if you don’t count the Jimmy Fallon Show prank and her own words on everything Tiger King got wrong at BigCatRescue.org/netflix. The war against the exploitation, abuse and extinction of the tiger and other exotic cats has always been her focus.
Despite the fact that Tiger King producers chose to focus on the personalities involved in the trafficking of exotic animals, the people at Big Cat Rescue stayed true to their mission, even during the backlash caused by the series and the negative impacts of COVID-19.
In February of 2020, right before everyone was about to go into lockdown around the globe, Big Cat Rescue partnered with Xennial Digital to bring a dream Carol have had into reality. More precisely, into virtual reality. Her goal for decades has been to stop the practice of holding wild cats hostage under the guise of conservation or education. Judging from the tens of thousands of calls, letters, emails and social posts she has gotten after Tiger King aired, it’s clear to her that most people don’t understand that breeding tigers is causing their extinction in the wild, not preventing it. Another fallacy that came into sharp focus was the general public’s belief that captive bred big cats can be set free.
”I felt if I was going to tell people there is a better way to educate people and make them care about conservation than keeping wild animals in cages, then I had to prove it,” Carol said. Thursday June 25th, 2020 @ 10AM Pacific Time, 1PM EST, that proof goes live for free in the Oculus store for Rift owners. It’s a fully immersive game that takes the player on a journey where they learn how to track a tiger in the wild. Along the way they learn about the plight of the tiger in the wild and how the lucrative cub petting industry is fueling the demand for poached wild tigers. In the end the user is empowered with the knowledge and resources to bring the tiger back from the edge of extinction.
In addition to being fun, informative and empowering, the app is free.
Contact
Name: Carole Baskin
Email Address: Carole.Baskin@BigCatRescue.org
Website URL: https://bigcatrescue.org/oculus-rift-tiger-game/
Alteredux launches an All-in-One Solution to Shape the Future of Online Education
Canadian Edtech company Alteredux has launched an all-in-one solution that will change the education sector and reshape the future of education.
Alteredux includes both web and virtual reality platform, it enables educators to create courses, add content, attachments, and provide instructions to students. And create quizzes with images, text, and Boolean results.
Other notable features include integrated online video conferencing with sound, video, and screen sharing. And the ability to create student groups, rather than virtual classrooms accessible via the VR platform.
The platform provides solutions for modern education — with the goal to make it usable and accessible for everyone. Alteredux enables you to create customizable learning games on your own, without writing a single line of code; take students to different environments with 360 immersive experiences; create custom avatars, customize hair, facial and body attributes, and schedule appointments and assignments to create remote class routines, team meetings, and In-person services with calendar integration.
Alteredux is taking privacy and security seriously, the platform is end-to-end encrypted, only communicating parties can read messages.
While many features are not available at the beta launch, Alteredux CEO noted they are coming at the official launch. Also on the slate for the same timeframe: Corporate Training, tones of learning games, AI, and Deep Learning.
Right now, Alteredux is limiting sign-ups to the platform via a wait list plus invite system. Alteredux CEO said that many invitations have been sent to beta users, and people are joining now the wait list — warning it might take “a couple of weeks” before they’re ready to accept direct sign-ups.
In the meanwhile, for anyone keen on a closer look at Alteredux revolutionary education solution, you can sign up for the wait list at www.alteredux.com
Contact
Name: Jean-Phillipe Lemire
Email Address: jp_lemire@alteredux.com
Website URL: http://alteredux.com
GP Strategies Partners with Virtual Reality Platform Provider Immerse to Deliver Enterprise VR Training
Immerse, the company that has developed the industry-leading VR platform, has announced a global partnership with GP Strategies, a recognized leader in workforce transformation solutions.
The Immerse integration with GP Strategies provides a scalable way of introducing the next generation of learning technology, giving businesses the opportunity to extend their existing training in ways that weren't previously possible.
Enterprise VR for training is part of a new generation of technology that is transforming Learning & Development (L&D). As VR hardware becomes more flexible and software solutions become more sophisticated, an increasing number of businesses are realizing its potential. In addition to changing how training is delivered, VR can also overhaul the way training is analyzed, helping companies demonstrate the ROI of programmes and improve them through iteration. Beyond L&D, it has the potential to be used in areas such as onboarding, cultural change and recruitment.
Matt Donovan Chief Learning and Innovation Officer at GP Strategies, “As we continue to rapidly move towards effective virtual learning experiences, virtual reality has an important role to play in the work-learning ecosystem. In partnering with Immerse, we see an opportunity to blend top notch content and experiences with a robust platform. It’s a natural win-win for our clients.”
Tom Symonds CEO at Immerse, “Developing an ecosystem of best-in-class partners is a must for Immerse, which is why we are so excited about our partnership with GP Strategies. It combines the business performance consultancy experience and excellence of GP Strategies with the cutting edge technology we have developed over the past 4 years. The opportunity to work with GP Strategies across our target markets and sectors is an excellent fit.”
Bill Finegan, EVP North America at Immerse adds “The combination of the Immerse VR platform with the content development skills of GP Strategies, will allow our customers to evolve their technology roadmap and truly improve the overall customer and learner experience, not only in North America, but globally as well.
Contact
Name: James Watson
Email Address: james.watson@immerse.io
Website URL: http://www.immerse.io
Untethered headsets are changing the VR training landscape. Immerse announces that its Virtual Enterprise Platform (VEP) now integrates with Oculus
Immerse, a leading provider of virtual reality (VR) software for business, has announced that its Virtual Enterprise Platform (VEP) now integrates with the Oculus Quest and other standalone devices, enabling companies to easily track and capture employee training data.
Justin Parry, Founder and COO of Immerse, said: “The combination of our enterprise technology and cost effective, portable headsets such as the Quest will allow more businesses to provide VR training to their employees.”
Immerse’s open VR platform helps companies create, scale and deploy VR training to maximise employee performance. The Oculus Quest is an all-in-one VR system, allowing users to engage with a virtual world using just a headset and controllers.
Immerse’s new integration allows businesses to easily track all Quest users and content. An employee opens the Immerse VR application on the device, enters a PIN, and then launches the training program. As training is completed, detailed data is generated, and can be saved to a central store and sent to a company’s Learning Management System. VR training sessions can also be broadcast via a browser to other users.
Parry explains: “Integration with Immerse allows Oculus Quest experiences – and all of the user data that is generated from a session – to be plugged directly into existing enterprise systems. It provides secure access for users, and standardised methods for extracting data from all Quest applications.
“Untethered headsets are changing the VR landscape. This is an important moment for enterprise VR, and we’re delighted to be introducing this exciting integration to the market.”
Contact:
Name: James Watson
Email Address: james.watson@immerse.io
Website: www.immerse.io
Futurotec launches 3D Hologram Table with Interactive 360 Degree Holograms with Multiuser Support
Innovative use of advanced 3D visualization technologies has become value and result driven in modern days. 3D contents have become modern form of information which brings lot of visual insights, ease of subject communications and immersive experience.
Contemporary 3D platforms provide highest level of interactivity to collaborate and communicate in most efficient ways. Futurotec Solutions LLP based out of Ahmedabad, India brings a breakthrough innovation in AR segment with introduction of 3D Hologram Table which displays Interactive 360 degree Holograms of objects with multi-user support. The objects can be displayed up to 70 cms. in height and 1 meter in depth.
3D HOLOGRAM TABLE - Unique Features
- World’s first Multi-user, Multi-Color, Interactive & IoT integrated Hologram Table.
- Projection of Holograms up to 70cms high and 1meter deep.
- Projection Area of 1.2m square with external screen for larger audiences.
- Easy to use controls like 3D Crystal Lens Glasses and Holographic Control Wand.
- 4 people can get experience of complete 360-degree view.
- Support all major 3D formats including existing CAD/ 3DS models and animations.
- Programmable Interfaces and Interactivity is possible.
- Loads Gigabytes of point cloud data in fraction of seconds.
REAL ESTATE - USE CASE
Real Estate Sector can use this innovative technology to display immersive 3D experience of their large projects using state of the art 3D Hologram Technology for rendering on 3D Hologram Table. Following unique features will make the experience truly immersive:
- Complete 3D aerial view of real estate project with zoom in and zoom out to minutest details.
- Showcasing the key area near to project locations.
- 3D sample floor plan for residential/commercial area rendered on 3D Hologram Table.
- Showcasing important amenities available in the real estate area by displaying 3D Models with
bookmark features.
- Animation of entry and parking area of the project.
- Day & Night view of the area surrounding the Real Estate project can be shown using unique torch
feature on 3D Hologram Table.
- Measurable distance of nearby locations can be shown on 3D Hologram Table.
- Bookmarks of key locations of Real Estate project can be programmed for microscopic view of each
location.
There are many more sectors like Architecture, Defence, Smart Cities Planning, Tourism, Museums, Education, Healthcare where customized use cases can be developed.
Our state of the art 3D Experience Centre in Ahmedabad, India showcases the 3D Hologram Table with many use cases across several sectors. Our contact details are as follows:
Contact
Email: info@futurotec.in
Website: www.futurotec.in
Boeing Conducts First-Ever Astronaut Training in Virtual Reality using Varjo Headsets
Today, Varjo announced that its virtual reality headsets will be used by Boeing's Starliner program to augment astronaut training, adding a new dimension to spaceflight preparations. The unmatched human eye-resolution and high visual fidelity of Varjo's VR device allows Boeing to replicate each phase of a commercial crew mission to the International Space Station - including pre-launch to docking and undocking to landing - entirely in virtual reality for the first time.
Boeing Conducts First-Ever Astronaut Training in Virtual Reality using Varjo Headsets
Photorealistic VR allows Starliner crew members to experience the most demanding and safety-critical scenarios in all phases of spaceflight
Helsinki, Finland – June 11, 2020 – Varjo, the leader in industrial-grade VR/XR headsets, today announced that its virtual reality headsets will be used by Boeing’s Starliner program to augment astronaut training, adding a new dimension to spaceflight preparations. The unmatched human eye-resolution and high visual fidelity of Varjo’s VR device allows Boeing to replicate each phase of a commercial crew mission to the International Space Station – including pre-launch to docking and undocking to landing – entirely in virtual reality for the first time.
“We are proud to be delivering the technology that is pushing industrial training applications to their furthest reaches – even to space,” said Niko Eiden, CEO and co-founder of Varjo. “With our devices, astronauts can see and virtually interact with the switches and control panels inside their Starliner capsule and read the real-time data on their crew displays. Advancements like this have the potential to transform the way any pilot is trained.”
Using Varjo’s headsets, astronauts in the program can train remotely without the need for multiple physical simulators in different locations. The Varjo VR-2 is the only device to deliver immersive content in pixel-perfect clarity, allowing crew members to experience the same interactions, voice and switch commands, and visuals as they would in the Starliner commander and pilot seats. This allows training for even the most challenging and safety-critical procedures of spaceflight, such as docking to the International Space Station, to be conducted in virtual reality. Further, the system extends the astronaut training program by enabling training through the two week-quarantine period in crew quarters before launch.
The Boeing Starliner is developed in partnership with NASA and is designed for researchers and adventurers alike. The company’s first corporate astronaut and the commander of the Starliner spacecraft, Chris Ferguson, will soon start using the Varjo VR training system regularly in preparation for the program’s Crew Flight Test, which will be the first Starliner mission with humans on board.
For additional details about how Boeing is conducting immersive virtual reality training, read the full case study here.
About Varjo:
Varjo is based in Helsinki and is creating the world’s most advanced virtual and mixed reality devices for industrial use, merging the real and virtual worlds seamlessly together in human-eye resolution. www.varjo.com
Media Contact:
Jessica Kaiser
jessica@carvecom.com / 512.517.3610
The new State of VR/AR Survey is now live! Creators, this is for you - time to speak out!
Take the survey here by Aug 10, and win!
The State of AR/VR is a survey, looking at global trends and challenges in building Augmented and Virtual Reality apps.
Every year, more than 30,000 developers from 165+ countries participate in the Developer Economics surveys to set new trends in software development, including AR/VR. But what about non-developers who work on the AR/VR projects? This is a chance for them to have their say about the future of immersive technologies. The survey is open to all AR/VR creators, designers and animators: professional, hobbyists or students.
Speak out about what you’re best or need to work on more, test your skills, tell us about the type of AR/VR projects you're working on, and your favourite tools, technologies or platforms. Let the world know about your favourite tools, platforms, and technologies, as well as the necessary skills, monetisation, training, career development - and much more.
Which AR/VR skills are likely to make a difference?
What tools or platforms are you using in your projects?
What training resources do you prefer using?
AR/VR creators, this is for you - time to speak out.
The insights coming from the survey will be published in Q4 2020 on Developer Economics community website (https://www.developereconomics.com/), together with the State of the Developer Nation 19th edition report (we publish a new State of the Developer Nation report edition every 6 months, available for free download to everyone who takes part in our surveys).
Plus, the survey is packed with pleasant surprises - if you enter you may win one out of USD $15,000+ worth of prizes like a iPhone 11, Oculus Quest 64GB, Sketchfab Pro License, Octane Render Studio for Unity, Vuforia license, VR Ninjas Virtual Reality mat, plus lots of dev swag, accessories and vouchers or even up to USD $1,000 cash if you also refer other AR/VR creators to take the survey. Hurry up and take the survey.
There is something for the entire Tech Industry here: we will donate $0.10 for every qualified response, to the TechFugees initiative, to help empower displaced people with technology.
The State of AR/VR survey is now open until August 10.
Lenovo Mirage VR S3 Standalone Headset with ThinkReality Is Ready to Empower Global Enterprises and Their Workers - Announced at VR/AR Global Summit Online
Research Triangle, NC – June 1, 2020 – Today, during the VR/AR Global Summit Online Conference, Lenovo™ (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) announced the latest addition to its portfolio of commercial virtual reality (VR) solutions — the Lenovo Mirage VR S3 headset with ThinkReality. The new VR solution for enterprise was unveiled during the keynote speech by Nathan Pettyjohn, Commercial AR/VR Lead, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo.
The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 is an all-in-one headset developed in conjunction with Pico Interactive, a global technology company that develops innovative VR and enterprise solutions. Specifically designed for enterprise, the Lenovo Mirage VR S3 features a 4K display for clearer visuals, hands-free control for utilization with or without the provided controller, and an easy to clean, hygienic face plate suitable for mass use. Built with integrated audio and up to three hours of battery life, the new VR headset is rugged, light weight and ready to scale within the enterprise.
Lenovo Mirage VR S3 standalone headset
The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 headset is supported by the Lenovo ThinkReality software platform. ThinkReality is among the first truly device- and cloud-agnostic AR/VR platforms enabling commercial customers to deploy and manage applications and content on a global scale, with global support. ThinkReality provides enterprise customers with powerful management tools, enterprise integration, and a robust IT portal that allows for management of user applications and devices.
The Lenovo ThinkReality platform provides a proven, scalable, and streamlined path from proof of concept to productivity for enterprise AR/VR applications. With prebuilt functions and program logic, the ThinkReality Platform enables engineers to build sophisticated applications more easily and quickly.
Using VR in the Enterprise
VR is being used in the enterprise to empower a new generation of workers by providing training scenarios in safe, repeatable environments. VR delivers immersive experiences that closely mirrors job tasks and situations so employees can gain expertise more effectively, efficiently and at lower cost.
Studies show that employees training through VR versus traditional means result in measurably higher retention rates and performance gains. From training frontline personnel to skilling up technical teams, VR offers the immersive learning experience employers need to advantage their workforce.
“VR helps achieve better, faster training at lower cost,” said Nathan Pettyjohn. “Our enterprise customers are looking for solutions to build and enable more skilled and efficient global workforces. They are increasingly looking for cutting-edge solutions like VR and AR supported by ThinkReality’s flexible platform to scale applications enterprise-wide.”
Highest Level of Support
Embedded in the new commercial VR solution is Lenovo’s latest service offering, Lenovo Integrated Solutions Support (LISS), an extension of the Lenovo Services portfolio. A standard inclusion on the Lenovo Mirage VR S3, and all solutions within the ThinkReality platform, LISS is a global end-to-end service program that supports the relevant hardware, software and services to provide an advanced level of care throughout the solution’s lifecycle. With this program, expert technicians and engineers provide hassle-free support for the entire Lenovo solution, including a dedicated phone line for quick access, a single point of contact for faster resolutions, proactive case management, and escalation assistance.
“Lenovo is placing a significant amount of resources into developing emerging business solutions to support our customers’ sophisticated needs and endeavors. These solutions require an elevated support model, like Lenovo Integrated Solutions Support, that goes beyond individual products and instead focuses on managing complex issues across the entire solution to limit downtime and create a better customer experience,” says Ganesh Raghu, Director of Lenovo’s Emerging Technology Solutions & Services.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 is available the third quarter of this year in North America, China, Japan, United Kingdom, France, and Spain. For enterprise information and pricing, contact your Lenovo representative or visit our website. In North America, the price for the Lenovo Mirage VR S3 headset is under $450.
The Lenovo Mirage VR S3 headset is included in the Lenovo VR Classroom 2 education solution.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$45 billion Fortune Global 500 company and a global technology leader in driving Intelligent Transformation through smart devices and infrastructure that create the best user experience. Lenovo manufactures one of the world’s widest portfolios of connected products, including smartphones (Motorola), tablets, PCs (ThinkPad, Yoga, Lenovo Legion) and workstations as well as AR/VR devices and smart home/office solutions. Lenovo’s data center solutions (ThinkSystem, ThinkAgile) are creating the capacity and computing power for the connections that are changing business and society. Lenovo works to inspire the difference in everyone and build a smarter future where everyone thrives. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo, read about the latest news via our StoryHub, or visit our website at http://www. lenovo.com.
LENOVO, LENOVO MIRAGE and THINKREALITY are trademarks of Lenovo. PICO INTERACTIVE is a trademark of Pico Interactive. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2020, Lenovo Group Limited.
Media Contacts
Melinda Watts – Zeno Group
+1 650-219-1823
1) All battery life claims are approximate. Actual battery performance will vary and depend on numerous factors including product configuration and usage, software, operating conditions, wireless functionality, power management settings, screen brightness and other factors. The maximum capacity of the battery will naturally decrease with time and usage.
2) Training Magazine, ‘The Impact and Potential of Virtual Reality Training in High-Consequence Industries’, Jan. 25, 2018; and Deloitte Insights, ‘Real learning in a virtual world’, Aug. 1, 2018
8th Wall launches WebAR face filters with 8th Wall Face Effects
8th Wall launches Face Effects equipping developers with tools to create unique, interactive and real-time WebAR face filters that harness the full power and freedom of the open web.
Contact:
Name: Tom Emrich
Email Address: tom@8thwall.com
Website URL: https://medium.com/8th-wall/introducing-8th-wall-face-effects-9a2a3a8f5cd0
MetaVRse launches new 3D Web based creator engine for Commerce, Marketing, Training & Education
The MetaVRse Engine is a universal 3D/XR creation tool and editor for Marketing, Commerce, Training and Education. It is a fully web-based design and development tool for quickly and easily creating immersive 3D and virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (XR) experiences and deploying them across multiple operating systems, browsers, and devices using a no-code/low-code solution.
The MetaVRse Engine also includes a template system allowing organizations large and small to create robust immersive experiences. “In this nascent market, we are focusing on use cases for marketing, commerce, training, and education,” said MetaVRse Chief Revenue Officer Jonathan Moss. “The ROI for online retail and remote training is unprecedented, and now organizations can capture this value without specialized staff and training, shrinking time-to-delivery from months to days or even hours.”
3D and XR are already delivering results across many use cases including:
eCommerce: 6x growth in time on page (Cappasity), 3x increases in sales conversion (Buy Box Experts) and 80% decrease in product returns. (Marxent Labs)
Marketing: 25x higher click-through rates, 10x higher engagement and 33% higher conversions (GlobeNewsWire).
Training: 70% increase in retention rates (Neuro-Insight), 85% decrease in training time (Microsoft), 97% reduction in time to information (Microsoft)
Design: 10x decrease in design time (HTC Vive), 80% design validation time reduction (Microsoft)
Tasks: 90% more accuracy on service and repair tasks (Microsoft), 20% increase in installation efficiency and a highly impressive first-time installation accuracy rate of 90% (Cisco)
“Our mission is to unlock the power of spatial computing (3D/XR) for everyone,” said MetaVRse CEO and industry podcaster Alan Smithson. “The MetaVRse Engine lowers the barrier to entry for all organizations to leverage the power of 3D and XR allowing rapid value creation at scale.”
Contact
Name: Julie Smithson
Email Address: julie@metavrse.com
Website URL: http://metavrse.com
Varjo Partners with MeetinVR to Deliver Photorealistic Virtual Collaboration
Come see us at the VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Conference+Expo June 1-3
Varjo, the leader in industrial-grade VR/XR headsets, announced a commercial partnership with MeetinVR, creators of enterprise virtual collaboration software. Through the partnership, MeetinVR will release a dedicated version of their application that supports all headsets in Varjo’s state-of-the-art product portfolio (the VR-2, VR-2 Pro and XR-1 Developer Edition) so enterprise users can experience a new level of immersion and visual fidelity during virtual collaboration.
With remote working now becoming the new normal, the need to be able to virtually collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners around the world is business critical.
New partnership marks the beginning of virtual and mixed reality immersive collaboration for the most demanding enterprise applications in training, simulation, and engineering
Helsinki, Finland – May 27, 2020 – Varjo™, the leader in industrial-grade VR/XR headsets, today announced a commercial partnership with MeetinVR, creators of enterprise virtual collaboration software. Through the partnership, MeetinVR will release a dedicated version of their application that supports all headsets in Varjo’s state-of-the-art product portfolio (the VR-2, VR-2 Pro and XR-1 Developer Edition) so enterprise users can experience a new level of immersion and visual fidelity during virtual collaboration. Varjo and MeetinVR have also introduced a new bundle offer where new buyers of any Varjo headset will receive six months of MeetinVR for free for five users.
“Remote working is now becoming our new normal and the need to be able to virtually collaborate with colleagues, customers and partners around the world is business critical,” said Urho Konttori, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Varjo. “As enterprises adapt to a new work environment, we’re excited to partner with leading industry players, such as MeetinVR, to help build the future of virtual and mixed reality collaboration.”
Delivering a solution that provides photorealistic 3D quality is essential to creating a true sense of immersion and presence while working together in VR and XR environments. Pairing the unique human-eye resolution found in Varjo’s devices with MeetinVR’s enterprise-grade, easy-to-use software allows companies to collaborate around key use cases including the remote sales of high value products such as medical machinery or new vehicles, the launch of new products, and the delivery of remote training to distributed teams.
“Varjo’s photorealistic resolution gives users the ability to see reflections and shadows of their 3D models, as well as read text, all of which create a realistic experience for collaboration amongst meeting participants,” said Cristian Emanuel Anton, CEO of MeetinVR. “With this partnership, users don’t have to abide by the rules of physics anymore. They are able to merge real and virtual elements seamlessly in our collaborative platform. This sets a new benchmark for remote presence and interaction for professionals.”
One of the many enterprise customers, Volvo Cars, sees the benefit of enhanced virtual collaboration and is already using mixed reality to transform their workflows.
“The high quality and fidelity of what Varjo’s headsets offer, together with the effective collaboration tools from MeetinVR, bring remote collaboration to the next level,” said Timmy Ghiurau, Lead Virtual Experiences at Volvo Cars. “From UX evaluation, to hosting virtual workshops to ideating around our products, being able to do so in a realistic virtual environment will make our processes more efficient and collaborative, especially in the current context.”
“VR collaboration is the future, and for that we need the highest possible quality. Varjo is the only headset you can use for automotive design processes and reviewing your designs in detail. We are excited about using Varjo’s revolutionary technology to collaborate on photorealistic virtual models with our colleagues across continents,” said Christian Braun, VP of Visualisation at Volvo Cars.
Enterprise users interested in exploring immersive collaboration can see a demo video of the Varjo and MeetinVR mixed reality solution here. Learn more about the joint solution here: www.varjo.com/meetinvr
About Varjo:
Varjo is creating the world’s best hardware and software for groundbreaking VR/XR computing devices, merging the real and virtual worlds seamlessly together in human-eye resolution. www.varjo.com
About MeetinVR
MeetinVR is a Danish VR software company making human interaction more intuitive and effective than in real life by creating a new reality, optimized for teamwork and collaboration. After three years in private Beta with numerous Fortune500 companies as customers, MeetinVR has today launched their open Beta for trial at www.meetinvr.com.
Contact
Jessica Kaiser
jessica@carvecom.com / 512.517.3610