5Discovery, 5 for the 5 senses, is the first platform of soft skills training in Virtual Reality. The company offers a wide range of out-of-the-shelf training modules integrating the best methodologies from the personal and professional development sphere.

5Discoverys mission is to support people to augment their capabilities using immersive technologies. This is especially crucial in the VUCA world, an ever-changing landscape where agility, social interactions, resilience, communication, and emotional intelligence are the key toevolution.

Public speaking and pitching, negotiation, conflict management, interview preparation, media training, stress management, emotional intelligence, and disability or diversity awareness are some of 5Discoverys modules that create engagement through emotions and realism. It has been scientifically proven that immersive gamification with VR facilitates the learning curve by putting participants into actions, interactions, and emotions. This trend is growing relentlessly, such as the zeal to learn and grow. Thus, soft skills VR training means a rise in the ROI of training, which is clearly stated in PWCs analysis of July 2020, The effectiveness of Virtual Reality Softskills training in the Enterprise.

Sofia Rufin is the CEO of 5Discovery Virtual Learning. After spending a long and rich international career in IT and working for different software companies in sales and project management, she decided to orient her career to the leadership arena.

Fascinated by the personal development world, Sofia has been certified to distinct methodologies such as the process communication model, conflict dynamics model, positive psychology, mindfulness, agility and leadership program, and coaching model. She also acted as a professor and coach for the Executive MBA of the IMT Institute in France.

When Sofia saw that there was a lack of solutions to boost peoples self-development, she founded 5Discovery to offer a new innovating experience to the learning world. She asserts that soft skills are the most imperative asset for human capital, today, and VR can leverage themeffectively.

5Discovery always begins its development processes with pilots by targeting a selected group representative and enriches its immersive VR experiences with their feedback and proposals. The companys pragmatical approach often confronts technology with human sensitivity.

5Discovery also listens to the changes in the world, what people say, like, or dislike to create new experiences and environments. For example, in todays society, inclusion and collective intelligence are key accelerators for growth. To this effort, the company has developed aseries of training VR Modules to recruit people with cognitive or psychic issues such as Asperger syndrome, bipolarity, or earing issues while bypassing pre-judgments and bias.

Moreover, 5Discovery has different scenes in VR to identify the singularity of disabled people and facilitate relationships and communication with them. The company also works on embodiment processes in partnership with universities to increase awareness.

Sofia believes that digital innovation helps to create a connection with people more than ever. The current pandemic period points it out meaningfully. Along with in-person human relations, digital solutions are the key element to create and maintain relationships both in challenging and thriving times. Yet, technology should be 100% human-oriented and serve human interests, especially in the current ever-changing world.

Sofia further asserts that a positive mindset and empathy are some of the core soft skills that are the foundation of humanitys evolution. VR capabilities and magic approach should serve this objective, and 5Discovery does this perfectly.

Sofia exclaims that a transformational leader must demonstrate:

She also states, Being yourself, boost your self-confidence and dare to do what you want.

According to Sofia, managing different styles of people, from different cultures, at the international scale was one of the most vital challenges for her, especially when she was located in the UK, coming from France. For her, team cohesion and team spirit were significant priorities, exclusively with members working remotely from their home offices in different countries.

She also highlights that she did not find intricacies to lead a team of male pre-sales or salespeople in IT. If you demonstrate good management skills and the necessary authority to be respected, there is a total acceptance, especially when you show qualities such as active listening, empathy, and non-judgment, says Sofia.

In many scenarios, Sofia had to fight against some stereotypes regarding gender among the executive teams and prove that a woman can be a great leader than a man with her particularities and personality. We, as women, have probably to prove more than a man in a leadership role, atleast in some organizations, she said.

5Discovery explores various new ways to support people in their personal development. The company believes that there is still more to do to support disabled people, senior people, and in health management.

In the education field, 5Discovery already proposes real-time VR Rooms, where students or trainees can interact with each other and learn from the immersive context with pedagogical tools. When a person is confronted with a concrete environment, he/she learns faster and better with enthusiasm.

Moreover, 5Discovery is reinforcing its partnerships with prominent universities laboratories to build efficient VR environments with intelligent interactions and experiences. For instance, the company currently is investing in VR Rooms to stimulate creativity by providing specific tools like Dschools but in a virtual mode.

Artificial intelligence will also help design tailor-made learning experiences and take training to the next step by individualizing the experience.

More here:

Sofia Rufin: Powering the Development of Soft Skills Through VirtualReality - Analytics Insight

Faculty at California Polytechnic State University,San Luis Obispo have been awarded funding to develop diversity, equity and inclusion training using virtual reality, the university announced Wednesday.

A $45,000 grant from the Public Interest Technology University Network, a partnership of colleges and universities that supports the development of new civic technology, will support faculty to develop new VR tools that can be incorporated into programs like sexual and gender harassment and LGBTQ+ inclusivity training.

One of the issues with how current trainings are structured is that there is not an opportunity to put what youve learned into true practice and when youre faced with responding to an incident of bias or harassment, it can be challenging to speak up or do something, Christine Hackman, an associate professor of kinesiology and public health at Cal Poly who will be working on the development team, said in a press release. The virtual reality scenario gives the user a scenario where something does appear to actually be happening and gives them a real-life practice session.

The team of faculty researchers, as well as several student research assistants, are working with partners in their community, including Cal Poly Safer, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast and the San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department, to gain a deeper understanding on how VR tools can be used to improve inclusion and equity and ultimately create a workforce and community that is better prepared to respond to and help stop instances of harassment, the researchers said in a press release.

Virtual reality technology is an effective technology for active and experiential learning, according to Educause research, and has been shown to promote engagement with learning and deepen interaction with complex problems.

And as such a powerful and versatile tool, many other colleges and universities have used VR to simulate real-world scenarios to support training, including Arizona State University, where faculty are using the technology to simulate virtual therapy sessions for students studying social work or mediation for law students.California Community Collegesis using VR to reimagine its science labs so students can get hands-on lab experience while they learn remotely during the pandemic.

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Cal Poly San Luis Obispo taps VR for diversity, inclusion training - EdScoop

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many people to spend more time than usual indoors over the last few months, one might think it's the perfect time to jack into another world with the help of a virtual reality headset.

But while VR and related technologies have been slowly growing in popularity, there hasn't been a COVID-inspired spike in interest among consumers.

"We have seen an increase in adoption over the last year. Do I think that that's necessarily specific to COVID, or that COVID has had a big impact on that? I don't know," said Stephanie Llamas, a head researcher at Superdata, a market analysis company owned by Nielsen that specializes in the virtual reality and video games industries.

Instead, she told Spark host Nora Young, the pandemic may have put the industry's expansion plans on hold.

Tech pioneer Jaron Lanier is widely credited with coining the term "virtual reality" in 1987, to refer to technology that plunges a user into a simulated world. It's been pegged as the next big thing ever since. But it hasn't really caught on with the general public.

"People were expecting Tron," Llamas said of the early experimental prototypes in the 1980s and '90s such as Nintendo's neck-straining, red-and-black flop the Virtual Boy.

"They were expecting to go into another universe and really expecting what we see [in the latest devices] today."

For now, though, consumer VR remains a slender slice of the bigger gaming pie. Sony sold millions of its PlayStation VR headset since it launched in 2016, but the Japan-based gaming giant was relatively silent on VR's role when launching its newest console, the PlayStation 5 in November.

VR arcades locations where customers can rent the use of a headset for a limited time are closed like other nonessential businesses.

Without that first hit, fewer people will be convinced to buy a headset of their own which could cost anywhere from $400 to over $1,200 falling back on more widely available solutions like the now-ubiquitous Zoom call.

"We really anticipated location-based entertainment being a huge driver this year, and it's non-existent," said Llamas.

That doesn't mean VR and related tech aren't popular in one form or another, however.

Llamas said that augmented reality, which superimposes digital images onto moving real-life camera footage, is extremely popular. They're just better known as "filters" in social apps like Instagram or Snapchat.

While the pandemic hasn't been a particularly close friend to the consumer VR market, the technology is making headway in applied education, where hands-on training has become more challenging.

Bow Valley College in Calgary, for example, recently incorporated VR training into their nursing program.

"So you put the headset on, and you see [a digital avatar of] the patient. You see the environment with the bed and windows. The environment is very, very real," said health and community studies dean Nora MacLachlan.

Currently, the VR program is designed to simulate observing a patient with possible respiratory issues. Students pick up a virtual stethoscope, and listen to the digital patient for breathing sounds related to pneumonia, asthma or Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Bow Valley College started the program about six months before the pandemic, including the setup of a lab with 11 VR stations for students to run through the classes together.

The simulation is also able to build virtual patients of varying ages and ethnicities. MacLachlan says this is crucial to help patients build familiarity and empathy with many different kinds of patients potentially more than might be available during the same lesson with a smaller pool of real-life patients.

"It's extremely important for our learners to have the experience with diverse populations and be prepared to have those experiences when they go into the health-care environment," she said.

MacLachlan says they're working on adapting the program for a regular desktop computer for students at home. They're also hoping to expand the program to include scenarios to assess cardiac or EEMT eyes, ears, nose and mouth conditions.

Rather than peering down someone's esophagus, David Culos is using VR to help pilots take to the skies.

An airline pilot for 25 years, the Toronto-based Culos found himself grounded along with most of the commercial airline business in March. He's since pivoted his experience in pilot training to develop AlphaVR Flight Simulation, a program that can provide a sophisticated simulation of an airplane's cockpit.

AlphaVR's setup uses both a VR headset and a simplified cockpit, complete with physical flight sticks. Even with a physical component, Culos said a VR flight simulator built to handle all the tasks required of actual pilot training could cut down operational costs.

"The industry standard for our training [costs] somewhere between five and 10 million dollars apiece, and cost thousands of dollars an hour to operate with a team of maintenance technicians," he said.

As a pandemic-era bonus, he added that it would allow instructors and students to communicate remotely instead of being in the same room for lessons. It might also help boost the number of training spots that may be needed whenever the pandemic winds down.

"We are going to see thousands of pilots come back to work after a long absence, and they're going to need, in some cases, some additional booster training above what's required of them by the regulations," he said.

"With a lower cost solution, we can immerse people and run them through a familiarization session if you would, and get people back up to speed that way."

Both MacLachlan and Culos noted that incorporating VR technology into their training could help gather crucial session data that could help refine training in the future.

Eye-tracking software can monitor where a pilot looks during a simulated emergency situation, for example, or track exactly when a medical student detects a patient's physical ailment.

Llamas says this kind of data about how people use VR, AR and related technology can not only help refine these training programs and other industry uses, but also help tailor the next generations of consumer devices as well.

"I think there are a lot of assumptions that are made about how people should or will experience virtual reality. That isn't always the case," she said.

"The data is showing us how different folks can create experiences that are going to be the most beneficial."

Written by Jonathan Ore. Produced by Olsy Sorokina.

Excerpt from:

Pandemic has slowed interest in virtual reality but it's also helping connect people in surprising ways - CBC.ca

Johnson Controls has re-opened itsDucted Systems Academy in Oklahoma City, a 30,000 sq. ft. commercial and residential HVAC training facility featuring two large classrooms and two training labs, offering remote and hands-on classes, including virtual reality (VR) training.

The VR training places students in real-life field conditions, such as on a roof servicing a large commercial rooftop unit, or in a residential home installing a gas furnace or air conditioning system. The technology simulates real-life experiences without having to be in close physical contact with the instructor.

While COVID-19 has disrupted the regular offering of live, hands-on courses, the Ducted Systems Academy team is bringing the commercial and residential labs to the industry through LabStreaming, using Microsoft Teams to collaborate.During these live virtual classes distance learners are provided instruction as if they were in the lab.

For technical courses, procedures are demonstrated on live residential and commercial equipment, with participants able to ask questions and engage with the instructor in real-time.

The Academy provides training for technical, sales, leadership and professional development disciplines in the HVAC industry, including how to:

The training labs feature all residential and commercial equipment that is manufactured at Johnson Controls facilities in Norman, Oklahoma, and Wichita, Kansas, for YORK, Luxaire, Coleman, Champion, TempMaster and Fraser-Johnston. For residential, this includes all gas furnaces, air handlers, heat pumps, air conditioning systems and packaged equipment. The commercial systems used in the training center range from smaller 3-6 ton packaged rooftop units to the newly expanded 25-80 ton Premier platform.

http://www.ductedsystemsacademy.com

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Johnson Controls offering remote and virtual reality training at Ducted Systems Academy - HPAC Magazine

A lucid dream is one in which you're aware of the fact that you're dreaming and can often control what happens. It's a powerful skill to develop for the sake of fun but also as a way to enhance creativity and manage the psychological stressors of waking life. Some people are natural lucid dreamers while others need more practice. One way to increase your chances of having a lucid dream is to regularly ask yourself if you're dreaming. The idea is that if you get into the habit of questioning the reality of your phenomenal experience while awake, you'll also do it while dreaming, thereby triggering lucidity. Now, Radboud University Medical Centre neuroscientists and their colleagues have shown that virtual reality can be an effective training tool for lucid dreaming. According to the researchers, spending waking time in surreal environments (such as provided by VR) inspires us "to question one's reality" with more frequency and focus. Always a good thing to do, I'd say. From Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B:

Lucid dreaming has been shown to occur with stronger dream control in patients with bipolar disorders and schizophrenia[] which include dissociative and depersonalization-like symptoms as part of their central pathology. It could accordingly be argued that dissociative symptoms related to VR might instil a sense of 'dissreality' and 'reality scepticism' that increased the authenticity of reality checks. In other words: it could well have been a potential post-VR dissociative state that was 'dream like', rather than the VR content itself, supporting the initial premise of the study, albeit through serendipitous and unforeseen secondary consequence of the primary intervention.

It therefore stands to reason that the tentative gains seen in the VR group could be explained through a combination of several overlapping factors: dream-like VR scenarios provided a training ground for metacognitive reflections; bizarre and novel VR content was subsequently incorporated into participants' dream imagery; and this reminded them of the study goal when noticed. It is further worth considering whether the VR experience itself could have exerted some dissociative effects, which postspectively provided a fertile and convincing (dream-like) psychological state from which to question one's reality, as part of the required lucid dreaming training.

"Virtual reality training of lucid dreaming" (via Daily Grail)

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Virtual reality is effective training for lucid dreaming, according to scientific study - Boing Boing

Jaguar has a long and illustrious history of racing, but its future isnt just destined for real life. Following on from its Vision Gran Turismo Coup, which was built in 2019 for Gran Turismo Sport on the PlayStation 4, the British marque has embarked on a new future developing not just a race car for Gran Turismo 7 on the PS5, but by also building it in reality.

Dubbed the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV, the new model combines a look at the future with elements inspired by the past, drawing inspiration from Jaguars racing heritage and the cars that helped to define it. For instance, the car features a huge rear wing that draws from historic styles, such as the XJR-14, while from a side-profile, the flowing lines recall the C-Type and D-Type.

Designed as the ultimate virtual endurance racer, the car had to live up to Jaguars racing past. As a result, it is covered in a circuit board livery that nods to milestones such as the Le Mans debuts of the C-Type and D-Type in 1951 and 1954, respectively, while its overall low-drag and highly-aerodynamic shape continue to reference history.

Yet, bringing it into the future are a whole host of different technical features and mind-warping performance figures. Four Jaguar Racing and SV-designed electric motors each power a separate wheel, coming together to give the GT SV 1,877 HP and 3,360 Nm of instant torque alongside the traction and dynamics benefits of intelligent all-wheel-drive and torque vectoring systems.

The results are 0-60 MPH in just 1.65 seconds and a top speed of 255 MPH, which can be delivered all day long during a 24-hour race such as Le Mans. Aerodynamic solutions have been considered all around the car to keep it stable at such high speeds, for example by incorporating a sculpted underbody to aid airflow thus reducing lift, as well as effective components such as the deployable rear wing, the front splitters and fender vents. Altogether, it will produce 483kg of downforce at 200 MPH.

Jaguar and its teams Jaguar Design, SV and Jaguar Racing have created something truly extraordinary. While it may only be playable in a video game, this by no means makes it any less of a driving experience. Four electric motors redline at 40,000 RPM, delivering a sound that is purposeful, distinct and futuristic, while elements such as a liquid nitrogen battery cooling system will show just how hot the car is getting during an endurance race, blowing off steam from the rear.

To find out more about the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV, HYPEBEAST spoke with the marques creative designer Oliver Cattell-Ford about all things virtual and how this has been translated into real life. Read on to learn more.

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HYPEBEAST: What are the differences between designing a car for the digital world and one for the real world?

Oliver Cattell-Ford: Its so exciting to be able to make a car purely for a video game and a digital world. As you can imagine, the opportunities are limitless in terms of what you can do, you dont have the normal constraints of money stopping you from doing the things you want to do, and you also dont have to manufacture it in masses as well. All of these things can be thrown out of the window you can do whatever you want, which is awesome.

What are the creative limits?

Thats the hard thing because we had to set our own limits. Throughout this project, we wanted it to feel believable, you want people to feel like this could be real. At the same time, you want to push the boundaries to make something more exciting than you could do in real life its finding that fine balance.

How did you create a visceral experience for the design of a virtual (and electric) car?

We very strongly believe in an electric future for Jaguar, and this car had to be electric for us. The vision from the start for the SV was to create the first endurance race car that could complete a 24-hour race, to be the first metric car that is capable of doing that. We thought of lots of different ways to do that and the technology behind that and how it would work to achieve that.

No one wants to be stopped in the pit lanes for five hours to charge batteries up, so we thought of ways to do it better. One of the biggest limitations with charging batteries fast is the heat that you get from that, the faster you charge a battery the more heat youll get, and the more youre damaging the battery. We thought about this liquid nitrogen cooling system that we have integrated into the car there are loads of little stories like this that could work in reality, but we havent had to engineer it or do thousands of hours of testing, so its nice to put these elements in.

So youre using realistic technology to create a car for the game?

I was watching a program last year Sometimes [people] use liquid nitrogen to overclock computers to make them faster. They pour liquid nitrogen on the processor to keep it super cool, you could see the steam blowing off of it, its amazing. Not only would that work for our batteries but it would help create the drama for the game, you see the steam at the back of the car when its really hot.

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Youve also built a real version of the Jaguar SV, right?

Yes, its a physical model but it doesnt drive. Its just to show how awesome it can look. Its also to generate excitement around it; we started building it before COVID-19 kicked off, so were hoping we can get as many people as we can to come and see this. Its also a showcase of the level of detail you have to go to now for a video game car.

What challenges did you face when creating the car in real life?

The challenge started when we first got this brief of course, we jumped at the opportunity to make a Gran Turismo car. You assume that you can do it quite quickly, you think that there are a lot less details going into it. But, once you realize that people will be sitting in this car in virtual reality and they can see every little detail, in the interior for instance, you quickly realize that the level you need to reach on this is virtually the same as a real car wed make. Thats when we realized how long it was going to take and how much development time were going to need. Part of making a model is that wed done a lot of that hard work so we thought wed show how it looks in real life as a physical model.

How can the car in the game act as an experience for someone whos never driven a car in real life?

That question reminds me of when I was a lot younger when I was too young to drive. I was playing a lot of racing games myself, so I have been thinking about that. What did it feel like? To have that as the closest thing to driving when youre that age is really cool. To think of the fact that some people will be driving our car for the first time, we want to get them as excited as I am about driving, and about driving on a track and how much fun it can be. We want to share the excitement that we have for design, about the brand, and its potential.

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Do you think a virtual automotive world could take over real-life driving and racing?

I like to think that real racing will continue with virtual racing, but I think virtual racing will continue to grow and grow.

Id like to think, in an ideal world, that youd still have the same amount of physical racing in the real world, but youd also have a growing number of people who are into eSports. I guess there are so many people who cant afford to do a track day, so its cool that anyone can do it through gaming with a much smaller budget. The more that becomes closer to reality, the less the divide will be.

Aside from the technology and design what makes this car so special in the game, and subsequently, in real life?

As an exterior designer, the most special thing is that we tried so hard to reference our historic race cars. A lot of players of Gran Turismo wouldnt know anything about those cars. I really believe that those cars are quite beautiful, and to get some of the form language the surfaces and the shapes we had on those cars have been carried over we had a few of these historic race cars that we love and we had them lined up and thought, what shall we do with the front fenders should it be more like the C-Type or the D-Type? The challenge is that we want to use those cars, but its got to look ultra-modern and futuristic. We did that through futuristic details such as slim lighting, but there are other exterior elements that youll notice straight away.

Then theres the daylight opening the glass in the car that you look through it tapers when you look at it from a side-view and it gets really narrow. You look at the car and youd say, How would you see out of that? But thats all part of our story with modern technology, in the interior we have screens on the side, like digital side glass that you can look through in the game for an augmented version of the track. Little things like that are things you cant quite do in real life yet, but it gives a cool graphic to the exterior of the car but also a technical story inside. For a race car, you want to eliminate weight and make the structure of the car as strong as possible, so the story works in lots of different ways.

Originally posted here:

Jaguar Is Testing the Limits of (Virtual) Reality - HYPEBEAST

The sun never sets in virtual reality. This occurred to me after an hour-long briefing in an Oculus Quest 2 headset. Joined by more than a dozen other floating avatars, we teleported our way around an outdoor meeting space that could only be described as aircraft-carrier-meets-Croatian-vacation.

Beyond the vast expanse of virtual breakout spaces was a stunning sunset, but the day never grew dark. When I pressed a button on the Touch Controller a tad too long, I ended up standing unnervingly close to another avatar, a fellow journalist. Then I remembered that you cant catch the coronavirus from a digital simulacrum.

The press briefing was one of a few ever to occur in VR, a spokesperson for this new app claimed. It's called Arthur, and part of the pitch is that its going to catapult VR for work into the mainstream, that meetings and collaboration sessions and deskside briefings will become headset briefings.

The app launches today, but its been in development for four years. The company behind it, also named Arthur, is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with employees scattered around the globe. It has secured seed funding from VC firm Draper Associates, and it lists the United Nations, Societe General, and a large automaker as its beta testers.

Taking a meeting in Arthur requires a literal suspension of reality. You exist only from the waist up (hey, just like Zoom!), and your shirtsleeves taper off to reveal blue computer arms, which move according to how you move the Oculus Quest controllers in your hands. Your digital eyes are obscured by Matrix-style glasses, and a headset microphone covers your virtual mouth. This is because the technology cant yet mimic facial expressions in VR, and its better than looking at dead eyes, says Arthur founder Christoph Fleischmann. My avatar looked nothing like me, except that it had dark brown hair.

Still, meeting in VR felt like somewhere else, if not somewhere in the physical world. I was sitting in the same living room Ive occupied for most of the year, but I was present with other people. I was aware that my headsets physical microphone was on, that anything I said would be part of the conversation. It felt rude to step away and start making coffee in my kitchen.

When Fleischmann urged the group to take a seat ahead of a presentation in a virtual amphitheater (which appeared on demand, the fastest and cheapest construction project ever), we scattered awkwardly among the seats the way we might in real life. And after the presentation, during which Fleischmann touted the collaborative benefits of working in VR, we teleported to a roof-deck bar and used our hand controllers to pick up virtual cocktails. Everyone loosened up, despite these being unreal drinks. All the while, the sun remained stuck in its permanent position of almost set. It was surreal, but it beat our current reality.

Meet Me Here

Arthur wouldnt be the first to try to carve out a space for itself in enterprise VR. Until recently, VR headsetsas well as mixed-reality headsets, like Microsofts HoloLenswere prohibitively expensive, costing over $1,000 per unit. Any company looking to make inroads in the industry had to at least consider selling to big businesses, the ones who could afford the nascent technology. That was the approach Spatial took, a buzzy New York-based startup that WIREDs Julian Chokkattu covered earlier this year.

We always say were like Zoom and Slack had an AR/VR baby, Jacob Loewenstein, Spatials head of business, tells me over Zoom from his New York City apartment (the Zoom meeting was my request; I was on deadline and didnt want to dither in VR). And we really mean it. Because if we succeed its because weve made this thing just stupidly easy to use.

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VR Meetings Are Weird, but They Beat Our Current Reality - WIRED

Its also beneficial: 9 in 10 elderly adults reported feeling more relaxed and rated their well-being higher after engaging in VR sessions, according to a 2018 study conducted at a senior care residence in Minnesota.

Maplewood, which operates 15 communities in three states, uses Oculus headsets at each location. Administrators select and deliver VR programs created by Rendever, an engagement platform designed for seniors, via iPad devices.

Viewers can see the world, rekindle old memories and interact with each other even while quarantined.

Our residents really enjoy that feeling of being inside of this world, but also being together, Geyser says. Traveling is fun, but its a lot more fun if youre with the people you love.

He spoke more about the VR effort and its surprising impact:

Weve been doing VR since 2017. Early on in my tenure at Maplewood, I ran across the Rendever story and I was intrigued. It was a startup company at the time; these guys from MIT who created a VR platform specific for senior living.

I hadnt heard of anything like this before, so I decided to contact them and have a conversation, which resulted in Maplewood doing a pilot.

We were just astounded at the results and the impact on residents when we did the pilot in several of our Connecticut communities. The residents were blown away by the experience and they couldn't stop talking about it. I had never seen a reaction like that to any program that weve ever offered. They were calling it magical.

I remember specifically, it was virtual tours to places where they otherwise would never be able to go like Antarctica. It was the combination of feeling like youre standing in Antarctica, but at the same time these penguins are moving all around you.

Residents were reaching out; they were laughing and talking to each other, saying, Oh, turn to the left, look at the guy over there. It wasnt an animated gaming environment. It was real-life footage, so it felt very real to them.

Then, we took them into a puppy pen where they were surrounded by little puppies; seeing the reactions, the oohs and ahhs, was just so beautiful. We also took them to Africa to hang out with some elephants. Anything with animals was a huge hit.

A closer look at VR programs in action at Maplewood Senior Living, which has used the technology since 2017.

Were able to take people to familiar places, the places theyve traveled to in the past, such as Paris or London. We can also take them back to a childhood home or maybe their high school and have them stand right there and see it as it is today.

Rendever uses Google Street View technology; youre seeing it in a 3D environment, not on a flat screen.

We have residents who are just shocked they can see the house they grew up in. Theyre pointing to their bedroom window and telling stories about a tree there used to be a fort up there, and so on. It just brings this flood of memories back.

Its so social. All of the residents are in the same virtual environment together. So, you bring them all to the Eiffel Tower and theyre all looking up and theyre checking it out. And then someone will start telling stories about when they were there 50 years ago and the travel and the experience of being in France.

It really sparks conversation, and that was a big aha! moment for us.

The final thing that really pulled VR across the finish line for us is that the magic continued for days after the headsets came off. We would hear residents talking at dinner about the virtual travel they went on and how it affected them.

The key is to have your activities and programming teams prepared and enthused to champion the technology. They have to know about the VR program, and they have to understand its purpose and the ideal frequency to run it. And then they have to understand how to do a quick setup and to run it with a resident or a group.

An iPad serves as the control center. An activity programmer can use the iPad to select the virtual journeys. It's very easy technology to use.

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Q&A: Maplewood Senior Living's Brian Geyser on the Value of Virtual Reality - HealthTech Magazine

The worlds largest radio telescope, which scientists from The University of Western Australia have contributed to through the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), will be the subject of a virtual reality documentary.

Award-winning West Australian production company White Spark Pictures has received funding from Screen Australia, Screenwest and Lotterywest to produce the documentary Beyond the Stars.

"Well take audiences on a VR tour of CSIROs Murchison Radio Astronomy-Observatory through the eyes of the people working on the site, the astronomers who will eventually use the SKA, and the Wajarri Yamaji traditional land owners.

The funding follows White Sparks first virtual reality production, The Antarctica Experience, which is one of the most successful VR documentary experiences of all time.

White Spark creative director Briege Whitehead said it was great to have an opportunity to promote cutting-edge science happening in her home state.

This production will allow people of all ages and cultural backgrounds to virtually experience the Australian site for the Square Kilometre Arraya part of the world that few will ever visit in person, she said.

It will be shot using specialised 360-degree cameras capable of extreme resolution.

"Well take audiences on a VR tour of CSIROs Murchison Radio Astronomy-Observatory through the eyes of the people working on the site, the astronomers who will eventually use the SKA, and the Wajarri Yamaji traditional land owners.

Beyond the Stars is also supported by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and CSIRO, Australias national science agency.

ICRAR executive director Professor Peter Quinn, who is based at The University of Western Australia, said its an exciting time for the SKA.

The world is coming together to build a telescope capable of observing the first stars and galaxies to appear in the Universe 13 billion years ago, he said.

After nearly two decades of designing and decision-making, construction of the telescope is set to start in Australia and South Africa in the course of next year.

Its an enormous international effort, and were keen to bring as many people as possible along for the ride through virtual reality.

Western Australias remote Murchison region is a truly special place, said Rebecca Wheadon, CSIROs site entity leader for Australias SKA site.

We have a profound duty to share this landscape, its cultural history and our role in building the worlds biggest radio telescope, she said.

Beyond the Stars will feature at the new WA Museum Boola Bardip in late 2021, before touring to other Western Australian Museum venues in 2022.

Read more here:

Virtual reality documentary to bring mega-telescope project to life - University News: The University of Western Australia

December 10, 2020

By: AdventHealth News, and Adventist Review

AdventHealth University and Full Sail University are proud to announce that their team for the Iron Dev competition has been named the winner in the category of Most Innovative Solution. Iron Dev is an annual competition held by the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC). Winners in each category were selected based on the merit of their technology-based solution according to the scores of the judging committee and votes of the viewing public.

The virtual reality (VR) solution, which is currently a prototype created by the Full Sail University and AdventHealth University team, serves as a proof of concept for a virtual command center to help health-care facilities and systems like AdventHealth to visualize hospital resources and COVID-19 data points. The technology would allow health-care providers to make real-time decisions quickly by streamlining the allocation and distribution of resources.

With the unprecedented nature of COVID-19, we knew we wanted to create a futuristic solution to a current problem. Our technology allows users to visualize inputted data including COVID-19 data points, such as contact tracing and regional cases, as well as the available resources at health-care facilities, like the number of beds, nurses, and other medical necessities, Brandon Baker, director of the Immersive Technologies Lab at AdventHealth University, said. We are extremely proud of the collaboration between Full Sail University and AdventHealth University and the incredible work everyone on our team has done to advance the use of VR in the health-care industry.

Students and alumni at Full Sail University were able to learn and utilize their skills to create a VR solution prototype both under the time restrictions of the competition and in recognizing the real-world applications relevant to the current global pandemic. Important lessons students learned included time management, collaboration, and an in-depth look into the challenges and triumphs of VR.

Our partnership has been the foundation of some great VR solutions in the health-care industry, Luis Garcia, vice president of Emerging Technologies at Full Sail University, said. In addition to the visualization technology produced for the Iron Dev competition, we have also created a VR training solution that students at AdventHealth University use as a response to COVID-19 restrictions. In fact, the VR training solution enabled some of our graduates to gain employment with AdventHealth University, where they work on various projects, including the Iron Dev competition. We look forward to furthering our partnership and seeing what is next for us.

About AdventHealth University

AdventHealth University is a Seventh-day Adventist institution specializing in health-care education in a faith-affirming environment. The schools stated mission is to develop skilled professionals who live the healing values of Christ. Service oriented and guided by the values of nurture, excellence, spirituality, and stewardship, the school seeks to develop leaders who will practice health care as a ministry.

Continue reading here:

AdventHealth Shares Prize for Advancing Virtual Reality in Health Care - Adventist Review

DUBLIN, Dec. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "AR and VR Market Research Report: By Type (AR, VR), Offering (Hardware, Software), Device Type (AR Devices, VR Devices), Application (Consumer, Commercial, Enterprise) - Global Industry Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market is projected to account for a revenue of $1,274.4 billion in 2030, rising from $37.0 billion in 2019, progressing at a robust CAGR of 42.9% during the forecast period (2020-2030).

The rising penetration of smartphones and tablet computers, increasing technology adoption among enterprises, and surging focus of vendors on price reduction are the key factors leading to the growth of the market. Between AR and VR, the VR division accounted for the major share of the market in 2019.

The application of VR is rising in several industries, majorly gaming, and the prices of VR are declining, thereby leading to the increasing adoption of the technology. VR provided an immersive experience to consumers, which is why, companies in the gaming industry are incorporating these features into their services and products. The AR category is predicted to grow at a faster pace during the forecast period, owing to the various benefits offered by the technology.

On the basis of application, the AR and VR market is divided into enterprise, commercial, and consumer, out of which, the consumer division is predicted to hold the major share of the market in 2030. The rising awareness regarding AR and VR is the major reason for the growth of this division. The number of gamers across the globe is expected to rise in the coming years, which is projected to drive the demand for immersive and interactive gaming.

Geographically, the AR and VR market was dominated by North America during the historical period (2014-2019) and is predicted to hold the major share of the market during the forecast period as well. Within the region, the U.S. is leading the domain, owing to the presence of major companies in the country. In addition to this, the rising application of VR and AR in the healthcare and e-commerce sectors is also driving the growth of the regional domain.

The surging adoption of these technologies among enterprises is a key driving factor of the AR and VR market. The enterprise sector is one of the major targets for players in the domain. The potential of AR and VR technologies is huge in enterprises, as all key device manufacturers, solution providers, and app developers are targeting the sector. In addition to this, a lot of Fortune 500 businesses have started experimenting with VR and AR technologies, and few of them have already initiated pilot projects.

The surging penetration of tablet computers and smartphones is also a key driving factor of the AR and VR market. Smartphones are being considered the major hardware interface for VR and AR applications. Moreover, the number of smartphones is further predicted to reach 3.5 billion by 2020, which is a growth of 9.3% from 2019. Owing to this, AR and VR enterprises are focusing on these devices for expanded their footing in the industry.

In conclusion, the market is expanding due to the increasing adoption of AR and VR technologies in enterprises and rising penetration of smartphones.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Research Background1.1 Research Objectives1.2 Market Definition1.3 Research Scope1.4 Key Stakeholders

Chapter 2. Research Methodology2.1 Secondary Research2.2 Primary Research2.3 Market Size Estimation2.4 Data Triangulation2.5 Currency Conversion Rates2.6 Assumptions for the Study

Chapter 3. Executive Summary3.1 Voice of Industry Experts/KOLs

Chapter 4. Introduction4.1 Definition of Market Segments4.1.1 By Type4.1.1.1 AR4.1.1.1.1 Marker-based AR4.1.1.1.1.1 Passive marker4.1.1.1.1.2 Active marker4.1.1.1.2 Marker-less AR4.1.1.1.2.1 Model-based tracking4.1.1.1.2.2 Image-based processing4.1.1.2 VR4.1.1.2.1 Non-immersive4.1.1.2.2 Semi- and fully immersive4.1.2 By Offering4.1.2.1 Hardware4.1.2.1.1 Sensors4.1.2.1.2 Cameras4.1.2.1.3 Position trackers4.1.2.1.4 Displays and projectors4.1.2.1.5 Semiconductor components4.1.2.1.6 Others4.1.2.2 Software4.1.2.2.1 SDKs4.1.2.2.2 Cloud-based services4.1.2.2.3 AR software functions4.1.2.2.4 VR content creation4.1.3 By Device Type4.1.3.1 AR devices4.1.3.1.1 HMDs4.1.3.1.2 HUDs4.1.3.1.3 Handheld devices4.1.3.2 VR Devices4.1.3.2.1 HMDs4.1.3.2.2 Gesture-tracking devices4.1.3.2.3 Projector and display walls4.1.4 By Application4.1.4.1 Consumer4.1.4.1.1 Gaming4.1.4.1.2 Sports and entertainment4.1.4.2 Commercial4.1.4.2.1 Offline education and e-learning4.1.4.2.2 In-store retail and e-commerce4.1.4.2.3 Tourism4.1.4.3 Enterprise4.1.4.3.1 Healthcare4.1.4.3.2 Automotive4.1.4.3.3 Aerospace and defense4.1.4.3.4 Others4.2 Value Chain Analysis4.2.1 Component Suppliers4.2.2 Technology Suppliers4.2.3 Device Suppliers4.3 Market Dynamics4.3.1 Trends4.3.1.1 Growing focus of businesses on the aesthetics of AR and VR devices4.3.1.2 Increasing investments by tech corporations and venture capitalists4.3.1.3 Rising popularity of virtual playground applications4.3.2 Drivers4.3.2.1 Increasing penetration of smartphones and tablet computers4.3.2.2 Soaring demand for AR and VR in offline retail and e-commerce4.3.2.3 Rising technology adoption among enterprises4.3.2.4 Growing focus of vendors on price reduction4.3.2.5 Impact analysis of drivers on market forecast4.3.3 Restraints4.3.3.1 Potential health risks4.3.3.2 Technical imperfections4.3.3.3 Impact analysis of restraints on market forecast4.3.4 Opportunities4.3.4.1 Rising demand for gesture and haptic control4.3.4.2 Advancements in technology4.3.4.3 Integration of AR and VR to create MR4.4 Impact of COVID-19 on AR and VR Market4.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

Chapter 5. Global Market Size and Forecast5.1 By Type5.1.1 AR Market, by Technology5.1.1.1 Marker-based AR market, by type5.1.1.2 Marker-less AR market, by type5.1.2 VR Market, by Technology5.2 By Offering5.2.1 Hardware Market, by Type5.2.2 Software Market, by Type5.3 By Device Type5.3.1 AR Devices Market, by Type5.3.2 VR Devices Market, by Type5.4 By Application5.4.1 Consumer Application Market, by Type5.4.2 Commercial Application Market, by Type5.4.3 Enterprise Application Market, by Type5.5 By Region

Chapter 6. North America Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 7. Europe Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 8. APAC Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 9. LATAM Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 10. MEA Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 11. Major Markets for AR and VR11.1 U.S. AR and VR Market11.2 U.K. AR and VR Market11.3 Germany AR and VR Market11.4 China AR and VR Market11.5 Japan AR and VR Market11.6 India AR and VR Market

Chapter 12. Competitive Landscape12.1 List of Players and Their Offerings12.2 Market Share Analysis of Key Players12.2.1 Global Market Share Analysis12.3 Product Benchmarking of Key Players12.4 Competitive Benchmarking of Key Players12.5 Strategic Developments in the Market12.5.1 Mergers and Acquisitions12.5.2 Product Launches12.5.3 Partnerships12.5.4 Geographic Expansions12.5.5 Client Wins12.5.6 Other Developments

Chapter 13. Company Profiles13.1 Business Overview13.2 Product and Service Offerings13.3 Key Financial Summary

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/doj9tb

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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Global Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market Report 2020-2030: Rising Demand for Gesture and Haptic Control & Integration of AR and VR to...

Press Releases PRESS RELEASE FROM ABBOTT

Virtual reality training improved cath lab staff learning engagement by 45% and knowledge retention by 72%

87% of studies show higher medical accuracy in medical practice by those trained with virtual reality

ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Dec. 9, 2020 Abbott today announced the global release of its first virtual reality-based training program designed to change how interventional cardiologists are trained in using optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging technology. The comprehensive new training program incorporates virtual reality (VR) with traditional training techniques to increase experience and expertise in using Abbotts OCT imaging and improve outcomes in patients needing a stent to open clogged arteries.

Abbott is expanding its training portfolio to help physicians gain experience with new therapy options, imaging and diagnostic tools to help improve patient outcomes. Virtual reality presents a promising approach to OCT training because it enables physicians to have the full experience of being in the catheterization laboratory by putting them in the "drivers seat" with imaging technology.

OCT is an intracoronary imaging platform offered by Abbott that helps physicians view and assess coronary arteries frominsidethe vessel with high precision. This view allows for an improved look at the nature of a patients coronary artery disease to improve treatment decisions and the quality of stent deployment. Recent data show that in88% of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) procedures[1]managed with OCT workflow, physician decision-making changed compared with initial, angiographically-guided strategy, demonstrating that OCT imaging can help to drive better clinical outcomes. Training remains critical to ensuring physicians and hospitals can best utilize the technology to optimize patients results.

"Its undeniable that OCT imaging technology is unlocking new opportunities to improve outcomes for our patients. Abbotts new VR training program has provided my team the experience of being in the cath lab and understanding OCT technology quickly and efficiently," said Vamsi Krishna, M.D., director, Ascension, Seton Hays Medical Center. "The OCT VR program enhances training for OCT imaging technology through innovative educational programs. Virtual reality is truly the next wave of training that will ultimately improve patient outcomes and Im very excited to be a part of the new program."

Virtual Reality eliminates barriers for cardiologists to improve cardiovascular health and increase competency of technology

Abbotts new OCT virtual reality-based training programs, powered by Oculus Go, will dramatically enhance decision-making for physicians who utilize OCT instead of angiography. The training is based on the comprehensive OCT experience and input of Dr. Richard A. Shlofmitz, MD, FACC, chairman of cardiology at St. Francis Hospital, The Heart Center, and the success he found in translating new training concepts into improvements in patient care. As a result, Abbott is leveraging technology that has been found to increase training success dramatically. In fact, higher accuracy in medical practice was shown in87% of studies[2]by those trained with virtual reality versus traditional techniques. According to Abbott research, virtual reality techniques improved cath lab staff learning engagement by45%[3]andknowledge retention by 72%[4].

"Abbotts new OCT training enables interventional cardiologists to receive more in-depth, experiential training to encourage more precise diagnoses, while healthcare systems will experience cost savings through a reduction in the number of staff training courses needed," said Harvinder Singh, vice president, global commercial operations of Abbotts vascular business. "Furthermore, the virtual reality training program will not only enhance accuracy to improve patient outcomes, but it also furthers the industrys adoption of innovative technologies in healthcare."

"Virtual reality-based training programs are truly changing the way interventional cardiologists learn and adopt new technologies, such as OCT, that are helping physicians make better decisions in the cath lab," said Nick West, M.D., divisional vice president, medical affairs, and chief medical officer of Abbotts vascular business. "The program is also furthering Abbotts ability to use technology and innovations to drive better patient outcomes."

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 107,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Connect with us atwww.abbott.com, on LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/Abbottand on Twitter @AbbottNews.

###

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Abbott Launches First Optical Coherence Tomography Virtual Reality Training Program for Cardiologists - MedTech Dive

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market is poised to grow by $ 125.19 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 35% during the forecast period.

Worried about the impact of COVID-19 on your Business? Here is an Exclusive report talking about Market scenarios, Estimates, the impact of lockdown, and Customer Behaviour.

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The report on the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market provides a holistic update, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis.

The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario and the overall market environment. The market is driven by increasing demand for AR and VR technology.

The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market analysis includes technology segment and geography landscape. This study identifies the increasing number of M&A activities as one of the prime reasons driving the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market growth during the next few years.

This report presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters.

The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market covers the following areas:

Augmented Reality (AR) And Virtual Reality (VR) Market SizingAugmented Reality (AR) And Virtual Reality (VR) Market ForecastAugmented Reality (AR) And Virtual Reality (VR) Market Analysis

Companies Mentioned

Related Reports on Information Technology Include:

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Technology

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Analysis

Appendix

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Augmented Reality (AR) And Virtual Reality (VR) Market- Featuring Alphabet Inc., DAQRI LLC, Facebook Inc., among others to contribute to the market...

Inspired by the video game Gvasalia created as part of the show, the looks in the collection represented the players featured in the game, which in turn referenced classic video game archetypes. The knight in shining armour materialised, quite literally, in shining armour; a nod, no doubt, to Nicolas Ghesquires spring/summer 2007 robot collection for Balenciaga, but reinterpreted in medieval chevalier form in beautiful pieces forged by bona fide armour-makers in France. The valiant astronaut made an appearance, too, mixing with the likes of face-painted goths and post-apocalyptic characters in ragged knitwear, ripped and patched-up denim, tattered cocktail dresses, and massive threaded coats that looked like gutted teddy bears. Fashion in its essence is a sort of armour today. It completes our personal identities and shows us in the way we want to be visually perceived by the world around us. So, in a way, the way we dress does play a role in our self-protection. This is a metaphor, but in reality, the armour in this collection was made to connect the long-forgotten past to the much-awaited future, Gvasalia said. We used the exact craftsmanship used in the Middle Ages to make the armour. It can be seen as a sort of a military sportswear of the time, which protected the warriors but also made their movements possible in battle. The articulation of that medieval armour, however, is exactly the same as that of a futuristic robot or android, because the human body is still the same all those centuries later. And my job as a dressmaker is to explore that relation between the human body and what it wears.

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5 Things To Know About Balenciagas Virtual Reality AW21 Show - British Vogue

In Virtual Reality News

December 8, 2020 Glue Collaboration, a provider of real-time virtual reality (VR) software services, has today announced a major new release of its Glue VR collaboration platform. Glue 2.0 enables greater immersion and frictionless interaction for remote teams allowing them to co-create, learn, plan and share together.

Available to all our users today, this is our most significant release so far, said Jussi Havu, CEO at Glue Collaboration. Alongside a new operating system with speech-to-text capabilities, were introducing our ground-breaking new avatars. Everything adds up to our most immersive VR meetings yet, providing a space for remote workers to effectively collaborate even when theyre thousands of miles apart.

Glue provides shared virtual environments where dispersed participants can come together as if they were face to face in a real physical space. Appealing to peoples visual, haptic and auditory senses, Glue provides a level of immersion in remote meetings that goes beyond what is possible with conventional video conferencing software.

In the latest update, Glue introduces its most expressive avatars yet. According to the company, these leverage artificial intelligence and advanced graphics capabilities to more closely mimic peoples behavior and features. The enhancements are designed to make communication feel more natural, ensuring users focus on meetings rather than worrying about adjusting their camera.

To develop the new avatars, Glue has integrated new AI-powered facial animation technology. For this, it turned to Edinburgh-based Rapport, a provider of facial animation and lip syncing technology.

We worked with Glue to enable facial animation that looks as natural as possible and is generated in real-time from audio input alone, said Gregor Hofer, CEO and Founder at Rapport. Were especially delighted with the new Glue avatars as they exhibit a level of expressiveness that makes them highly engaging and compelling.

Using the new built-in avatar configurator, users can also create their own avatar, adjusting face shape and features, hair and clothing as well as customizing colors. Millions of permutations are possible, according to the company.

We let our users choose their own appearance, as Glue is a place where everyone can be themselves, said Sami Syrj, Head of Design at Glue. We have deliberately chosen to use expressive, animated avatars rather than lifelike virtual representations of ourselves. This prevents uncanny valley, the eerie sensation people experience if a digital representation imperfectly resembles human behavior.

Other new features in Glue 2.0 include:

Glue is also expanding the library of ready and customizable spaces that teams can use with a new space called Mont Matiz a hill-top, open-air space that provides users with a relaxing setting for creative workshops and large events like employee town halls.

The company highlighted several enterprises that have been using the Glue platform for virtual collaboration, including: Air France-KLM, Fazer, Microsoft, Patria, Axel Springer, BCG Platinion, T-Systems Multimedia Solutions, and Maillefer.

For more information on the Glue platform, please click here.

Image / video credit: Glue / Vimeo

About the author

Sam Sprigg

Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he covers news articles on both the AR and VR industries. He also has an interest in human augmentation technology as a whole, and does not just limit his learning specifically to the visual experience side of things.

Read more:

Glue announces major new release of its Virtual Reality collaboration platform with Glue 2.0 - Auganix

Virtual Reality is something most of us have been able to experience at home, or at a friends house. While the experience is compelling, for many, theyd struggle to justify the cost, or space for a permanent VR setup at home.

Thankfully VR as a destination is proving to be quite the draw card and Zero Latency recently opened its doors at a new venue in Sydney.

Located at 219 ORiordan Street, Mascot, Zero Latency VR Sydney allows players to explore VR experiences with up to seven friends, without being restricted by any wires.

Visitors can survive a reality TV show set in the zombie apocalypse inUndead Arena, or attempt to escape a stranded space station taken over by robots inSingularity.

Zero Latency says theyre working on more experiences that will be rolled out over time, including the highly anticipatedFar Cry VR(coming 2021), based on the hit Ubisoft game Far Cry 3.

This is the sixth Zero Latency VR venue in Australia, joining the existing Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne and South Melbourne venues, and the 46th venue worldwide since the first venue was opened in Melbourne in 2015.

Were excited to bring our free-roam virtual reality experience to Sydney, allowing players to explore digital worlds as if they were actually living in them.

Whether youre looking for something to do with family and friends, a fun hens and bucks night activity, or something different for the work Christmas party, a session in Zero Latency VR wont soon be forgotten.

To experience Zero Latency VR, players wear a VR headset, strap into a backpack which tracks movement, and use a controller to interact with the virtual world.

During the experience, players can navigate around the virtual environment theyve chosen by physically moving around the 200 square metre play space and communicating with their friends via built-in microphones and speakers.

Visitors to Zero Latency VR Sydney can have peace of mind knowing that theyll have a safe and hygienic experience.

Zero Latency VRs safety and hygiene standards were high before COVID-19, but weve taken extra steps in all our venues to ensure visitors will have an enjoyable, safe experience when they visit.

Weve always performed vigorous sanitisation and disinfection of all gear before and after each session, but weve now also adjusted the safety alarms in our games to keep players 1.5 metres apart throughout their experience, and our Game Masters have completed additional training in hygiene practices including temperature checks, sanitation processes, and using personal protective equipment.

If youre new to VR, then you can see some of the equipment used in the photo gallery below, taken at the Zero Latency location in Melbourne.

Book tickets athttps://booking.zerolatencyvr.com/book-now/sydney, with prices at $59 (Tuesday Thursday) and $69 (Friday Sunday).

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Virtual Reality proving big business as Zero Latency opens 46th venue in 5 years - techAU

Virtual reality surgical training advancing residents surgical skills during COVID-19 and beyond

PALO ALTO, Calif., and HUNTINGTON, WV, Dec. 10, 2020 A recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects that the United States will face a shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians by 2033. The impending physician shortage combined with COVID-19 travel restrictions is no doubt accelerating this supply shortage which is having a disproportionate impact on rural areas.

The Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, located in the community of Huntington, West Virginia, has adopted a virtual reality (VR) training & assessment platform, Osso VR, to help streamline surgical education with the ultimate goal of providing a larger number of consistently trained providers. Since 2018, medical students and residents at Marshall University have used Osso VR to repeatedly practice, learn and track progress in a wide variety of procedures in VR.

Residency programs must continue to evolve to produce top-notch residents. Now, due to COVID-19, we are trying to balance social distancing, resident education, and patient safety all simultaneously. As technology continues to rapidly evolve, Osso VR has led the way in affordable and realistic virtual training for our medical students and orthopaedic residents. The viral pandemic has ensured this technology is here to stay, said Matthew Bullock, DO, MPT, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Marshall University and Associate Program Director for the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency.

Osso VRs surgical training technology provides on-demand, educational experiences that are effective, repeatable, and measurable to help surgeons reach proficiency with new procedures and devices. The platform has become integral to surgical training programs worldwide and is currently used by 20+ leading teaching hospitals and 14 top medical device companies in 20 countries.

As a former resident myself, I empathize with the situation todays surgeons are in as a result of COVID-19. The data shows that pre-COVID graduation residents were increasingly undertrained and underprepared for practice. This pandemic unfortunately has had a significant negative impact on this dynamic with likely downstream ramifications were only beginning to discover, said Justin Barad, MD, Osso VRs Co-Founder and CEO. Our dream at Osso VR is to make training more effective, efficient and trackable so that we can streamline the 14-16 years it takes to become a surgeon. With a bigger and fast pipeline of highly proficient providers, we will be able to continue to provide quality care for patients all around the world.

For more information, visit http://www.ossovr.com.

About Osso VR

Osso VR is an award-winning, clinically validated surgical training platform designed for medical device companies, practicing surgeons, residents and medical students of all skill levels. Using immersive VR technology, the scalable platform offers a realistic, hands-on training environment that leads to real world performance gains and ultimately improved patient outcomes. Osso VR is the first training platform to incorporate assessment into its modules, objectively measuring the trainees knowledge of steps, level of precision and overall efficiency throughout the procedure providing a benchmark for proficiency.

Led by UCLA and Harvard trained orthopedic surgeon Justin Barad, MD, the Osso VR team has a deep background in clinical care, medical technology, and VR development. To learn more, visit http://www.ossovr.com.

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Osso VR and the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Partner to Advance Rural Medicine Using Virtual Reality - OrthoSpineNews

Screenshot: Myst

The Quest 2 continues to impress me, so much so that its become the virtual reality headset that I use the most. It doesnt outperform my Valve Index, but its mobility makes it convenient in a way that the Index cant touch. It isnt a graphical powerhouse, but it gets the job done. Its the perfect fit for puzzle games, like The Room VR: A Dark Matter and now Myst. I always thought Myst would be a good fit for virtual reality.

Myst is an adventure puzzle game that doesnt really need an introductionits one of the original classics. I have nostalgic memories of trying to figure out Mysts cryptic puzzles at a very young age, but I never got too far in the classic version of the game. In Myst you play as a traveler who stumbles across the Myst book, and after reading it, find yourself on a mysterious island full of cryptic puzzles controlling strange mechanisms. Nothing is explained outrightits all about exploration and discovery.

Screenshot: Myst

Myst has been completely rebuilt for VR. I thought I would be playing the real Myst version updated for virtual reality, but thats not the case. That means visually, things look different. Gone are the FMV shots of actors, replaced with new 3D modelswhich is a shame, since it loses a tiny bit of charm. Im pretty sure they kept the same voice acting, though, so it retains some of the originals cheesy line reads. If youve played Myst before in any of its forms, youll feel at home here. Locations and puzzles work mostly you would expect, and the sound effects and music remain intact.

There are some slight differences between Myst VR and its other versions. First of all, when starting a new game, you have the option to randomize puzzles. This allows Myst to be a somewhat refreshing experienceif youve played through Myst countless times, the randomization will change certain aspects of the game to make them unpredictable. Outside of puzzle randomization, there have been other changes. Some puzzles are tweaked (presumably) to be a little easier in VR. Some items that you have to interact with have been raised to be above waist levelssomething I very much appreciate, especially due to the lack of any sort of distance grabbing. Most VR games implement a sort of telekinesis to alleviate some of the bending and reaching required to grab objects, but thats not present in Myst. With the puzzles reconfigured for virtual reality, though, I never felt like such a feature was necessary.

What I did find necessary was some method of note taking. Myst doesnt hold your hand at any point. It doesnt really even make it clear when youre correctly solving a puzzle until the solution is working. I found myself taking off my Quest 2 a few times to take notes of numbers and other information that would otherwise leave my brain almost immediately. It would have been fantastic to have some sort of virtual notepad to jot down ideas, but alas, it is not so. Then again, reading those notes back might be a bit of an issue on Quest 2.

While Myst, graphically, holds up alright, its also its weakest feature. Open areas are covered in a fog, which is unsurprising and not as extreme as I thought it would be. The most egregious graphical issue is the readability of text. It doesnt come up often in Myst, but the few hand written notes that Ive come across are horribly pixelated, and surprisingly hard to read. Myst runs well on the Quest 2, however, and is a comfortable VR experience. I mostly used teleportation to get around, but smooth movement is also available for those who arent as susceptible to motion sickness in VR as I am.

If you know nothing about Myst going in, you might be confused whats happening in its story. Its purposefully enigmatic with little introduction. Even as you move through the different areas (called Ages) and you unlock more books, the story is a little slippery. The gist of it is this: there are two sons, Sirrus and Archeron, both trapped in books. You have to scour the Ages of Myst to recover the proper pages for each book. As you do this, the brothers motivations and personalities are revealed, and you can learn more about what happened to get them trapped there. I dont want to spoil anything for this 27 year old game, because this VR version is a possible new point of entry to those who havent played Myst and its many sequels. There is not really any character interaction, thoughdealing with the few characters that make up Myst is akin to watching a video and making a decision afterwards.

The type of puzzles youll encounter in Myst are varied, and interesting. Theres a reason Myst was popular back in 1993 and remains so to this day. For me, as I found myself stuck in Myst, right before giving up I would find a new clue or interaction that would drive me to continue forward. Some puzzles can be figured out with few other clues, but most of the puzzles are sprawling, with some requiring interaction with other puzzles or objects that are far away to solve. Myst is a casual game without any enemies or time pressure, but there are a few times where timing is required to successfully solve a puzzle.

With a few tweaks, the puzzles work great in virtual reality. There arent as many objects to interact with as you might find in other similar VR games, but thats just a byproduct of its age. The new puzzles do take advantage of your ability to grab objects, twist knobs, press buttons and pull levelssomething you could only do with mouse clicks until now.The new way of solving old puzzles in Myst is fun, but some of Mysts larger puzzles felt a little tiresome in VR. Redirecting the long water pipes in the Channelwood Age, for instance, felt more tedious than it used to, and all of the twisting even made me a bit motion sickthe only time it was an issue I was while playing. While I found that playing while standing felt the most natural, Myst is completely able to be played while sittingespecially if youre patient with movement and positioning, so you can get yourself within reach of some of the puzzle elements.

Myst has come into a new Agevirtual realityand its a pretty good fit. Its graphically acceptable, except for the hard-to-read text. The puzzles are classics, and with a few tweaks work well in VR. Being able to interact with objects added a tactile element to Myst that really ups the immersiona real treat for long-time fans of this classic series. If you love puzzle games, I definitely recommend thisand if youre a long-time fan of the Myst franchise, this is the closest youll come to stepping into one of Atrus books.

Myst is available tomorrow on Oculus Quest 2, and will be coming soon to SteamVR.

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Review: Myst Enters the Age of Virtual Reality - thirdcoastreview.com

Virtual Reality in Education Market Share, Growth Forecast- Global Industry OutlookPublished: 13 hours ago Author: Ashwin NaphadeCategory: #news

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Virtual Reality in Education Market Share, Growth Forecast- Global Industry Outlook - AlgosOnline

The rapid advancement of immersive technology has sparked grave concerns about the potential for virtual rapes, image-based abuse and physical and sexual assaults.

Australias eSafety Commission has warned new harms may emerge from hyper-realistic technology such as VR headsets and haptic suits - a wearable device which produces vibrations and engages a users sense of touch.

While eSafety has not as yet received any reports of mishaps with haptics, or other misuses of these technologies, we anticipate that as they become more widely used these immersive technologies will give rise to a range of online safety issues, says eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant.

In 2016, gamer Jordan Belamire wrote about experiencing a virtual sexual assault while playing the fantasy game QuiVR.

Ms Belamire had been playing with her husband and brother-in-law in multi-player mode when she was groped by another gamer.

The virtual groping feels just as real, she wrote at the time.

Of course, youre not physically being touched, just like youre not actually one hundred feet off the ground, but its still scary as hell.

Australian laws don't really cover virtual rapes and sexual assaults, experts say.

Getty

It followed mass uproar over a virtual rape in the 1990s on the text-based multi-user game LambdaMOO, after someone hijacked the system and played out various forms of sexual assault using peoples avatars.

Professor Kieran Tranter from QUT School of Law says the haptic suit example is really at the extreme outside end of what our law imagines.

You are attaching something that has the potential to engage with your body in a sexual way, so there will be issues about consent around that, Professor Tranter told The Feed.

If there is unwanted sexual conduct, could we even identify the perpetrator and if we cant, could we argue that the platform or even the hardware manufacturer is precariously liable for the assault?

Professor Tranter says it would be difficult without substantial reforms to achieve a prosecution for sexual assault.

However, he says outside the area of sexual assault, there could be some options for victims to pursue under the Commonwealth Crimes Act regarding conduct on cyberspace.

eSafety predicts the use of immersive technologies will increase throughout the next decade and may soon be almost indistinguishable from actual experiences.

According to eSafety, immersive technology is a wide-ranging term that covers virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, a blend of AR and VR, and haptic technologies.

Together, these form a new universe of extended reality -- and according to eSafety, smell and taste sensations will soon be added to the mix.

Haptic technology company HoloSuit provides full-body gaming experiences through wearables.

On its website, it claims, the user will be able to experience a completely new level of immersion and free body movement.

HoloSuit says this will allow gamers to do things like throw the gun on the ground and surrender with their hands raised to see if enemy players will show mercy.

As well as gaming, immersive technologies are also being integrated into the sex industry. Sex Like Real is one of the largest VR porn companies, recording over half a million monthly users in 2018.

In 2020, it launched a new interactive experience that uses multi-camera videos and allows users to interact through synchronised teledildonics - haptic devices designed to stimulate sexual excitement.

A screenshot taken from the Holosuit site.

Holosuit

There is concern that immersive technologies could ramp up image-based abuse and lead to increased sharing and streaming of non-consensual images and videos.

eSafety cautions augmented realities could be used to fake a sexually explicit three-dimensional image or video of a real person and interact with it, without their consent.

It says there is also a risk of non-consensual sexual activity if haptic sexual devices are hacked or controlled by someone without approval.

A Sex Like Real VR system.

Sex Like Real

In 2017, Canadian sex toy maker We-Vibe was made to pay a settlement of $5.3 million to customers for collecting user-sensitive user data. This information included when they were used and vibration settings, linking it all to users email addresses.

eSafety believes location and biometric information, such as fingerprints, which are collected by AR and VR technologies, could also pose risks such as identity theft, stalking and extortion.

eSafety has also raised significant concerns about the use of immersive technologies as a tool for online child sexual abuse.

One of the main risks, it says, is that predators may hide behind an avatar or a fictional character to groom children and persuade them into sexualised conversations and actions.

eSafety is concerned about online grooming through immersive technologies.

Peter Byrne/PA Wire

The eSafety Commission says if you receive threats or abuse in an immersive environment, you should report the incident to the platform and collect evidence, such as screenshots - unless the person involved is under 18 years of age.

Ms Inman-Grant says its important to supervise children when theyre online and make them feel comfortable to ask for help.

In practical advice when parents and carers are deciding if their child should play an immersive technology game, they should think about whether its something they would want their child to experience in real life, she says.

Professor Tranter says its important to keep talking about these technologies as they continue to advance.

This is a really important discussion, he says.

Up until now, a lot of our discussion around digital media has always been well, if you don't want to experience those things don't use it.

And increasingly, we're in a position where thats not a reality and I suspect we're going to be facing these issues more and more

If you or someone you know is at serious risk of immediate harm call Triple Zero (000).

You can report image-based abuse to the eSafety Commission at esafety.gov.au.

If you suspect online child sexual abuse or grooming by a sexual predator report it to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button on accce.gov.au/report.

Read more here:

Virtual rape and sexual abuse: The dangers of immersive technology - SBS News