Metro VR Studios Poised to Reboot the Virtual Reality Gaming Industry – PRNewswire

BOSTON, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Metro VR Studios (MVRS), a Boston-based start-up and independent virtual reality (VR) video game development company, announces it's ready to deliver to avid gamers what they crave: next-generation VR action and adventure games that are fully immersive and told through compelling storylines. Starting with the February 2020 release of the company's first game, Orion13, VR gamers will experience open-world locomotion and realistically-articulated virtual body features that give the player a fluid, fast-paced, first-person, action-filled VR experience, all set to an original sound track.

Scott Matalon, founder and president, MVRS, said, "We've set out to push the user experience by creating an immersive VR game that plays like a movie and feels like you're the main character on a spectacular adventure. What sets our games apart is that we put gamers into a realistically-articulated VR body that moves quickly and fights furiously through an intricate series of levels combined with hands-in-game interactivity and complex puzzling."

Brian Levine, executive vice president, MVRS, "Our games are for gamers. They're for the other ten million Scotts out there who, like Scott, are looking to play a next-generation VR action and adventure game that has a deep story but is also full of Easter eggs and humor. The only difference between Scott and other gamerswhen Scott couldn't find VR games he wanted to play, he designed and programmed one himself."

MVRS is made up of an eclectic group of friends who all share a passion for entrepreneurship, and for making a splash as the small fish in a big pond. In the late 90s, the trio disrupted the online e-commerce industry. In December 2016, they once again banded together to create an independent studio more in-tune with what hard-core VR gamers want.

Aside from gameplay, another critical way MVRS is differentiating itself from AAA publishers and others is by releasing games in quick succession. Gamers won't wait years between titles. Orion13, which is stylized like Bladerunner, set in a futuristic world ruled by robots, where buildings and landscapes are saturated in neon colors, is part of a planned trilogy. Additionally, MVRS has two other games well into development: Quest of the Pirate King and Kid Air Combat.

MVRS is one of a limited number of independent studios selected to participate for each of Sony, Microsoft, and Oculus VR developer programs. MVRS has worked closely with the Oculus Start development team and will initially offer its game on the Steam.com and Oculus Store portals. Orion13 is scheduled for release in Feb. 2020 and will be available for the HTC and Oculus headsets.

Metro VR Studios is an independent VR development company located in Boston, Mass., focused on developing high-quality, character-driven action & adventure games for virtual reality on the Oculus, Vive and PS4 platforms. MVRS is developing multiple VR game titles featuring strong main characters, unique multi-character play-modes, and movie-like plot arcs bringing a unique vision of VR gameplay to a rapidly developing marketplace. For more information, please visit http://www.metrovrstudios.com.

MEDIA CONTACT Lori Sylvia DPR Group, Inc. (240) 686-1000 lori@dprgroup.com

SOURCE Metro VR Studios

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Metro VR Studios Poised to Reboot the Virtual Reality Gaming Industry - PRNewswire

Will 2020 Finally Be the Year AR and VR Matter for Facebook? – The Motley Fool

Virtual reality (VR) and its close cousin augmented reality (AR) have been "next year's big thing" for several years in a row, failing time and again to create the public frenzy -- or the revenue -- that these technologies would be expected to create. In fact, the disappointment has become so perennially reliable that even the most die-hard AR and VR supporters have finally started to temper their optimism.

The irony? Next year might actually be the breakout year for practical -- and marketable -- applications of augmented and virtual reality technologies.

That swell of AR and VR solutions demand should prove a boon to several tech companies in and around the business. It's Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), though, that's still best positioned to capitalize on the opportunity. It won't be an outright game-changer for the company, but it could be enough to take the edge off any rough spots in Facebook's foreseeable results.

It was IDC that made the call late last month, suggesting total spending on augmented and virtual reality would grow a little more than 78% next year, reaching $18.8 billion. Better still, the technology market research house forecasts that the compound annual growth rate for the next five years would be 77%, which would put the AR/VR market size on the order of $200 billion by 2024.

Image source: Getty Images.

The numbers certainly qualify 2020 as the pivotal year so many have been waiting for, if they pan out. Investors have heard the hype before, only to see Alphabet all but abandon work on Google Glass while smartphone makers have largely dropped support for making their wares the powerhouse of VR headsets.

IDC's outlook feels like it holds some water all the same though, as the underlying technology necessary to get the most from beyond-reality experiences has finally caught up with the premise and promise of augmented/virtual reality itself. Namely, developers have found ways to make VR and artificial intelligence work together in a way that actually matters beyond mere novelty.

Facebook has been quietly leading that relevancy charge.

Most investors may not fully appreciate that Facebook is more than just the owner of Oculus, the brand behind this year's second-best-selling VR headset, according to TrendForce. Namely, Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) is doing some of the most cutting-edge work in the arena that may end up being more marketable than Sony's market-leading but mostly gaming-oriented gear. While it too wants to offer entertainment options, Facebook has been encouraging software developers to create more practical uses of its hardware.

Case(s) in point: A year ago, Facebook made its DeepFocus AI rendering system freely available. The platform not only lets hardware figure out where and what objects may be in a room, it also renders that image for human eyes the way a human eye would normally see them. In the middle of this year, FRL released a piece of similar software called AI Habitat, and another called Replica, that allow for intelligent navigation of a virtual space.

The practical-use question of all the VR tools Facebook has developed or acquired still remains a bit elusive, though the distance between the tools' capabilities and genuine life improvement is shrinking.

In the meantime, while Facebook is getting better at the more difficult VR challenges, the easier hurdles are being readily cleared. Just this week, Oculus released hand tracking for its relatively new Oculus Quest headset, negating the need for a physical hand-controller that feels like something between a mouse and a joystick. Initial reviews are positive.

All of these little things have added up to drive a sizable leap in the functionality of virtual reality in just a couple of years.

Evidence of that leap comes in the form that investors want to see most: numbers. Nielsen's SuperData Research arm recently reported that since Oculus' affordable Quest headset hit the market in May, VR hardware spending has grown to the tune of 31% this year. That's still only $2.1 billion, but the next generation of virtual reality hardware is still in its infancy (if it's even available yet). In other words, the VR market isn't out of the turn. It's in the midst of the turn.

SuperData Research also notes that VR spending growth is being supplied by consumers and corporations alike as more practical-use concerns are addressed. That nuance jibes with IDC's long-term outlook, which suggests that commercial usage rather than consumers will drive the bulk of the expected growth from here. IDC also believes VR will fare better than AR in terms of revenue, better playing into the VR hand Facebook has been building for itself.

Again, the mainstreaming of VR isn't going to drive the kind of growth Facebook enjoyed shortly after its social networking site became a digital centerpiece several years ago. It's sharing the VR and AR space with other players, and 2020's expected $18.8 billion worth of AR and VR hardware spending is still only a fraction of Facebook's typical annual revenue.

The convergence of the right hardware and software developments is just now starting to reach a critical mass, though, and Facebook's Oculus -- and the Oculus Quest in particular -- look like the leaders of the market outside of Sony's gaming-oriented share. In fact, Facebook has managed to steal VR hardware share from Sony this year, from 19.4% in 2018 to 28.3% as of TrendForce's most recent look. Sony's share has fallen from 43% to 36.7%.

That's a pretty good start for Facebook as we, hopefully, head into virtual reality's breakout era.

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Will 2020 Finally Be the Year AR and VR Matter for Facebook? - The Motley Fool

Virtual Reality Before There Was Virtual Reality – The New York Times

Eric Drysdale opened his silver travel case and, like a magician, unpacked the objects necessary to enter another dimension. Mr. Drysdale was in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, in the back room of City Reliquary, a storefront museum devoted to the history of New Yorks five boroughs.

He was preparing to host his traveling show, Midcentury Stereopanorama, for which the audience, arriving shortly, had paid $15 and been promised the chance to see the 1950s in Astonishing 3-D!

An Emmy-winning comedy writer who has worked for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, Mr. Drysdale has spent 25 years collecting 3-D photographs along with the antique equipment to make and view them.

He set a camera, several small boxes of Kodachrome slides and a dozen binocular-like viewers on a large table and explained his motivation behind the public viewing.

I had a feeling that I had something extraordinary, something that people couldnt or didnt see, Mr. Drysdale said. It was going to waste seen by only me.

Publishing a book or digitizing the photos and sticking them on the web, he said, wouldnt fully capture their strange, transporting effect the way, through 3-D magic, a scene from the past can appear shockingly present. He wanted to share the photos in the same way he had experienced them.

In 1994, while cleaning out his wifes grandmothers Upper East Side apartment, Mr. Drysdale, 50, found a stereoscopic camera, a 3-D viewer and about 200 images of his wifes family from the 1940s, including an incredible photo of her great-grandmother fresh from the shtetl on an outing to a Miami zoo. Five parrots perched on her shoulders and head.

He was amazed by the technological wizardry of 3-D photography but also by its obscurity. He had found the virtual reality of its day, yet no one his own age had ever heard of it.

The technology was introduced commercially in 1947 by the David White Company of Milwaukee, maker of the Stereo Realist camera, which had two lenses, placed about eye-width apart, to replicate the way the human brain sees three-dimensional space.

The camera used slide film, and a special hand-held viewer was required for maximum wow.

The cameras high cost at the time ($162) kept it out of most American households, Mr. Drysdale said, though 3-D photography caught on with Hollywood stars including Humphrey Bogart and Harold Lloyd. Coffin salesmen were also fans, if the David White newsletter is to be believed (3-D images offered a scale representation of products too big to take on a sales call).

Mr. Drysdale owns about 30,000 images, of which he considers 3,000 or so his good ones.

For Midcentury Stereopanorama, which he presents for hire in public or in private homes, he has curated a cross-section of American life at mid-20th century, grouped into categories like Road Trip USA, Jewish Celebrations and Department Store 1955.

Given the site for this showing, he sprinkled in more New York content than usual.

When the 12 audience members arrived Mr. Drysdales crowds are limited by his number of viewers he instructed them to gather around the table while he presented an introductory slide show.

The intimate crowd and the glow of the projector screen created the impression of time-traveling back to a suburban basement rec room, even before Mr. Drysdale finished his history lesson and handed each attendee a box of slides.

One expected to have a quaint experience not unlike looking through a childs View-Master. But with the press of a button, you were suddenly plunged into another world and almost overwhelmed by visual detail.

In a photo of five boys gathered around a dining table for a birthday party, one boy had a comic book opened, and you could see under the page fold. Another photo had been taken inside a machine shop, and every tool on every workbench even the metal chain hanging from a bare ceiling light bulb stood out with amazing, reach-out-and-touch-this clarity.

Ida Kreutzer, a professional photographer, was so captivated by one image that she took out her iPhone at one point and tried to capture it through the viewer. Asked later, Ms. Kreutzer said it was a photo of two women in water, one of them sitting on a diving board. Written on the diving board were the words: No dreams.

It invited a whole bunch of questions to be asked that will never be answered, she said.

The hyper-reality of these dreamy visual landscapes created sadness in some of the attendees after awhile.

Especially because a lot of those worlds dont exist anymore, said David Frackman, a computer programmer who wrote a masters thesis on projected 3-D environments and was curious about stereoscopy. I realized, Oh, all of these people are probably dead.

Still, Mr. Frackman said he enjoyed seeing an America filled with home bars, beauty queens and bustling department stores, a country different from the present in ways both obvious and hard to put a finger on.

There was this really weird slide in the road-trip collection of these people, a couple I assume, he said. Theyre sitting in front of a fire on this little rocky beach, probably eating canned stew or something.

Virtually nothing about the scene, he noted, was remarkable. But its something that just wouldnt be done now, he said. You wouldnt pull over by a random shore and happen to have your camping set with you.

After looking at thousands of such scenes, Mr. Drysdale well understood the feeling.

Theres something different about this technology, he said. Its not comparable to looking at a vintage photograph. Because its so uncanny in capturing a moment.

Before the slides were passed around, Mr. Drysdale had dimmed the lights and cautioned the audience to take breaks because the experience can get tiring on the eyes, if not the soul.

Not everybody can handle it, Mr. Drysdale said. Some people cant get enough.

See more here:

Virtual Reality Before There Was Virtual Reality - The New York Times

Varjo demos the best Virtual Reality we’ve seen GraphicSpeak – Graphic Speak

I have reported several times on Finnish XR start-up Varjo, since I first recognized the potential of their concept of foveated resolution. I reported most recently a few weeks ago from AWE Europe in Munich. (Varjo Pushes The Envelope on VR Performance). So, I wasnt sure whether to accept their invitation to a brief meeting in London as they started out on a tour of technology press in Europe and the US. As I was the first meeting on that day, it turns out that I was the first outside the company and its partners to see a really exciting new development using their XR1 headset.

The company has developed a new 2d/3D interface, which is code-named Varjo Workspace. The company describes it as a dimensional interface and its designed for Microsoft Windows and 3D software applications. The new Varjo Workspace enables users to switch between real, virtual, and mixed reality modes and stay within the world of the headset. It enables the use of virtual monitors that float in front of the viewers face and ends the awkwardness of working in a 3D environment like Unity, Unreal Engine, or 3ds Max.and switching back to a 2D interface application like Word, or web browser.

The demo started out by putting me in the latest headset, which has just been made available as an early development product. As I was strapped into the headset, dual 4K Windows displays were immediately mapped onto the view of the real world coming from the headsets cameras. The headset is a mixed reality device, which relies on high-quality cameras to map the outside world onto the display.

Varjo has done a lot of work to create a very fast video mapping pipeline which they say takes just 12ms to map the video to the screen: 6ms is taken in exposure time for the camera capture, 6ms for processing, mapping and synchronizing to the display.

The image is so responsive that I was able to handwrite my notes on the experience while wearing the headsetsomething I could not imagine with any other mixed or VR systems that I have tried.

The company has developed technology to allow the mapping of virtual Windows displays into the view of the real world in the headset. Thats great as the technology, combined with the high-resolution central area of the display, allows the operation of any 2D app. Meaning its possible for people to work within 2D and 3D worlds.

In the second demonstration, a 3D car was rendered as though it was in a showroom. However, the Unity interface could be used to simply drag and drop items from the Unity menu into the 3D space in a very intuitive way. I quickly found myself dropping items into the scene that accurately scaled to the way they would look in the real world.

The next demonstration was of mixed reality. A couple of simple spheres were shown. The Varjo technology allows the lighting from the room to be analyzed and exploited so that a virtual reflection of my own hand could be mapped onto one of the spheres in real-timevery impressive.

Next up was a demonstration of a planetary simulation. The idea here was to show how virtual objects in the mixed reality world could be used to accurately occlude the background, which was being captured by cameras. It also showed how sophisticated lighting effectssuch as a glow around the sun, added to the experience. It seems to me that the possibility of occluding the view of the world behind virtual objects is a key advantage of mixed reality.

The Pice de Rsistance

However, the really (and I mean really) impressive demo was the next one. First I was instructed to look to my right where there was a doorlike one between an aircraft cabin and the cockpit. I got up out of my chair and moved into the cockpit area of an airliner that was modeled down to the smallest detail. I sat in the captains chair and was able to inspect the different control systems. The headset gave enough resolution that I was able to read the detail on the radar screen. Impressive indeed! All the while, real-world items could have been mapped into the simulation (at I/Itsec, the system was being shown with physical controls mapped in).

When I turned around to look back, I could see right through the doorway, of course. It really was very impressive.

I dont remember ever giving a spontaneous round of applause at ademo before!

The mixture of virtual and real-world images has been used by Volvo to design car interiors. The models can be shown in the glasses and mapped to the position of the real dashboard, so a current car can be driven around while a designer can sit in the car and see how the interior looks.

Now, the headset is heavy. Its not cheap, its tethered, and I only saw a demonstration, but it really shows how mixed reality can have a dramatic effect on 3D design, simulation and content creation.

Varjo originally captured my interest because of its innovative display technology, but the company has strengths with its own gaze tracking technology, very good and fast video integration and systems integration with software.

Varjo has several considerable breakthroughs that set it apart from the current generation of mixed reality display companies. The companys use of foveated resolution tricks has been expedient and has gotten it over the considerable hump presented by headset technology that cannot produce the required image quality. Foveated resolution delivers the highest possible resolution to a focused area of the display. Varjo has coupled foveated resolution with its eye-tracking technology to deliver the high resolution where the viewer is looking. The companys ability to use high-quality video cameras as the headsets eyes and map what they see to the display fast enough that the wearer isnt aware of the process is another significant differentiation. Finally, the Varjo Workspace brings the companys strengths together in an interface that melds 2D, 3D, reality, and virtual reality enabling users to work comfortably in a headset.

This article originally appeared in Display Daily an on-line and free blog on all things display. Weve added JPRs take in the What do we think section.

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Varjo demos the best Virtual Reality we've seen GraphicSpeak - Graphic Speak

North America $5.22 Billion Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market Trend Forecast and Growth Opportunity to 2026 -…

The "North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market by Technology, Offering, Device Type, Application, End-user, and Country 2019-2026: Trend Forecast and Growth Opportunity" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

North America augmented reality and virtual reality market in healthcare industry is expected to reach $5.22 billion by 2026, representing a remarkable 2019-2026 CAGR of 33.7% and the largest healthcare AR and VR regional market in the world.

This report is based on a comprehensive research of the entire North America healthcare AR and VR market and all its sub-segments through extensively detailed classifications. Profound analysis and assessment are generated from premium primary and secondary information sources with inputs derived from industry professionals across the value chain. The report provides historical market data for 2015-2018, revenue estimates for 2019, and forecasts from 2020 till 2026.

The trend and outlook of North America market is forecast in optimistic, balanced, and conservative view. The balanced (most likely) projection is used to quantify North America healthcare augmented reality and virtual reality market in every aspect of the classification from perspectives of Technology, Offering, Device Type, Application, End-user, and Country.

The breakdown of key national markets by Technology, Application, and End-user over the forecast years are also included.

The report also covers current competitive scenario and the predicted trend; and profiles key vendors including market leaders and important emerging players.

Specifically, potential risks associated with investing in North America healthcare augmented reality and virtual reality market are assayed quantitatively and qualitatively through a Risk Assessment System. According to the risk analysis and evaluation, Critical Success Factors (CSFs) are generated as a guidance to help investors & stockholders identify emerging opportunities, manage and minimize the risks, develop appropriate business models, and make wise strategies and decisions.

Key Players:

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

1.1 Industry Definition and Research Scope

1.2 Research Methodology

1.3 Executive Summary

2 Market Overview and Qualitative Analysis

2.1 Market Size and Forecast

2.2 Major Growth Drivers

2.3 Market Restraints and Challenges

2.4 Emerging Opportunities and Market Trends

2.5 Porter's Fiver Forces Analysis

3 Segmentation of North America Market by Technology

3.1 Market Overview by Technology

3.2 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality (AR) Market 2015-2026

3.2.1 Marker-based Augmented Reality

3.2.2 Markerless Augmented Reality

3.3 North America Healthcare Virtual Reality (VR) Market 2015-2026

3.3.1 Nonimmersive Technology

3.2.2 Semi-Immersive and Fully Immersive Technology

4 Segmentation of North America Market by Offering

4.1 Market Overview by Offering

4.2 North America Hardware Market of Healthcare AR and VR 2015-2026

4.3 North America Software Market of Healthcare AR and VR 2015-2026

4.4 North America Service Market of Healthcare AR and VR 2015-2026

5 Segmentation of North America Market by Device Type

5.1 Market Overview by Device Type

5.2 North America AR Devices Market 2015-2026

5.2.1 Head-Mounted Display (HMD)

5.2.2 Handheld Device

5.3 North America VR Devices Market 2015-2026

5.3.1 Head-Mounted Display (HMD)

5.3.2 Gesture-Tracking Device

5.3.3 Projector & Display Wall

6 Segmentation of North America Market by Application

6.1 Market Overview by Application

6.2 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Surgery 2015-2026

6.3 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Rehabilitation and Behavioral Neurology 2015-2026

6.4 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Pain Management 2015-2026

6.5 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Medical Training and Diagnosis 2015-2026

6.6 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Diagnosis 2015-2026

6.7 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Fitness Management 2015-2026

6.8 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Virtual Reality Expose Therapy (VRET) 2015-2026

Story continues

6.9 North America Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market for Other Sectors 2015-2026

7 Segmentation of North America Market by End-user

7.1 Market Overview by End-user

7.2 North America Healthcare AR and VR Market in Academic Institutes 2015-2026

7.3 North America Healthcare AR and VR Market in Hospitals and Clinics 2015-2026

7.4 North America Healthcare AR and VR Market in Research and Diagnostics Laboratories 2015-2026

7.5 North America Healthcare AR and VR Market in Pharma Companies and Research Centers 2015-2026

7.6 North America Healthcare AR and VR Market in Advertising and Government Agencies 2015-2026

7.7 North America Healthcare AR and VR Market in Other End Users 2015-2026

8 North America Market 2015-2026 by Country

8.1 Overview of North America Market

8.2 U.S. Market

8.3 Canadian Market

9 Competitive Landscape

9.1 Overview of Key Vendors

9.2 Company Profiles

10 Investing in North America Market: Risk Assessment and Management

10.1 Risk Evaluation of North America Market

10.2 Critical Success Factors (CSFs)

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

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191217005472/en/

Contacts

ResearchAndMarkets.comLaura Wood, Senior Press Managerpress@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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North America $5.22 Billion Healthcare Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market Trend Forecast and Growth Opportunity to 2026 -...

A new virtual reality park is opening in Mall of the Emirates – The National

Following Ski Dubai, Magic Planet and Yalla! Bowling, Mall of the Emirates is set to add another attraction to its roster. Dreamscape, an immersive virtual reality destination, will launch on Thursday, December 19, next to the Apple store on the second level.

This will be Dreamscapes first international location after Los Angeles and Dallas outposts. Walter Parkes, co-founder and chairman of Dreamscape Immersive, says it merges the scope and emotional power of cinema with the pure adrenaline of a theme-park ride all within a totally new VR technology. We have created a way for audiences to enter into and become part of the story.

The experience take approximately 35 minutes from beginning to end and features three original, free-roaming and immersive adventures. In Alien Zoo, guests will travel to an intergalactic haven where they come face to face with endangered alien creatures from across the galaxy. The space travellers will get a chance to play ball with exotic frogcats, pet majestic creatures, and even escape a great predator.

In The Curse of the Lost Pearl: A Magic Projector, audiences will get a chance to step through the screen and become part of a movie. Once inside this adventure, participants will be challenged to unlock clues, escape treacherous traps, and work together to uncover the secret of the Lost Pearl.

The Blu: Deep Rescue is an epic descent into the ocean to explore dazzling underwater worlds and aquatic life that soon becomes an urgent mission to rescue a trapped baby blue whale and unite it with its mother.

The location-based VR entertainment company is backed by some of Hollywood's most successful studios and talent, including 21st Century Fox, WarnerMedia, Viacom, Steven Spielberg and Hans Zimmer.

Alain Bejjani, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Holding, says: The future of the entertainment industry lies in the hands of those who can enable human interaction through fulfilling, meaningful and memorable experiences. Dreamscape achieves this by blurring the lines between the physical and the virtual, fully immersing its users with other participants who can all influence the experience together.

Updated: December 18, 2019 03:41 PM

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A new virtual reality park is opening in Mall of the Emirates - The National

Alternative & Modified Reality Marketplace, 2019: AR, VR & MR Solutions, Applications, and Services to 2024 – ResearchAndMarkets.com -…

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Alternative and Modified Reality Marketplace: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality Solutions, Applications, and Services 2019 - 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This research provides an in-depth assessment of the Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) marketplace. This includes evaluation of the market opportunities for hardware, software, and services. Analysis takes into consideration market drivers and constraints such as potential regulatory implications. The report provides detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis including forecasts for AR, VR, and MR by major hardware components, software, services, semiconductor components, and more.

This research also provides specific insights and recommendations for major ecosystem constituents including Advertisers and Media Companies, Artificial Intelligence Providers, Automotive Companies, Broadband Infrastructure Providers, Communication Service Providers, Computing Companies, Data Analytics Providers, Equipment Providers, IoT Suppliers and Service Providers, Semiconductor Companies, Smart City Systems Integrators, Social Media Companies, and Software Developers.

Select Research Findings

While Augmented Reality (AR) represents a live (direct or indirect) view of a real-world environment, Mixed Reality (MR) is a hybrid reality in which physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real-time. The primary goal of AR is to enrich the user's perception of the real-world, providing information and insights that otherwise would not be obtainable. AR use cases have grown substantially across many industry verticals within the last two years, providing significant market momentum, and indicating great promise to transform communications, content, and commerce across a wide range of sectors. The goals of MR are broad, yet directionally focused on a true merging of real and virtual worlds, which we believe will be a major catalyst for wide-spread acceptance and usage of VR across all major industry sectors.

In contrast, Virtual Reality (VR) focuses on virtual experience through realistic interaction with 3D content presented in a digitally generated space. Playing a large role in all of these technologies will be augmented sensory perception and interactions such as haptic technology, which establishes bilateral communication patterns as touch imposes sensed motion on environment that enables environment to create a distortion or reaction and feel. In terms of venture investment, 2016 represented an intermediate peak for the virtual reality market with VR funding exceeding $800M. By way of comparison, the other major component of the overall immersive technology market (AR and MR) received about $450M in investment. More recently, the VR market has lagged AR/MR in terms of funding with the former receiving only $280M and the latter receiving over $850M in 2018.

Taken together, these AR, MR, and VR represent a set of highly disintermediating alternatives to presenting information and experiences. These are more than simply a new user interface as these three immersive technologies will transform global lifestyles in terms of how people live, work, and play. For example, there will be many use case scenarios for existing services such as mixed reality-based learning systems. However, there will also be completely new services, such as virtual fitness tests for routine health examinations that allow the user to experience what they should be able to accomplish in terms of performance (heart rate, air capacity, blood pressure, etc.) based on their physical characteristics.

Reports, Topics & Companies

Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality Market Outlook and Forecasts 2019-2024

1 Executive Summary

2 Introduction

3 Augmented Reality Ecosystem

4 Augmented and Mixed Reality Market Drivers and Opportunities

5 Augmented and Mixed Reality Market Analysis and Forecasts

6 Company Analysis

7 Conclusions and Recommendations

Virtual Reality Market by Segment, Equipment, Applications and Solutions 2019-2024

1 Executive Summary

2 Virtual Reality Market Segmentation

3 Introduction

4 Virtual Reality Ecosystem Analysis

5 VR Company Analysis

6 Virtual Reality Market Analysis and Forecasts 2019-2024

Companies Mentioned

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/71rftd

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Alternative & Modified Reality Marketplace, 2019: AR, VR & MR Solutions, Applications, and Services to 2024 - ResearchAndMarkets.com -...

Virtual reality pop-up restaurant is the future of dinner theater – The Takeout

Photo: Jovanmandic (iStock)

If youve ever watched someone using a VR headset, you know how hilarious it is to see a person flailing their limbs around wildly, grasping at things that arent there, shouting, Ooooh! Oh! What? WOW! as they spin in circles. If you want to watch several people doing this at the same time while attempting to put food in their mouths, head over to the James Beard House in New York City, where Aerobanquets RMX, A Virtual and Augmented Reality Art and Dining Experience in Seven Bites, is in residence until December 29.

The immersive experience was created by Italian artist Mattia Casalegno, working in partnership with restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya of New York restaurants Rahi and Adda. Guests are seated in a darkened room in fully spinnable chairs and are instructed how to eat once the VR headsets are strapped on. Each dish is embedded with a sensor that, when aligned with diners fingers, triggers a flurry of visuals and sounds designed around each one-bite course. Just pick it up, tip your head back, pop it in your mouth, and let the magic begin.

As the Washington Post reports, what exactly is being served isnt revealed until the experience is over, when diners remove their headsets and are given a printed menu card. We wont share any details as to what those dishes are or what audiovisual cues accompany them, because (as you can see from the teaser video above) this whole shebang looks amazing, and none of it should be spoiled for anyone fortunate enough to get tickets before this pop-up ends on December 29.

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Virtual reality pop-up restaurant is the future of dinner theater - The Takeout

Don Diablo Will Play Live in Virtual Reality – EDMTunes

If youve been following Don Diablo for a while, you know how hes a big fan of futuristic technology. His style, the Future Album, Hexagon world, love for Star Wars, and his music are all part of the DJs identity and passion. Today hes taking another step in this direction by playing live in virtual reality.

After Marshmellos Fortnite Live, now its the Hexagon boss whos taking his shows to the virtual world. This will happen during Dons -real-life- DJ set at Bootshaus Club in Cologne, Germany. The show will be broadcasted live through an out-of-this-world virtual version of the venue. Furthermore, the VR broadcast will be accessible to anyone worldwide.

You still need minimum-performing hardware though, the system requirements and more information about the technology used here. However, dont go buy that VR because youre a big Hexagon fan just yet. It will still be possible to watch the show with a normal screen if you dont have the gear.

The DJ set will be taking place this Thursday starting at 10:30 pm CET and lasting two hours. Tickets start at $4.99 and are available here.

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Don Diablo Will Play Live in Virtual Reality - EDMTunes

This Virtual Reality Treatment Could Be the Cure to Phantom Limb Pain – Philadelphia magazine

News

Researchers at MossRehab are studying whether the technology can help rewire patients brains to alleviate unexplained limb pain in amputees.

Joyce Johnson is one of 14 patients who participated in MossRehabs pilot study that investigates the efficacy of a virtual reality treatment for phantom limb pain. / Courtesy

Joyce Johnson was 44 years old when she learned shed have to undergo a below-knee amputation on her right leg due to a severe blood clot. For a time, she thought losing a limb and adjusting to using a prosthetic leg would be the most difficult part of her health journey. But its what came after the surgery that, in some ways, has given Johnson the most grief. About six months after the amputation, Johnson began feeling a sharp pain in the part of her leg that was no longer there.

It was weird, Johnson recalled. Sometimes I would feel an itch or a shooting pain, and I would feel it with and without my prosthetic. Sometimes it would feel like my foot was itching, but I didnt have a foot there. I didnt know what to do to ease it. I would try to squeeze and press the bottom of the stump to see if it would stop but nothing really helped.

What Johnson was experiencing is called phantom limb pain (PLP), a debilitating condition that causes painful sensations in the area of an amputated limb. Approximately 90 percent of patients with limb amputations experience the persistent sensation of the missing extremity, according to Dr. Laurel Buxbaum, the associate director of Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute and director of the Cognition and Action Lab at MossRehab who has been studying cognitive processes related to the PLP phenomenon for roughly three decades.

Now, Buxbaum and a team of researchers from the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute and the University of Pennsylvania are conducting new studies to determine whether a virtual reality treatment could help rewire patients brains to alleviate phantom limb pain. Its one of only three clinical trials in the state that are currently exploring treatments for PLP and one of less than five studies in the country that are investigating virtual reality as a potential cure for the condition.

PLP is the result of changes in the peripheral and central nervous system after amputation that cause mismatched signals between the brain and the missing limb. It affects the quality of life for patients like Johnson who have few options beyond taking strong pharmaceutical drugs to temporarily relieve pain.

Its a very frustrating and difficult thing to have to live with, Buxbaum said. For some patients who have severe or constant pain, their quality of life is really influenced. Some patients are afraid to venture out into the world because they fear to have an attack of pain while theyre out and about.

Several clinical trials have been conducted, usually in small cohorts, to explore potential treatments for PLP but the efficacy of existing treatments and the underlying causes of the condition itself are still poorly understood.

So far, one of the most effective treatments for PLP has been mirror therapy. The treatment requires patients to practice movements using a mirror to create a reflective illusion of an affected limb. The action tricks the brain into thinking movement has occurred without pain. While effective, Buxbaum says patients tend to grow bored with repeating the same actions in the mirror repeatedly.

In the Moss study, individuals with lower-limb amputations wear a head-mounted display that provides a three-dimensional view of a virtual environment. Patients engage in several game-like tasks that require movement of both legs, such as scooting around a maze on a virtual chair or rappelling up a cliff by holding a virtual rope and pushing off with the legs. Custom software and a motion tracking system generate an image of a moving figure with two complete legs. The visualization, Buxbaum says, is more engaging and, according to early results, may eliminate pain for longer periods of time than other therapies.

We were really looking for something that was fun, engaging, cost-effective, and something that people would actually do, Buxbaum said.

Joyce Johnson undergoing virtual reality treatment at MossRehab. / Courtesy

Johnson was one of 14 patients who participated in the first round of the Moss study. Within a month of receiving her first VR treatment, Johnson says her pain was gone. Within three months, shed stopped taking her prescribed pain medications and remained pain-free.

It was fun, going to the sessions, Johnson said. After a while, I didnt feel any pain.

Now, six months since her last treatment as part of the study, Johnson said shes just beginning to feel some slight pain again.

Buxbaum said her team is in the process of securing funding to launch a second phase of the study that will test the method in a larger group of amputees for a longer period to hopefully determine the long-term effects of the treatment. The team also plans to explore whether the VR treatment will work for above-the-knee amputees and if it can be administered in peoples homes instead of having patients come to treatment centers.

One of the interesting questions we want to explore, that we dont know now, is whether after youve had a course of six or seven weeks of treatment, and youre starting to experience a little bit of pain again, whether you could come back in and just have a booster session to address the pain, she said.

Eventually, we hope well be able to have the treatment delivered in peoples homes so they can have a better quality of life.

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This Virtual Reality Treatment Could Be the Cure to Phantom Limb Pain - Philadelphia magazine

Virtual reality parlor finds a home in Baxter – Brainerd Dispatch

Wood chips appear to be falling from the plank, dropping toward the active street far below. Disembodied voices from nearby people, who could be heard but not seen, encouraged a step off the plank. For anyone with a fear of heights, just edging out to the plank was a heart-racing victory in itself. The idea of jumping, even stepping off impossible. What would happen without stepping off? The voice said, I dont know, no ones stood there this long before.

Toes inched forward carefully. Eyes peered at the activity many stories below. But taking that final step was a mental hurdle. Even with ones feet planted firmly on the carpeted floor of a new business in Baxter, the virtual reality headset provided all the visual and auditory stimulation of being suspended in mid air in a large city. And that is what VR Odyssey offers its customers, that and much more as an escape from reality, a place to play games, a place to create art, and a chance to explore be it the vastness of space or the depths of the ocean.

For Nick Steiger, the potential of virtual reality came after he tried it while living in the state of Washington last year. It was an eye-opening experience to see where technology was now capable of to make the experience possible. A little VR arcade opened in the city where he lived. A friend also offered him a spare virtual reality headset, which he began using daily for workouts. When he talked about the experience with his mom, Patty Steiger, she said maybe the arcade was something they should do here in the lakes area. When Nick Steiger came home for a visit over the long cold winter of 2018, they kept talking about it and invested in a commercial unit in Baxter.

His parents, Tom and Patty Steiger, both said people didnt really understand the virtual reality until they experienced it, but when they tried it, they loved it.

People thought Oh, its a video game, Nick Steiger said. Its not so much that they are in a game, they are in a place. Its more like teleportation than a video game experience like the holodeck on Star Trek or something.

Nick Steiger sees possibilities for games, art, exploration and creation in the virtual reality business he opened with his family this year in Baxter. Renee Richardson / Brainerd Dispatch

The experience includes putting on a tethered headset or goggles and grasping a hand-held controller in both hands. From there the programs and options are varied from multiplayer games, to flying over a city and landing on skyscraper rooftops (the experience is so real players bend their knees as they reach for the ground expecting a sense of a touchdown even though their feet never leave the floor.)

Other options include teleporting through the planets in the solar system, designing a dress, painting or sculpting, or going underwater to stand on the deck of a sunken ship and coming nearly eye-to-eye with a whale.

When Karli Skog, 19, stopped in to use the VR with her cousins, Landon Glazier, 13, and Brekkin Glazier, 9, they played games, flew over a virtual city and stepped on that plank.

Its awesome, Skog said. It seems like so real.

While the games are fun and unlike what people have done, Nick Steiger also sees opportunities for people with disabilities, new ways to create art, options to explore and safely jump tall buildings.

This is like day one of a new technological era, he said, expecting a day in the future where virtual reality will be in every home, if not every pocket at some point. And well look back at these as primitive.

Nick Steiger said an expert compared these units to those brick cellphones people had in the early days of mobile phones. He said its almost like introducing personal computers in the 1980s. They can play games in virtual reality, but they can also do so much more, which can come in handy during long winter months, he said. Perhaps its a zombie shooter game to help make it through until the lakes again boast open water, or an escape room puzzle, or a hands-on science simulation. And for those looking to give a different gift this season, it can mean giving the gift a virtual reality experience.

Its going to take off, thats an inevitable fact, he said of virtual reality, noting their flagship business is providing a way to get acquainted with the technology and experiment with it. He also sees an opportunity for people who want to create games.

These computers are powerful computers with powerful graphics cards, they can do a lot of things, they can do video and video editing and graphic design creation, Nick Steiger said. While other locations have gone with the game arcade, he sees the Baxter store creating something beyond that like a painters studio. Nick Steiger wants to create a virtual reality studio where people create a family link perhaps its recording a message from grandma in front of the green screen and creating a hologram of her.

Why not here? he said.

For Nick Steiger, the underlying theme is to provide this type of technology and make it affordable. Its a different technological frontier, he said, noting the possibilities. Why not have central Minnesota start to embrace this digital frontier. Why not create a workshop where people are learning VR and how to test things.

Brekkin Glazier, 9, and Landon Glazier, 13, and their cousin Karli Skog, 19, interact and explore virtual reality at VR Odessey in Baxter.

How the business came together for equipment and a location was a mixture of timing and unexpected connections.

So they decided to venture into the idea of an arcade business in Brainerd, initially looking at locating in the downtown area with three commercial virtual reality units. They worked with the Small Business Development Center, SCORE and Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corp. When Nick Steiger looked to see if there were other VR businesses in the region, he found an arcade in Bemidji. The owner was getting married, moving to Duluth and noted he had a buyer for the business.

Its one of those moments that its just on a whim that changes everything, Nick Steiger said of emailing the owner and asking if he could pick his brain on the business sometime over lunch in Duluth. The owner later emailed back saying his earlier buyer fell through. It meant eight commercial stations and computers were available at an attractive price.

With an unexpected windfall of equipment in hand, the next thing to nail down was a location. As they looked for space, they needed something that would allow the VR stations to be in a parallel line next to each to avoid confusing the sensors. It turned out the perfect space wasnt something they even knew existed.

After the video store in the strip mall by Cub Foods in Baxter closed and Boomer Pizza moved in, a wall was installed dividing the space. The Steigers looked at a different store front options in the strip mall without realizing the partitioned space that fit their needs to a T was just feet away. By chance, Nick Steiger stopped to see Chris Moran, an old school friend who owns and operates Boomer Pizza, to say theyd be neighbors. Moran thought they meant the unused space next door, vacant since the video stores life ended, and offered to move chairs stored there. The unexpected location of the remnant of the video store matched just what they wanted.

Another whim, because this is perfect, Nick Steiger said of the location. In terms of being able to get all these sensors lined up, its pretty much ideal.

It took a couple of months of renovation and by the spring of 2019 they were working with customers on location. While others in the new industry were creating arcades, Nick Steiger said they are calling their option a parlor.

Because were not looking at this just to be a place for games, primarily games, but also like people who want to come in and paint, people who want to come in and sculpt. You can even create these sculptures and export it to a 3-D printer. So you can like make a mask, or a model or some sort of figurine.

Adding some of those sculptures to the displays in the parlor is also envisioned along with having an art night. The art created in virtual reality can be saved.

Were kind of looking at how can we tap into that creativity, how can we make this also a workshop, Nick Steiger said.

They also have a green screen so people can be filmed with a scene of the game behind them. Battling orcs with a sword? There can be a photo of that. Nick Steiger said for those making YouTube videos the green screen could also be something they may use.

We hope to partner with area resorts for something for the guests to do on a rainy day, Patty Steiger said. Tom Steiger said its been challenging but interesting to get involved with this.

Other options include partnerships with schools, even virtual dissections of frogs with a virtual instructor in a lab coat.

All the possibilities available with this technology shouldnt be limited to a metro experience or a specific region, as Nick Steiger noted one of the most popular laser games in action in VR was developed by two guys in the Czech Republic.

Why cant we do that here, he said. Why not here? Why not now?

Nick Steiger said he tells people they need to start looking at the lakes area as the heart of the continent and bring a new branding. Whats the sales pitch? Its the future.

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Virtual reality parlor finds a home in Baxter - Brainerd Dispatch

Virtual Reality Preps CA Firefighters for the Real Thing – Firehouse.com

Training and preparation are keys the keys for firefighters keeping themselves and others safe when responding to dangerous emergencies. Fire departments continually try out new tools and techniques in controlled environments, so they're better able to know what to expect and how to react when they encounter those situations for real.

That's why a California department has started incorporating virtual reality technology into the training its cadets receive.

Decked out in full turnout gear, Cosumnes firefighter cadets now are provided with another piece of equipment: VR goggles, KCRA-TV reports.

I only know of three departments in the world using this technology synchronized into their training, Kirk McKinzie, the department's tech specialist, told the TV station, adding that the Houston Fire Department was the only other U.S. department he knew of that was using VR googles.

With the goggles, cadets can be introduced to a variety of fire situations, including potentially deadly flashovers, without introducing them to the risks until they're ready. And cadets are able to get a 360-degree view of that environment, too.

"Fire hasnt changed,"Battalion Chief Rick Clarke told KCRA."Fire is an element. What has changed is the materials burning."

Another advantage of virtual reality training comes with what departments can learn about cadets. Trainers can guide firefighters through a blaze to see how their bodies respond and then apply that data to actual situations.

"Where we're in the technology world is: How do we track our people? How do we protect them? How do we make sure that when they're at their fatigue levels that we can pull them out of the building, so we don't have people lost or people go down in the middle of smoke-related events?" Clarke told KCRA.

Although virtual reality is a new tool, the department should see dividends soon. The first class of cadets to train using VR goggles and live fire simulations will graduate in February, according to KCRA.

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Virtual Reality Preps CA Firefighters for the Real Thing - Firehouse.com

Education on 6: Virtual Reality at Sheridan Tech High School – NBC 6 South Florida

We walked into Richard Bermans physics class at Sheridan Tech High School in Fort Lauderdale and found him with some kind of sci-fi-looking goggles on his head and a controller in his hand.

Youre going to click on this and its gonna open up this world, Berman is telling his students.

A world of possibilities called mixed reality, a combination of virtual surroundings with the physical world through the Magic Leap goggles.

A computer monitor shows the kids what their teacher is seeing.

Then the students get their first crack at trying the system.

Its like youre actually experiencing it, one student says.

I see bricks on the floor and Im trying to make it stack up, says her classmate.

The students are on the cutting edge of technology, using the headsets made in Broward County by Magic Leap.

Its like what you see in the movies, were slowly getting to what we see like Tony Stark with his high advanced technology, I feel thats where were going with this, said student Demond Thomas.

I asked him if he thinks hes Iron Man when he wears the headset.

Pretty much, yeah, Demond said with a chuckle.

So far, eight high schools in the Broward County Public School district have the Magic Leap system. The Florida Panthers hockey team donated 25 of the headsets to the school district. The goal, no pun intended, is to eventually have the system in every high school.

You know that when you drop something gravitys gonna take over, it actually behaves based on the laws of physics, Berman says, as he demonstrates the system.

As a physics teacher, he should know. Berman says the mixed reality technology will be a powerful teaching tool because concepts and data can be turned into a visual, immersive experience.

My mind is just racing, Berman said. But I really see that for some people that might have a hard time with certain concepts this could really be a game changer, especially for some of the more high-tech or advanced concepts in physics or in science of any stripe.

Learning about things that are not easily tangible, added Dr. Lisa Milenkovic, the districts STEM supervisor. Like climate change, change the year to 2030, what temperature is it gonna be, and hows the sea level gonna change because of that.

The options in a system like this are limited only by the students or the teachers creativity, so its definitely not just for science geeks.

Its a way to engage students that wouldnt normally think of themselves as scientists or computer scientists, right now they say oh, this is cool, let me make something, an artist, a musician, theres apps for that, too, Milenkovic explained.

The next step is coding. Students will be developing their own apps for the Magic Leap system, working with engineers from the company.

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Education on 6: Virtual Reality at Sheridan Tech High School - NBC 6 South Florida

Green Day Have Added Their Own Music Pack To Virtual Reality Game Beat Saber – Kerrang!

Fresh from their performance at the 2019 Game Awards in which it was revealed in the run-up that theyd also be making a video-game related announcement, Green Day have now unveiled a special music pack for the virtual reality game BeatSaber.

The band have released a music pack containing the songs American Idiot, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, Father Of All, Fire, Ready, Aim, Holiday and Minority for $8.99, with the unveiling of this pack also coinciding with players getting access to Beat Sabers 360-degreegameplay.

Read this next: 12 signs that rock will dominate music in2020

VR is rocknroll its fearless, its challenging the way things are done, its never taking no for an answer, says frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. Its also the most engaging and unique way for fans around the world to experience our music. Strapin!

Check out footage from the game with added Green Day below:

Watch the band performing Father Of All at last nights 2019 GameAwards:

Green Days new album of the same name is due for release in February nextyear.

Catch the trio with Fall Out Boy, Weezer and The Interrupters (U.S. only) on the Hella Mega Tour next summer. Tickets are on sale now.

June2020

13 Paris, France, La Defense Arena, 14 Groningen, Netherlands, Stadspark17 Antwerp, Belgium, Sportspaleis21 Vienna, Austria, Ernst Happel Stadium24 Glasgow, UK, Bellahouston Park26 London, UK, London Stadium27 Huddersfield, UK, The John Smiths Stadium29 Dublin, Ireland, RDSArena

July2020

17 Seattle, WA, T-Mobile Park21 San Francisco, CA, Oracle Park24 San Diego, CA, Petco Park25 Los Angeles, CA, Dodger Stadium28 Commerce City, CO, DICKs Sporting Goods Park31 Arlington, TX, Globe LifeField

August2020

1 Houston, TX Minute Maid Park 5 Miami, FL Hard Rock Stadium 6 Jacksonville, FL TIAA Bank Field8 Atlanta, GA SunTrust Park11 Minneapolis, MN Target Field13 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field15 Pittsburgh, PA PNC Park 16 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium19 Detroit, MI Comerica Park21 Washington, DC Nationals Park22 New York, NY Citi Field24 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre27 Boston, MA Fenway Park29 Philadelphia, PA Citizens BankPark

Read this next: Green Day The inside story of Insomniac

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Green Day Have Added Their Own Music Pack To Virtual Reality Game Beat Saber - Kerrang!

Take this quiz to test your virtual learning knowledge – Study International News

Do you know the value of these virtual learning tools? Source: Billetto editorial/ Unsplash

By Study International Staff | December 18, 2019

From revolutionising STEM subjectsto embedding transformative digital tools in lecture theatres and seminars, virtual learning experiences are adding an extra edge to education.

And as the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to learning amplifies, many self-teaching students are searching for new virtual learning tools that will take their home-based studies further.

So, if youre already a virtual learner and you want to tighten up your knowledge of virtual reality tools, or youre not familiar with virtual learning, but you want to learn a few new concepts, why not try your luck at this quiz below?

What is an immersive 360 experience?

Video recordings where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time, shot using an omnidirectional camera or a collection of cameras.

A video recording that shoots 360 different frames, collectively providing one experience.

Where a learner has to use 3D glasses to step into a 360 virtual experience.

Continue >>

What does HMD stand for in the virtual learning world?

Heavy Motion Device

Head Mounted Displays

Head Motion Device

Continue >>

It's the delay between your action and reaction. Having low latency is crucial when using a HMD.

It's a term to describe a learner's enjoyment of their virtual reality experience.

A term that refers to the amount of points you score on a virtual learning game.

Continue >>

A graphical representation of data relating to the learners gaze during a virtual reality (VR) experience.

A map that tracks your heat levels during a virtual reality experience.

A map that tracks a learner's concentration levels during their virtual reality venture.

Continue >>

A lightweight and flexible glove that can effectively mimic the sensations of manipulating digital objects.

A yellow love that you wear once you're immersed within the virtual reality environment.

A term relating to the comfort levels of a virtual reality environment.

Continue >>

What does 1 to 1 Movement refer to while you're in a virtual learning world?

When you're face to face with your virtual learning assistant.

When your virtual avatar mimics the exact actions you take in real life.

When you're having a close conversation with your virtual learning advisor.

Continue >>

You're a virtual pro!

You seem to already know all the virtual learning terms and the true value of virtual learning tech! Congratulations on scoring most of the answers correct on this quiz.

Share your Results :

Better luck next time, just take this quiz again!

Better luck next time on the virtual learning quiz! You can take this quiz again to improve your score.

Share your Results :

PLAY AGAIN !

Quiz: How well do you know your student loan facts?

Quiz: Graphic design students- how well do you know these terms?

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Take this quiz to test your virtual learning knowledge - Study International News

Brett King produces the future in Qatar – Euromoney magazine

Brett King disrupts the old order at the Qatar conference

Dont just walk on stage. Make a video, and preferably one that sends yourself up.

So while delegates at a Euromoney conference in Doha in December were expecting renowned futurist Brett King to launch straight into his vision for the next generation of banking, instead they saw him wielding a variety of musical instruments before making his way to the gym for some weight lifting and a rigorous rowing machine session, only stopping halfway through to remove his suit jacket.

The video produced by Euromoneys own Rebecca Chamberlain got the attention of everyone at the Euromoney Qatar Conference on Banking 4.0, as King proceeded to explain what banks in Qatar, and everywhere else, need to do to avoid being left behind in a world of disruptors and challenger banks.

His introductory video was designed to showcase how hard banks need to work to meet these challengers, and perhaps what a multi-tasker a futurist needs to be. It went down a storm with the hundreds of delegates in attendance.

King didnt mince his words once he was on stage, either.

As we look at new emerging technologies and AI, how is this further going to change the banking space? King asked the audience. To understand this, we have to look back at history at how innovations have disrupted industries. Henry Ford said if hed asked his customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse

If you want to be a bank that competes in the future, you have to compete against Jack Ma, you have to be technology savvy, you have to be technology first; if you are a traditional bank, its like competing with both hands behind your back. The biggest threat to banking is not other banks, its not even fintech, its the fact that the role banking has in our world is going to fundamentally change, and the model we built back in the 1400s that we have just iterated on is no longer going to be competitive.

They didnt do banking conferences in the 1400s either. Perhaps King has reinvented the wheel for speaker introductions in the 2020s.

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Brett King produces the future in Qatar - Euromoney magazine

How Farmers Can Rule the World With Technology – Successful Farming

Nikolas Badminton is a futurist and researcher who focuses on helping clients shift from what is to what if. His clients include NASA, Google, Microsoft, Dell, United Nations, and hundreds of others.

Badminton is a keynote speaker at the Land Expo 2020 in Des Moines on January 14, where he will focus on how farmers can fuel their imaginations and creativity to create a future thats more resilient, profitable and equitable.

Register for the Land Expo here.

Successful Farming caught up with Badminton to get a preview of his talk.

NB: There are four main technologies that are really starting to make waves. They're going to gain pace and see a huge amount of adoption.

1. Renewable energy. Were seeing huge solar and wind projects popping up all over the world. There are solar panels that can live on stilts above crops. We're going to slowly wean ourselves off of our reliance on coal and other fossil fuels for energy.

2. Sensors. We are putting the internet of agricultural things into the field, onto cattle as wearable devices, and embedded into farm equipment. These sensors harvest data from the environment and give farmers a new view of their operations. That gives them a lot of power.

3. Data. Farmers are becoming more data savvy in a number of different ways. They are applying analytics, employing data science teams to help them unlock value, and working with agronomists.

4. Artificial intelligence. Farmers will use machine learning to unlock even more value from data. Artificial intelligence is driving automated vehicles. Automated robotics can help on the farm in certain ways, or provide surveying through drones.

NB: We need to decouple those. Bitcoin is a crypto currency that lives on the blockchain. And blockchain is an anonymous, immutable ledger that's completely secure. So everyone shares all of the information and everyone validates all transactions on the blockchain.

Bitcoin is still there, and so are other cryptocurrencies. Facebook tried to come out with their Libra coin, which is a stable coin attached to the U.S. dollar, but a lot of banks and partners dropped out because they just don't trust Facebook to make that work.

There are about 2 billion unbanked people in the world that could be helped through cryptocurrencies, although I don't necessarily think it will be Bitcoin. It will be something from Facebook, Amazon, Google or one of the other big tech players.

Underneath that is the blockchain. There are some really interesting things happening with food supply chains there. You can store transactions or logistical steps in the supply chain on the blockchain and find that information very quickly because its not distributed across a bunch of databases in different companies. Companies like IBM and Walmart are teaming up to build blockchain systems for food supply. They can find problems in the food supply chain almost immediately versus it taking days and days of trolling through data. Blockchain is super interesting from the food supply perspective. There are other applications in the world, but it's logistics where it's starting to catch on fire.

NB: Its coming out of the laboratory and into the farms somewhat. There are smaller farms that are starting to be experimental and teaming up with scientists. Theres lots of really cool stuff happening, but its not rolled out on a commercial scale yet. Scientists have to prove that it's not going to be harmful for the overall environment. Once they've done that, it's going to be a technology that's available to a lot of different farmers all over the world.

With all technologies, there are going to be some farmers that are going to be able to afford it and some farmers that aren't. That is going to cause an unfair advantage. Is the farming industry suddenly going to be thrust into the hands of big corporates versus smaller farmers? That's a really interesting debate that's going to be had over the next couple of years.

NB: AI is going to affect every single industry in the world and every single part of agriculture. It will streamline the processes and systems we use to connect to other farmers and to suppliers. For example, we will use facial recognition on cattle to see if they're well.

I think the biggest application of AI is collecting surveying data very quickly, finding new insights from that, and allowing farmers to improve operations on their farms. Artificial intelligence is going to drive small robotics on farms and also large scale vehicles. Its going to be a game changer.

NB: People have always underestimated how much farmers are technologically savvy. Bill Gates wasnt sure farmers would use a computer, and now he is one of the biggest agricultural landowners in North America. Farmers picked up on handheld devices, like phones and iPads, quickly. They're looking for technology to help them build out the resiliency of their farm. With the right amount of subsidies and incentives and help, farmers are going to be some of the most technologically advanced people operating in the business world. Technology is a huge advantage for farmers.

NB: Farmers are futurists. They consider the next harvest, the next crop, the schedule, weather patterns, and everything that could affect them in the next year. But we're stuck in a world of what is. We're looking at the problems in front of us and we have to deal with them. I've been talking a lot to farmers in Canada, and it's tough times. It's really difficult.

I invite farmers to ask the question, "What if?" What if we take on new technologies and how does that change the farm? What if we make that investment? What if we take a brave step forward into a new world with big data, artificial intelligence, and sensors? What future is that going to build for us?

That approach of creativity and imagination, mixed with really thorough business knowledge and acumen, is going to liberate farmers to be able to do more in the long term.

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How Farmers Can Rule the World With Technology - Successful Farming

Robot Bartender Developer Wants to Pay the Humans It Replaces – Futurism

Consolation Prize

Makr Shakr, the robotics firm behind the robo-bartender Toni, has announced plans to distribute monthly stipends to the human bartenders that it threatens to automate out of a job.

Its an unusual twist on the concept of basic income: the company directly responsible for putting people out of work is also the one extending them some sort of lifeline. Details on the program are sparse, Digital Trends reports, and theres a chance its all a big PR stunt. But the company has already selected the first recipient of a monthly $1,000 stipend: 50-year-old American hospitality worker Brian Townsell, who Makr Shakr says willnow be able to pursue his dream job in a brewery.

The plan is to give out a monthly stipend to someone whose job Toni puts at risk for each robot sold, Digital Trends reports. But it remains unclear how, specifically, Makr Shakr will select people, how long those people will receive monthly payments, or even if the company will continue doing this at all.

That said, its great to see a tech company acknowledge the harsh reality that its products threaten livelihoods. And while leaving basic income programs up to the automators themselves wont solve the systemic problems of job loss or the lack of a social safety net, offering these payouts is a first step. Maybe.

READ MORE: Robot bartending company is handing out cash to the people it is replacing [Digital Trends]

More on automation: Futurist Predicts The End of the World as We Know It

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Robot Bartender Developer Wants to Pay the Humans It Replaces - Futurism

Link between herpes virus infections, Alzheimer’s refuted – Baylor College of Medicine News

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine report today in the journal Neuron evidence that refutes the link between increased levels of herpes virus and Alzheimers disease. In addition, the researchers provide a new statistical and computational framework for the analysis of large-scale sequencing data.

About 50 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimers disease, a type of progressive dementia that results in the loss of memory, cognitive abilities and verbal skills, and the numbers are growing rapidly. Currently available medications temporarily ease the symptoms or slow the rate of decline, which maximizes the time patients can live and function independently. However, there are no treatments to halt progression of Alzheimers disease.

Like all types of dementia, Alzheimers disease is characterized by massive death of brain cells, the neurons. Identifying the reason why neurons begin and continue to die in the brains of Alzheimers disease patients is an active area of research, said corresponding author Dr. Zhandong Liu, associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Childrens Hospital.

One theory that has gained traction in the past year is that certain microbial infections, such as those caused by viruses, can trigger Alzheimers disease. A 2018 study reported increased levels of human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) in the postmortem brain tissues of more than 1,000 patients with Alzheimers disease when compared to the brain tissues of healthy-aging subjects or those suffering from a different neurodegenerative condition.

Presence of elevated levels of genetic material of herpes viruses indicated active infections, which were linked to Alzheimers disease. In less than a year, this study generated a flurry of excitement and led to the initiation of several studies to better understand the link between viral infections and Alzheimers disease.

Surprisingly, when co-author Dr. Hyun-Hwan Jeong, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Lius group and others, reanalyzed the data sets from the 2018 study using the identical statistical methods with rigorous filtering, as well as four commonly used statistical tools, they were unable to produce the same results.

The team was motivated to reanalyze the data from the previous study because they observed that while the p-values (a statistical parameter that predicts the probability of obtaining the observed results of a test, assuming that other conditions are correct) were highly significant, they were being ascribed to data in which the differences were not visually appreciable.

Moreover, the p-values did not fit with simple logistic regression a statistical analysis that predicts the outcome of the data as one of two defined states. In fact, after several types of rigorous statistical tests, they found no link between the abundance of herpes viral DNA or RNA and likelihood of Alzheimers disease in this cohort.

As high-throughput omics technologies, which include those for genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and others, become affordable and easily available, there is a rising trend toward big data in basic biomedical research. In these situations, given the massive amounts of data that have to be mined and extracted in a short time, researchers may be tempted to rely solely on p-values to interpret results and arrive at conclusions, Liu said.

Our study highlights one of the potential pitfalls of over-reliance on p-values. While p-values are a very valuable statistical parameter, they cannot be used as a stand-alone measure of statistical correlation data sets from high-throughput procedures still need to be carefully plotted to visualize the spread of the data, Jeong said. Data sets also have to be used in conjunction with accurately calculated p-values to make gene-disease associations that are statistically correct and biologically meaningful.

Our goal in pursuing and publishing this study was to generate tools and guidelines for big data analysis, so the scientific community can identify treatment strategies that will likely benefit patients, Liu said.

This study was funded by the Huffington Foundation.

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Link between herpes virus infections, Alzheimer's refuted - Baylor College of Medicine News

Yes, Socialized Medicine Will Lead To Waits For Care – The Federalist

Recently, a liberal think-tank, the Center for American Progress (CAP), issued a policy paper that promised the truth on waiting times in government-run health systems. If you want the truth about the issue, however, youll have to wait a long time for it if you choose to rely on CAPs disingenuous analysis.

The CAP report cherry-picks facts to try to make an argument that a single-payer health-care system wont result in rationing of health care. Unfortunately, however, even supporters of single payer have admitted that government-run care will increase waiting times for care.

CAPs paper starts out by criticizing President Trump and other conservative groups, who have asserted that a single-payer system would lead to massive wait times for treatments and destroy access to quality care, as Trump stated in his recent executive order on Medicare. CAP calls these assertions false, and then claims:

Patients in peer nations generally have similar or shorter wait times than patients in the United States for a variety of services, refuting the argument that universal coverage would necessarily result in longer wait times in the future. [Emphasis added.]

The above sentence, like the rest of the paper, uses clever semantic wordplay to obscure the issue. CAP claims that universal coverage wouldnt necessarily result in longer wait times, but Trump and the right-leaning groups have criticized one specific form of universal coveragesingle payer, in which the government serves as the sole funder of health care. (CAP repeats those misleading tactics by referencing the impact of prior coverage expansions in the United States, many of which used private insurers and none of which directly equate to a universal, government-funded health system.)

Of the papers four peer nations with universal coverage systemsAustralia, France, Germany, and Swedenonly Australia and Sweden have government-run insurance plans. By contrast, France and Germany rely on private insurers to implement their universal coverage systems.

While it includes other systems without single-payer coverage in its analysis, CAP specifically excludes Britains National Health Service, known for its waiting times and rationed access to care. CAP claimed to omit the NHS in its analysis because no candidate currently running for president is proposing nationalizing health care providers a la the British modela true enough statement, but a self-serving one.

If CAP included non-government-funded systems in its analysis, it certainly should have included the government-funded NHS. That it did not suggests the analysts wanted to rig the papers outcomes by relying solely on favorable examples.

The CAP papers most deliberate omission comes in the form of our neighbor to the north: Canada. The paper examined four metrics of access to care, based on data from an analysis by the (liberal) Commonwealth Fund of 11 countries health systems. Given the shabby results Canadas health system showed on health care access, it seems little wonder that the leftists at CAP failed to disclose these poor outcomes in their paper:

As I discuss in my book, Canadas health system suffers from myriad access problems, based on other metrics from Commonwealth Fund studies that CAP chose not to mention in their paper:

With results like that, little wonder that the liberals at CAP didnt want to highlight what single-payer health care would do to our health system.

That said, some socialist supporters of single payer have conceded that the new system will limit access to care. As I noted last year, the socialist magazine Jacobin said the following about one analysis of single payer:

[The study] assumes utilization of health services will increase by 11 percent, but aggregate health service utilization is ultimately dependent on the capacity to provide services, meaning utilization could hit a hard limit below the level [the study] projects.

Translation: People will demand additional care under single payer, but there wont be enough doctors and hospitals to meet the demand, therefore resulting in waiting times and rationed access to care.

Lest one consider this admission an anomaly, the Peoples Policy Project called a recent Urban Institute study estimating the costs of single payer ridiculous and unserious, in large part because of its comical assumption about increased demand for care: There is still a hard limit to just how much health care can be performed because there are only so many doctors and only so many facilities. Again, socialists claim that single payer wont bust the budget, in large part because people who seek care will not be able to obtain it.

With analysts from the right and the socialist left both admitting that single payer will lead to rationed health care, CAP can continue to claim that waiting times wont increase. But the best response to their cherry-picked and misleading analysis comes in the form of an old phrase: Who are you going to believeme, or your lying eyes?

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Yes, Socialized Medicine Will Lead To Waits For Care - The Federalist