Monthly Archives: August 2017

The definition of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for both virtual and reality. The definition of virtual is near and reality is what we experience as human beings. So the term virtual reality basically means near-reality. This could, of course, mean anything but it usually refers to a specific type of reality emulation.

We know the world through our senses and perception systems. In school we all learned that we have five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. These are however only our most obvious sense organs. The truth is that humans have many more senses than this, such as a sense of balance for example. These other sensory inputs, plus some special processing of sensory information by our brains ensures that we have a rich flow of information from the environment to our minds.

Everything that we know about our reality comes by way of our senses. In other words, our entire experience of reality is simply a combination of sensory information and our brains sense-making mechanisms for that information. It stands to reason then, that if you can present your senses with made-up information, your perception of reality would also change in response to it. You would be presented with a version of reality that isnt really there, but from your perspective it would be perceived as real. Something we would refer to as a virtual reality.

So, in summary, virtual reality entails presenting our senses with a computer generated virtual environment that we can explore in some fashion.

Answering what is virtual reality in technical terms is straight-forward. Virtual reality is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person. That person becomes part of this virtual world or is immersed within this environment and whilst there, is able to manipulate objects or perform a series of actions.

Although we talk about a few historical early forms of virtual reality elsewhere on the site, today virtual reality is usually implemented using computer technology. There are a range of systems that are used for this purpose, such as headsets, omni-directional treadmills and special gloves. These are used to actually stimulate our senses together in order to create the illusion of reality.

This is more difficult than it sounds, since our senses and brains are evolved to provide us with a finely synchronised and mediated experience. If anything is even a little off we can usually tell. This is where youll hear terms such asimmersiveness and realism enter the conversation. These issues that divide convincing or enjoyable virtual reality experiences from jarring or unpleasant ones are partly technical and partly conceptual. Virtual reality technology needs to take our physiology into account. For example, the human visual field does not look like a video frame. We have (more or less) 180 degrees of vision and although you are not always consciously aware of your peripheral vision, if it were gone youd notice. Similarly when what your eyes and the vestibular system in your ears tell you are in conflict it can cause motion sickness. Which is what happens to some people on boats or when they read while in a car.

If an implementation of virtual reality manages to get the combination of hardware, software and sensory synchronicity just right it achieves something known as a sense of presence. Where the subject really feels like they are present in that environment.

This may seems like a lot of effort, and it is! What makes the development of virtual reality worthwhile? The potential entertainment value is clear. Immersive films and video games are good examples. The entertainment industry is after all a multi-billion dollar one and consumers are always keen on novelty. Virtual reality has many other, more serious, applications as well.

There are a wide variety of applications for virtual reality which include:

Virtual reality can lead to new and exciting discoveries in these areas which impact upon our day to day lives.

Wherever it is too dangerous, expensive or impractical to do something in reality, virtual reality is the answer. From trainee fighter pilots to medical applications trainee surgeons, virtual reality allows us to take virtual risks in order to gain real world experience. As the cost of virtual reality goes down and it becomes more mainstream you can expect more serious uses, such as education or productivity applications, to come to the fore. Virtual reality and its cousin augmented reality could substantively change the way we interface with our digital technologies. Continuing the trend of humanising our technology.

There are many different types of virtual reality systems but they all share the same characteristics such as the ability to allow the person to view three-dimensional images. These images appear life-sized to the person.

Plus they change as the person moves around their environment which corresponds with the change in their field of vision. The aim is for a seamless join between the persons head and eye movements and the appropriate response, e.g. change in perception. This ensures that the virtual environment is both realistic and enjoyable.

A virtual environment should provide the appropriate responses in real time- as the person explores their surroundings. The problems arise when there is a delay between the persons actions and system response or latency which then disrupts their experience. The person becomes aware that they are in an artificial environment and adjusts their behaviour accordingly which results in a stilted, mechanical form of interaction.

The aim is for a natural, free-flowing form of interaction which will result in a memorable experience.

Virtual reality is the creation of a virtual environment presented to our senses in such a way that we experience it as if we were really there. It uses a host of technologies to achieve this goal and is a technically complex feat that has to account for our perception and cognition. It has both entertainment and serious uses. The technology is becoming cheaper and more widespread. We can expect to see many more innovative uses for the technology in the future and perhaps a fundamental way in which we communicate and work thanks to the possibilities of virtual reality.

Read more:

What is Virtual Reality? - Virtual Reality Society

HTC, whose mobile handsets ruled the smartphone world of yesteryear, is working with an adviser to examine some pretty significant strategic options as it aims to find a path forward, Bloomberg reports.These steps include the possibilities of selling its Vive virtual reality arm or simply spinning it off into a separate venture.

Weve reached out to HTC for comment.

The report noted that a full sale of the Taiwanese tech firm was less likely given that its business which encompasses a wide scope of efforts didnt fit obviously with one acquirer. Nothing is final, and Bloombergs sources maintained that they may choose not to go through with any of these options.

HTCs core business has faced a major downturn in the past decade, with its stock falling 75 percent in the past five years and nearly 95 percent since its all-time high in April of 2011. The company is currently worth about $1.8 billion.

As the companys handset business has slowed in China and the US significantly, HTC has invested major resources into seeking to get ahead of the virtual reality industry and establish itself as a major presence. In addition to its hardware pursuits, HTC has launched a VR accelerator, an investment organization devoted to VR companies and a 3,500 square foot VR arcade in Taiwan called Viveland.

The companys flagship headset made in collaboration with the gaming company Valve still seems to be outselling Facebooks Oculus Rift handily according to analysts, but neither company has released unit sales figures. Earlier this week, HTC delivered the first significant price cut to the headset, taking the price down from $799 to $599.

HTC also manufactures Googles Pixel phone which was introduced last year, a device which was the first to showcase Googles Daydream virtual reality platform. HTC is set to release a standalone positionally-tracked headset in collaboration with Google based on the Daydream platform later this year as well.

See the article here:

HTC might be looking to sell or spin off its Vive virtual reality business - TechCrunch

Today, Samsung showed off its flagship Note 8, the device has a big, beautiful screen, the S Pen and a battery thats a little bit smaller. The company also announced that theres a new $130 Gear VR on the way that youll have to buy if you want to try Samsungs brand of VR on the Note 8.

Whats new over past models? Not much.

Samsung has made several upgrades to the Gear VR headset since the device, which was built in conjunction with Oculus, was first introduced in 2015. The company added a little controller earlier this year and has continued shuffling buttons around, but for the most part these updates have just been focused on supporting the expanding sizes of new Samsung smartphones.

While headsets like the Daydream View from Google (Which Samsung launched S8 support for last month) are fairly future-proof when it comes to new devices thanks to NFC communication being used to perform the calibration, the flush physical connection through the phones bottom port on the Gear VR has required users to buy new headsets or connectors for bigger Samsung devices with different ports.

Googles Daydream View

Its not a big deal at all for those who are buying the headset for the first time but for those on a yearly upgrade cycle with the Galaxy or Note, its really annoying.

Youve seen the writing on the wall, the VR market is struggling as investors and founders deal with headset sales that arent meeting expectations. Its hard enough to get consumers to buy a headset once, Samsung expecting its die-hard customers to do it multiple times is a tall order.

Its obviously unwise to base the form factor of a major flagship device based on what can fit inside a mobile VR headset, but its also a little shortsighted for Samsung to have even forced that choice on itself. NFC would be great move if the platform could grow to support it. Something like a flush external cable may look a bit junky, but how sexy does a plastic headset you snap your phone into really have to be?

In January, the company announced that it had shipped 5 million headsets and a lot of those were giveaways. Samsung shipped free Gear VR headsets with pre-orders for both the Galaxy S7 and S8 line and had a number of deals over the past couple years attempting to brute force their way into the VR market through giveaways.

As its smartphone upgrades shovel its old Gear VR headsets into obsolescence, it seems that Samsung is pretty much wasting a lot of these previous efforts. The Gear VR is due for a real upgrade to bring in a number of VR features, but its hardware also needs to mature to the point where its not alienating those who upgrade their Samsung phone every year or two.

Here is the original post:

Samsung's virtual reality strategy has an upgrade problem - TechCrunch

KFC is tapping virtual reality to improve its employees chicken frying skills.

The fast food chain said Thursday that its debuting an employee-training program in which chefs learn to cook a batch of the companys signature fried chicken inside a virtual kitchen.

The training program was designed to resemble a game in which participants complete the five steps required to make fried chicken in a style to KFCs liking. This includes inspecting, rinsing, breading, racking, and then pressure frying virtual chickens.

Get Data Sheet , Fortunes technology newsletter.

KFC said that it takes about 25 minutes for employees to fry chicken, but the virtual reality program only takes 10 minutes to complete. A KFC spokesperson said in an email that, "The VR isnt meant to speed up the process, it is to teach cooks how to make the world-famous Original Recipe fried chicken."

The game was developed by the technology group of ad agency Wieden+Kennedy and is intended to be played on the Facebook-owned ( fb ) Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

Its unclear just how big of a roll out KFC is planning for its VR training game, which could be a marketing stunt to generate publicity for KFC, considering that an advertising firm built the VR program. Food site Eater noted that KFC has recently tried other publicity stunts including a takeout box that also charges phones and a bucket for holding chicken that also functions as a Bluetooth photo printer.

A KFC spokesperson told Eater, The game is intended to supplement the existing Chicken Mastery program, not replace it.

This is intended to be a fun way to celebrate the work KFCs more than 19,000 cooks do every day in every restaurant across the U.S. in an engaging way, the spokesperson said.

Story updated on Thursday 3:50 PM PST to correct how the VR tech is being used.

Go here to see the original:

KFC Employees Can Fry Chicken in Virtual Reality - Fortune

Devotees of the late, great sci-fi seriesStar Trek: The Next Generationwill remember the holodeck, a space-age virtual reality arena that could replicate any kind of environment. While it could be used as a training platform, Enterprise officers most often used the holodeck as a recreational space, immersing themselves in nature.

In an inspired twist on the concept, researchers in Europe have developed a virtual reality environment for freely moving animals that appears to be effective at generating convincing illusions of the natural world for mice, fish, and fruit flies.

Alas for the animals, the VR system isn't designed for the animals recreational benefit. Instead, researchers hope to use the VR rig as a controlled setting for examining animal perceptions and behavior.

Dubbed FreemoVR, the system is actually pretty basic as far as virtual reality environments go. The setup is essentially a cylindrical space in which the floor and wraparound wall are made from flexible computer displays. Animals placed into the environment are monitored by overhead cameras and sensors that track their movement and behavior around the 3D space.

The principal benefit of the FreemoVR system is that, as the name implies, the device allows animals to move about freely within the environment. Using specially developed software, the researchers can adjust the visual imagery on the fly, as it were, and project elements based on the animals behavior and movements in real time.

RELATED:A Universal Language of Arousal Connects Humans and the Animal Kingdom

The most important thing is that the animal is actually moving and gets all the appropriate mechanosensory feedback, study co-author Andrew Straw, of the University of Freiburg in Germany, told Seeker in an email. This is really important for studies of navigation and spatial cognition, because if the animal doesnt believe it is moving, it will be difficult to study how the animal updates its mental map as it moves.

The newstudy,publishedthis week in the journalNature Methods, details a series of experiments that suggest that the lab animals find the virtual reality experience pretty convincing. The animals reacted to virtual images the same as they would to real-world objects and obstacles. The research team chose three animal species often employed in lab studies mice, fruit flies, and zebrafish to make the technique more useful to other scientists.

In one experiment, mice were placed atop an elevated platform with a projection screen lying beneath. The display created an illusion of depth, giving the impression that one end of the platform was higher than the other. The mice reacted to the illusory change of height by staying on the lower and safer end of the platform.

RELATED: The Color of Your Clothing Could Affect the Behavior of Animals

In another experiment, a tank filled with zebrafish was placed in the FreemoVR system while researchers projected a swarm of descending aliens from the oldSpace Invadersarcade game. The fish reacted to the incoming swarm as if it were real, and even engaged in mimicking behavior to join the swarm.

Tricking fish with old video games may seem like a strange use of the scientific method, but Straw says the experiments can tell us a lot about how animals see the world, which in turn can tell us about human perception especially in large groups.

Humans and mammals have a highly conserved overall brain architecture and many close parallels in the systems related to spatial cognition, Straw said. Thats the reason why many labs use these [animal] systems for models. This way, we can do things such as recording from hundreds or thousands simultaneously, which would not be possible in human experiments.

RELATED: The Trail of Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs Leads Back to the First Land Animals

Incidentally, the holodeck thing is no random pop culture reference. Straw, who has plainly stated that his teams aim was to create a holodeck for animals, grew up watchingStar Trek.

Star Trek: The Next Generationplayed in almost infinite reruns where I grew up, he said. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is basically my hero.

WATCH:The Incredible Tech Inside California's Most Famous Aquarium

See more here:

Scientists Built a Virtual Reality 'Holodeck' for Lab Animals - Seeker

MICROSOFT has created a wand that controls games while wearing its HoloLens headset.

The device will likely be used as a gun in shoot 'em up games as well as a wand to point and interact with objects that you perceive to be in front of you.

A patent filing, spotted by WalkingCat, reveals an accessory with buttons, a trigger, a finger guard and a light indicator that tells you when it's on.

There were scant details in the filings, but it's very likely the wand will sync to Microsoft's HoloLens "mixed reality" headset.

HoloLens is immersive, but it doesnt block out the real world.

Instead, it places holographic pictures into physical surroundings to see, place and interact as if the holograms are part of the physical world.

It's not hard to imagine Harry Potter-esquemagic games or more vicious shoot 'em up games being played with the futuristic controller.

Microsoft

Microsoft

Microsoft

Eagle-eyed tech fans might notice that they look strikingly similar to Sony's PlayStation virtual reality controller.

The tech rival has its own virtual reality headset, used primarily for gaming.

Microsoft's HoloLens is targeted at education and the workplace, rather than pure entertainment.

It might sound bonkers, but men are alreadystrapping on headsets to spice up romps with their wives, according to adult industry insiders.

Sony

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf9qkURqtbM%5D

Virtual reality pornography could be available in thousands of European hotels room within six months.

A virtual reality death simulator could help "cure societys fear of dying", too.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368 . We pay forvideostoo. Clickheretouploadyours.

More:

Microsoft patents a WAND that syncs up to its virtual reality Oculus Rift headset and might help shoot game villains - The Sun