Daily Archives: January 25, 2020

On Feb. 3, Cleveland-based indie game developers Dr. Bloc will release their new virtual reality (VR) game, Straylight, on Steam as early access.

Straylightis a new VR platform that allows viewers to be immersed in "cosmic, abstract worlds" and then propel themselves and fly in a virtual universe.

"It's really an incredible experience as you actually feel like you're flying through space," says Rob Kovacs, the local musician whos the composer and sound designer of the game, in a statement. "We've been play-testing it for several months and the responses have been just been off-the-charts positive."

The game features eye-catching visuals that take inspiration from the glowing digital graphics of the 80s but powered through technology of today. The original soundtrack that fuses classic synthwave with electronica.

Straylightis the first game from Dr. Bloc, a small team devoted to bringing the joy and challenge of classic games into the future.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, Forest City Brewery will host a free launch party for the game. Guests will be able to meet and talk with the developers. They can also play the game before its release.

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Forest City Brewery to Host a Launch Party for the New Virtual Reality Game 'Straylight' - Cleveland Scene

Students in Vance County have held a beating human heart in their hands and taken an undersea adventure in the Arctic Ocean without ever leaving their classrooms. With the help of a team of faculty and graduate students from the NC State College of Education and the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, these students have had the opportunity to conduct scientific investigations in ways that were never possible before withzSpace, an innovative virtual reality technology found in three schools in the district.

Vance County Schoolsbrought this NC State team to their schools to help them integrate this technology into their science curricula. This year, the Friday Institute team has developed and implemented a variety of science lesson plans using zSpace for all 8th graders, about 230 students, at two Vance County schools:Vance County Middle SchoolandSTEM Early High School. Lessons focused on the heart and circulatory system, the ecology of the Arctic and the evolution of peppered moths in post-industrial England.

zSpace provides an immersive, interactive, hands-on learning experience with applications in K-12 education and career and technical education in areas from health and medicine to automotive training. The zSpace laptop, stylus and lightweight glasses allow students to view virtual 3-D models and fully immerse themselves in the content theyre studying.

zSpace allows students to conceptualize objects in a 3D environment that you cant fully understand in a 2D environment, said Project LeadM. Gail Jones, Ph.D., an NC State College of Education professor of science education, and Friday Institute faculty fellow. You can explore the valves of a heart and watch them open and close or view the size and scale of bacteria. Its motivating and allows students to do their own investigations.

Research shows that simulation-based learning has been successful in providing self-determined motivation as well as improve learning in general, according to an article in theJournal of Engineering Education, Investigating the Effect of 3D Simulation Based Learning on the Motivation and Performance of Engineering Students. Immersive technologies also keep students engaged and in control of their learning, allow for collaboration and give room to make mistakes and experiment without costly or dangerous results.

Immersive technologies encourage mistakes and empower students, Jones said. It allows students the opportunity to make mistakes, learn from them and recover quickly without the expense or stress of restarting an actual experience.

Collaborations such as this one that use virtual reality technology advance the field of science while also providing opportunities to engage underrepresented populations in experiencing the wonder of science in ways that extend beyond the limitations of a classroom setting.

A recent zSpace whitepaper, Learning in the Digital Age: A Review of the Research on Innovative Technologies, found that this technology could be especially vital for students from historically underserved or under-performing groups in science such as English language learners who benefit from visual learning, students from diverse cultural backgrounds whose religion or values may prevent them from full participation in science experiences, and students with attention-based disorders or special needs.

Not only did Vance County Schools students benefit from this learning experience, but so did NC State College of Education graduate students. Working with Jones, graduate students had the opportunity to think about how to use technology to enhance science education in the classroom while building their instructional skills teaching in a rural area.

Seeing how rural counties integrated technology is exciting, said Kathryn Rende, an Ph.D. student in science education and one of Jones graduate research assistants. This project has helped me think about teaching in diverse populations and integrating technology in classrooms and in rural counties.

The graduate students, aided by Jones, gave teachers intensive demonstrations of the technology, one-on-one support and ideas for integrating zSpace into standards-based science lessons. Vance County teachers were able to grow with this project, too, expanding their science instruction, integrating technology into their lesson plans and becoming experts in the technology. Now, 16 Vance County Schools teachers are credentialed in zSpace. In November 2019, a group of these teachers presented their lessons at the North Carolina Science Teacher Association conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They shared with other teachers around the state about how they used zSpace to enhance middle school science instruction in their classrooms.

Continue reading here:

Friday Institute Partners with Vance County Schools to Bring Immersive Virtual Reality Technology Into Science Classrooms - NC State College of...

Although modern cancer treatments have partially reduced the side effects on health and quality of life, these therapies are experienced with considerable suffering by women and these can sometimes develop conditioned responses to treatments, Andrea Chirico, a psycho-oncologist at the Sapienza University of Rome, and colleagues said. They pointed specifically to anticipatory anxiety before chemo, frequent requests to reduce dosages and, by result, impact on the drugs effectiveness.

The researchers asked 94 women to take a psychological test analyzing their stress and mood before and after chemotherapy for breast cancer. During treatment, 30 patients put on a virtual reality headset where they could explore a deserted island, walk through a forest, complete yoga and go swimming, among other activities.

Another 30 were exposed to music therapy while 34 women were placed in a control group without any intervention. The latter is standard of care at the Pascale Institutes oncology department in Naples, Italy.

More here:

Virtual reality can take the stress out of breast cancer treatment - Health Imaging

Exeter is getting a brand new virtual reality centre - letting you train as a Jedi or run away from zombies.

iVR is the latest facility to be added to popular destination iBounce trampoline park and iPlay soft play centre in Exeter, Marsh Barton.

VR, which stands for Virtual Reality, is an immersive gaming concept available for single or multiplayer use.

With a wide variety of games there is something suitable for everyone as the levels go from beginner to expert.

It's easily tailored to you based on your interests, which gives you a highly personalised experienced using the latest emerging gaming technology.

The new VR centre will cater for a range of ages and is even available for private hire of up to 12 people at a time. It's also very popular when it comes to team building and corporate activity (a fun and different office day out!)

Virtual experiences:

Training as aStar Wars Jedi. Repairing and defending theMillennium Falconfrom attack byImperial Stormtroopers.

Immersing yourself deep into the heart of aZombie Apocalypse,put yoursurvival skillsto the test inArizona Sunshine.

You can use yoursports skillsto climb all the way to the top of the leader board inVR Super Sport.

Or test your fear of heights and take theride of your lifeon one of their theme parkinspired attractions

Feeling brave? not one for those scared of heights, walk the plankfrom 80 storeys high.

With a wide range of games available it's offering a next level virtual reality experience for families, friends and colleagues.

Here at Devon Live we will be giving you an exclusive first look when they are open to test out their new studio, and having a look at all of the different games.

Visit their website for more information.

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Brand new virtual reality centre set to open in Exeter very soon - Devon Live

Singapore. The sixth Singapore Biennale will rununtil March this year at various venues in the city-state. The biggest art event in the country displays more than 200 notable contemporary works by artists from Southeast Asia and beyond.

This year, the biennale takes on the theme of"Every Step in the Right Direction" to reflect on the conditions of contemporary lifeandis held simultaneously at 11 venues the Asian Civilization Museum, de Suantio Gallery, Esplanade Theaters, Gillman Barracks, LaSalle College of the Arts, National Gallery Singapore, National Library, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, Far East Plazaand W!ld Rice Funan.

But don't fret, you can easily move from onelocation to another on boardthe city's super-efficientMRT trains orpublic buses.Afree Singapore Biennale tour bus will run on weekends only (National Gallery Singapore and Gillman Barracks).

Itwill likelytake you more than two days to explore all the sites during the biennale. But Andrea Fam, the assistant curator of the Singapore Art Museum, has suggestedthis list of highlights that you simply can't miss.

'Instruction' by Wendelien van Oldenborgh

Oldenborgh is a Dutch artistwhose mother lived in Java during the Dutch occupation of Indonesia before the Second World War. Her work at the biennale, "Instruction,"exploresunresolved issues fromDutch military interventions in Indonesia.

The video installation shows four young cadets from the Royal Netherlands Military Academy readinga script written by her about her mother.

"It hastwo screens, one showing Dutch military cadetsreciting a powerful propaganda piece, and anothershowing the translation. It makes you think about language today what are we focusing on, the content of what's being said or who is sayingit?Oldenborgdemands ofus to choose the visual image or the text, when you actually have to look at both or you won't understand a thing,"Fam told the Jakarta Globe.

Olderborgh's work is on display at the National Gallery Singapore.

'Relic 3' by Larry Achiampong

British-Ghanaian Achiampong revisits the history of colonization usingscience fiction and the concept of Afrofuturism. The piece is part of a series where he explores the fictitious Relic Travellers'Alliance of the African Union. The travelers go back and forward in time and assess where and how civilization went wrong.

"I think it'sa powerful way to assess all thecraziness ofthe world today. What Larry is doing is speculating can the African continent be the one to save the world?He started off by imagining2016 as an important year, with uncertainties in the Westwhile in Africa they produced a unified passport for the whole continent,"Fam said.

Achiampong's work can be found at the National Gallery Singapore.

'Block 22' at the Gillman Barracks

Block 22 is one of three blocks at the Gillman Barracks, displaying works from Paphonosak La-or, Ruangsak Anuwatwimonand Dusadee Huntrakul from Thailand, Robert Zhao Renhui from Singaporeand Zakaria Omar from Brunei.

"It's like a mini national history museum thateffectively illustratesthe biennale. The block shows artists who are tackling the thinking of constructs itself. You have Anuwatwimon who vividly reconstructs extinct species of plants. Omar who creates atotemic monument from demolished old stilt housesand Huntrakul who questions our value system through ancient relics,"Fam said.

'An Obstacle in Every Direction' by Nabilah Nordin

Nordin's work invites us to enter a room full of objects that are unsettlingly placed to suggestfailure routes that might go somewhere, nowhereor everywhere.

"When you enter this site, you will feel uneasiness because you're in this chaos, where things look like they're about to fall apart. The uncomfortable sensation that you feel is what she wants you to experience, being vulnerable, theawkwardness that you need to embrace. It's about not taking things too seriously,"Fam said.

"I think it's an important work because it summarizes the biennale nicely. Take your time, clear your routes there is no prize in the end, but maybe you will feel ease in this world,"Fam said.

Another must-see workat the biennaleisthe award-winning virtual reality experience "La camera insabbiata (The Chalkroom)" by Laurie Anderson and Hsin-Chien Huang thatlets the audience fly througha labyrinth filled with writings and drawings.

Indonesia Represents

Works by Indonesian artists at the Singapore BiennaleincludeBoedi Widjaja's "Black-Hut, Black-Hut" on display at the National Gallery Singapore,an architectural installation inspired by the Javanese joglo house.

Also at the Gallery, Gillman Barracksand LaSalle College of the Arts, you will find a series of works byHafiz Rancajale from Pekanbaru called "Social Organism,"a rumination on Indonesia's post-Reformasi struggles.

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Colonialism, Afrofuturism, Virtual Reality: the Best of the Singapore Biennale - Jakarta Globe

The so-called "v-commerce" arm will rely on many of the same digital assets created using its augmented reality technology

NexTech AR Solutions Corp () (OTCMKTS:NEXCF), the augmented reality company, announced Wednesday that its gearing up to launch a virtual reality division called VRitize.

The new division will work hand-in-hand with its ARitize counterpart, utilizing many of the same 3D assets created for augmented reality, now as part of an immersive v-commerce experience that takes place in-store.

Combined, the VR/AR combo will help NexTech achieve its revenue goal of $20 million in 2020, the company said.

By adding VR to our product mix we are positioning NexTech as the industry leader set to dominate both the AR and VR industry for retail, CEO Evan Gappelberg said in statement. We are super excited to be able to leverage our growing 3D/AR library of assets and technical capabilities into virtual reality which compliments our AR technology stack and represents another multi-billion dollar vertical for NexTech.

The VRitize platform will include an app for both iOS and Android, the company said, and be compatible with most VR headsets, including s () Oculus.

For Gappelberg, this technology marks another seismic shift in retail.

New AR/VR technologies are starting to transform the multi-trillion dollar retail industry, just like Wamnamaker changed the game when he opened the first department store in 1876, then Sears with its massive catalog, next came the internet and Amazon which revolutionized retail with e-commerce, Gappelberg said.

Now we are entering a 4th transformational wave where AR/VR and 3D content creation are becoming essential to merchandising products both online and in brick and mortar stores. NexTech sits right at the forefront of this massive opportunity and tidal wave of innovation which is going to completely change the way we shop over the next few years."

The New York- and Toronto-based companys augmented reality offerings include AR for e-commerce, AR in Chat, its ARitize App and AR University for education and training.

Shares of NexTech jumped almost 10% to C$3.10 on the CSE and 11% to US$2.38 on OTC Markets on Wednesday.

Updated to include stock movement

Contact Andrew Kessel at [emailprotected]

Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel

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NexTech AR Solutions adds virtual reality to its arsenal with VRitize division - Proactive Investors USA & Canada

THE STORY of women's activism throughout history is being chronicled in a unique virtual reality experience.

The Peace Museum, in partnership with National Lottery Project Remembering Resistance, is exploring 100 years of womens protest and activism, drawing from collections of photographs and resources from time past.

Rooted in Bradford, the viewer will walk through a march led by the Bradford Female Radical Association of 1839, encountering virtual representatives of northern women's movements chronologically through the ages.

Working alongside students from Grange School in Bradford, the project will bring together resources from The Peace Museums collection as well as material from Lancaster Universitys Remembering Resistance project.

Pupils have been exploring The Peace Museums collection of over 7000 objects relating to peaceful activism and pick out relevant artefacts, such as posters or banners. These objects will then be digitised by Lancasters team to form part of the virtual reality march.

Jude Wright, peace educator at The Peace Museum said: "We're really excited to be working with Remembering Resistance on this unique VR project.

"It's amazing that our collection is being used to form a piece of virtual reality as this is something we have never done before.

"Using our collection to explore the history of peaceful activism to inspire the next generation to see peacemaking as an active endeavour is one of the driving forces behind our work.

"We hope that the young people involved will be inspired by exploring peace objects in the museum and that the many more people who take part in the VR experience learn from the stories of protest in the North of England."

During the VR experience, viewers will be able to 'select' artefacts from the virtual march to find out more information.

Extracts from oral histories illustrating women's experiences of protest collected through Remembering Resistance will also be included in the virtual march, creating an experience for all the senses.

The virtual march will be available across different platforms, including the Google cardboard app and viewer and via a web-based platform, enabling teachers to access the materials through an interactive whiteboard.

The project will be co-ordinated by Lancaster University, co-designed with young people, delivered by education and museum professionals, and will be shared throughout the project partners networks.

Remembering Resistance: A Century of Women's Protest in the North of England has been awarded by the Heritage Fund.

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Peace Museum virtual reality project focuses on Northern activism - Bradford Telegraph and Argus

The "Voice over 5G Market by Vo5G in SmartPhones, Wearable Tech, IoT, Virtual Reality, Telepresence, Robotics and Teleoperation 2020 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report evaluates the Vo5G market including companies, technologies, strategies, and solutions.

The report assesses the market potential and outlook for many Vo5G supported applications and services including enhancements to existing solutions as well as completely new user experiences and use case scenarios. It also evaluates how 5G will support various next-generation immersive apps and services such as virtual reality. The report includes detailed Vo5G market forecasts for all major equipment, application, and industry segments for the 2020 to 2025 period.

Key Findings

Voice quality gained significant ground with Voice over LTE (VoLTE) with the deployment of 4G LTE networks. Voice over 5G (Vo5G) service will build on those advancements as evolved voice systems leverage combined 5G core network elements along with IP Multimedia Systems (IMS), VoLTE enhancements, 5G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and other 5G New Radio (5GNR) 5G radio access network equipment such as smart antennas.

Advantages of Vo5G include ultra-high definition voice/audio for both voice-only calls as well as integration with applications and content such as announcements, music, conferencing, and more. Vo5G will also provide enhanced support for real-time communications including Rich Communications Services (RCS) integration.

Real-time feature/functionality will include unprecedented interactive capabilities such as real-time language translations. Many of the more advanced functions will work only in a 5GNR environment with the support of 5G core infrastructure. Consequently, there is a need for 4G/VoLTE hand-over for a relatively smooth transition from Voice over NR (VoNR) to VoLTE when crossing into service areas lacking sufficient 5GNR coverage.

Vo5G is anticipated to become increasingly more valuable to enterprise and consumer segments coincident with the growth of next-generation applications, especially those involving immersive technologies such as augmented, virtual, and mixed reality. Anytime, anywhere telepresence, holographic communications, and telepresent robotics are some of the key solution areas that will leverage Vo5G, specifically VoNR.

Report Benefits

Key Topics Covered

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

2.1 Voice over IP in Cellular

2.1.1 VoIP in Wireless Networks

2.1.2 Voice over LTE

2.1.3 Voice over 5G

3. Vo5G Deployment Challenges

3.1 Vo5G Standardization

3.2 5G Service Optimization

4. Vo5G Market Dynamics

4.1 Vo5G to accelerate 5G Development

4.2 Voice Solution to Drive 5G Commercialization

4.3 5G Enabled Applications to Accelerate Vo5G

4.4 Service Assurance will be a Key Challenge

5. Vo5G Technology and Market Analysis

5.1 5G New Radio Infrastructure

5.1.1 5G Base Station

5.1.2 Small Cell

5.1.3 Macro Cell

5.1.4 Baseband Units and RF Units

5.1.5 Remote Radio Heads

5.1.6 Distributed Antenna System

5.2 IP Multimedia Subsystem

5.3 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and IMS Functions Network for Vo5G

5.4 EPS and RAT Fall Back Multicarrier Network Solution

5.5 Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Functional Intelligence

5.6 HPC to Enhance Computing Performance

5.7 5G Security to Protect Data, Communication, and Network

6. Vo5G Ecosystem and Value Chain Analysis

6.1 Real-Time Voice and Video Communication

6.2 Mobile VoIP

6.3 SMS and USSD Solution

6.4 IoT Modular Solution

6.5 Mobile AR and VR

6.5.1 360 Video VR Experience will Play Pivotal Role

6.5.2 Real Time VR will Kick-off the Market

6.5.3 Allowing Full HD Streaming and 4K Video for VR

6.5.4 Vo5G to Take Haptic Experience Mainstream in VR Application

6.5.5 Vo5G to Allow Telecom Operators Playing Pivotal Role into VR Ecosystem

6.5.6 5G to Support Drone and Telerobotic into VR Ecosystem

6.5.7 Chip Manufacturer to Play Important Role

6.6 Automated Assistant Apps and Devices

6.7 Edge Processing for Voice Over WiFi

6.8 Enabling Network Data Analytics

6.9 CPaaS and UCaaS

6.10 Vo5G Trialand Development

6.11 Vo5G Value Chain Analysis

6.11.1 5G NR Infrastructure Providers

6.11.2 VoLTE and IMS Infrastructure Suppliers

6.11.3 Enabling Technology Providers

6.11.4 5G Device OEMs

6.11.5 Deployment and Test, Roaming, and Billing Service Providers

Story continues

6.11.6 Mobile Operators

7. Vo5G Vendor and Service Provider Analysis

7.1 CISCO Systems Inc.

7.2 Nokia Networks

7.3 Ericsson AB

7.4 Qualcomm Incorporated

7.5 Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

7.6 Intel Corporation

7.7 AT&T Inc.

7.8 SK Telecom Co. Ltd.

7.9 Verizon Communications

7.10 China Mobile

7.11 NTT DoCoMo Inc.

7.12 Vodafone

7.13 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

7.14 LG Electronics Inc.

7.15 T-Mobile US Inc.

7.16 KT Corporation

7.17 NEC Corporation

7.18 Fujitsu Ltd.

7.19 ZTE Corporation

7.20 Deutsche Telekom AG

7.21 Broadcom Corporation

7.22 LG Uplus Corp.

7.23 SingTel

7.24 Telefonica

7.25 HPE

7.26 VMware Inc.

7.27 MediaTek Inc.

7.28 Juniper Networks Inc.

7.29 Analog Devices Inc.

7.30 MACOM Technology

7.31 Orange S.A.

7.32 Cavium

7.33 Qorvo Inc.

8. Vo5G Market Analysis and Forecasts 2020-2025

8.1 Global Vo5G Market 2020-2025

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Global Voice over 5G Market Outlook Report, 2020-2025: Vo5G in SmartPhones, Wearable Tech, IoT, Virtual Reality, Telepresence, Robotics, and...