Monthly Archives: January 2022

In virtual-reality gym, worlds of gaming and exercise collide

Take a peek at the future of fitness with KTVU's Henry Lee who got a workout at a virtual reality gym in San Francisco.

KTVU crime reporter Henry Lee got a chance to experience a virtual-reality gym in San Francisco the other day.

"I dont know whats real anymore!" he said, waving his hands while appearing discombobulated in a VR headset.

An explanation might be in order.

Henrys assignment was to visit the Black Box Virtual Reality Gym on Market Street in San Francisco. He met up with general manager Javi Garza.

"We are the worlds first reality gym. So basically were combining VR and gaming with serious fitness," Garza said.

That got Henry worried, as he usually deals with real-life news. Hes not a gamer, and he says hes not "seriously fit."

"We know traditional gyms are not for everybody. It can feel like a chore," Garza said.

Thats certainly true for Henry. But for this assignment, he got ready. Before dawn, he did some cardio with his wife at home.

He also decided to create his makeshift VR squat by donning a sleep mask, his sons earmuffs and his DVR remote. (Henry asks that you please excuse his form.)

He also did some running. "Boy! This is some hard work," he said while hoofing it on a hill.

But it turns out, this gym isnt about cardio but rather resistance training and muscle endurance. And everythings specially tailored for you.

"Our workouts, theyre very unique and are customized to each individual persons threshold," Garza said.

Even if Black Boxs motto is "you are the hero" you dont have to be a hero.

Henry has seen videos online in which people wearing VR headsets fall flat on their faces.

Henry asked Garza, "So you dont think Im going to fall why not?"

"No, because the room is perfectly scaled, so you know where you have to go to," Garza replied.

And then, it was time to strap on.

"Boy, I feel like a superhero already," Henry said after attaching special sensors on his arms.

"Very Wonder Woman-esque," Garza said.

It was surreal.

"Where did everyone go?" Henry exclaimed. "This is, this is like the Matrix. This is, this is - where did you guys go? Hold on, is this even a real bottle?" he asked grasping at what looked like a tangible bottle.

"No," Garza said, laughing.

Henry said he could feel his Hokas sneakers, but it was more like hocus-pocus, because he couldnt see his shoes through the headset.

He was connected to a surround-sound personal training system, an automated cable pulley machine.

He did rows. Chest presses. And squats. (Again, please excuse his form.)

But in the VR world, he was breaking through gates, destroying the enemy crystal and earning points. He was racking up gamer cred and feeling it in his muscles.

"Its like an alternate universe," Henry said once he took off the gear.

"Yeah, I think thats the whole purpose behind Black Box VR," said Garcia. We want you to be so immersed in what youre doing that youre forgetting that youre exercising."

That certainly happened. Henry admitted that he was a little scared at first, but in reality, he had a blast.

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In virtual-reality gym, worlds of gaming and exercise collide - KTVU San Francisco

If you are looking for a thought-provoking, sci fi mystery, slightly uncomfortable experience, you do not want to miss The Weekend Theater's production of THE NETHER, running through February 6th, at 1001 W 7th Street, in Little Rock. Winner of the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, THE NETHER, written by Jennifer Haley, is set in the very-near future (Metaverse is being created as we speak) where virtual reality is a full-sensory environment and can be used to fulfill the user's deepest desires.

"I was interested in morality in virtual reality and whether forms of morality should be governed, especially [when] virtual reality became closer to feeling real; and then as I wrote the play it really became an exploration of intimacy in virtual reality," Haley said in an interview on indiegamereview.com.

Before proceeding, I want to warn you that this show is for mature audiences only.

Directed by Chris Klinger, THE NETHER opens with Sims/Papa (Paul Bowling), the creator of The Hideaway, being questioned by Investigator Morris (Virginia Hirsch) about where the server that runs The Hideaway is located, with intentions of shutting it down due to the nature of the world Sims created. What kind of world is it you ask? One where you can act out pedophilia and then become an axe murderer. According to Sims, everyone is consenting adults and says that it is better to act out these desires in The Nether instead of the real world. Morris is, of course, concerned that acting out these desires in The Nether has some serious consequences in the real world. Morris also interviews Mr. Doyle (Byron Taylor) and tries to get him to give up information on Sims.

At The Hideaway, most people are interested in Iris (Heather Hooten), a nine-year-old girl who is an employee of The Hideaway and encourages people to perform their darkest inclinations. Undercover, Mr. Woodnut (Alan Malcolm) befriends Iris while proceeding with the program. Throughout the play, the interlocking relationships become more complicated and feelings are examined.

THE NETHER is designed to leave you asking questions about what is right and wrong. Is it right or wrong to govern and prosecute on the internet if the immoral acts are only virtual with consenting adults? What about privacy? Is it right or wrong to hunt these immoral people down in real life when they were under the impression that their activities were private? How far should the government snoop into the privacy of others on the internet? On a more personal level, how do you navigate feelings online? Can your intimacy needs be met in The Nether? Should you act out immoral acts in The Nether just because you can?

Performance wise, after getting past the feeling that I really should not like this play, I applaud The Weekend Theater players. They did a fantastic job of storytelling. I was shocked, I was intrigued, and I had real feelings for these characters. I will remember this experience for a long time.

For tickets to see THE NETHER, check out their website at https://www.weekendtheater.org or visit https://centralarkansastickets.com/organizations/the-weekend-theater. For the Playbill, go to https://www.playbillder.com/show/vip/The_Weekend_Theater/2022/The_Nether_107496.

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BWW Review: THE NETHER at The Weekend Theater explores the darker side of virtual reality - Broadway World

In 2007, Mengtai Zhang spent a month in one of Chinas infamous internet addiction camps.

The Chinese government, which deemed internet addiction as a public health crisis in the early 2000s, treated the so-called electric heroin and spiritual opium of video games in a way that bordered on the inhumane and cruel, according to Zhang.

In my experience there were a lot of crazy things going on, and while I was there, I didnt think they were really doing research about internet addiction, he said. I think if my parents knew that, they wouldnt have sent me there.

Zhang, whose parents determined he was a teenage internet addict who needed help, felt many of the kids who were sent to these camps were not addicted to the internet, but were using it to escape turbulent family dynamics.

In my own experience, my parents had been fighting for a divorce for quite a long time, and while I was in the camp, I met many patients who also experienced family conflicts.

This was one of the issues Zhang wanted to bring to light with Diagnosia, an immersive virtual reality documentary that is part of the 2022 Sundance Film Festivals New Frontier program.

Ive had this idea since 2018, he said. When news about gaming disorder had been recognized as a formal mental disorder by WHO, I was pretty shocked, because I saw this as not quite a mental disorder.

So Zhang decided to not only reflect on his own experience, but also do his own research about internet addiction in China and around the world.

His first project was an animated two-video installation that told his experience in an abstract way, said Lemon Guo, lead artist, producer, composer and sound designer of Diagnosia. It was based on his experience, but more in line with a short story about a man escaping from an addiction camp.

That video still contained immersive elements, according to Zhang.

The audience was sandwiched between two large screens, and they could walk around and decide what they wanted to look at, he said. I kept that idea in mind about the immersive and how to allow people to experience it from a first-person perspective.

The next interaction of the project was a web-based VR experience.

People could log in and write about how they felt about the internet, he said. It was a short experience, so we decided to develop it more.

Sponsorship from the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in 2021 gave Zhang and Guo the boost needed to make Diagnosia into a full virtual reality experience.

We also got additional funding from a New York organization called Wave Farm, so we were able to have some more help on the coding and 3D modeling, Guo said.

The two, with the help of programmer Ethan Edwards, who helped with the coding, finished the project in 2021, in time to premiere it at IDFA.

Zhang and Guo worked through many challenges to get Dianosia to IDFA.

A huge undertaking was writing the story, Guo said.

In 2018 Mengtai wrote a memoir that detailed his entire experience in the camp, she said. So we started there.

Zhang also wanted viewers to have a comfortable VR experience.

People who dont have a lot of experience with VR might get motion sickness, he said. So we tried to limit the duration of each segment to 20 or 30 minutes. And me and Lemon spent a lot of time deciding what parts went where.

That meant we had to boil down a whole month of the camp into 30-minute stories, Guo said. One challenge for VR is you cannot cut between scenes the same way you do with film. We had to figure out how to build a limited number of scenes and have things happen within the scenes.

The two also had to learn how to code.

There is a lot of coding, but fortunately we had Ethan, who joined later on who helped us crack some of the difficult parts, Guo said.

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New Frontier virtual reality experience is based on creator's monthlong incarceration in an internet addiction camp - The Park Record

ATLANTA, Jan. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With a large market to tap into, providing AR experiences can be a competitive edge in many industries. The improving technology also stands to allow for greater efficiency in the workplace. Experts at MobiDev looked at some of the augmented reality trends driving innovation in 2022.

Trend 1 Healthcare and Augmented Reality

With the continued restrictions associated with Covid-19, the use of augmented reality solutions is becoming increasingly important to address issues such as the complexity of remote patient support and the increased burden on hospitals. This includes both telesurgery solutions and mental health apps that are helping people to maintain psychological balance during these difficult times.

Trend 2 Powering Indoor and Outdoor Navigation

AR navigationhas become more fluid and achievable than ever before. Most importantly, the rise of technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) antennas, Wi-Fi RTT and ultra wideband (UWB) make indoor navigation much more viable than in previous years. One of the most useful applications of this technology is for displaying AR directions in large indoor locations like distribution centers, shopping malls, and airports.

Trend 3 Augmented Reality and Remote Assistance

According to Owl Labs, in 2020 nearly 70% of workers in the U.S. working full time, work from home with video conferencing being the lifeblood of telework. However, we lose an entire dimension of context, moving into two dimensional space instead of three - augmented reality software can help at least partially restore that lost dimension of space back into the conversation.

Trend 4 The Metaverse, Live Events, and Social Upheaval

The concept of the Metaverse and upheaval of digital communication with extended reality space has been around for some time. Although the metaverse is very focused on VR spaces, the movement will likely transform AR's use in businessand consumer contexts as well.

Trend 5 AR In Education

AR in education simplifies the perception of information and leverages technology to enable teachers to demonstrate virtual examples and gamify the learning process. This increases student engagement and speeds up the process of mastering the materials. Augmented reality based apps can also give students access to unique learning environments that are difficult or even dangerous to experience in real life without proper preparation.

More detailed information about Augmented Retail Technology Trends in 2022 can be found at:

https://mobidev.biz/blog/augmented-reality-trends-future-ar-technologies

MobiDev is a US/Ukraine software engineering company focused on helping visionaries create their products. The company invests into technology research and has years of experience building AI-powered solutions, implementing machine learning, augmented reality, and IoT.

Media contact:

Nana Hrytsenko

328161@email4pr.com

888-380-0276

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mobidev-listed-top-5-augmented-reality-trends-of-2022-301465786.html

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MobiDev Listed Top 5 Augmented Reality Trends of 2022 | National News | kpvi.com - KPVI News 6

Traci and Dave Gagnon met in the cloud, so it only made sense that their wedding took place in it. On Labor Day weekend, the couple -- or rather, their digital avatars -- held a ceremony staged by Virbela, a company that builds virtual environments for work, learning and events.

Traci Gagnon's avatar was walked down the aisle by the avatar of her close friend. Dave Gagnon's avatar watched as his buddy's avatar ambled up to the stage and delivered a toast. And 7-year-old twin avatars (the ring bearer and flower girl) danced at the reception.

How the immersive virtual world known as the metaverse, which few of us understand, will change the traditional wedding is, at the moment, anyone's guess. But the possibilities of having an event unfettered by the bounds of reality are interesting enough to consider.

Because of the covid-19 pandemic, technology is already being incorporated into ceremonies more than ever. Zoom weddings have taken place, and some in-person ceremonies now feature a livestream component for guests who cannot be there. Last year, a couple whose wedding was canceled because of the pandemic staged a (nonlegal) ceremony within Animal Crossing, a popular video game.

CURRENTLY NOT LEGAL

Like a ceremony within a video game, any weddings that occur solely in the metaverse are currently not legal. (Even virtual weddings by video conference, which many states allowed during the height of the pandemic shutdowns, have since been outlawed in New York state and elsewhere.) Still, the metaverse will take these virtual celebrations much, much further, experts say, and offer almost boundless possibilities to couples.

"There are no limitations," said Sandy Hammer, a founder of Allseated, which creates digital planning tools for weddings. The company is investing in the metaverse by creating virtual versions of real-world event spaces like the Plaza Hotel in New York. "If you really want to do something different, in the metaverse you might as well let your creativity go wild."

Think guest lists that number in the thousands. Gift registries that feature NFTs, or nonfungible tokens. Maybe even destination weddings in space.

"They're going to take their friends on a space rocket," Hammer said, adding that she envisions wedding parties globe-trotting virtually. "A bride can transport her guests into the metaverse: 'I want my morning session to be in Italy, my evening session to be in Paris.'"

'ADD WHIMSY AND FANTASY'

Nathalie Cadet-James, a wedding planner and designer based in Miami, is approaching the metaverse with "a beginner's mind of excitement," and trying to anticipate how her role will change. "I think my role might be more like a producer or film director," Cadet-James said. "I could create a set that I've enhanced. Flowers might come out of the ground as you're walking into the space. I would add whimsy and fantasy to it -- because we could."

Of course, this would require the skills of a software engineer, a role not in any typical wedding budget at the moment.

The Gagnons had a hybrid wedding of sorts. The two were married in person Sept. 4 at Atkinson Resort & Country Club in New Hampshire, where they live, in a ceremony officiated by David Oleary, a friend and colleague of theirs ordained by the Universal Life Church, while simultaneously hosting a virtual ceremony in Virbela.

They livestreamed their nuptials for those who could not be there in person. Guests of the virtual ceremony attended via computer, which required downloading software and then creating an avatar.

Traci Gagnon, 52, and her husband, 60, work as agents at eXp Realty. The brokerage has embraced virtual work and the metaverse and is part of eXp World Holdings, which also owns Virbela.

MET AT A COMPANY EVENT

Before the couple met in person, their avatars met at a company event in Las Vegas in 2015. And when they announced their engagement in 2019, their co-workers offered to remake Virbela's cloud campus into a wedding venue, free of charge. (Traci Gagnon estimated that it would have cost $30,000 had they paid for it; representatives for Virbela declined to disclose a price for the event.)

The Gagnons sent pictures of themselves and their wedding decor to Virbela's events team and software engineers, who incorporated personalized details like bird of paradise flowers and images of their in-person venue into the virtual ceremony.

"They were able to take my wedding dress and customize it, and take a little flower halo and put it on my hair," Traci Gagnon said.

Patrick Perry, director of event sales and partnerships for Virbela, said the cost of holding an event in the metaverse "depends on what you want," adding, "if there's an engineer building out an MGM ballroom or something of that nature, then the cost goes up," ranging from a few thousand dollars to well over $10,000.

'MORE PLUG AND PLAY'

But, Perry said, as the metaverse gets built out, "there's going to be more plug and play assets." Wedding couples will be able to select from pre-designed venues, flowers, tablescapes, dresses, musical entertainment and other elements.

Virbela was designed to be an immersive platform for organizations to host events and build a sense of community in the metaverse. But users have asked the company to host graduations, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other celebrations. Lately, Perry said, Virbela has started to explore the wedding market and is in the planning stages with a few couples.

Hammer said Allseated has not yet worked with a couple interested in having a wedding that only takes place in the metaverse. In addition to the legality of such a ceremony, a hybrid event like the Gagnons' is "much more in-demand and realistic," she said, "because couples want both in-person and virtual experiences."

THE CONNECTION IT OFFERED

For Traci Gagnon, who hired two videographers, one to capture the in-person event and another to simulcast the ceremony to the cloud, the whole point of the metaverse element was the connection it offered.

Her maid of honor, who is ill, was still able to walk her down the aisle, if virtually. And Dave Gagnon's friend, who was unable to attend because his wife has pre-existing health conditions, could deliver his toast. The experience of moving through a virtual world as an avatar -- a kind of idealized version of yourself -- creates a more immersive, emotionally satisfying experience than Zoom, Traci Gagnon said.

"There is a different level of connection" with the metaverse, she said.

Being a metaverse bride had other benefits, too.

"I'm always a size 4, even in January," she said, laughing. "And I never have a bad hair day."

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Virtual reality: Getting married in the metaverse - Arkansas Online

The projects came together over Zoom, primarily last year during the pandemic. Despite the challenging circumstances, the students, all of whom are from China, found it incredibly enriching.

Prior to this project, I had no work experience. Working on this project felt like working in a real company, said student, Chenyue Hu.

Another student, Vera Wang, said the project gave her the confidence to interview for jobs in her home country, China, once she completes her degree.

It gave me a better idea of how to interact with potential future colleagues especially as we collaborated online which made it extra hard. she said.

Ms Venkataramani said they students grew both personally and professionally from the projects.

They went from being reticent to talk to the client to having smooth interactions, she said.

On a professional level, the students learned to use Unity a very current cross-platform game engine, which she said will make them highly employable.

Mr Rouse agreed, noting he was impressed by how the students navigated several steep learning curves improving their English, mastering the use of new technologies, and working as a team for the first time.

After we first met with the students, I was concerned that they hadnt grasped the project outline. They were quite quiet, he said. By the end of the project, however, his chief sense was gratitude: he even gave the students certificates of completion and reference letters.

The projects are currently being refined by the Universitys TechLab team for compatibility with latest VR headsets, as well as scalability. They are due to be rolled out by Youth Justice NSW shortly.

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IT students help train custodial staff using virtual reality - News - The University of Sydney

A new virtual-reality experience brings to life the wreck of a WWII Japanese submarine that almost met its demise twice; after the Allies sank it in 1942, the sub was then bombed with explosives 30 years later by an angry salvager who wanted its scrap metal. The VR video is based on a recent survey of the site.

The wreck of the I-124 submarine, on the seafloor about 50 nautical miles (90 kilometers) northwest of the Australian city of Darwin, is protected as a war grave roughly 80 crewmen were on board when it was sunk by Allied forces in 1942.

That designation means that most divers are forbidden from visiting the wreck, with such access being strictly controlled; so the new VR experience is a rare chance for people to see what the wreck now looks like, maritime archaeologist John McCarthy of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, said in a statement.

Related: Photos: WWI-era German submarine wreck discovered off Scotland coast

Versions of the new video are available on YouTube in English and Japanese, as historical interest in the wreck is especially strong in Australia and Japan, according to the statement. Both recordings can be viewed with VR headsets, or as "immersive video" on flatscreen devices, such as computer monitors and smartphones.

"Drawing on our data, and historic ship plans and photographs, we've created a virtual dive experience in which the video takes the viewer through the data gathering process, and then takes you down into the deep, to experience the wreck firsthand," McCarthy said.

I-124 was built in the late 1920s for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was one of a new class of submarines based on a German Type UB III U-boat that had been given to Japan as part of reparations after WWI.

During WWII, I-124 was active off the coast of Darwin, laying mines and raiding enemy ships. But Allied code breakers intercepted its radio signals back to Japan, leading Australian warships to track it down on Jan. 20, 1942 almost exactly 80 years ago.

Related: What is the oldest-known archaeological site in the world?

A fierce battle ensued, including a near-miss of an Australian minesweeper, His Majesty's Australian Ship (HMAS) Deloraine, by one of the sub's torpedoes. But I-124 was badly damaged by depth-charges from the warships and an aerial bomb from an Australian warplane. The submarine then sank to the bottom with all its crew on board.

But the story doesn't end there. According to a 1990 historical report at the Western Australian Maritime Museum, salvagers from the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) discovered the wreck of I-124 in 1972 after a six-week search.

Although the Japanese government considered the wreck a war grave, the salvagers hoped to sell anything they recovered from the wreck, reportedly for up to 2.5 million Australian dollars about $10 million in today's money.

In 1977, after it had become clear that Japan didn't want the wreck disturbed, one of the salvagers bombed it with explosives in an attempt to force a negotiation, severely damaging its conning tower, according to the report.

Later that year, the wreck of I-124 was secured by the Australian Navy and the site was protected as a war grave under Australian law the first wreck so designated.

Maritime archaeologists have monitored the wreck since then, and the new VR is based on a remote sonar survey conducted at the site in October 2021 by a team including McCarthy, other scientists and the crew of the Australian Institute of Marine Science research ship Solander, according to the statement.

"The archaeological survey shows that the wreck is in good condition, but with some signs of degradation of the outer hull that require further investigation," McCarthy said.

Diving to the wreck is difficult at the best of times. According to the VR, it lies on the seafloor in an area with poor visibility and strong tides. It sits at a depth of about 150 feet (45 meters), so divers using regular breathing gases can stay there only for a few minutes at a time.

As a result, the Heritage branch of Australia's Northern Territory regional government is planning a technical dive to the wreck, using advanced breathing gases to let divers stay there much longer, in order to conduct an in-depth visual and photographic survey, the narration of the VR reported.

Originally published on Live Science.

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Japanese submarine, sunk in WWII and later bombed by salvager, is VR ready - Livescience.com