Category Archives: Virtual Reality

To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

In 2017, I took a trip to Paris, where I greedily took in as much art as I could. In one of the cavernous chambers of the ornate Muse dOrsay was the van Gogh exhibition, his framed works (Starry Night Over the Rhne, Bedroom in Arles, The Church at Auvers, a number of his self-portraits) set against a brazen sapphire background rather than the usual chaste white museum walls.

Ive had a poster of Starry Night, gifted to me by a college friend, since my undergraduate dorm days. It hangs framed in my bedroom today. At Muse dOrsay I stared at his restless skies and fields, stood for long stretches in front of his self-portraits, rooted in place by the depth of his gaze. And I cried suddenly, violently. I rushed out. I had never before had such a fierce reaction to a painting, and I have never again since.

What does it mean to build intimacy with an artist even one separated by over a century of history? And can an artists work be reimagined to give an audience in modern times an even more intimate contemporary relationship with the art?

These questions occurred to me as I visited the two competing immersive van Gogh exhibitions in Manhattan, Immersive Van Gogh at Pier 36 on the East River and Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience at Skylight on Vesey. Unlike my emotional high at Muse dOrsay, these shows left me feeling largely indifferent; in fact, the strongest reaction I had was an alarming sense of intrusion and a disingenuous connection with the artist and his work.

Immersive art installations and especially immersive theater trigger my sense of play and activate both the critic and artist in me. Theres a large difference between art conceived to be immersive, though, and art strong-armed into an immersive medium.

But first there was a beautiful translation of van Gogh: The entry ceiling of Pier 36, an imaginative 3-D recreation of Starry Night by the designer David Korins, featuring thousands of painted brushes, felt like a beautiful homage an artist taking on another artist in a work that invites a new perspective, channeling the original works style and motifs without aiming to be an exact reproduction.

And yet that just was an appetizer to the main show, a series of connected rooms where people lie and sit and stand watching a video of van Goghs works projected in all corners of the room, and that left me numb. And what got to me wasnt the young women posing for selfies or the older tourists lounging as if at a beach or the restless children scurrying around and climbing on Korinss large abstract monuments, their reflective surfaces catching all the sunflowers and stars Ive encountered much of the same in traditional museum exhibitions of van Goghs work.

It was the brevity of the paintings in the video sequence how quickly they appeared and disappeared. And it was the animations his mighty cypresses manifesting like apparitions from the mist so that the magic of the work is rendered literally. Theres no room for subtlety or implication here. The beauty of being swallowed by projections of van Goghs multicolored fields was subdued by the sloppiness of the translation. I stood off to one side to examine the projections and lost the resolute brush strokes and tiny gradients of color in the fuzziness of the digitization.

I quickly realized that for a good number of those in the audience, those details didnt matter. The goal was to use the art as a backdrop for a kind of theatrical experience.

It was precisely this experience that made me uneasy. How do you make theater out of art that is so explicitly contained and individual to van Goghs perspective? Despite all the color and character in his work, it would be inaccurate to restyle his paintings as scenery on the quasi-stages that these exhibitions create for audiences to explore not as admirers but active participants.

No matter how many times I toured the chambers, I had the itching sense that it was dishonest to expand a 2 by 3 foot painting to fit the horizons of a 75,000-square-foot space. The images are expanded and duplicated to create a repetitive panoramic. But theres a reason for the size of the original work; what the painter wanted to obscure, what parts of the world were allowed to see and what were left to imagine. A painting hanging on a museum wall is a declarative statement, the artist saying, Heres a piece of a world of color, style and form that Ive given you.

To try to introduce new depth and interactivity in the artists work is to imply that van Goghs originals his brush strokes, his swaying fields and torrents of blues or the bowing heads of his oleanders didnt breathe.

The van Gogh show at Vesey similarly used projections along with 3-D deconstructions of his paintings, and I felt more at ease with these impressive life-size recreations of works like Bedroom in Arles in an exhibition that styled itself a virtual museum. But my eyes glossed over the canvas reproductions of the work, so inferior to the real thing: The colors were dull, the textures nonexistent, and the fibers of the canvas shone artificially in the exhibit light.

Not the van Gogh works I remember but at least here was the art, standing still and on its own, and without interruption. And here was the artist a timeline of his life, blurbs about his career.

However, I found the final part of the exhibition a journey via virtual reality headset through some of the landscapes on which his paintings were based off-putting. In this digital world I floated through van Goghs house, then out into the street among people milling around, working and chatting. Every once in a while a frame would appear in front of my field of vision, and the scene would transform, to match its painted counterpart. Were meant to see the difference between the real world and van Goghs world as seen by a mind-reading illustrator. But can any scenic designer really step into the artists shoes? Are some chambers in the impenetrable mind of an artist better left untouched?

Of course theres no way to resurrect the artist, not through the Vesey van Gogh recreation of his world, nor the Pier 36 exhibition (which also offers an A.I. van Gogh who will write you a letter; an algorithm recycles words and phrases from his real-life letters and delivers them in his own handwriting).

In search of the real van Gogh, I made my first post-pandemic museum outing to the Met. I spent several minutes mesmerized by the wild, almost sensual, twists and curls of the dark leaves in Cypresses, in contrast to the powdery blues and whimsical pinks pirouetting in the sky. A group of eager art students in cutoff jeans and Doc Martens gushed about what theyd learned from Wheat Field With Cypresses while I studied the paintings sea-green bush leaning to the left as though eavesdropping on a conversation outside of the frame.

As I spent time with Self-Portrait With a Straw Hat, I heard someone behind me say, What a sad little man. And of course they were right. The paintings fleshy pinks and reds give it a more bodily emphasis than his signature cool blue observation of the natural world. The same sunny yellows and fern greens that look unassuming in his coat and hat make his face look sickly and jaundiced.

What a sad little man yes, van Goghs personal story is a large part of what we relate to, and especially as we come out of a year and a half of pandemic: his life of hardship, including isolation and depression. And, in his case, there was also poverty and ultimately suicide. The van Gogh I met in Paris made me cry, not only because of the beauty of the work but also because I related to his insecurity and self-doubt, his struggle with mental illness. The myth of the tortured artist is so seductive, I clung to it for dear life.

But what the two van Gogh immersive exhibitions made me realize is how I also made unfounded presumptions of the artist and his work in 2017. I can never pretend to understand the way he thought and saw the world. I only know what Ive read, and thats not enough to comprehend the entirety of a life. What I do know is the way his works tap something beautiful and unfathomable in me the critic, the art-lover, the poet. Because at the end of the day, we cant pretend to know van Gogh, just like we cant pretend his work can be projected on walls as though its the same experience. All we have are the paintings in the frames, but those nights, those cypresses, those sunflowers theyre more than enough on their own.

Read the rest here:

Paintings, Projections, V.R. Starry Nights: Can We Ever Know van Gogh? - The New York Times

New 5G testbeds designed for military experiments with augmented reality and virtual realityor AR and VRtraining applications are beginning to be deployed by Samsung and GBL Systems Corporation at U.S. Army bases.

Officials from both companies briefed Nextgov via email on this in-the-works exploration of next-generation connection capabilities and enabled devices, which marks one piece of the recently unveiled Pentagon-led initiative to award $600 million in contracts to test 5G.

The system was pre-assembled in Samsungs Dallas facility in May and June for some initial verification testing, GBL Systems CEO Jim Buscemi explained Tuesday. The testbeds will be across three locations.

This platform to try out emerging technologies stems from an effort launched by the Defense Department last October. Through it, multiple Pentagon components are working with industry to trial out 5G for smart warehouses, AR and VR, and more at installations spanning multiple military bases. GBL and Samsung were contracted to support one of the largest projects among those selected. DODs release at the time noted that their testbeds would utilize mid-band spectrum to provide high capacity, low latency coverage for an effort centered around Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

The first deployment of the testbeds unfolded in a Florida-based U.S. Army lab at the end of June, Buscemi confirmed.

We expect to have it ready for USG testing by August, he said. Then we will add testing in the field at U.S. Army training bases early next year.

Samsung is providing devices and some of its products to enable the private network, including Galaxy 5G mobile units and a cloud-native 5G standalone core. Simultaneously, GBL is delivering testbed prototype creation and technology integration, as well as working to ensure alignment with DODs complex requirements. The companies are collectively offering system integration.

The AR/VR Goggles are government-furnished equipment and driven by various mobile devices, including Samsung Galaxy 5G devices, Samsung Networks Division Head of Marketing and 5G Business Development Derek Johnston said.

VR places a physical presence in virtual worlds, while AR merges the real world with virtual objects or assets. Both are among the earliest use cases to explore the advantages that 5G capabilities can offer. Johnston noted that their ability to deliver immersive trainingand provide enhanced situational awareness or critical real-time datahas already been proven in commercial markets, like field operations.

Via this testing process, DOD will work with the companies to demonstrate and verify a secure and scalable 5G network thats explicitly intended for AR- and VR-based mission planning and training.

Officials hope to pave the way for tech-boosted, simulated scenarios that will improve the performance of military personnel equipped with the 5G-enabled equipment.

Army trainees who pilot some of the anticipated technology down the line will see enhanced digital imagery overlaid on their view of the live environment, providing real-time information of their surroundings, according to Buscemi. By viewing simulated combat entities through the goggles, soldiers could ideally gain more realistic learning experience.

This 5G testing and experimentation will strengthen the nations warfighting capabilities, as well as U.S. economic competitiveness in this critical field, Buscemi said.

Read more:

Military Kicks Off Deployment of 5G Testbeds for Augmented and Virtual Reality - Nextgov

Adept XR, a Glimpse subsidiary company, partners with Edstutia to Launch Immersive VR Campus for Higher Education

NEW YORK, NY, July 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Adept XR, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Glimpse Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRAR; Glimpse), and a provider of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) corporate learning and training software & services solutions, today announced a multiyear, six figure software license and services relationship with online modular higher education alternative company, Edstutia.

By leveraging Adept XRs (https://adeptxr.com/) VR software platform - Elevate - Edstutia plans to build a unique, first of its kind, immersive VR campus to enhance learning experiences, presentations, classroom discussions, as well as immersive video road trips and simulations. The first VR campus is scheduled to launch in Edstutias Fall semester on October 2021.

I believe VR and AR will completely reshape how people learn, said Edstutia Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Christine Janssen, PhD. The immersive experiences that Adept XR creates revolutionize traditional learning in a classroom, which typically rely on passive and remote learning.

Dr. Janssen continued, I have worked with Glimpse in different professional capacities over the last two years and experienced first-hand the power of Adept XRs Elevate VR platform for classroom engagement. The capabilities and possibilities that VR opens to improving the student experience and educational impact are incredible.

Lyron Bentovim, Chief Executive Officer of The Glimpse Group, commented, Edstutia is at the forefront leveraging technology and experiential learning to disrupt traditional antiquated learning methods in higher education. We are excited to partner with Christine and Edstutia to help them achieve their goal of building a next generation, first-of-its-kind, virtual campus for higher learning. Glimpse continues to work with several other universities on the application of VR and AR to improve the learning experience.

Story continues

About Adept XR

Adept Reality, LLC (dba Adept XR), a subsidiary company of the AR/VR company The Glimpse Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRAR) combines learning science, cutting edge technology, and a unique position in the VR industry to bring amazing solutions to todays toughest learning challenges. Adept XR offers immersive learning solutions for both higher education, and corporate training; http://www.adeptxr.com

About Edstutia:

Edstutia is a learning platform for the 21st century, disrupting the antiquated status quo of higher education. Edstutia is an online, modular education alternative positioned at the intersection of business and technology, and was designed to make higher education more relevant, affordable, and accessible. Experiential learning is at the heart of Edstutia from engaging, hands-on projects to a contemporary apprenticeship program to immersive experiences in the worlds first campus in virtual reality. Edstutia promotes skills over scores and was developed to address the skills gap in the U.S. by bringing value to students, employees and employers alike.

Edstutia was founded in December 2020 in New York City by Christine Janssen, PhD, who has nearly two decades of relevant experience and has earned various awards for her future-forward vision of Higher Education. For more information, visit http://edstutia.com

About The Glimpse Group, Inc.

The Glimpse Group (NASDAQ: VRAR) is a diversified Virtual and Augmented Reality platform company, comprised of multiple VR and AR software & services companies, and designed with the specific purpose of cultivating companies in the emerging VR/AR industry. Glimpse's unique business model simplifies challenges faced by VR/AR companies and creates a robust ecosystem, while simultaneously providing investors an opportunity to invest directly into the emerging VR/AR industry via a diversified platform. For more information on The Glimpse Group, please visit http://www.theglimpsegroup.com

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to buy any securities of any entity. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, should, and would or similar words. All forecasts are provided by management in this release are based on information available at this time and management expects that internal projections and expectations may change over time. In addition, the forecasts are entirely on managements best estimate of our future financial performance given our current contracts, current backlog of opportunities and conversations with new and existing customers about our products and services. We assume no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Company Contact:Maydan RothblumCFO & COOThe Glimpse Group, Inc.(917) 292-2685maydan@theglimpsegroup.com

Investor Relations:Mark Schwalenberg, CFADirectorMZ Group North America312-261-6430Glimpse@mzgroup.uswww.mzgroup.us

The rest is here:

The Glimpse Group Announces Multiyear Virtual Reality Software License and Services Partnership with Edstutia - Yahoo Finance

The Bath fire and rescue department is one of four emergency medical service departments in the state that will participate in a pilot virtual reality training program to hone first responders skills in recognizing and treating severe illnesses in kids.

During the training, first responders wear virtual reality goggles that lead them through scenarios in which a child is in distress. Its the medical professionals job to assess the patients symptoms and determine whats wrong by observing whats in front of them and select the appropriate treatment. The virtual childs condition, such as their coloring or respiratory rate, could change based on the paramedics assessment.

Bath Fire and Rescue Chief Lawrence Renaud said the program is a step above in-person training because the virtual children can mimic the symptoms of various health issues and respond to treatment whereas live children or mannequins couldnt.

This virtual reality simulates the appearance of the child and allows us to examine and assess them in ways we never could, said Renaud. Its hard to train on real pediatrics because not many parents are willing to volunteer their children for us to train on. I think this is going to be the future and were very excited to be part of this process.

Renaud said it also allows paramedics to train by experiencing realistic situations rather than sitting in a classroom or watching a video.

Children cry, thats their universal language, and paramedics have to stay calm in those high-stress situations, said Renaud. We dont want to make someone elses crisis our crisis. We want to improve any situation we walk into.

York Hospital, Rockland Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, and Wells Emergency Medical Services are also participating in the pilot training program, offered by Maine Emergency Medical Services, a division of the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Maine EMS developed the program through federal funding making it free for the departments that choose to participate. Maine is also the first state in the nation to deploy emergency medical services training using virtual reality, according to Maine EMS Director Sam Hurley.

The training simulations focus on pediatric patients because emergency calls for children are so infrequent, meaning first responders can fall out of practice on how to respond when it counts.

Renaud estimated the departments 12 paramedics and 12 advanced emergency medical service officers responded to about 2,500 calls in 2020, but fewer than five involved children.

Statewide, about 5% of emergency calls are for pediatric patients, meaning theyre considered low frequency, high risk, said Hurley.

Statewide, about 10% of services didnt see a pediatric patient at all last year, said Maine EMS for Children Program Director Marc Minkler. That leaves an entire year when a clinician didnt assess a child. We want people to stay fresh so theyre ready to respond when a child needs help. No parent wants to hear This is the first child Ive treated in a while. Parents want someone whos ready to offer their best care.

When the Bath fire and rescue department does get pediatric calls, Renaud said theyre most commonly an allergic reaction to a bee sting, or a child mistakenly ingested chemicals or prescription medications.

Statewide, Minkler said the most common 911 calls for children stem from respiratory distress, seizures and psychiatric calls, which can be anything from anxiety to attempted suicide.

Renaud said the virtual training works especially well for Baths small personnel high volume department, because it gives them flexibility to train when they can, respond to calls when needed, and resume training later.

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics in Bath will be evaluated by Maine EMS quarterly to evaluate whether the virtual reality training is improving a clinicians ability to identify and manage critically ill pediatric patients, said Hurley.

While the training program only simulates pediatric patients now, Hurley said the department hopes to offer an adult version of the program within the next three months.

Invalid username/password.

Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

Previous

Next

The rest is here:

Bath first responders to get virtual reality training to better care for kids in emergencies - pressherald.com

Um, so I'm Lucianne and I'm an astronomer and I'm here to answer any questions you might have. We can talk about, uh, really whatever you want to talk about.

Cool, youre an astronomer??

Astrophysicist Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz, before COVID time, would spend an occasional hour at the Space Visualization Lab at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. The lab is filled with displays of space images, videos, and interactive displays, all connected to a tablet that the presenting scientist can change easily. Think of it as a dynamic exhibit.

In this lab, every day, different scientists come and engage in Astronomy Conversations. Audiences ask questions and can sometimes determine the path of the conversation. The lab is designed to work for different interests and needs. Some attendees walk around the lab while the scientist is speaking, watch a 3D display of a galaxy; others touch a 3D printed model of a nebula, and some listen to the sound, played from a speaker, of two black holes merging.

The conversations can build a relationship between the scientist and the audience. Dr. Walkowiczs audience asks about the difference between black holes and dark matter or Dr. Walkowiczs opinion about the movie Interstellar. Audiences also get to talk about how they used to come to the planetarium when they were kids. Engaging the public beyond one-way lectures is a science communication strategy that many scientists like Dr. Walkowicz are deploying more and more.

However, the state of science communication has not always focused on engaging people. Instead, imagine walking in museum halls filled with displays of labeled artifacts, where the most engagement you have is, reading the labels or opening drawers to see what is inside! In the 1960s museums began developing more engaging and interactive environments to elicit more critical thinking and encourage the joy of discovery.

A class in mathematical geography studying earth's rotation around the sun, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia, 1899

Via Library of Congress

Sputnik changed things. The launch of the small, beeping satellite by the USSR in 1957 was one of of the main events that garnered more attention to the public education of science. This led to scientists demanding education reform to help train the next generation of scientists, in response to the public demand for more awareness of the space race. So, in 1958 a movement for that reform began to move from more everyday science topic education to more focus on hard sciences, says Dr. Ingrid Ockert, historian of science in media.

One of the most important milestones in science communication post WWII, says Dr. Ockert, was that of John Hopkins Science Review (1948-1955). It was the first science show broadcasted nationally. The show was written, co-written, and hosted by Lynn Poole. Originally an artist and a dancer, Poole became a journalist and eventually Johns Hopkinss director of PR. He not only brought different guests such as doctors, chemists, and engineers for interviews, hed also invited non-scientists such as medical illustrators or animal trainers to talk about scientific topics. This format, and Pooles background, made the show very different from the dry lectures that most people saw science in.

This is particularly important, considering what research tells us about effective communication. For the longest time, scientists thought if they just teach people about science and provide information, audiences are going to be on board. In other words, teaching facts equals changing attitudes and behavior. But if there is one thing we have all learned during the time of COVID is that, facts are not enough.

This model, implying that things will be better after a knowledge gap is fixed is called the deficit model of communication. But facts on their own might fail to change minds, and in some cases, they might even backfire and get the audiences to disagree even more. Engaging an audience, building a relationship and trust with them, telling good stories, and immersing them in a world filled with the appropriate emotions go so much further than just facts can.

Pooles show not only focused on information, but also engaging the audience with science and himself. Later, Watch Mr Wizard (1951) became a hit as a science show in the US aimed at kids. Dr. Ockert notes, this show is specifically aimed at kids becoming excited about science.

In 1962 Rachel Carson published her book, Silent Spring describing the effect of pesticides on nature and bringing to the public topics on environmental concerns. The book, also inspiring a whole episode on CBS, inspired environmental movements and a fight to protect the environment. The Silent Spring, referring to the silencing of more and more birds due to environmental pollution, is one of the factors that lead to the establishment of EPA in 1970.

In 1974 NSF created their first science show, NOVA, a program that highlighted the connection between science and society. NOVA produced a range of videos including interviews with researchers, and explainers of scientific phenomena and discoveries. Today NOVA is the longest-running science series in the US, and has expanded to include short digital videos, a podcast, digital publication, game labs and initiatives to train the next generation of science communicators.

The Launchpad exhibit at the Science Museum, London, 1986-1989

The Science Museum

Around the same time (1973) the 13-part British documentary series Ascent of Man debuted. It provided a new, narrative style used by many other shows to come (like Carl Sagans Cosmos). In the Ascent series, Jacob Bronowski used a personal, more storytelling-approach to take the audience on a journey, answer questions, and get a visual experience on the way. Similarly, Carl Sagan becomes a charismatic scientists that seem to build a relationship with his audience. What makes a scientist trustworthy, in addition to their competence, is their warmth: showing their honesty, friendliness, their ability to respect others, listen to others, and care for them. Sagan, with his genial, neighborly manner, built a trusting relationship with the audience, inspiring generations of scientists to come.

However, through all these years with all the progress, most science communication programming was limited to white male hosts and frequently stereotypical depiction of people of color. In the 1970s, the NSF tried to bring more diverse talent to the screen. One example is the 1980s television science series for children, 3-2-1 Contact! produced by the Childrens Television Workshop (CTW, the same organization behind Sesame Street). Hosted by Lisa (Liz Moses), Marc (Leon W. Grant), and Trini (Ginny Ortiz), Contact! had a different approach from many other shows before, aiming to coax audiences to think like a scientist, says Dr. Ockert.

Contact! has been important in many ways, not only in terms of representation, but also its use of science communication and audience research. CTW had dedicated research teams for each program it produced to conduct audience research. The research team for Contact! (Milton Chen, Hylda Clarke, and Barbara Myerson Katz) assessed childrens preexisting attitudes about science and how they were shaped by films and TV shows, and, childrens bias toward scientists. These assessments were later used when writing the show scripts as researchers had a seat at the production table. Their research went right into childrens homes, according to an an article by Dr. Ockert in Physics Today:

They even had at their disposal a new interactive technology called the Program Evaluation Analysis Computer, a system of individual remotes that children could use to register their likes and dislikes and send them to a central console.

Communication research and scicomm were now firmly linked. These efforts are also reflected in medical fields, where similarly funding is provided by NIH to research projects that examine the effect of science communication tools such as media programming on audiences, patients, or health care professionals.

The original cast of 3-2-1 Contact! From left, Marc (Leon W. Grant), Lisa (Liz Moses), and Trini (Ginny Ortiz)

Screenshot via YouTube

The medical field especially has been integrating science/health communication training in their programming as doctor-patient communication is a part of everyday health practice. Organizations such as The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Sciences provide training for scientists and health professionals through improv and empathy training and many universities offer courses in health communication to their students. Additionally, science communication researchers have also been collaborating with policy-makers to address public health issues, as lately also witnessed in the case of COVID.

In 2021, scicomm is using new technology to involve the audience in storytelling. Two such technologies are AR and VR. Augmented reality (AR), like an Instagram filter, is a more affordable way to help the audience engage with the world around them, because it uses a device they already have in their pocket, says Wes Della Volla, Founder & Connector-of-Dots at Meridian Treehouse. For example, National Geographics Spark AR allows you to see yourself as a climber on Mount Everest. On the other hand, virtual reality (VR) can take you out of your world, and to a place you have never been. That would need a headset and a deeper immersion in the new environment, such as The Hydrous IMMERSE VR .

A more participatory method of engagement in science are citizen science projects. One scientist cant catalog a million pictures on their own, but a million people can, says Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase, co-creator of the Milky Way Project (MWP). While computers are great at many things, they are not so great at recognizing patterns. In the MWP, scientists needed human eyes to look at their thousands of pictures and classify what they see. Over 20,000 volunteers completed more than 4 million classifications over the lifetime of the Milky Way Project. Papers coming out of these projects acknowledge the volunteers, and in some cases even include them as coauthors. Even though citizen science projects have been in place since the 1950s such as the 1956s Operation Moonwatch work to observe and document satellites these projects are now an integral part of modern day scientific research in fields from astronomy to cancer research.

If scicomm has been historically white, social media has been an important platform to go around gatekeepings and provide a more democratic space. One scicomm social media star is Dr. Raven the Science Maven (aka Dr. Raven Baxter), who uses different social media platforms from YouTube to Twitter to produce entertaining science content, discuss science and society, and even her every-day life. Dr. Baxters authenticity easily comes through her content, from her tweets on making an earth sandwich, or her experiences as a black woman in STEM, to her music video about antibodies. She funded and hosted initiatives such as BlackInSciComm and formed a community for more diverse science communicators to share their experiences and to establish a sense of belonging.

Its for good reason we call academia the ivory tower, it implies that its above others and cut off from the real world. This is a toxic notion that can only contribute to distrust for science and for science to become irrelevant in certain instances. By continuing to do things the way they have always been done, we also lose the attention of many, especially those who cant see themselves in science or dont have access to it.

Read the original here:

From Sputnik to virtual reality, the history of scicomm - Massive Science

Join executive leaders at the Conversational AI & Intelligent AI Assistants Summit, presented by Five9. Watch now!

Virtual reality arcades looked like they were doomed with the onset of the pandemic. People had to social distance, and coming together at places like Sandbox VRs location-based virtual reality experiences just wasnt going to happen. But the company has reemerged from bankruptcy proceedings and it is reopening all of its locations, including a high-profile place in Las Vegas.

The Hong Kong-based Sandbox VR expects to open a new entertainment center in the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas by the early summer. Its the first time Sandbox has targeted Vegas, and it is taking over the spot that was formerly occupied by The Void, another pioneer in social VR entertainment at retail locations, said CEO Steve Zhao in an interview.

I went through Sandbox VRs location in San Francisco before the pandemic. Its a socially immersive experience that provided players with a unique combination of full-body motion capture that make you feel like youre in another world. It contained more than home VR headsets, as we strapped sensors onto our wrists and shoes for better tracking, and we wore backpacks with powerful laptops connected to the VR headset. And then our team of five people battled Klingons in the Star Trek: Discovery Away Mission experience.

That feeling of having fun with your friends is back again, said Zhao, as locations like Chicago and Austin have demonstrated. The company has seen increased demand of 30% from before the pandemic at their current locations outside of Chicago and in Austin since they were able to open again with government-mandated restrictions. Over 90% of customers book ahead online. With the vaccine rollout accelerating and COVID-19 cases falling across the country, Sandbox VR has started ramping production back up in anticipation of the influx of interest at the end of the pandemic. I talked to Zhao about this death and rebirth experience, and what he learned along the way. Lets hope that the recovery proceeds as expected and all of location-based VR entertainment regains its lost opportunities.

Heres the edited transcript of our interview.

Above: Steve Zhao is the CEO of Sandbox VR.

Image Credit: Sandbox VR

GamesBeat: Whats open now for you? How are the re-openings going?

Steve Zhao: Back in March we knew things were turning around. There was a lot of hope. Now its pretty much backed by data. All the stores have reopened. We have 11 locations worldwide and seven across the United States. Theyre all profitable now. Were actually making more money now compared to when we peaked before the pandemic. The markets becoming more mature. Theres pent-up demand to go out.

In the last year or so weve done quite a bit. Weve improved our experiences. Weve made it a lot more immersive. The experiences are much more intense, more horror-based. Weve amped up the fantasy narrative of things like the pirate experience. Even Star Trek has improved. We made a platform that allows people to share easier. Theres a lot of optimization that goes on inside the machine. The pandemic allowed us to push that forward.

GamesBeat: It looks like you could have 15 by the end of the year?

Zhao: Yes, were still on track. We might beat that by one store. Were opening in Vegas next month. Shanghai is also opening next month. We have a new store in Austin, Texas opening next month as well. Weve been really busy.

GamesBeat: The one in Vegas, is that the one where the Void was?

Zhao: Yep, exactly.

GamesBeat: I did the Star Trek game before the pandemic. How did you improve that particular experience in the meantime?

Zhao: Our biggest learning is inside our platform. Theres a level of action-based intensity, and also things that its not as narrative-driven. Its not exciting to just listen to a narrator talking and not do much yourself. Weve redone the whole cadence and made it a lot more about things you do, a lot more reasons for you to talk to your friends.

Above: Star Trek: Discovery Away Mission.

Image Credit: Sandbox VR

We made the Klingons much more up-close and personal. It gets a much more visceral reaction if theyre in a closer space than far off. Weve also made them more intelligent in the way they fight. It feels like youre fighting real enemies, or at least thats what were trying to do. We try to script it so they change up their strategy, going from a frontal attack to flanking. Little things here and there. All of this in combination increases the immersion of the whole experience.

GamesBeat: How many people go through that experience at once? Is it six people?

Zhao: Yes, six people. Thats standard across all of our games.

GamesBeat: Are people still making appointments, or just dropping in?

Zhao: They are, yes. About 90% of people pre-book online. We havent seen a lot of foot traffic yet. Were still predominantly booked online. Because its so packed these days, we just cant accommodate that many foot traffic customers.

GamesBeat: Has the pricing changed at all now?

Zhao: Its higher now, yes, between $40 and $50 per person. It reflects the demand that weve been getting. We have weekends booked a week or two in advance now.

GamesBeat: Real estate got cheaper for a while, so thats probably helped out in terms of operating expenses and enabling sites to become more profitable.

Zhao: Oh, yeah. Rent was one of our biggest buckets of expense. Apart from that, were talking to more than two dozen landlords right now trying to get deals done. Theres a lot of synergy, because they look at us sort of like we provide premium experiences, but we can also prove that we track with a younger audience. Millennials come to our locations.

Above: Guests at Sandbox VR.

Image Credit: Sandbox VR

GamesBeat: Did you prioritize any particular regions for your expansion?

Zhao: Were looking a lot in Texas and Chicago. Chicago is doing well. In Chicago we see foot traffic increasing 25% every month since February. But other than that, no. Were just working nationwide right now, seeing whos interested.

GamesBeat: What about outside of the United States?

Zhao: Hong Kong is doing amazingly well right now. Its beaten pre-pandemic by a lot. Singapore and Vancouver had some very strong months, but they also dealt with COVID spikes this year. When theres no government regulation asking them to close, they have very strong numbers.

GamesBeat: Does it feel like its back to a kind of race now as everyone tries to reopen? Is there more competition for you, or less?

Zhao: Its definitely different now because the Void is gone. I dont know what Dreamscape is doing, but I know theyre working more on education now, so I dont know if retail is a big part of their plan. Even before the pandemic, a lot of VR startups were already gone. What we do, highly immersive full-body experiences, I dont know about anyone else who really pushed through. The big thing is that were operating profitably now as a company.

GamesBeat: It feels like the headsets are getting better. Theres the new HTC model thats out for enterprise. Varjo just made an announcement today. Do you think that the improvement in the overall quality of VR is moving ahead?

Zhao: Absolutely. In new stores well be outfitting them with the HP Reverb G2s, combined with the new backpacks. The fidelity of the overall experience is much better. You can see the world a lot more clearly. The immersion is deeper. A lot of good things have come through that. Weve always been agnostic when it comes to hardware. Whatever comes out, if we think it will improve the user experience and we can integrate it effectively, well do it.

GamesBeat: Are there some things you think about as the biggest lessons from the pandemic?

Zhao: Thinking about a startup, knowing what to focus on is critical. Before the pandemic there was so much stuff you could do that wasnt necessarily critical. Once you have to survive, though, you have to be very careful in how you make decisions. We only focused on a few core things and tried to do them really well. That was our biggest takeaway, that insane focus.

Above: Dean Takahashi (center) and guests of GamesBeat play Star Trek Discovery Away Mission. Players include (left to right): James Zhang, Jon Gagnon, Josh Allen, and Rob Oshima.

Image Credit: Dean Takahashi

GamesBeat: You had that death-and-rebirth experience.

Zhao: That might be the best way you can put it, yeah. We came into the pandemic feeling like, Oh, man, theres a good chance that we just wont survive. We lost 100% of our revenue, literally, in March. We had no idea how long it was going to last. We were just counting the days.

GamesBeat: Going into the reopening, how early were you able to start making some decisions about getting things open again? Was it a few months ago now?

Zhao: We looked at each store reopening based on regional jurisdictions. We looked at each state to see what their rules were, and when it seemed like the rules were coming up, wed work backward and plan for it. Thats why our stores in Chicago and Austin were pretty much open off and on during the pandemic, but the stores in California, we had to wait until April to have them open again. They were the last bastion that had to be shut down.

GamesBeat: What kind of locations do you seek out now? Where are you more likely to open given the different real estate environment today?

Zhao: We do a lot of pre-booked traffic, so we dont necessarily need a premium location, a top site. We definitely want places like malls or downtown neighborhoods that are convenient to access, places where millennials who might try Sandbox would already go out for food or drinks. Thats why were working with lifestyle shopping centers across the nation to be part of that.

Above: Sandbox VR gives you freedom of movement in virtual reality.

Image Credit: Sandbox VR

GamesBeat: What are you working on for the future in terms of new experiences?

Zhao: In the immediate future well be doing a sequel for Deadwood Mansion. Thats still by far the most popular experience. Thats in the works right now. Youll be shooting bats. People probably want to do that. Although its still a zombie experience. Outside of that, were going to continue to build on other immersive worlds people want to see. Who do they want to be? Its never about the number of pieces of content. Its about the diversity of content. What can we do with fantasy? What kind of IP makes sense for an immersive world? Well go from there.

GamesBeat: Do you see people coming back, repeat customers returning regularly? How many people will go through every available experience?

Zhao: Its been pretty hard to track with the pandemic. Wed open and close and open and close. Sometimes when we were open we had very limited spots, so it was very irregular. Now things have reopened, but its been very recent. People often have to book much further in advance, which sometimes turns them off. We dont have much concrete data about a steady state. Its a little too early to tell. When we have stores that are able to run longer, well see.

We have anecdotes. Staff at our stores would say, Weve seen this guy come in five times, eight times. People come back with more folks with them. For Deadwood sometimes people try to chase a high score. Weve heard stories like that. Thats another reason why we think episodic experiences will work. People will come back to follow that story.

GamesBeat: How many employees do you have now?

Zhao: We have about 20 people in corporate, but we have more than 100 working at retail.

GamesBeat: It seems like location-based entertainment has survived. That was a big question not too long ago.

Zhao: Its definitely been hard. Theres no online component. Its all about generating revenue with time inside the location. Weve been fortunate. We got some great investors. They kept up the flow, and we did everything we could to stretch every dollar. The timing has been great. If the pandemic lasted much longer, I dont know where we would have been. Our best-performing stores are making around $200,000 a month in gross revenue now. Theyve rebounded in a big way for us.

I dont know about everyone else working in the space, but our vision has always been to create the holodeck and bring the holodeck to your neighborhood. We have a lot more work to do.

Continue reading here:

Sandbox VR: Location virtual reality is making its comeback - VentureBeat

Global Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Market 2021-2025 The analyst has been monitoring the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market and it is poised to grow by $ 162.

New York, July 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Market 2021-2025" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06104797/?utm_source=GNW 71 billion during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of almost 46% during the forecast period. Our report on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors.The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current global market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the increasing demand for AR and VR technology and product launches. In addition, increasing demand for AR and VR technology is anticipated to boost the growth of the market as well.The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market analysis includes the technology segment and geographic landscape.

The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market is segmented as below:By Technology AR VR

By Geographical Landscape North America APAC Europe MEA South America

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

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters. Our report on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market covers the following areas: Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market sizing Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market forecast Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market industry analysis

This robust vendor analysis is designed to help clients improve their market position, and in line with this, this report provides a detailed analysis of several leading augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market vendors that include Alphabet Inc., Facebook Inc., HP Inc., HTC Corp., Magic Leap Inc., Microsoft Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Snap Inc., Sony Corp., and Toshiba Corp. Also, the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market analysis report includes information on upcoming trends and challenges that will influence market growth. This is to help companies strategize and leverage all forthcoming growth opportunities.The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to an analysis of the key vendors.

The analyst presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters such as profit, pricing, competition, and promotions. It presents various market facets by identifying the key industry influencers. The data presented is comprehensive, reliable, and a result of extensive research - both primary and secondary. Technavios market research reports provide a complete competitive landscape and an in-depth vendor selection methodology and analysis using qualitative and quantitative research to forecast the accurate market growth.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06104797/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

__________________________

Story continues

Visit link:

The Global Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Market is expected to grow by $ 162.71 billion during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of...

KARLSRUHE, Germany and NEW YORK, July 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Enscape, a leading provider of 3D real-time visualization and virtual reality technology for architects and designers, today announced it will leverage NVIDIA DLSS Deep Learning Super Sampling technology to help AEC firms get access to the latest real-time rendering technology. Integrating NVIDIA's AI technology into Enscape's cutting-edge rendering software means users can get better quality and performance with lower system requirements to create a more realistic experience during walkthroughs and exports for clients.

"Architects and designers globally are looking for ways to quickly and easily visualize their designs and bring them closer to reality. Enscape is partnering with innovative organizations to address this challenge," said Christian Lang, CEO at Enscape. "We're proud to be working with NVIDIA to provide our architecture and design customers around the world access to high-quality real-time rendering and visualization technology."

Users will get access to the NVIDIA DLSS technology in Enscape 3.1 the next version scheduled to be released on July 21. The deep learning-based upscaling technique renders internally at a lower resolution but outputs a clean and sharp high-resolution image for high-quality videos and high-performance virtual reality walkthroughs. With NVIDIA DLSS enabled, video rendering time decreases, quality increases, and visual distortions are removed. Users can enjoy improved real-time performance of walkthroughs and higher frame rates with much lower GPU requirements. This latest technology is available to users with an NVIDIA RTX graphics card.

"NVIDIA DLSS is a great example of artificial intelligence delivering practical benefits to improve industry workflows," said Andrew Rink, head of AEC industry marketing strategy at NVIDIA. "AEC customers using NVIDIA RTX GPUs will be delighted at the innovative way Enscape has integrated our technology to enhance their powerful rendering software."

With Enscape and NVIDIA DLSS, users can also take advantage of the latest generation of high-res VR headsets and enjoy high-performance virtual reality experiences.

Enscape's real-time 3D rendering and virtual reality solution brings visual exploration directly into numerous modeling tools, including Autodesk Revit, SketchUp, Rhinoceros, ArchiCAD, and Vectorworks, providing an integrated visualization and design workflow.

See what Daniel Stine, Director of Design Technology at Lake|Flato Architectshas to say about Enscape's new NVIDIA DLSS capabilities in this blog post.

With Enscape 3.1, users can enjoy many other new features and improvements that will make it even easier for architects and designers worldwide to visualize as they design directly from their modeling software.

Try Enscape for free:To see what Enscape already has to offer, users can get a free 14-day trial here.

For more information:Please visit: enscape3d.com and download the press kit here.

About EnscapeEnscape develops high-quality 3D real-time rendering and visualization software and provides continuous innovation in accessible design technology. Architects and designers worldwide use Enscape software to unleash their creativity and make the built environment tangible before it exists. Enscape gives designers the power to create realistic renderings based on their existing planning data and automatically produce videos, panoramic images, and VR simulations. Enscape software is used by renowned architecture firms in over 150 countries. The company's corporate headquarters is in Karlsruhe (Germany) and has an office in New York (USA). To learn more, visit us online at enscape3d.com and follow us @Enscape3D

SOURCE Enscape

enscape3d.com

Link:

Enscape Leverages NVIDIA DLSS to Offer Better Performance of Virtual Reality Walkthroughs for Architects - PRNewswire

You can now fly with aliens, or fight fire-breathing dragons, from Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos.

America's largest indoor water park now has the country's first and only virtual reality water slide. It partnered with San Francisco-based Ballast VR to develop the project.

"We specifically focus on virtual reality for waterparks and resorts," saidStephen Greenwood, who co-founded Ballast Technologies in 2017.

It took more than a year to develop with the resort.

Housed in a waterproof casing that fits over your head, sensors sync up the slide and the headset.

"Currently we're in 15 countries at about 40 different locations," Greenwood said.

"There are three experiences to choose from. There's a space experience where you're navigating the galaxies and following an alien craft through meteors. There's a safari with cheetahs and rhinos and giraffes. And there's a dragon experience where you go through a medieval castle and battle a fire-breathing dragon."

Of course, I had to give it a try, myself. I chose the Safari.

At first, I was skeptical, but it is very realistic, maybe a little too realistic.

"The whole thing is a lot of fun. It's an unexpected combination,"Greenwood said.

And most likely just the beginning of a new way we'll experience amusement parks.

"We come from a Silicon Valley background and when you apply that sort of mindset to the space of entertainment and a resort atmosphere, I think some really magical stuff can happen,"Greenwood said.

Read more:

Kalahari Resorts now home to the country's first virtual reality water slide - 69News WFMZ-TV

"Extended reality" may sound like something out of a science-fiction story, but it's very real: It's a general term for technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality that can help enhance experiences such as games, manufacturing and travel.

It has potential in healthcare too as HIMSS21 attendees will have the chance to learn.

Jennifer C. Reneker, assistant dean of scholarly innovation at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been researching virtual reality as a way to enhance sports performance and prevent sports injury since 2018.

She says XR offers healthcare providers the chance to explore solutions beyond two-dimensional technologies.

"Before I started working with XR, I could not grasp the concept of a virtual environment," she said in an interview with Healthcare IT News. "Without some frame of reference, solutions with XR cannot be fathomed by healthcare innovators and problem-solvers.

"For me, this session is all about inspiring each audience member to think about how XR might be a solution for their unique healthcare need," Reneker added.

In addition to her work on sports injuries, Reneker says she recently began the research and development work to design a VR device to quantify an individuals sensorimotor control and enable concussion detection.

"The hope is that this device will be useful in the futurein-person and remotely,at the point-of-care,with telehealth," she says.

In fact, when it comes to remote care, Reneker says XR technology offers immense opportunity. The research being conducted at the University of Mississippi Medical Centers Center of Excellence in Telehealth includes a range of projects focused on prevention, diagnosis and treatment for neurological disorders.

"Although XR has not been used for these purposes yet, there is incredible potential for this medium to enable interaction with a patient in the virtual environment, even if the provider and the patient are hundreds of miles apart," she explained.

"Secondarily, sensor-based measurements are also possible with XR devices, allowing sensitive measurements to be taken, and adding objectivity to patient examination," she added.

"Both of these XR attributes offer the potential for remote patient care, including care from various types of specialists."

Reneker says she hopes her HIMSS21 session will spark inspiration for its attendees.

"While extended realities were created to provide immersive environments for entertainment and gaming, they are very sophisticated and novel devices, offering a set of capabilities not realized with other technologies," she said.

"Harnessing the creativity of people within healthcare to solve healthcare problems with XR is a recipe for incredible innovations."

Reneker will go into more detail in her HIMSS21 session, "Health via Extended Reality: Use Case in Sports Medicine." It's scheduled for Tuesday, August 10, from 4 to 4:30 p.m. in Caesars Alliance 315.

Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.Twitter: @kjercichEmail: kjercich@himss.orgHealthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

The rest is here:

Extended reality holds 'incredible potential' for remote care applications - Healthcare IT News