Category Archives: Virtual Reality

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) Some schools are getting extra creative to hold graduation ceremonies during the coronavirus pandemic.

New Rochelle High School seniors knew COVID-19 would prevent them from having a traditional graduation ceremony, but that didnt stop senior Jake Egelberg and his classmates from creating a memorable one through the video game Minecraft.

We kind of grew up with the game, said Egelberg in an interview with CBS2s Hazel Sanchez. In a way, everything has come full circle because now were graduating high school and we once again got into Minecraft and all played together building this project that allowed us to graduate in game.

Egelberg teamed with about 10 students, most from the schools science research program, and block by block created a virtual New Rochelle High School. Seniors and their families could log in to the virtual world for an unofficial graduation ceremony, which included live speeches from teachers, the class salutatorian and valedictorian.

Unconventional circumstances have sparked creativity across the country. There was a fast-paced graduation on a NASCAR track and a slow-and-steady one on a ski lift.

Here in the tri-state area, graduates from seven high schools in Rockland County are being recognized at Congers Lake Memorial Park, with a tribute path lined with their photos.

Seniors at Franklin High School in Somerset, New Jersey, will get a headset to graduate in a unique virtual reality experience. Eighth graders at High Mountain School in North Haledon Middle School were treated to a graduation parade.

I thought it was a very cool idea, said Madeline Manning, an eighth grade graduate.

CORONAVIRUS:NY Health Dept.| NY Call 1-(888)-364-3065 |NYC Health Dept. | NYC Call 311, Text COVID to 692692 | NJ Health Dept. | NJ Call 1-(800)-222-1222 or 211, Text NJCOVID to 898211 |CT Health Dept.| CT Call 211

High Mountain High School principal Antonella Lind organized a caravan of teachers and a mobile LED screen showings of pictures and messages for the graduating class. The parade stopped by each students house.

So we wanted to make sure we celebrate, and then we thought of essentially bringing the stage to the students, said Lind.

I was upset that I wont be able to have a real graduation because you only experience eighth grade once, said Bianca Aliana, an eighth grade graduate.

But its good that we still get to do something, said Liliana Cacciola, an eighth grade graduate.

And its something theyll certainly never forget.

View original post here:

From Minecraft To Virtual Reality, Schools Get Creative To Hold Graduation Ceremonies During Coronavirus Pandemic - CBS New York

What types of training programs are police getting about use of force? The QandA team gets you an answer.

WASHINGTON While some are calling to defund police departments altogether, others are wondering how we can educate officers to respond differently. Here's a question that our #TheQandA team tackled today: what types of training programs are police getting about use of force?

To get that answer our team spoke to the Barnstable police department in Massachusetts about a virtual reality training system that they use.

The Barnstable police department partnered with Apex Officer, a virtual reality training platform, back in January. A member of our team spoke to officers who took the training and they said it is a huge improvement over old systems that they knew by heart.

Sergeant Kevin Connolly with the Barnstable Police Department has been an officer for 23 years. He says the Apex Officer virtual reality training platform is a game changer.

"Whats amazing in this training when youre watching it, the officer will physically move back," Connolly said. "They will draw whatever tool they have to deal with that scenario presented to them. But the fact that theyre physically moving away when someone is running at them, getting out of the way, that theyre taking out their tool, you can see their breath is going, their heartbeat is racing, because in their virtual world someone is coming at them and this is bad. This has got to be dealt with."

Within a half hour Connolly said they can run through multiple scenarios.

"We can run through car stops, firing range, active shooters in buildings, active shooters in schools," Connolly said. "They now have courtrooms, they have military bases. They have all sorts of environments that you can put people in."

Connolly said the system gives them new perspective on situations.

"The thing is with the officers that are going through the virtual training, you also now have a second officer who is either being the compliant or noncompliant subject and they get to see it from that angle as well," Connolly said.

According to TJ Dishaw, Apex Officers Chief technology Officer, their training system is fully customizable and can be changed to address specific community needs.

"When the officers walk up to the car stop, they tell them 'put the window down,'" Connolly said. "The window goes down. Then they tell them, 'hey turn the interior light on.' Well they didnt have that in the software and about a week later I get a call and they say do the update. Now when the officer says 'turn on your interior light,' they turn on the interior light."

Connolly told WUSA9 that this system is additional training. Theyve set it up in the building so officers in the Barnstable Police can use it every day.

"It keeps them on their toes," Dishaw said. "They dont know when things are going to happen. So they have to assess it genuinely rather then again learning towards the simulator."

With a push for defunding police departments or reallocating funds for police, it begs the question, how much does this training system cost?

"It usually depends on the agencys budget so I can only say so much on that, but ours is a fraction of the cost," Dishaw said.

#TheQandA team asked Sergeant Connolly if he believes this training system could help reduce the number of killings by police officers using excessive force.

"All you can hope for is the more you go through scenarios and see different outcomes, it will help you make a decision in the field," Connolly said. "Because if youve seen that scenario before, as long as its similar, it should help."

According to Apex Officers CFO, there arent any police precincts in D.C., Maryland or Virginia that currently use the Apex Officer virtual reality training platform.

Read more from the original source:

Could a virtual reality training program reduce excessive force police killings? #TheQandA - WUSA9.com

The art show Black Before I Was Born opened at Roots 101 African American Museum in Louisville in February. But it shut down about two weeks later due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The exhibitions curator, multimedia artist Ashley Cathey, said the work by the Black artists, most of whom live in Louisville, was too important not to be seen.

We were basically discussing how we address being Black on a daily basis, and how that shapes our lives, how we also dont have a lot of control over that narrative as far as how people see us, this happened before we existed, Cathey said.

In the case of Catheys work displayed in the show, she said its about the weaponization of her skin.

For some reason, when you look at me, you see a gun, you see a threat, but Im just skin and flesh and organs like anyone else, she said. Unfortunately because I was Black before I was born, I walk into a space and Im Black before then.

With the work sitting in the gallery, unable to have an audience, Cathey decided to create a virtual reality experience of the exhibition. That way people could view it, and buy it, without leaving their homes. Its official opening is Sunday, June 21, and it will be online for about a month.

She had recently been a part of a show in Brooklyn, a VR art show that simulated actually being in the gallery.

It was really cool, and I really liked the fact that you could walk through it, she said.

Cathey had no experience creating something like this, but she found a digital platform that allowed her to build virtual gallery walls. Then she took photos of the artwork, photographed by local artist Kenyatta Bosman, and pulled those into Photoshop to make 3D renderings. There wasnt a template for her to use.

I [didnt] have a lot to do in quarantine. So I had a lot of time to kind of mess it up and try again and fail.

A screenshot of the VR art show.

She also wanted the VR experience to feel interactive.

When each person logs in from their IP address, itll show a small, little ghostly avatar, Cathey asid. So when youre walking around in the space, youll see the people actually walk past you.

Theres also a chat box. That way you can have conversations with other people in the virtual gallery. She said you can use a VR headset for the immersive experience. But she thinks the computer 2D version is cool too.

Louisville oil painter Sandra Charles has several works in the Black Before I Was Born exhibit, featuring Black women, who had overcome obstacles in their lives, and I asked them if they would model for me as African warrior queens.

Charles loves that this exhibition gets to have a longer life via virtual reality, especially since you dont have to be in Louisville to go see it now.

It opens it up to everybody in the world, Charles said.

She added that it can be a tough slog for Black artists to break into the art world, feeling shut out by many galleries, which are often a major conduit for artists to sell pieces.

If most of the people that come to their gallery are White, they may not want the African-American art, especially if the work is depicting the African-American experience, she said. So I think this virtual just opens it up to everybody.

Chip Calloway, of MAD MOON VyBE Artwork, agrees.

You create your own space, and thats really what we need to [do is] create our own spaces, Calloway, who is also featured in the Black Before I Was Born show, said. So instead of beating down the doors of certain galleries that wouldnt let you in, youre actually creating your virtual four walls.

Curator Ashley Cathey hopes this VR exhibition will provide exposure for the artists. She wants more people to know about them, to buy their work and to commission them to make new work. But she also wants people to understand that this show speaks to a reality that Black people have lived for centuries.

Whats happening in the world now, has been happening, she explains. Its just hasnt been happening in your world and it hasnt caused chaos in everyones world. This is why were doing exhibitions to speak through our work, and to be present in a world that also doesnt always accept us.

Go here to see the original:

See This Exhibition Of Louisville Black Artists In Virtual Reality - 89.3 WFPL News Louisville

As COVID-19 continues to have a cataclysmic impact on face-to-face events, 70% of event planners have moved some of their face-to-face meetings to virtual platforms and many believe that well never go back

At the start of February 2020, I wrote an oped about the need for pharma to rethink its approach to congresses and exploit disruptive innovation to transform the delegate experience.

To my great relief, it wasnt published. Just a few weeks later, the headline remains the same, but the drivers and indeed the solutions are very different. We all know the story: COVID-19 has had a cataclysmic impact on face-to-face events, with some events professionals fearing their industry has become obsolete overnight. A recent survey by PCMA showed that 87% of event planners have been forced to cancel events. However, 70% have moved some of their face-to-face meetings to virtual platforms and many believe that well never go back.

The concept of the virtual conference is nothing new for pharma. Nevertheless, with congresses an important component of CME, the abrupt (and wholesale) move to the virtual model has brought significant challenges to the industry, societies and delegates alike. A traditional model crying out for disruption just a few months ago is now being disrupted on an unprecedented scale. And entire communities schooled in convention and resistant to change are being forced to face up to a virtual reality. But guess what? The world hasnt ended.

A new landscape

Teresa Pea, PhD, Executive Principal, Medical Communications, ICON plc says the COVID-19 crisis has redrawn the landscape of medical congress. The pandemic has challenged the traditional onsite congress engagement experience and forced pharma and the scientific community to rethink the brick-and-mortar congress halls; miles of paper poster presentations; and the usual congress scene with scientists, healthcare and pharma professionals elbowing their way through a sea of congress delegates. Although virtual content is not new to pharma, nor to scientific congresses, the evolving COVID-19 situation is helping to level the playing field with full virtual attendance and presentations.

The signs, it seems, are encouraging, with burgeoning attendances confirming HCPs growing appetite for digital engagement. Its no surprise that pharma has begun dipping its toes in digital waters. The pandemic has simply compelled it to become fully immersed. Before COVID-19, pharma was already driving toward more innovative data presentation methods with the use of AI, data visualisation, virtual expert engagement and enhanced digital content, says Teresa. As we entered lockdown, a number of congresses for example DDW, AUA and ASCO moved quickly to provide for scientific exchange using a number of virtual/digital enhancements, including audio abstracts, audio-visual poster presentations and voice-over slide presentations. ASCO alone has moved to providing live session broadcasts and on-demand availability of oral, poster and track-based scientific symposia.

There are inherent challenges in using these technologies, including the limitations and experience of the presenter(s) and the ability to work within the boundaries established by the congress. However, having gone further along the journey towards virtual congress experiences, its unlikely well completely revert to the old ways of working once social distancing is finally over.

After COVID-19, it could become standard practice for congresses to provide virtual sessions and digital access to content. Pharma can help reshape the traditional and predominantly faceto-face landscape through sharing of alreadydeveloped best practices, technologies and sponsorship of virtual programmes to enhance and promote broader audience reach to countries, scientists and healthcare professionals when travel is limited by health risk, cost and clinic work.

The R-Rate

The arrival of that post-pandemic phase is impossible to predict. What does seem certain, however, is that we wont see a return to the world as we knew it. Weve already adapted to a new normal the next normal will merely build on what weve learned. And when it comes to virtual congresses, it seems that despite the early successes theres room to learn an awful lot more. At the moment, were just consolidating.

The CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, thinks that the world will go through three phases during and beyond the pandemic: Respond, Recover, Reimagine. This alternative focus on the R-Rate certainly translates to medical congresses. The initial response was one of panic, but weve quickly moved to the Recovery phase, said Harry Sharman, Head of Strategy, Ashfield Digital and Creative. Unfortunately, that recovery has largely relied on another R: replication. So far, most organisers are simply trying to replicate the face-to-face model, online. But it doesnt work. The concept of repurposing an offline event for a virtual environment, and hosting it across the same two-day period that youve always adopted, is problematic. The time-zone challenges alone are a nightmare. If the expectation that delegates from all over the world will log in for eight hours each day isnt fanciful enough, the idea that theyll spend their lunch break in a virtual booth exploring a VR experience created by pharma med ed seems highly unlikely. As a quick form of recovery, digital replication of the offline model is understandable but we must rapidly advance to the Reimagine phase.

One option is to completely reconfigure the congress model by thinking about time in a different way. If we liberate ourselves from the idea that virtual congresses have to take place within the same fixed window as the face-to-face event, suddenly we can start to use time and digital media much more effectively. Weve been exploring the concept of temporal engagement events, where digital content is released ahead of the congress and available for delegates to consume on demand.

That scientific content which can be visualised and presented by KOLs in innovative, digitally enhanced ways provides the platform for a virtual engagement event, for example, one week later. Here, those same KOLs can present bite-sized recap summaries, then lead interactive sessions with delegates where the science is debated. This further extends the discussion of data, providing the interaction and engagement thats currently missing from virtual congresses. The approach, which also offers rich opportunity for personalised content marketing throughout the event cycle, provides multiple layers of engagement and allows organisers and sponsors to maximise the strengths of digital media.

Connections and collaborations are crucial, but content is king

Naturally, human-to-human interaction has been the biggest casualty of the move to virtual congresses. This was always likely to be so; Zoom and Teams may have kept the world connected through lockdown, but theyre no substitute for real-world contact. Ironically, interaction is one of digitals core strengths but presently its not being maximised. Interactivity is our biggest challenge, said Christian Guhlke, Managing Partner and Director Digital, infill healthcare communication. We know that physicians primarily go to congresses for education but they also value the peer-to-peer exchange; the coffee with a colleague, the chatter between sessions, the drink at the bar These are the important moments when the science presented at congresses is interpreted and contextualised. Currently, that element is missing, with effort largely focused on bringing the physical congress into the virtual world. Im not sure this is the right way to go. For example, do we really expect delegates to pop into a virtual booth on their way to the next presentation? Im not convinced. The mindset is still stuck in the physical world when we need to be focusing on interaction, participation and networking.

Collaboration is the best way through, said Christian. Organisers, pharma companies and target audiences need to come together in a design thinking process to figure out how we can rework the model. With virtual, the boundaries of time become meaningless, presenting new opportunities for education on-demand. For instance, if youre fed up with having to choose between parallel sessions and invariably picking the wrong one a Netflixstyle model means you could actually participate in both, at a time that suits you. Similarly, we could expand the congress life cycle with content, networking and interactive learning extending far beyond the one-week moment-in-time. The possibilities are limitless and they bring associated benefits of immersive learning that potentially could be huge. But to realise them, we need to embrace collaboration and open-minded thinking to work our way through a change management process. All the key stakeholder groups must work together to co-create innovations that transform the congress experience, and deliver educational content in ways that engage and inspire. Ultimately though, content is king. Virtual gives us the chance to breathe new life into scientific exchange. Its time to be brave and go with the flow.

The virtual learning curve

The pandemics impact on all types of medical education has been profound, triggering an increase in the perceived value of virtual engagement across all formats. HCP appetite for virtual learning, and the use of digital tools for timely information and clinical decision support, is growing. COVID-19 has significantly altered the world of medical education, and is likely to continue to drive change, Adrian Duncan, Group Vice President, Head of Global Education, Medscape. Pharma can play a major role in reshaping medical congresses by embracing the digital options available. The delivery of content in a virtual environment offers many opportunities from the platform and approach, to interactive features, gaming and accessibility. These opportunities allow for the creation of content to meet a variety of learning styles and goals. However, its important to align the education format to the content needs.

As weve already seen, one of the main advantages of live events is peer-to-peer connection. This is a key component of learning that has a high impact on physicians, says Adrian. Its therefore important that digital solutions incorporate the capability for interaction to help clinicians learn from their peers via shared experiences. Similarly, audience engagement is crucial. Its important to keep the human element of engagement in mind, especially in situations where a live educational event may be moved to virtual. This involves truly understanding the learner experience and providing interactions that simulate the live experience that they may be missing. This includes things such as live discussions, peer-to-peer networking and engaging delivery platforms that can be accessed when, where and how learners prefer. A challenge to this approach, particularly in the current environment, may include digital fatigue. This is why its so important that content is stimulating, relevant, personalised and consumable.

Digital platforms provide the unique ability to produce a variety of data points that provide insights into user or learner behaviour and interests. This data is incredibly useful in personalising a site experience to meet the preferences of individual learners, such as content recommendations, said Adrian. This helps to ensure that the right content is getting to the right audience and that each individual may be more likely to engage as their interests are more closely aligned to the information they are served. Its also helpful in the medical education world to identify learning gaps for healthcare professionals and thus future educational needs.

A platform for engagement

So what impact is the move to virtual likely to have on attendance levels? If anything, theres a chance these could increase. Attracting delegates may well be the easy bit. Persuading them to stay and stay interested is potentially a bigger battle.

Were likely to see a change in attendee profiles rather than a physical drop in numbers, said Nick Burgoyne, Client Services Director, Healthcare, the Purple Agency. Virtual events remove many of the logistical barriers that impact face-to-face attendance and their reach and accessibility open up real opportunity. However, theres still the challenge of getting people to actually log in and keeping them engaged once they have. Content is key. Without the energy of a big theatre or the direct engagement of face-toface interaction, content must be built to engage in different ways if its to retain its audience. We need to leverage more of the direct and immediate engagement tools that digital platforms offer. Tools like live-chat, Q&As, live polls, social engagement and instant downloads provide a great way to get a read of the room in real time.

Digital engagement platforms already offer a lot of customisable tools and delivery mechanisms to help create the best experience and to enable the kind of interactions that we know are valuable in physical events, said Nick. Many provide the ability for users to customise their experience, including multiple ways of facilitating user engagement and opportunities to set up direct webcam chats with speakers or make connections through integration with social platforms like LinkedIn. Gamification, AI and AR are already in play and will all contribute to the elevation of the digital experience for all parties. The challenge will be trying to humanise the experience. People like congresses for the buzz, the social element and the serendipity of meeting likeminded people. The trick is to ensure we treat digital as an enabler and keep an eye on what people want. Theres likely to be a lot of latitude in how people are prepared to engage. The real prize will be working out what works and what to keep.

Living the virtual reality

The world of medical congress has come a long way in just a few short weeks but theres so much further to go. Whats more, when the pandemic is behind us, congress communities are unlikely to walk back on the progress theyve made or the mindset shifts that COVID-19 has driven. According to the PCMA survey, most events planners think the virtual model is here to stay, with many believing it will continue alongside in-person events rather than simply replacing them. That seems like a fair assessment but if COVID has taught us anything, its that predicting the future is unwise. That said, my February 2020 op-ed on the need to rethink medical congresses forecast that tomorrows leaders would embrace disruption. I was right. But in a way that I could never imagine. In the spirit of Satya Nadellas 3-R cycle, its time for congresses to move to the Reimagine phase and shape up for the virtual reality.

Chris Ross is a freelance journalist specialising in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries

16th June 2020

More:

Facing up to virtual reality - PMLiVE

With MyndVR, seniors can explore everything from fall foliage to European cities in virtual reality.

Eighty-one-year-old Georgina Schuldt isn't used to being tied down. After retiring from a career in nursing, Schuldt and her husband lived on a boat for eight years, sailing from Canada to Panama. When they returned, they went camping in the Pacific Northwest every summer.

But Schuldt's husband passed away last year. Now she uses a walker, unable to go long distances. She has no interest in getting on a plane or being dependent on someone else to push her in a wheelchair.

Subscribe to the CNET Now newsletter for our editors' picks for the most important stories of the day.

Despite all of this, Schuldt was recently able to explore a European city -- in virtual reality. Her Florida assisted living community owns three headsets from MyndVR, a company that creates VR experiences geared toward people age 65 and up.

"The first time I tried it I saw a city in Spain. We were right in the city square, and there was a tourist who walked right in front of me! I could've touched her," Schuldt said. "I thought that was wonderful."

The day we talked, she had just used the headset to visit a forest full of colorful fall leaves.

"It takes you out of your own environment and puts you somewhere else," Schuldt said. "It's very pleasurable to go back and see things that you love but you can't get to anymore."

Virtual reality is one of many technologies that can be used to reduce loneliness and social isolation in senior citizens, which researchers have called an epidemic in and of itself.

Nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered socially isolated, according to a 2020 study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Research shows older people who report feeling lonely are more likely to face anxiety, depression, suicide, heart disease, stroke and dementia, a risk rivaling smoking, obesity and physical inactivity.

"If loneliness is persistent and sufficiently severe, it can and does have negative health consequences," said Dr. Dilip Jeste, the senior associate dean for healthy aging and senior care and a distinguished professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego.

The good news? You can make changes to avoid these outcomes, Jeste said. And technology may be one piece of a broader puzzle that gives America's growing population of seniors a more connected and healthy life.

Virtual reality companies focusing exclusively on seniors are finding their way into senior living communities, aiming to provide an escape from the doldrums of everyday life or point of connection with family members.

Even if seniors live in a community surrounded by others, they may still slowly withdraw and become isolated, MyndVR CEO Chris Brickler said. "As their stimulus diminishes due to age and disease, we have to find other ways to keep them stimulated and engaged," he said.

MyndVR's headset and platform streams more than 200 virtual travel, recreation, music and arts experiences for older adults living in senior communities or at home. These experiences can act as reminiscence therapy by helping them remember parts of their past or as engagement therapy by connecting them with others in their community or family, Brickler said.

"We see families that are locked into the same conversations week after week, slowly making their visits mind-numbing," he added.

Having something new to do together can add some new energy into visits and give seniors a chance to have more substantive conversations, he said.

Traditional therapy typically costs between $100 and $200 per session. A single-user license for MyndVR's platform is less than $1,000 per year, while a multiuser license for community packages average around $5,000 per year, Brickler said. The cost includes the hardware, the library of VR content, and customer and technical support. MyndVR now has tens of thousands of users across 40 states, he added.

Read more: How families are giving a fantastic trip to loved ones in hospice

Some companies, like AARP Innovation Labs, are using VR to keep the elderly connected to their families for a slightly lower cost.

Its latest product is Alcove, a virtual reality house where seniors can meet up with relatives to talk, play games and explore different experiences.

VR offers a sense of presence and immersion that other technologies don't, said Cezara Windrem, head of VR at AARP Innovation Labs and product lead for Alcove. "It could allow families to come together, overcoming cost, time and mobility constraints," Windrem said.

AARP Innovation Labs built Alcove in partnership with Rendever, a startup that creates VR experiences for senior living communities. It launched a first version 2019, which is available free on the Oculus Go platform (and will come to Oculus Quest too later this summer).

Seniors can invite up to four people at a time to join them in a fully immersive virtual chalet in the mountains, surrounded by trees and grass. Explore four different rooms, and even decorate the home with their own photos.

AlcoveVR from AARP Innovation Labs lets elderly people hang out with their families in a virtual house.

The app offers a guided tour of Paris together, practice meditation, or play checkers or chess. You can take older relatives on real-world adventures. It's free to download and use right now (provided you have an Oculus Go VR headset, which costs $149), with no advertisements. But as more content is added, the company may consider a micro-transactions system for premium VR experiences, so you might pay a few dollars for a top-tier tour.

The virtual element may make hanging out with grandma more attractive to younger people, who can find a connection with them in this new medium, Windrem said.

"We know how much the young generations are attracted to this new technology," she said. "It's wonderful having them find a connection through this new medium and be able to share their love for it with older family members but on their own terms through experiences that everyone can relate to."

But what about the elderly who require physical assistance that virtual reality can't provide -- like help with grocery shopping or tasks around the house?

For seniors, one option is Papa, a service that provides "family on demand" to older adults by pairing them with "Papa Pals." College students who can provide companionship and assistance on tasks like grocery shopping and driving. Plus, those students get paid.

Papa is a service that connects seniors with college students who can provide companionship and help with tasks like grocery shopping.

CEO Andrew Parker was inspired to create Papa by his grandfather, who needed help but was isolated. He didn't drive, but also didn't require traditional home care services. Papa launched in 2018 and is now available in 25 states and counting. The company has more than 7,000 Papa Pals on the platform, Parker said.

A majority of members receive Papa as a free benefit via insurance carriers or Medicare Advantage programs. Papa Pals have to go through a background check and vetting process. Fewer than 10% of those who apply are hired, Parker said. But they can make between $12 to $16 an hour, depending on what kind of tasks they are doing. The company is opening applications up beyond college students now, partially because unemployment levels have risen so much as a result of COVID-19.

The company typically signs people up for visits from Papa Pals once or twice a week. Tasks include everything from grocery shopping to driving to doctor appointments to teaching them how to set up technology. One member asked a Papa Pal to accompany her to a wedding, because she didn't want to be a burden on her family. Another, a former Tour de France competitor, asked his Pal to take him on a bike ride -- and quickly outpaced his college-age companion, Parker said.

Those visits look different now because of coronavirus. Papa Pals are helping with contactless grocery deliveries. And most companionship visits have moved to phone calls or video chats.

"We're teaching older adults how to use technology in a way that they probably weren't willing to do generally before," Parker said. "The stigma of being alone is less of an issue now that the whole world is isolated."

Despite the tech industry's best efforts, there's no single research-backed cure for loneliness, Jeste said. The solution has to be multi-dimensional and include physical activity, exercise and social connections. Technology can help, but it won't solve the problem alone, he added.

"The technology industry has traditionally focused on younger people," Jeste said. "Older people don't want something that is cool with a thousand applications. They want something really simple. We need technology that is senior-friendly."

Back in Florida, Schuldt agrees. The simplicity of the VR platform was a major factor in why she enjoyed the experience so much, she said. "You just stick it on your head," Schuldt said. "You don't have to learn a whole bunch of tricks to get it to go."

Now playing: Watch this: Jennie the realistic robot pup brings comfort to seniors...

1:41

Originally posted here:

VR vacations provide comfort from being stuck at home: 'The first time I tried it I saw a city in Spain' - CNET

Fryars has teamed up with Rae Morris for his first new track in six years, Virtual Reality Games you can listen to it below.

The musician and producer, whose real name is Benjamin Garrett, released his last studio album Power back in 2014.

On the glitchy, autotuned-infused ode to futuristic gaming, Garrett expresses the joy of escaping into a digital world. Go away, player two/ I got better things to do than hang out with you, he sings.

Speaking of the inspiration behind Virtual Reality Games, Fryars explained: The song came from a sudden desire a few years back to become a gamer and ignore everyone and everything.

At a time when so many of us are using our voices to push for change (or to fight against it), the idea of switching off from reality might seem at odds with helping to make the world a better place. But even if its for a few minutes every day, it is important to take time away to be alone with your thoughts. Alone with yourself. Much of the truth comes from within us.

An animated accompanying video intersperses illustration by Jack Brown with real-life footage of Garrett and Morris performing the song in VR headsets during lockdown.

Fryars produced Rae Morris 2018 album Someone Out There, on which he is also credited as a co-writer for a number of songs. The pair had previously worked together on the collaborative single Cold from Morris debut record Unguarded.

Garrett also has writing and production credits on Lily Allens Mercury-nominated LP No Shame, having co-written and produced its first single Trigger Bang among other cuts.

Read more from the original source:

Fryars teams up with Rae Morris on glitchy new single Virtual Reality Games - NME

People suffering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury have been booming exponentially in recent years. Millions of adult Americans opt for physical therapy services, and the rehabilitation centers have been looking for technology to help in the treatment.

Fremont, CA:Commonly associated with video games and fun virtual reality (VR) has entered in physical therapy. VR is adopted to change the physical therapy world for the better. VR therapy exercises are crafted with precise control over the stimulus and the cognitive load that the user experiences. With the help of VR, users are exposed to three dimensions of the virtual world, thus providing an immersive experience that utilizes more of the senses and brainpower, enabling the users to rebuild neurological pathways. This technology is being incorporated in facilities and used as part of a patient's daily therapy plans. It is simple yet the most significant learning curve and not for the patient but also for the therapist. The therapists need to learn everything, and they need each application and exercise.

Data and VR

VR has developed depth data analytics portals to track, measure, and quantify improvements for every virtual reality exercise. The therapists are now able to view measurements in degrees for flexion, horizontal abduction, abduction, lateral shifts, wrist flexion, and much more, including in-game scores and metrics. The therapists can look back and leave with a proven and quantified understanding of how their patient has improved throughout their virtual reality sessions.

VR for At-Home Therapy

The portability and affordability of VR headsets open up new horizons for its use outside of a clinical setting. The options include enabling the doctors and clinicians to assign virtual reality exercises for their patients to do at home. These doctors and patients can access a HIPAA secure portal to view their data and their progress.

The shift to adopting VR technology is happening slowly but surely, as research is further searching for more ways to utilize it and get it in the hands of more clinicians and therapists.

See also:Top AR/VR Solution Companies

Go here to see the original:

How is Virtual Reality Paving its Way into Physical Therapy Clinics? - Medical Tech Outlook

Astronauts will get some next-gen training before they ride Boeing's next-gen spacecraft.

Crewmembers preparing to fly on Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule will train using virtual reality (VR) headsets provided by Finland-based Varjo, both companies announced today (June 11).

Varjo's VR-2 devices will allow astronauts to simulate, in high resolution and with high fidelity, every aspect of a Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Varjo and Boeing representatives said.

Related: Boeing's 1st Starliner flight test in photos

"We are proud to be delivering the technology that is pushing industrial training applications to their furthest reaches even to space," Varjo co-founder and CEO Niko Eiden said in a statement.

"With our devices, astronauts can see and virtually interact with the switches and control panels inside their Starliner capsule and read the real-time data on their crew displays," Eiden said. "Advancements like this have the potential to transform the way any pilot is trained."

Boeing has been developing Starliner with funding from NASA's Commercial Crew Program, most notably a $4.2 billion contract signed in 2014 that also covers six operational crewed missions to and from the ISS. SpaceX holds a similar deal, which Elon Musk's company will fulfill with its Crew Dragon capsule.

SpaceX just launched its first crewed mission, sending NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS on a test flight called Demo-2. Starliner should follow suit relatively soon; Boeing plans to launch its version of Demo-2, called Crew Flight Test (CFT), early next year.

The astronauts who will fly on CFT Boeing's Chris Ferguson and NASA's Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann have been training for their mission for a while now, using Starliner mockups in Houston and other tools. The VR headset will augment such work, Boeing representatives said.

"We're not looking to replace the physical simulators in Houston," Connie Miller, a Boeing Starliner software engineer, told Space.com. "But it will certainly enhance that training, to be able to do it from remote locations."

One such "remote location" is the launch site itself, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Astronauts will spend the two weeks immediately before liftoff in quarantine at NASA's nearby Kennedy Space Center, ensuring that they launch in good health and don't carry disease-causing germs to the ISS. With the new VR tool, Starliner crewmembers can continue in-depth training for their mission during this home stretch, Miller said.

In the next couple of weeks, Boeing plans to ship the VR hardware to Florida, where Ferguson, the CFT commander, can start working with it. The wheels for this move were first set in motion several months ago, but the rollout was halted by measures taken to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, Miller said.

The pandemic's emergence highlights the need for the VR tech, she said.

"We had the vision," Miller said. "We didn't realize it would be a mandatory piece of things as quickly as it did."

Astronauts have used VR tools before; NASA astronauts commonly use such tech to prep for spacewalks, for example. But the Starliner training will break new ground in its extensive use of VR gear, which will help prep astronauts for every aspect of their mission, from liftoff to landing, Boeing representatives said.

Varjo, for its part, will apply the lessons learned from the Starliner work to other aspects of its business, such as pilot training, Eiden said. But the company is also getting something else out of the newly announced partnership.

"This is one of those passion things; we have a bit of space fever at Varjo at the moment as well," he told Space.com. "So, having the chance to be part of this Boeing program it's been just fantastic."

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

Go here to see the original:

Virtual reality will be a big part of Boeing's Starliner astronaut training - Space.com

SpaceXs recent Falcon 9 rocket launch proves humanity has come leaps and bounds in its effort to reach other worlds. But now theres a quicker, safer and environmentally friendlier way to travel to the centre of the galaxy and you can do it too.

NASA has co-developed a free virtual reality (VR) adventure providing 500 years of travel around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. The experience is available to download from two major VR stores, Steam and Viewport, in a non-collapsed star system near you.

And this kind of spacefaring may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of virtual travel and tourism.

Read more: Virtual reality adds to tourism through touch, smell and real people's experiences

Simply speaking, VR refers to technology that immerses users in a computer-generated world that removes them from reality. Augmented Reality (AR), however, aims to superimpose virtual imagery over a users view of the real world. Pokmon Go is a popular AR game.

VR-based tourism has a longer history than you might think. In the 1850s, it involved staring at stereographs with a stereoscope. With this invention, viewers looked at slightly different images through each eye, which were then assembled by the brain to make a new image providing the illusion of spatial depth (in other words, a 3D effect).

A century later, 1950s Cinerama widescreen viewing inspired cinematic travel though its large, curved screens and multiple cameras.

The 1960s Sensorama foretold a shiny future of multimodal immersive cinematic experiences, playing 3D films with sound, scents and wind to immerse users. In VR circles, Ivan Sutherland became famous for inventing the head-mounted display, as well as augmented reality (AR).

Travel restrictions under COVID-19 present an opportunity for virtual reality travel to finally take off.

In an era of lockdowns and social distancing, we could use VR to travel to remote, distant or even no longer existing places. Remote tourism is here (the Faroe Islands offers a great example), and interest in VR tourism is blossoming.

The word virtual can refer to an immersive 3D experience, but also 360 panorama photographs and movies (a cylinder, sphere or cube of photographs).

What is deemed virtual varies greatly across different devices and platforms. Lets look at some of the ways this term is applied.

Desktop virtual environments: these are computer-based 3D environments on a flat screen, without the spatial immersion of VR platforms.

Cinematic VR: these are phone-based panoramic environments. Many desktop experiences of 360 movies or images can be conveyed in low-cost stereoscopic VR through smartphones. Google Street view can be viewed in Google VR on Android and some Apple smartphones, but its not real VR.

Head-mounted displays: HMDs such as Google Cardboard and Google Daydream are what many people think of when they hear virtual reality. Some HMDs are self-contained, not requiring connection to a computer or console. Arguably, the market is dominated by the Oculus range owned by Facebook, the HTC Vive range, and PlayStation VR.

In a post-coronavirus age, device sharing is problematic. HMDs arent easy to clean and VR software can quickly become obsolete, with new headsets sometimes not running two-year-old software. Users also have to deal with costly updates, eyestrain, and having to share displays that sat on someone elses face.

Developing and sharing content across different devices can be a nightmare but there are increasingly simple and effective ways to create AR and VR content, despite a bewildering range of platforms and equipment (there are more than 140 3D file formats).

Despite this, many VR projects are not preserved including virtual heritage projects! Even for the largest HMD companies, supplies can be limited.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of VR programs available to help relieve lockdown boredom, with many sites offering lists of their favourite picks.

The Street View app for Google Daydream and Cardboard provides a virtual tour of Chernobyl. Google Earth and Google Earth Voyager feature travel sections, too.

Google Earth VR is available on the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. VRfocus also has an interesting travel section. You can virtually explore Switzerland or Yosemite.

Or you may want to stay in Australia. Australian company White Spark Pictures Cinematic/360 experience of Antarctica tours museums. Melbourne-based company Lithodomos brings the ancient world to life and Hidden AR offers mythical augmented reality.

Read more: What is augmented reality, anyway?

Other links to check out include:

There are also VR games with which you can:

VR can show your outer space, and also convey interpretations of time and space. With it, there is vast potential for travelling to infinity and beyond.

Visit link:

Antarctica without windchill, the Louvre without queues: how to travel the world from home - The Conversation AU

The Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market research report added by Market Study Report, LLC, is a thorough analysis of the latest trends prevalent in this business. The report also dispenses valuable statistics about market size, participant share, and consumption data in terms of key regions, along with an insightful gist of the behemoths in the Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market.

The Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market report is an in-depth analysis of this business space. The major trends that defines the Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market over the analysis timeframe are stated in the report, along with additional pointers such as industry policies and regional industry layout. Also, the report elaborates on the impact of existing market trends on investors.

Request a sample Report of Immersive Virtual Reality Industry Market at:https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/2717843?utm_source=3wnews.org&utm_medium=SP

COVID-19, the disease it causes, surfaced in late 2020, and now had become a full-blown crisis worldwide. Over fifty key countries had declared a national emergency to combat coronavirus. With cases spreading, and the epicentre of the outbreak shifting to Europe, North America, India and Latin America, life in these regions has been upended the way it had been in Asia earlier in the developing crisis. As the coronavirus pandemic has worsened, the entertainment industry has been upended along with most every other facet of life. As experts work toward a better understanding, the world shudders in fear of the unknown, a worry that has rocked global financial markets, leading to daily volatility in the U.S. stock markets.

Other information included in the Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market report is advantages and disadvantages of products offered by different industry players. The report enlists a summary of the competitive scenario as well as a granular assessment of downstream buyers and raw materials.

Revealing a gist of the competitive landscape of Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market:

.

Ask for Discount on Immersive Virtual Reality Industry Market Report at:https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/2717843?utm_source=3wnews.org&utm_medium=SP

An outlook of the Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market regional scope:

Additional takeaways from the Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market report:

.

.

This report considers the below mentioned key questions:

Q.1. What are some of the most favorable, high-growth prospects for the global Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market?

Q.2. Which products segments will grow at a faster rate throughout the forecast period and why?

Q.3. Which geography will grow at a faster rate and why?

Q.4. What are the major factors impacting market prospects? What are the driving factors, restraints, and challenges in this Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market?

Q.5. What are the challenges and competitive threats to the market?

Q.6. What are the evolving trends in this Immersive Virtual Reality Industry market and reasons behind their emergence?

Q.7. What are some of the changing customer demands in the Immersive Virtual Reality Industry Industry market?

For More Details On this Report: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/covid-19-outbreak-global-immersive-virtual-reality-industry-market-report-development-trends-threats-opportunities-and-competitive-landscape-in-2020

Related Reports:

1. COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Smart Card Ics Industry Market Report-Development Trends, Threats, Opportunities and Competitive Landscape in 2020Read More: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/covid-19-outbreak-global-smart-card-ics-industry-market-report-development-trends-threats-opportunities-and-competitive-landscape-in-2020

2. COVID-19 Outbreak-Global Primary Battery And Cell Industry Market Report-Development Trends, Threats, Opportunities and Competitive Landscape in 2020Read More: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/covid-19-outbreak-global-primary-battery-and-cell-industry-market-report-development-trends-threats-opportunities-and-competitive-landscape-in-2020

Read More Reports On: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/at-35-cagr-dental-adhesive-market-size-set-to-register-11164-million-usd-by-2025-2020-06-16

Read More Reports On: https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/at-59-cagr-digital-isolator-market-size-poised-to-touch-usd-3578-million-by-2025-2020-06-16

Contact Us:Corporate Sales,Market Study Report LLCPhone: 1-302-273-0910Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150 Email: [emailprotected]

Continue reading here:

Immersive Virtual Reality Market to Grow at a Stayed CAGR from 2020 to 2025 - 3rd Watch News