VR/AR news/updates live thread

[ScienceRocks]

Post the latest news, information and updates on the latest on VR or AR. I expect some really cool stuff to come out!


Magic Leap Has Quietly Built a 40-Person VR Team in Austin

Magic Leap, the secretive AR/VR company that has been teasing techies with clips of whales emerging from gymnasium floors, has quietly built a team of about 40 people in Austin.
It's the heart of the Fort Lauderdale-based company's R&D team, but they aren't sharing many other details about what they're developing in their new office off of Metric Boulevard in north Austin. At the company's grand opening, attended by local tech and political leaders, we could only imagine what's happening behind the orange-tinted glass at the back of the 23,000 square foot offices.
"As with all things at Magic Leap, I can't say to the public exactly what we're doing here," Magic Leap CMO Brian Wallace said. "Suffice to say we've got some of the best and brightest minds in the world literally in Austin in this room right now."

 

[ScienceRocks]

Celebrity augmented reality 'holograms' are coming

Quote

Get ready for celebrity 'holograms' beyond the usual 2D illusions. RadicalMedia and Uncorporeal are partnering on 3D captures of celebrities for augmented reality and eventually virtual reality performances, giving digital stand-ins a greater presence. You could go to a venue and see a convincing virtual concert or lecture no matter where you sit, and with more freedom of movement for the star of the show. The technique encircles a green screen stage with 48 cameras, creating a hologram-like effect that not only works in any AR or VR format (including future headset tech), but can carry over to 2D video.

RadicalMedia isn't ready to say which celebs will be involved, in part because it's still negotiating deals. However, it expects to showcase its project within a year, when it also expects augmented reality tech to reach the public. It's not certain just how sophisticated it'll be in practice. AR hardware like Microsoft's HoloLens is rolling out even as I write this, but the $3,000-a-pop pricing isn't realistic for a theater or lecture hall with hundreds of people. The most advanced presentations may be reserved for smaller-scale, shorter presentations where just a few headsets are enough. Oherwise, you might end using phone-based headsets (or no headset at all) to get a good-but-not-great viewing experience.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Smart glasses make hands-free 'Pokémon Go' a reality
'Pokémon Go' and augmented reality glasses are a match made in heaven

Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm. It's not uncommon to see dozens of people walking around parks and city streets with their heads buried in their phones, trying to catch cute cartoon monsters. Unfortunately, doing so means you're not keeping your eyes on the road, which has already led to a few accidents. But what if you could somehow play Pokémon Go while also paying attention to the world around you? That's exactly what Recon has attempted to do by porting the popular game over to the Jet, a pair of Android-based smart glasses the company released last year. The setup isn't perfect and it doesn't work completely just yet, but even what I've seen so far provides an exciting glimpse at the next wave of augmented reality.

At Intel's Developer Forum in San Francisco this week, I had a chance to try on a Jet to see the app in action. Since the Jet already has GPS, WiFi and a fully baked operating system, a Recon software developer by the name of Patrick Cho was able to move Pokémon Go over to it as a standalone app. The caveat here is that the Jet doesn't have LTE, so you'll have to figure out how to get WiFi if you're out and about -- an important consideration when playing Pokémon Go. Mine used a hotspot connection to a phone for its internet connection, so we were good there. Cho also had to reorient thePokémon Go screen from portrait to landscape mode to accommodate the Jet's 428 x 240 resolution display.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Intel unveils Project Alloy 'merged reality' headset

16 August 2016

Intel has unveiled a virtual reality headset that allows nearby objects from the real world to be integrated into its computer-generated views.

It describes Project Alloy as being a "merged reality" device. One key advantage, Intel says, is that users will be able to see their own hands.

It intends to offer the technology to other manufactures next year, but will not sell the headsets itself.

The company is keen to avoid repeating the mistake it made with smartphones.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...nology-37098764

 

[SixFoot]

8 Paralyzed Patients Regain Movement, Feeling with VR

The patients used what's called a brain-machine interface, including a virtual reality system that used their own brain activity to help them recover sensation in their paralyzed limbs. It's the first time that partial neurological recovery has been reported in patients with long-term paralysis, a result that surprised even the researchers.
... ... ...
The patients had each suffered severe spinal cord injuries from auto accidents, falls and other trauma that left them completely paralyzed for at least five years and as long as 13 years.

8 Paralyzed Patients Regain Movement, Feeling with Virtual Reality


And parents used to say video games would rot your brain.