philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

26Sep/21Off

Rec Room unveils multiplayer cross-platform game Rec Rally

Rec Room unveiled a new cross-platform multiplayer game called Rec Rally, where six players can race off-road vehicles inside the cartoon-style world of Rec Room.

It’s the first game made by the company, which has its roots in virtual reality but has expanded to multiple additional platforms.

Users-as-creators is a big theme in the latest gaming boom, which has seen UGC platform Roblox go public and Overwolf raise $52.5 million for PC gaming mods and helper apps.

See the full story here: https://venturebeat.com/2021/09/25/rec-room-unveils-multiplayer-cross-platform-game-rec-rally/

26Sep/21Off

Augmented reality tech brings ancient Easter Ross Hilton stone to life for smartphone generation

THE fascinating story of a hand-carved stone which has become a major visitor attraction in Easter Ross has been given a high-tech twist – and there could be even more to come once a fresh probe gets under way.

The use of augmented reality technology for the interpretation of the Hilton Stone allows its story to be told via smartphone.

Meanwhile a new geophysical survey of the area planned for next month could reveal other artefacts currently hidden from view, opening a new chapter in a story dating back hundreds of years.

"Whilst the original Hilton Stone resides in Edinburgh, a magnificent full sized intricately carved replica stands where we believe the original stone was located. This is the largest manifestation of a Pictish cross slab on the Pictish trail. 

See the full story here: https://www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/news/pictures-ancient-easter-ross-stone-story-brought-to-life-fo-252169/

26Sep/21Off

New Exhibition in San Francisco Brings Art to Life Through Technology

The secret life of machines can be uncovered at “Renaissance 2.0,” now open at Modernism West, located inside Foreign Cinema in San Francisco’s Mission District.

One of the paintings done by the famed robot is headed for auction at Sotheby’s in New York City.

Pilat said she initially set out to paint portraits of Spot, but her 12-piece collection evolved as she connected with the machine.

“Everything important in the world right now is happening in Silicon Valley and in the same way The Renaissance happened, the changes will make the world a different place,” said Pilat. “There’s no going back.”

See the full story here: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/09/25/renaissance-2-0-art-exhibit-technology-augmented-reality-robotics/

26Sep/21Off

NASA Releases Interactive Graphic Novel “First Woman”

NASA released its first digital, interactive graphic novel on Saturday in celebration of National Comic Book Day. “First Woman: NASA’s Promise for Humanity imagines the story of Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon.

While Callie’s story is fictional, the first woman and the first person of color will walk on the Moon, achieving these historic milestones as part of NASA’s Artemis missions. Through this graphic novel, NASA aims to inspire the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation.

Download, read, and interact with “First Woman” or listen to the audio version exclusively on NASA’s SoundCloud.

See the full story here: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-releases-interactive-graphic-novel-first-womanhttps://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-releases-interactive-graphic-novel-first-woman

https://youtube.com/watch?v=9s_GGDczAcg
26Sep/21Off

The Metaverse: How To Build A Massive Virtual World

... The major tech firms are already starting to build ‘proto-metaverse’ projects. Facebook’s recently released Horizon Workrooms, for instance, creates a virtual office, where you can interact with colleagues, collaborate on work and see what your co-workers are doing on their screens. ...

In the same way that today’s broadband networks use content delivery networks (CDNs) to push, say, Netflix movies closer to the end user, ensuring the data has less distance to travel, the metaverse will require similar ‘cheats’ to make sure the user experience isn’t spoiled.

Games such as Fortnite “actually predict to some degree” where the player is going to move next, said Heinz, meaning that Epic Games can “add just a little bit of latency into the experience and not ruin it”. 

Similar techniques will need to be developed for the metaverse. “We will need to invent cheats there to... reduce latency and build the experience.”

See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2021/09/25/the-metaverse-how-to-build-a-massive-virtual-world/?sh=42809fe96d1c

26Sep/21Off

Chinese investors pile into ‘metaverse,’ despite official warnings

“Investment is not a virtual game,” a commentary in state-run Chinese media said earlier this month, warning investors to avoid augmented and virtual reality “metaverse” products. Investors did not listen — Beijing-based Nreal, an augmented reality technology company, just completed a Series C funding round of over $100 million.

...

Companies affiliated with the technology soared suddenly after the purchase, including Wondershare Technology, Wahlap Technology, Goertek, and Perfect World.

That raised the eyebrows of Chinese regulators, who have recently come down on financial speculation and adjacent sectors such as gaming. On September 9, a front-page commentary in the official state-run paper the Security Times(in Chinese) warned against investing in the metaverse because the products were still in their infancy.

See the full story here: https://supchina.com/2021/09/24/chinese-investors-pile-into-metaverse-despite-official-warnings/

26Sep/21Off

How augmented reality can advance nuclear operations

Deliver real-time access to authored content 

Leverage the power of 5G

Nuclear facilities are considering adoption of 5G, driven by the edge-computing capabilities, support for remote operations and improved security and reliability. With 5G, the capabilities and value of AR applications increase, as 5G makes data more portable and AR systems faster, more secure and more resilient. 

Maximising expertise within organisations is also a supported by AR and optimised by 5G. AR platforms can capture and disseminate knowledge from experts and distribute it to other staff, regardless of location, making employees more productive more quickly, with reduced classroom time. 

The integration of AR with IIoT technologies will be greatly enhanced by 5G and the incorporation of sensors into legacy equipment. It will provide transparent information on demand, right at the location of frontline workers, enabling them to directly and securely access critical data. 5G also reduces latency, increases throughput and enables the deployment and connection of more sensors, providing more data for machine learning to help inform maintenance tasks. 

Meanwhile advances in measures for device authentication, encryption of user traffic between devices and the network, and additional security protocols provide a new level of security required by utilities. 

See the full story here: https://www.neimagazine.com/features/featurehow-augmented-reality-can-advance-nuclear-operations-9104303/

26Sep/21Off

DREAMSCAPE TO DEBUT ‘MEN IN BLACK’ VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE

Dreamscape, the location-based immersive virtual reality company, will debut the interactive experience Men In Black: First Assignment at its flagship location in Westfield Century City on Friday, October 1.

“Location-based VR is an important part of Sony Pictures Virtual Reality’s strategy to grow our brands and expand them to new audiences,” said Jake Zim, senior vice president, virtual reality, Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Working with Dreamscape provides us with the unique opportunity to transport people into the immersive world of Men In Black and bring the magic of the franchise to longtime fans and new audiences alike.”

See the full story here: https://www.blackenterprise.com/dreamscape-to-debut-men-in-black-virtual-reality-experience/

26Sep/21Off

Stanford Releases Report on the Current State of AI

Earlier this month, Stanford University released The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) 2021 Study Panel Report.

The new Stanford AI100 report is the second in a series following the inaugural AI100 report published five years ago in September 2016. Stanford plans to continue to publish the A1100 report once every five years for a hundred years or longer.

The vision and direction of the 2021 AI100 report was set by the standing committee members consisting of Chairperson Peter Stone at The University of Texas at Austin and Sony AI, along with Erik Brynjolfsson, Russ Altman, and Percy Liang at Stanford University, Vincent Conitzer at Duke University and the University of Oxford, Mary L. Gray at Microsoft Research, Barbara Grosz at Harvard University, Ayanna Howard at The Ohio State University, Patrick Lin at California Polytechnic State University, James Manyika at McKinsey & Company, Sheila McIlraith at the University of Toronto, Liz Sonenberg at The University of Melbourne, and Judy Wajcman at the London School of Economics and The Alan Turing Institute.

“In the last five years, the field of AI has made major progress in almost all its standard sub-areas, including vision, speech recognition and generation, natural language processing (understanding and generation), image and video generation, multi-agent systems, planning, decision-making, and integration of vision and motor control for robotics,” wrote the researchers. “In addition, breakthrough applications emerged in a variety of domains including games, medical diagnosis, logistics systems, autonomous driving, language translation, and interactive personal assistance.”

“Whereas AI research has traditionally been the purview of computer scientists and researchers studying cognitive processes, it has become clear that all areas of human inquiry, especially the social sciences, need to be included in a broader conversation about the future of the field,” the researchers concluded.

See the full story here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-future-brain/202109/stanford-releases-report-the-current-state-ai

Download the full report here: https://ai100.stanford.edu/2021-report/gathering-strength-gathering-storms-one-hundred-year-study-artificial-intelligence

26Sep/21Off

Amazon Plans High-Tech Department Store Dressing Rooms

Amazon’s planned department stores will leverage technology to boost clothing sales. The company is testing concepts such as having customers use their phones to scan QR codes of apparel they’re interested in so employees can place the items in a dressing room. Customers could then request alternative items using a touchscreen that may prompt with additional suggestions based on their taste. Amazon is considering opening department stores next year, primarily as a way to sell clothing from Amazon’s private labels as well as select third-party brands that sell on Amazon.com.

“Amazon wants to see if the potential department stores can improve the brand recognition of its apparel while addressing some of the irritants of both online and bricks-and-mortar clothes shopping,” The Wall Street Journal says, noting the dressing rooms may be configured so employees could come and go discreetly, without face-to-face contact, and that eventually “robots or other forms of automation” could be used.

See the full story here: https://www.etcentric.org/amazon-plans-high-tech-department-store-dressing-rooms/https://www.etcentric.org/amazon-plans-high-tech-department-store-dressing-rooms/