Light Field Lab Unveils Modular Holographic Video Wall
PhilNote: In 2018 Lytro ceased operations. Some employees when to work for Google, while others formed Light Field Lab (wikipedia)
Once considered science fiction, holographic technology has evolved at a rapid pace over the last several years. Whether it be a personalized system such as the Looking Glass Portrait or more advanced experiences such as Microsoft’s multi-lingual mixed reality hologram powered by the HoloLens 2, it’s clear we’re entering a new era in immersive technology. SolidLight, Light Field Lab’s new holographic platform, is only further evidence of this.
Here’s what you can expect from the SolidLight platform (as provided by Light Field Lab):
- SolidLight Surface Panel – Bezel-less 28-inch building block that seamlessly enables nearly infinite scalability and customizability, contributing 2.5 billion pixels to the generated holographic object volume with an effective density of 10 billion pixels per square meter.
- SolidLight Relay – An additional featurethat allows the generated holographic object volume to be positioned within physical environments, incorporating real-world transparency/occlusion control.
- SolidLight WaveTracer™ – Proprietary real-time and offline rendering software and plugins for content development. Content may be created with any 3D scene in real-time, rendered offline or may leverage existing volumetric capture workflows or integrate with 2D converted assets.
- Computational Hardware – Includes the servers, GPUs, synchronization, and networking to seamlessly manage SolidLight Surface displays.
- Support & Maintenance – Service plans offer rapid on-site response, parts, labor and travel, and optional continuous support.
Duke University professor Cynthia Rudin won the $1M AAAI Squirrel AI Award for her work on socially responsible AI systems
Duke University professor Cynthia Rudin won the $1M AAAI Squirrel AI Award for her work on socially responsible AI systems. Rudin’s first applied project used machine learning to predict which manholes in NYC were most likely to explode due to bad circuitry. She also helped build a model that links commonalities between crimes to determine if they're committed by the same person, which became the basis for the NYPD's Patternizr algorithm.
More:
- The award, given by the nonprofit Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, recognizes achievements in AI that benefit humanity. Online education company Squirrel AI provides the $1M prize.
- Rudin, a professor of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and statistical science at Duke, also helped design a system to predict which critically ill hospital patients are most likely to have a seizure following a stroke or other brain injury.
- She is a noted critic of so-called "black box" AI models for use in high-stakes areas. Instead, she advocates for interpretable models in areas where accuracy and lack of bias are critical.
See the full story here: https://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/rudin-squirrel-award
A real-life ‘Squid Game’ is being organized in Abu Dhabi
The Korean Cultural Center in the United Arab Emirates is organizing a reenactment of the games seen in the Netflix series for two teams of 15 participants.
Nam added that the event was being held to introduce Korean culture and the childhood games Koreans play to the people of the United Arab Emirates.
See the full story here: https://www.insider.com/real-life-squid-game-is-being-organized-in-abu-dhabi-2021-10
ETC Launches First of Two Metaverse Experience Challenges
By Phil Lelyveld
October 11, 2021
University of Southern California students were invited to participate in the first of two scheduled Metaverse Experience Challenges, hosted by ETC@USC. Making use of current and emerging tools, students were tasked with developing original ideas for compelling metaverse experiences. Six teams of randomly-grouped students started work at 1:00 pm on Friday, October 1 and presented their ideas to judges from Epic Games, Universal Pictures and Disney Research at 3:00 pm on Saturday, October 2. Each member of the winning teams — Meetaverse and Virtual Vinyl — received a Nintendo Switch “Fortnite” Edition, courtesy of Epic Games.
The ETC@USC Metaverse Experience Challenge was organized by ETC’s Phil Lelyveld and Danny Bilson, chair of the Interactive Media and Games Division, USC School of Cinematic Arts. The goal was to see what interesting, engaging and repeatable physical and storytelling ideas this next generation of creators could imagine building in the near term using existing and rapidly emerging technologies and techniques.
Students were instructed to think broadly and consider mixed reality, “Fortnite,” NFTs, linear storytelling, game engine capabilities, social media and anything else that came to mind. The instructions stressed that there were no boundaries and that tangential thinking was encouraged.
Teams were given a template to follow. They were told to prepare a deck and a 3-minute presentation that addresses the concept and its key features, why it will engage the user, what differentiates it, what current technology and resources it leverages, and why people will love it.
Judges were looking for ideas or elements that were original, repeatable or repurposable, and would engage today’s users. The judges were Kim Libreri, CTO of Epic Games; Markus Gross, VP research for Disney Research, Zurich; and Greg Reed, VP of technology partnerships at Universal Pictures.
The following are brief summaries of the six ideas:
Health Balance — Mixed reality app that uses in-app incentives, physical activity and nutritional literacy info to aid and enhance your journey to becoming more healthy. It uses computer vision to identify foods and help you make healthy choices, sensors to track your movements and AR/VR for motivational gameplay.
Meetaverse (winner) — Combines real-time biometric sensing with virtual reality to improve the first date and matchmaking experience. Biosensors record the person’s response to words and phrases, and natural language processors record which phrases trigger a positive brain response.
Metaportal — Immersive universal hub to explore user-generated universes within made-for-VR web browsers. The user can work with others to create new user-generated worlds and wander freely, unconstrained by the limits of walled-gardened ecosystems. Three.js is an example of a cross-browser programming interface, resource library and community that could be used to build Metaportal.
Metaversify — Pioneers storyliving in the metaverse. You embody a digital avatar in a physical space. You can customize your avatar, level up, and unlock shareable experiences. Key features are the customized and collectable avatar, a decentralized attraction experience, and a reward system with purchasable physical and digital products and capabilities.
Virtual Vinyl (winner) — Centralized, interactive and immersive music experience, combining the collectibles and the infinite possibilities of mixed reality. Virtual Vinyl leverages 3D scanning, NFTs and other technology to support three pillars: Ultimate Centralization (video, music tracks, lyrics, background stories), Immersive Interaction (watch the band perform from all angles, use an app to adjust the mix), and Unique Collection (QR codes on collectable physical cards, access to unique NFTs issued by the artists).
WorldBreaker — Socially conscious open world VR survival video game where the choices you make can either accelerate or slow down the apocalyptic rate of climate change our planet is experiencing. It uses brain computing interface and VR technology to change the gameplay based on the player’s in-game experiences and emotional responses.
The presentation decks for these projects, along with a highlight reel, will be posted in the near future. And stay tuned for results of the second ETC@USC Metaverse Experience Challenge.
See the full story here: https://www.etcentric.org/etc-launches-first-of-two-metaverse-experience-challenges/
The Army’s futuristic goggles near completion
Imagine getting a 3-D layout of a target building piped into your goggles on a heads-up display before you and your teammates kick the door in and clear the rooms.
That future could become reality with the Army’s Integrated Visual Augmentation System, basically a “do-it-all” goggle for troops.
The IVAS’ early versions were developed using Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset.
But a newly ruggedized system has been used by soldiers all the way up to company-level live fires as recently as last year.
The IVAS is how the Army will move situational awareness and targeting — like what jet pilots have had for years — into the eyes of dismounted soldiers roaming the battlefield.
Plans call for IVAS to include rapid targeting acquisitions, thermal and night vision capabilities, navigation headings, mapping, markers, data sharing and more.
The current IVAS prototype weighs 2.5 pounds, the same weight as the newly fielded Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular.
It also has recording capabilities for instant after-action videos and it uses the existing tactical assault kit — a smartphone-based app — as its off-board computer.
See the full story here: https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-army/2021/10/11/the-armys-futuristic-goggles-near-completion/
China Box Office dominated by China Content
See the full story here: https://www.evolutionmediacapital.com/research/chart-week-100621?mkt_tok=ODUwLVRBQS01MTEAAAGADkbxJSSbKzhvhH2WQclLjau7ARzSOBsdmx_VesxtoQjXfOE0_dygn0gcGfApNyft8WPM9ioV7JAjvNYF9TQELAT1uYqOIL5_dzVpjwckPsGO
Nolan Bushnell, the Man Behind Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, Is Releasing an NFT
The Cost
The videos and AR are straightforward, at least from a consumer standpoint. Like many NFT “drops,” the pricing structure is less so— there are multiple versions of these videos and AR renditions that carry different price structures.
Two unique editions of the red Pong tabletop arcade game and yellow Computer Space arcade game videos, which also come with the AR component, will be auctioned to the highest bidder. But these digital one-offs come with IRL components, too. The red Pong NFT comes with a visit with Bushnell to the arcade/carnival Two Bit Circus in Los Angeles, and the yellow Computer Space NFT comes with an unopened, signed Atari 2600 console.
What it’s like to dance at a VR strip club
...
"It's basically run almost exactly like a real-life strip club," Lena continued. "You do an audition on stage during normal club hours, and see how people react, and the head dancer was like, 'You got some good reviews!'"
To prepare for a night at TrippyWRLD ENT, Lena puts on her Oculus headset and body tracking kit, which animates her avatar's hands, arms, and torso. Then in VRChat, Lena selects the "world" that hosts the club. Once she's transported to the club's lobby, she and other dancers, club managers, and DJs attend a pre-show "briefing" to discuss music and make note of VIP guests — VRChat admins and the creators of the world occasionally attend shows and tip dancers with gift cards. When the club's doors "open" at 7 p.m., the team members mute themselves in-game and join a private Discord call, where they can make song requests or ask for breaks. ...
See the full story here: https://mashable.com/article/virtual-reality-strip-clubs-vrchat
