HaptX Secures $12 Million in Funding Round, Partners with Advanced Input Systems
HaptX was formerly known as AxonVR and has been researching and developing exoskeleton systems designed for new forms of human-machine interactions. The company’s flagship project was its elaborate haptic gloves for both XR and robot interactions. Their working mechanism involves a liquid being pressed at super-fast speed around 130 circular chambers at the user’s fingertips and joints as well as in the palms of the hands and then released again.
The haptic software will determine the chambers which are to be filled, how much liquid is to be pumped and at what point the liquid should be pumped in order to convey the right feeling or perception of the object. The manufacturer calls these chambers “haptic pixels” and they will simulate the sense of touch and resistance. Suddenly, the user will notice the contours of the digital objects and the user will no longer be able to reach through them.
The second generation of the HaptX gloves could be better. The company’s development efforts is now backed by a dozen or so investors to the tune of $12 million.
Apart from the news on its fundraising efforts, it has also emerged that HaptX is also cooperating with the US company Advanced Input Systems, a Human-Machine Interface company which specializes in industrial interfaces. This partnership could help sell the company’s next-generation gloves to more companies and with more frequency. The two companies will collaborate on manufacturing and product development.
See the full story here: https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2019/12/22/haptx-secures-12-million-in-funding-round-partners-with-advanced-input-systems/
Littlstar Adds Content From Whistle, New Form, Sliver.tv to VR and PlayStation Subscription Service
A+E Networks-backed video aggregator Littlstar has teamed up with Whistle, New Form, esports network Sliver.tv and others to launch premium content channels for its paying subscribers. The new partnerships will bring esports and other types of short-form content to the PlayStation and VR devices supported by Littlstar.
The new partnerships will give Littlstar subscribers access to Whistle’s catalog of sports content and New Form’s shows like “Mr. Student Body President,” “Cold,” and “The Stem10” with Jaden Smith. Sliver.tv — which is in the midst of rebranding itself as Theta.tv — will live-stream esports 24/7 on Littlstar. The company also struck agreements with A+E Networks’ trial and true-crime network Law & Crime as well as immersive content studio Atlas V.
“There is no other place to get some of this content on PS4, giving us an exclusive mix of content and features that nobody else has,” said Littlstar co-founder and CEO Tony Mugavero.
See the full story here: https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/littlstar-whistle-new-form-premium-content-channels-1203449918/
A New Lightsaber VR Experience Now Glowing
[PhilNote: this is just public access to an Oculus Quest]
It's "Lightsaber Dojo," a VR attraction that was developed by ILMxLAB, the "immersive entertainment studio" at Lucasfilm. If you know "Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series," then you'll recognize elements of this step-inside-the-action world.
Where to find this pop-up slice of "Star Wars" thrilldom? In the lobby of the Cinemark Century Huntington Beach and XD, as well as at Ontario Mills and Del Amo Fashion Center.
Find your $9.99 ticket at the walk-up kiosk, Rebels o' SoCal.
See the full story here: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/a-new-lightsaber-vr-experience-now-glowing/2274302/
The Dark Side of Big Tech’s Accumulation of Power, Wealth
University of North Carolina professor Zeynep Tufekci criticized these tech companies for “deciding speech codes for the world,” dubbing them “de facto sovereign entities,” noting that their founders ultimately make all the decisions. Amazon is also criticized for being “unable or unwilling to effectively police third-party sellers, some of whom sell dangerous or toxic products, many coming from China.”
The biggest threat to Big Tech going forward, concludes WSJ, is “techlash” that could change one law that has helped them grow unfettered: avoiding responsibility for what’s posted on their platforms.
See the full story here: https://www.etcentric.org/the-dark-side-of-big-techs-accumulation-of-power-wealth/
XR Association wants to keep harassment and hate out of VR and AR
A group of big tech companies who make virtual and augmented reality gear and software have assembled a trade group to promote safety in virtual spaces.
The group, called called the XR Association, counts Facebook’s Oculus, HTC, Microsoft, and others as members. (“XR” is an umbrella term that encapsulates virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.)
XRA has already released an initial set of guidelines to help developers create XR devices that well-designed and easy to use, and it’s now added a new set of best practices for creating safe and inclusive virtual social spaces. The formation of XRA and the release of the guidelines represent the first time the industry has coalesced in an actual trade group to spread best practices and educate the public.
The new XRA guidelines give a cautionary example of a user stamping a silly emoji over a memorial in the real world. But other scenarios are more disturbing. Bullies could virtually graffiti a victim’s home. Racists could paint hate slogans over civil rights monuments.
The XRA’s guidelines provide ways of steering users away from that kind of bad behavior.
See the full story here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90441925/this-new-group-wants-to-keep-harassment-and-hate-out-of-vr-and-ar
City replaces downtown nativity scene with augmented reality display
Two years after quietly decommissioning Edmonton's 40-year-old outdoor manger scene, the city is rolling out an augmented reality depiction of the nativity instead.
Visitors to city hall can explore various scenes of the Christmas creche and hear scripture readings and carols after downloading the city's app and using a smartphone to scan an icon at the city's downtown faith exhibit.
"If my memory serves me correctly, we didn't have Christmas carols as a part of the outdoor nativity scene. We certainly didn't have any Bible readings that were included in that. So this actually builds on what was there before, but in a different way."
Outdoor display decommissioned
The outdoor display in Sir Winston Churchill Square featured life-sized, fibreglass figures of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and wise men inside a wooden stable as well as, for many years, real animals.
"It became part of the cultural fabric of decorations downtown," Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton spokesperson Lorraine Turchansky said.
'Christmas decorations are just fine'
"We love to see that menorah outside at the [legislature] grounds and our friends in the other faith communities think that Christmas decorations are just fine," Turchansky said. "And I think that many of them say they're willing to support us to restore that nativity scene if we can."
See the full story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/augmented-reality-nativity-scene-1.5401545
Facebook is building an operating system so it can ditch Android
UNITED STATES - APRIL 11: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to testify before a House Energy and Commerce Committee in Rayburn Building on the protection of user data on April 11, 2018. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Facebook doesn’t want its hardware like Oculus or its augmented reality glasses to be at the mercy of Google because they rely on its Android operating system. That’s why Facebook has tasked Mark Lucovsky, a co-author of Microsoft’s Windows NT, with building the social network an operating system from scratch, according to The Information’s Alex Heath. To be clear, Facebook’s smartphone apps will remain available on Android.
“We really want to make sure the next generation has space for us,” says Facebook’s VP of Hardware, Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth. “We don’t think we can trust the marketplace or competitors to ensure that’s the case. And so we’re gonna do it ourselves.”
By moving to its own OS, Facebook could have more freedom to bake social interaction — and hopefully privacy — deeper into its devices. It could also prevent a disagreement between Google and Facebook from derailing the roadmaps of its gadgets.
One added bonus of moving to a Facebook-owned operating system? It could make it tougher to force Facebook to spin out some of its acquisitions, especially if Facebook goes with Instagram branding for its future augmented reality glasses.
Investing in tomorrow tech
Now Facebook is hoping to learn from past mistakes as it ramps up its hardware efforts with a new office for the AR/VR team in Burlingame, 15 miles north of the company’s headquarters. The 770,000-square-foot space is designed to house roughly 4,000 employees.
Social hardware
Facebook has also been working on hardware experiences for the enterprise. Facebook Workplace video calls can now run on Portal, with its smart camera auto-zooming to keep everyone in the board room in frame or focused on the action.
Selling Oculus headsets, Portal screens and mind-readers might never generate the billions in profits Facebook earns from its efficient ads business, but they could ensure the social network isn’t locked out of the next waves of computing.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/19/facebook-operating-system/
A Virtual World And A “Third Place” May Just Save Your Health
"Third place" is a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg and refers to places where people spend time between home ("first" place) and work ("second" place). They are locations where people exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships.
In community building, the third place refers to the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. Examples of third places are environments like churches, cafes, clubs, public libraries, parks or often, places like Starbucks Coffee shops, which are created to be third places by design.
However, after spending two days at the 2019 Virtual Reality conference in San Francisco, the idea that the third place doesn’t even need to be within this physical world arose. A virtual world may be the right place as a third place for some people and it may make sense to start thinking bigger and broader.
Introverts, homebodies, and anyone unable to travel to a third place also need what the third place offers those who are mobile: accessibility, connectivity, a space for to be vulnerable and authentic, and safe. Often a third place becomes such a norm that it is integrated into people's daily and weekly lives—so much so that it can become a habit and even be taken for granted. A third place brings out commonality among others and can become part of a person's identify.
See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/colleenreilly/2019/12/19/a-virtual-world-and-a-third-place-may-just-save-your-health/#10b436317dfe