philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

IMMERSIVE VR SIMULATORS ARE COMING TO LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTRES WORLDWIDE

Immotion Group’s fully immersive VR simulators are to be installed at most Legoland Discovery Centres (LDC) across the globe.

With striking wrap-around sound and multi-directional movement, Immotion’s fully immersive VR simulators deliver an exhilarating virtual reality experience.

VR simulators with eight headsets are currently being used at the Boston site in the United States and at Manchester, United Kingdom.

Following the successful trials of the immersive platforms at these two LDC sites, Merlin Entertainments has agreed to introduce 21 new VR simulators with two headsets at different Legoland Discovery Centres around the world.

A VR platform will also be installed at a hotel at Germany’s Legoland Deutschland Resort. Six VR simulators have also been bought for Legoland Discovery Centres in Asia.

The company supplies most of its VR simulators on a concession basis, which shares revenue with theme park and entertainment site owners. In exchange, Immotion Group provides sites with the equipment, technical support, content and training.

See the full story here: http://interpark.co.uk/immersive-vr-simulators-are-coming-to-legoland-discovery-centres-worldwide/?fbclid=IwAR3hubSCffaFuCIMev30pNxaDBIG-gF5OM7JnZv0Jl1O6fL2gy7-iHH1yVA

Microsoft Advocates For Washington State AI Regulation Bill

Washington State has introduced a bill to regulate facial recognition software, and tech giant Microsoft is advocating for its passage, while e-commerce leader Amazon remains undecided. Amazon asked state senator Reuven Carlyle, who sponsored the bill, for clarification as well as a change to the requirement that AI software developers claiming the ability to identify faces must allow third parties to test it. Carlyle explained he would examine all submitted requests and introduce a revised version of the bill.

Bloomberg reports Carlyle stated that, “it’s fair to say Amazon has a deep skepticism and concern about meaningful restrictions on facial recognition.” But he added that Amazon has also “made it clear their goal is to attempt to get to a place where they can be supportive of the legislation.”

Microsoft president/chief legal officer Brad Smith stated that, with regard to the Washington legislation, “opening up the software for third-party testing is one of the key parts of the bill.” He noted that being opposed to testing is “like an automobile company objecting to testing of airbags.” “The public has the right to evaluate these services, and responsible companies should recognize the importance of this kind of third-party testing,” said Smith.

Third parties — MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini and the American Civil Liberties Union — have already tested Amazon and Microsoft’s facial-recognition programs.

See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/microsoft-advocates-for-washington-state-ai-regulation-bill/

These 50 Start-Ups May Be the Next ‘Unicorns’

CB Insights, a firm that tracks start-ups, analyzed a variety of data to create a list of 50 private companies around the world that are on a path to a $1 billion valuation.

See the one-line descriptions in the full story here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/10/technology/these-50-start-ups-may-be-the-next-unicorns.html

Virtual reality: A game-changing method for the language sciences

The main promise of virtual reality as a tool for the experimental language sciences, however, is that it shifts theoretical focus towards the interplay between different modalities (e.g., speech, gesture, eye gaze, facial expressions) in dynamic and communicative real-world environments, complementing studies that focus on one modality (e.g., speech) in isolation.

See the full scholarly article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-019-01571-3

Yesterworld: A Tribute to Disney Quest

The video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_0ltLOVyA&fbclid=IwAR229NoIlnyAP2YJGVg205fZKEN8SIsfLX_iaziC_M5H4H3wnD_7vAXn3BU

VR projects that impressed Sheikh Hamdan come to Dubai

While government leaders and members of civil society will be discussing solutions to problems posed by climate change and war, two artists will be making their case for environmental protection and peace through virtual reality at the seventh World Government Summit (WGS) that starts today.

Serbian Milica Zec and American Winslow Porter, co-founders and directors at newreality.co, are showcasing 'Tree' and 'Giant', which are virtual-reality projects that will transform viewers into a tree in the Amazon rainforest, and how it feels to be trapped in a war zone, respectively.

The Tree project premiered at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Zec and Porter said Sheikh Hamdan watched it and invited them to attend the World Government Summit in Dubai.

Video: Sakurai Was Asked To Join Oculus To Make Virtual Reality Games

See the original post here: https://mynintendonews.com/2019/02/09/video-sakurai-was-asked-to-join-oculus-to-make-virtual-reality-games/

Virtual reality can make home buying a breeze for military

10 European VR startups to look out for in 2019 and beyond

HypnoVR – Founded in 2016, HypnoVR just began marketing its medical hypnosis virtual reality solution to improve the management of patient pain, stress and anxiety. Using virtual reality headsets like Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear, HypnoVR’s solution places the patient into an intense multisensory tridimensional immersion experience. The technology is currently being used in applications for pediatric surgery, gastroenterology, gynecology and dental surgery. The startup, based in Strasbourg, has raised €700k to date.

See the full story here: https://www.eu-startups.com/2019/02/10-european-vr-startups-to-look-out-for-in-2019-and-beyond/

USING VIRTUAL REALITY TO DETECT SIGNS OF GLAUCOMA

A virtual reality headset could improve the diagnosis of glaucoma by enabling more frequent testing.

The NGoggle device, developed by scientists at Duke University, provides an objective assessment of peripheral vision loss by using light to stimulate targeted areas in the patient’s visual field and gauging a patient’s brain activity.

The portability of the device means that it can be used in a community setting, with the potential to be used in a patient’s home.

NGoggle incorporates wireless electroencephalography to monitor brain activity. Within a few minutes, it can accrue enough information to assess how well each eye communicates with the brain across the field of vision.

A study funded by the National Eye Institute will test the diagnostic accuracy and reproducibility of the device.

The virtual reality aspect of the device means that a patient’s vision could be tested while they play a video game or explore a virtual art gallery.

See the full story here: https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/science-and-vision/technology/2019/02/11/using-virtual-reality-to-detect-signs-of-glaucoma