Calgary hospital 1st in Canada to help patients escape wound pain with virtual reality
"The time goes by a lot quicker. I can feel her touching my legs and stuff but I don't really feel anything going on," he said.
Rockyview is the first hospital in Canada to use virtual reality technology to help wound care patients alleviate the pain and stress of treatment. An anonymous donor funded two Samsung Gear headsets, allowing patients to escape to one of 12 VR experiences.
Cuthbertson's said VR really makes having his dressings changed a lot easier.
The hospital said patients reported a 75 per cent reduction in discomfort and a 31 per cent improvement in overall experience.
See the full story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wound-care-virtual-reality-1.4805835
Lenovo to update Jedi Challenges Augmented Reality game with ‘Dark Side’ expansion and Kylo Ren lightsaber
Lenovo’s awesome Mirage AR headset and light saber for Jedi Challenges has been with us for just over a year, but at IFA 2018 Lenovo has announced it’s getting a new ‘Dark Side’ update offering those wanting to follow the Sith path an option.
The Dark Side update is both software and hardware based with the Jedi Challenges app getting a free content update to allow fans to play through new challenges as Kylo Ren, including offering the opportunity to duel Yoda or Rey as Kylo Ren, as well as a new saber peripheral. The Jedi Challenges app update will be made available through Google Play (and the iOS app store) in November, making for a worthy update to a great game.
See the full story here: https://ausdroid.net/2018/09/02/lenovo-update-jedi-challenges-augmented-reality-game-dark-side-expansion-kylo-ren-lightsaber/
Haptic armband lets you feel the sensation of stroking in VR
Virtual reality has a long way to go before it feels like reality. ... Heather Culbertson hopes to change that.
At the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering, Culbertson and her team of graduate students are working on a “haptic” armband that gives you a sense of touch. It’s not using an actuator, which gives you a sense of buzzing like in typical video game controllers. Rather, Culbertson has engineered a prototype arm so that it feels like the sensation of a finger moving along your arm. I tried it out on a recent trip to Culbertson’s lab. The current prototype is a sleeve that wraps around your forearm and has a row of wired small speakers on it. It mimics the sensation of a finger moving along your arm.
“That’s what we focus on in this lab, a way to create hardware and signals that make haptic interactions feel natural, mimicking what you feel in real life, said Culbertson, who is an assistant professor of computer science, aerospace, and mechanical engineering. “With this device, it’s a set of voice coil actuators. These are capable of playing vibration. They’re essentially speakers.”
the lab is looking to improve social VR, like when you tap someone on the shoulder to reassure the person. She calls it social haptics.
See the full story here: https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/02/haptic-armband-lets-you-feel-the-sensation-of-stroking-in-vr/
Virtual reality booth showing Hong Kong mega bridge among expo attractions meant to boost interest in innovation and tech
Visitors to the InnoTech Expo can also see a model of the Great Wall in Beijing to understand what techniques ancient artisans used to build the 21,196km series of fortifications in northern China. Early construction of the world-famous wall ran from 771 to 221BC. The model is built at a ratio of 1 to 250,000.
“There is so much more that they can achieve and participate in amid this new wave of technology and scientific innovations,” she said.
The expo, expected to cost more than HK$20 million, will feature three major themes: engineering, agriculture and medicine. More than 160 exhibits are slated, up 20 per cent from last year, she added.
Tsui called on the government to double its funding for university research to HK$2 billion and suggested the institutions increase their number of research positions for doctorate holders. He also urged universities to allow some academics who focus exclusively on research without holding any teaching responsibilities to help cultivate scientific talent.
Step into History – First Virtual Reality Walking Tour in Israel Features Second Temple
Jerusalem’s ancient stories, places and people have come alive with new virtual reality (VR) technology as Israel’s first VR mobile walking tour was launched at the Tower of David on September 3rd.
The tour features reconstructed views of Jerusalem during Second Temple times by Lithodomos VR, partnered with the Tower of David Innovation Lab, launched in October 2017 and funded by a Jerusalem Development Authority investment that aims to grow the city’s tech scene, pilots innovative solutions that enhance the museum experience for visitors.
Starting at the Tower of David museum and ending in the Jewish Quarter,...
See the full story here: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/113379/virtual-reality-tour-temple-times/
Technology in Mining – augmented reality and engineering tools
The Soldamatic augmented reality (AR) welding training simulator has won top honours at the Worlddidac Awards for the most innovative educational product. “It requires no costly welding consumables and reduces training time by half,” said Bez Sangari, CEO Sangari Education, sole distributor of the product.
“Consumables such as welding rods, steel plate or gases are not needed, and because the equipment has no gas emissions, it is eco-friendly,” he said.
“In addition, the AR simulator can be used in any environment with no need for special clothing or ventilation.
See the full story here: http://www.miningne.ws/2018/09/04/technology-in-mining-augmented-reality-and-engineering-tools/#
GEOLOGY IS LIKE AUGMENTED REALITY FOR THE PLANET
Most humans are chronophobes. We worry about where the time has gone, whether we’re spending it wisely, how much of it we have left. Geology puts things in temporal perspective; it reminds us that, while the current version of the world is ephemeral, it’s also intimately connected to countless others, long past and still to come. If I’m successful, my students will finish the class seeing backstories everywhere in nature, their sense of place and time on this old Earth irrevocably altered.
See the full story here: https://www.wired.com/story/geology-is-like-augmented-reality-for-the-planet/
TikTok adds video reactions to its newly-merged app
Instead of text comments, these reactions will take the form of videos that are essentially superimposed on top of existing clips. The idea of a reaction video should be familiar to anyone who’s spent some time on YouTube, but TikTok is incorporating the concept in way that looks like a pretty seamless.
To post a reaction, users just need to choose the React option in the Share menu for a given video. The app will then record your audio and video as the clip plays. You can also decide where on the screen you want your reaction video to appear.
If you don’t recognize the TikTok name, that’s probably because the app only launched in the United States at the beginning of August, but it’s been available in China for a couple of years.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/03/tiktok-reactions/?utm_medium=TCnewsletter