Augmented Reality: Making it secure, fast, efficient and resilient
A team of researchers from UCLA and New Mexico State University have received $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and Intel to integrate augmented reality into new wireless networks. The project aims to develop augmented reality applications on top of the new NDN network architecture to address the limitations in performance, scalability and availability with today’s TCP/IP architecture.
The new project has four research goals:
- Build an operational AR demonstration system, an AR campus browser, on an NDN network that runs over high speed heterogeneous wireless technologies.
- Design robust and resilient networking support for AR that can withstand major network failures.
- Transition the delivery of content to one that utilizes in-network storage and processing, is highly individualized, fast, and efficient.
- Incorporate comprehensive security and privacy throughout the system from the start by utilizing the security building blocks provided by the NDN architecture.
“A fully realized AR environment would not be too far from what science fiction movies have depicted, as many of the necessary components are emerging, including both very high speed wireless technologies and advanced applications such as AR, ” said Lixia Zhang, UCLA’s Jon Postel Chair in Computer Science and the lead principal investigator on the project. “However currently, a major bottleneck in the way is the existing network architecture. We want to use this project to showcase how our newly developed NDN architecture can fully utilize the latest wireless technologies to support AR and promote innovative new applications.”
“In this project, we’re envisioning a new way of browsing the real world in order to drive our research,” said Jeff Burke, associate dean for technology and innovation at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) and a co-principal investigator on the project.
See the full story here: http://engineering.ucla.edu/augmented-reality-making-it-secure-fast-efficient-and-resilient/
Report predicts key iPhone X tech will ultimately kill the iPhone
“History suggests that few if any hardware vendors stay at the top for long with the ‘good enough’ attack from below the main reason,” the analysts wrote. “However, we think that Apple could become a leader in developing the Ambient Paradigm, essentially raising the bar on user experience and fending off competition.”
The “Ambient Paradigm” Milunovich and Wilson speak of is a future where computing devices are all around us and they use biometric technologies like Face ID to identify us.
The analysts continued, “Apple has a philosophy of self-cannibalization and identifying personal technology trends. It appears to be laying the foundation for the next era with transition products, such as Apple Watch and AirPods, and services provided by a multi-sided platform. We expect new product categories to be launched.”
See the full story here: http://bgr.com/2017/09/15/iphone-x-features-face-id-will-kill-iphone/
Why Virtual Reality Is in the IBC Spotlight
Equinix is here at IBC and all-in on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), not just because it is undeniably cool, but because we’re experts in the interconnection that makes it happen.
Virtual and augmented reality can’t look like actual reality without high-performance, low-latency connections. We help VR and AR companies implement an interconnection-first approach by using an Interconnection Oriented Architecture™ (IOA™) strategy that brings their partners and users closer to themselves and to each other, for the superior connectivity they need.
We’re also involved with a little VR filmmaking as a funding partner for the Emmy-nominated short, Wonder Buffalo, which will make its European premiere at IBC.
See the full story here: https://blog.equinix.com/blog/2017/09/14/why-virtual-reality-is-in-the-ibc-spotlight/
Inside Zero Latency’s Las Vegas VR Arena At The MGM Grand
The 2,000-square-foot arena, which opened last week, is the latest video game attraction for MGM’s Level Up gaming lounge. And it’s one of 20 Zero Latency arenas in operation around the globe, including locations in Orlando, Boston, Philadelphia, Wisconsin and the Poconos.
Zero Latency co-founders Tim Ruse (CEO) and Scott Vandonkelaar (CTO) told UploadVR...
Featuring an open space with no obstacles, the arena enables teams to freely explore the virtual environment together. The games have been designed to give the illusion of exploring huge spaceships or alien worlds, while players are steered through the same arena in different ways. While battling through a growing library of games (with three titles available and a fourth launching this month), teammates will see each other as full-motion avatars and stay in constant communication, allowing them to call for backup or ultimately compete for the highest score. There’s also a Zero Latency employee inside the arena with players to set them up for combat and oversee the game.
Players stay in contact with each other through Razer headphones and are outfitted with Razer OSVR HDK2 virtual reality headsets while wearing a military-grade backpack containing a high-performance Alienware laptop computer. There’s also a custom-made, two-handed rifle that offers multiple firing options in-game.
The MGM arena charges $60 per person for a 30-minute gameplay experience.
Zero Latency is also fine-tuning a spectating system for its arenas. This will allow players to stream their play sessions across existing platforms like Twitch and Facebook Live to share with friends. But it will also set up a spectating mode for esports competition.
As Zero Latency builds out its esports strategy, Ruse said the company has been talking to brands interested in VR esports.
The esports audience could introduce brand new consumers to the Zero Latency brand. Ruse said the company’s core demographic is comprised of males 25 to 40 years of age globally. And 30% of Zero Latency customers are female.
See the full story here: https://uploadvr.com/zero-latency-mgm-grand-vegas/
CAA Signs First Fully Virtual Reality Director In Kevin Cornish
CAA has signed its first fully Virtual Reality director. Kevin Cornish, who has established himself as a leader in directing high-end, cinematic VR, putting together content for brands ranging from IBM, Google, Oculus, Discovery, MTV, AT&T, Ram Truck and AMD and has worked with such talent including Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss, has signed with the agency. It will also rep his company Moth + Flame, a full-service virtual reality agency.
Cornish is currently in production on Walking Dead VR for AMC and most recently completed Fall In Love, an AI power piece for Oculus that brings human conversation into VR. Fall In Love was shortlisted for a Cannes Innovation Lion and is a finalist for the Future of Storytelling prize.
See the full story here: http://deadline.com/2017/09/caa-signs-first-fully-virtual-reality-director-kevin-cornish-1202167515/
Camera IQ raises $2.3M to tap augmented reality’s marketing potential
How’s this for a prediction: “Camera media will be bigger than TV.”
That’s according to Camera IQ CEO Allison Wood. By “camera media” she means filters, lenses and other augmented reality effects — Wood told me she’s been studying AR and camera effects for years, including a stint as an assistant professor at the Pratt Institute.
Last year, she founded Camera IQ with COO Sonia Tsao to help companies build marketing and advertising experiences for smartphone cameras. The big tech platforms have also been building their own AR tools (we’ll probably hear more about Apple’s ARKit in just a couple of hours, for example, while Facebook recently launched its own AR studio), but Wood said it remains “quite a fractured landscape,” one that Camera IQ can help unify with its drag-and-drop tools for creating, deploying and measuring AR content.
“We’ve created an end-to-end fabric that combines AR toolkits, OS platforms and native apps,” she said. “You could make the comparison that we’re kind of the Marketo of the camera.”
The Los Angeles-based startup already has a number of well-known customers, including Goldenvoice (the company that produces Coachella), Refinery29 and Viacom. Wood said that while Camera IQ’s core business is its “camera experience manager,” it also works with customers on strategy and creative support — partly because there’s so much work to do to explore the medium’s potential.
See the full story here; https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/12/camera-iq-seed-funding/?ncid=mobilenavtrend
Observe the Moon in Augmented Reality
AstroReality, a branch of Quantum Technologies, now offers an augmented reality (AR), 3D printed lunar model that allows for exploration of the Moon’s notable features and landing sites.
Other than the initial hiccups in the app, the LUNAR model is honestly pretty cool. The model itself is quite beautiful and makes for a nice display piece, and the AR functions are both interesting and educational.
I can see it being used effectively in classrooms or other learning settings to inspire a fascination with the Moon. But in terms of a personal curio or gift for a loved one, I’m not sure how much use it’ll get. It does look great, though. If you’re looking for something to look nice on your desk and aren’t too concerned about the advanced AR functions, the LUNAR Regular or Mini will do just fine.
See the full story here: http://cs.astronomy.com/asy/b/astronomy/archive/2017/09/13/guest-blog-observe-the-moon-in-augmented-reality.aspx
VR Industry Forum releases draft production and distribution guidelines
By Phil Lelyveld
The Virtual Reality Industry Forum (www.vr-if.org) has released their draft VR and 360 video production and distribution guidelines at IBC. Their membership includes Sony, MovieLabs, Dolby, Technicolor, Nagra, Verizon, and DTS.
The draft document begins with an intro section suggesting best practices for VR/360 production, including experiences with three degrees of freedom (3DOF). It then moves on to make specific recommendations for the technical aspects of visual and audio VR/360 content production, media and presentation profiles, and content security.
Other standardization efforts related to VR and immersive experiences include Khronos’ VR Standard Initiative (www.khronos.org), the IEEE Digital Senses Initiative (https://digitalsenses.ieee.org), SMPTE, and the Industry of VR Alliance’s effort (www.ivra.com)
The VRIF are seeking feedback on the draft at both their website and on GitHub by October 31, 2017. They hope to release the final document at CES 2018.
View and download the VRIF’s draft standards here: http://www.vr-if.org/wp-content/uploads/VRIF_Draft_Guidelines-v0.0draft10-2017-09-12.pdf
See the full story here: http://www.fiercecable.com/online-video/virtual-reality-industry-forum-to-intro-vr-guidelines-at-ibc