Is Amazon Following Microsoft’s Lead in Augmented Reality?
For the rumored homewares push, the idea will likely be the same -- to offer self-checkout for smaller items, delivery for larger items, and discounts for Prime members. Assuming that you have pictures of your living room, you can potentially project the home furnishings into your home like the IKEA app.
Since these brick-and-mortar stores all give preferential treatment to Prime members, that expansion can boost the growth of the Prime ecosystem. Last June, research firm CIRP estimated that Amazon had 63 million Prime members in the U.S., a 19 million increase from a year earlier. It also estimated that the average Prime member spent $1,200 annually at Amazon, while non-members spent just $500.
Augmented Reality And Loneliness: Magali Barbé’s ‘Strange Beasts’
A new video entitled ‘Strange Beasts’ has been doing the rounds on social media this week. Directed by Magali Barbé, the film purports to be a trailer for the next generation of augmented reality gaming — but in actual fact, it is a short fictional work, and a commentary on the increasing encroachment of virtual reality and augmented reality upon our lives.
A sense of unease, which will be familiar to viewers of Charlie Brooker’s “Black Mirror” series, quickly sets in.
It’s an impressive bit of film-making, well narratized and with expertly rendered CGI monsters. The effect is convincing — this could well be the next thing in augmented reality technology — and it plays against expectations to ensure that the ending is a shock; I knew something was going awry, but I somehow expected Weber to fall into loud madness, rather than the quiet loneliness we see.
See the full story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chris-townsend/strange-beasts_b_15686092.html
Gorillaz’ ‘Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)’ Has the Most Successful Debut for a VR Music Video: Exclusive
The video received well over three million views in its first 48 hours (it has since surpassed five million), making it the biggest debut for a VR music video in YouTube's history, which the service revealed exclusively to Billboard.
See the full story and the VIDEO here: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7744259/gorillaz-saturnz-barz-spirit-house-youtube-record-debut
How Will Artificial Intelligence Help the Aging?
“One of the key premises behind ElliQ is that technology is complicated and perhaps too complex for aging people to use,” Béhar says. “But artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to engage with a person in a much simpler way. It can remind a person to take their meds, or connect with their family, or just tell them, ‘Hey, why not go outside. It’s nice out.’
“And we felt that EllliQ should be a table object, rather than a creepy robot that follows you around,” he adds. “By keeping it in one room, a person can interact with it like they would a familiar appliance in a familiar context.”
It’s also critical that ElliQ keeps learning. As Skuler explains it, one of the first steps in establishing a relationship with this particular robot is to set some goals, such as how many times a week a person wants to go out for a walk or be reminded to see friends. Then, it’s up to ElliQ to determine the most effective way to do its job. In other words, it will learn that one person responds better to “It’s nice out, why don’t you go for a walk,” while another needs to be prodded more aggressively with “You’ve been on the couch watching TV for four hours. Time to get up and take a walk.”
Behar sees the device more as a coach than a companion. He acknowledged the risk of making machines too engaging, and thereby encouraging more social isolation, not less.
“We don’t want to create the kind of emotional dependency that social media sometimes does,” he says.
He’s encouraged by the recent big leaps in voice recognition by machines because it allows older people to use technology without having to mess with smartphones or typing on small keyboards.
...we do not want the technology to drive our human values. We want our human values to drive our technology.”
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See the full story here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-will-artificial-intelligence-help-aging-180962682/
James Cameron’s Lightstorm, Projector-Maker Christie Renew Pact for ‘Avatar’ Sequels
With an eye toward advancing cinema and providing the best possible presentation of the four planned Avatar sequels, James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment has renewed a five-year tech agreement with projector maker Christie.
As part of the pact, Christie will equip Lightstorm with the first of a new RGB laser projection series now in development — one that Christie expects will be more efficient than current systems.
Cameron has long said he wants to make his sequels to 2009's Avatar — which grossed $2.7 billion at the global box office — in 3D and incorporate the use of high frame rates. Accepting an award from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers last fall, he said of making the sequels: "I'm going to push. Not only for better tools, workflow, high dynamic range and high frame rates — the things we are working toward. I'm still very bullish on 3D, but we need brighter projection, and ultimately I think it can happen — with no glasses. We'll get there."
See the full story here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/james-camerons-lightstorm-christie-renew-tech-pact-advance-projection-avatar-sequels-9
Live Streaming 360 Video via Facebook Is Now Possible for All
Facebook has opened up live streaming 360-degree video for anyone with the professional equipment necessary to capture content — and users of devices such as the latest Samsung Gear 360, Insta360 Nano ($200, for iPhone) or Insta360 Air ($130, for Android). According to TechCrunch, “Facebook’s live-streaming video tech” now provides “1080p, 30fps playback and a maximum streaming time of four hours.”
See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/live-streaming-360-video-via-facebook-is-now-possible-for-all/