Could augmented reality be used to treat colour blindness? Magic Leap thinks so
Sensors will allegedly allow Magic Leap's technology to pick up what deficiencies are present, then amplify the light in order to apply a filter to avoid colour overlapping.
Alongside treatment for colour blindness, Magic Leap also briefly hinted at diagnosing and adjusting for other eye conditions, such as myopia, astigmatism and hyperopia. Just think, you'll never need to update your glasses to match that regressing prescription ever again.
See the full story here: https://www.wareable.com/saves-the-day/magic-leap-colour-blindness-3806
DigiLens shows better waveguide technology for augmented reality, to be used in Sony AR glasses
Now DigiLens have shown off a new diffractive optical waveguide technology using nanotechnoloy materials which promise to be larger and much easier and cheaper to manufacture.
DigiLens’ technology can enable “eyeglass-thin” AR heads-up displays for motorcycle helmets, car windshields, VR headsets, aerospace applications such as fighter jets, and AR smartglasses, said Jonathan Waldern, CEO of DigiLens.
Waldern contends that the display performance of etched structures, called surface relief gratings (SRG’s), as used by Microsoft HoloLens, Vuzix (licensed from Nokia Technologies), and Magic Leap (acquired from Molecular Imprints), are all limited to narrow field of view (FOV), due to the inherent physics of SRG grating interaction.
By contrast, DigiLens makes precision diffractive optics by photographically recording (not etching) the nanostructures.
The company’s Switchable Bragg Gratings (SBG’s) allow much wider FOV with higher efficiency, in addition to offering a “printable” manufacturing benefit.
See the full story here: https://mspoweruser.com/digilens-shows-better-waveguide-technology-for-augmented-reality/
Davos, PokemonGo And A New Era Of Augmented Awareness
Niantic Labs, creator of the wildly successful Pokemon Go, announced this week that it would be partnering with Global Goals by creating 17 new Pokestops around Davos, each themed around one of the 17 Global Goals, a set of ambitious targets affirmed by 193 UN member countries in 2015 and each designed to contribute to ending extreme poverty, reversing climate change, and ending inequality.
The partnership is fascinating for a few reason:
- Augmented Reality As A Bridge TechnologyThe campaign to place the Global Goals front-and-center adds a new dimension to that A/R experience, as it prompts contemplation of places, people and realities that extend far beyond even that real world location.
- Technology As A Platform For Impact
For decades, the technology community has had a central role in driving forward the concepts and world-views that surround “social entrepreneurship” and business-for-good.
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- New Collaboration Opportunities Between Business & Impact
A larger theme is that businesses are spending more time integrating social impact as a core part of their strategy. These causes tend to specifically align with the brand, and the company is uniquely positioned to support the cause.
- See the full story here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kylewong/2017/01/19/davos-pokemongo-and-a-new-era-of-augmented-awareness/#7d0d1d946606
IBM, Microsoft Execs Promote the Ethical Development of AI
Many in the artificial intelligence community have called for ethical guidelines for the burgeoning field, and IBM chief executive Ginni Rometty is the latest to add her voice, which she did at the World Economic Forum in Davos. MIT, Harvard and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman have established a $27 million fund to analyze the impact and implications of AI; the IEEE has proposed ethical guidelines; the Obama administration issued a report on AI’s impact on jobs; and Carnegie Mellon studies the future of AI.
She described three core principles: that IBM’s AI systems will focus on augmented human intelligence rather than replacing humans; that IBM will “detail when and for what purposes its AI will be developed and deployed,” as well as be transparent and protect data; and that “AI deployments need to consider the human side of the equation and help workers and citizens acquire skills needed to use new services.”
The company has also developed software to “protect staff who work in environments surrounded by robots,” and acquired a Montreal-based AI startup, Maluuba, that analyzes written content, “for example sifting through businesses’ documents to find experts in given fields.” Nadella has “reorganized the company’s research arm around AI” and its Azure cloud-computing services and tools already help developers build AI applications.
See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/ibm-microsoft-execs-promote-the-ethical-development-of-ai/
Wall Street Adopts Blockchain Technology to Record Trades
Wall Street’s interest in blockchain is because “it allows information to be recorded in real time without the bottleneck that central authorities generally introduce” and that decentralization “also makes it harder for attackers, or hackers, to take control of the network.” Rather than actually use Bitcoin’s blockchain, the DTCC will use a distributed ledger, which is similar to blockchain but only open to invited participants.
Bodson notes that the distributed ledger will provide “one version of the truth that everyone shares and everyone utilizes.” The new software will replace the Trade Information Warehouse that records all the credit default swap trades, “essentially bets on the success of bonds,” which “played a major role in the 2008 financial crisis.”
Bloomberg reports that China is the venue for high-speed bitcoin trading. Although Chinese banks were banned from trading bitcoin in 2013, “zero transaction costs on Chinese venues that host most of the world’s turnover, round-the-clock trading” make it a popular spot, along with “co-location services allowing participants to place their servers right next to those of the exchange.”
Founder of China’s “largest platform for facilitating automated bitcoin strategies” Chen Zhenguo says he is making “annualized gains of 50 percent for his own account,” but wouldn’t provide details to verify the claim. The risks are cyberattacks and extreme price swings, which have “deterred some high-speed firms,” as well as “growing concern over a regulatory crackdown in China.”
See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/wall-street-adopts-blockchain-technology-to-record-trades/
Apple’s next iPhone rumored to have facial recognition powered by a new ‘laser sensor’
"Other features appear to include some form of facial/gesture recognition supported by a new laser sensor and an infrared sensor mounted near the front-facing camera and, as expected, should also finally include wireless charging," Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri wrote.
A new kind of depth sensor has not yet been seriously rumored to be in the upcoming iPhone, but it makes sense. Apple bought Primesense, an infrared sensor company, in 2013 — and a new kind of sensor would be critical for Apple to add augmented reality features to upcoming versions of the iPhone.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has publicly talked about his company's interest in augmented reality technology several times in the past year.
See the full story here: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-8-features-facial-recognition-laser-sensor-2017-1
Virtual Reality Smell Porn: Get A Big Whiff Of The Future
Adult entertainment company CamSoda is introducing a gas mask designed to enhance its online sex shows by allowing users to smell scents chosen by the performers.
People who purchase its “OhRoma” technology will get the mask as well two canisters that fit into it. With the help of an app, the mask pairs with Bluetooth on a user’s smartphone.
Users can then watch a cam performer in virtual reality and experience the odors they’ve chosen from their own personal “scent profile.”
“There are a lot of guys who watch my shows who tell me, ‘God, I wish I could smell you,’” she told HuffPost. “And some will drop $50 just to buy my panties.”
He expects the sensory masks will be available in three months at an estimated price of $59.99. The smell canisters are designed to last between three to six months. Replacement canisters should sell for around $29.99.
See the full story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/virtual-reality-smell-porn_us_587d1c16e4b09281d0ebf521