Ever since Skully’s big crash and burn, we haven’t heard much about motorcycle helmets with augmented reality technology — until now, thanks to Sony and Nolan.
One of the most interesting pieces of tech was this new prototype helmet from Nolan, dubbed the N-Com ARX — see the video presentation above for more details.
How realistic is this technology? The past few years have shown there’s high demand for motorcycle helmets with augmented reality — several other manufacturers and start-ups are also working on similar designs. We’ve also seen very strong sales in the high-end motorcycle and motorcycle gear segments — Dainese and Ducati are both selling very well.
So, if the research is there, the money’s there, and the demand is there — expect to see this become available in the not-far-off future.
See the full story here: http://canadamotoguide.com/2016/11/14/nolan-sony-team-up-on-augmented-reality-helmet-technology/
The airline has launched a new ‘virtual reality’ app with an interactive experience to allow passengers explore their destination before departure. It shows off the best features of Australia via immersive videos which include exclusive footage of Ulura and Kata Tjuta. Customers with iPhone, Android, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive devices will be able to experience the app which is offered in two modes. There is split screen and 2 D landscape for viewing directly on smartphones, and flights on Qantas can be booked by customers directly from the app as well.
The beauty of the app is that you could undertake a virtual tour of Kakadu National Park and then book a flight directly from the app and see it in person, she added. Australian virtual reality company, Start VR are behind the new app development. Kain Tietzel, CEO and Creative Director of Start VR, said it provides a window of opportunity for prospective travellers researching destinations. It is a more intimate way of sharing the story of Australia with an international audience, he claimed, adding that it offers new insights into the country’s culture, heritage and local stories.
See the full story here: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2016/11/14/qantas-app-virtual-reality-australia/
On Thursday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a pending application from Sony Corp. titled, "Veracity Scale for Journalists," credited as being invented by the successful record producer and futurist Albhy Galuten.
According to the application, the invention comes after Angie's List allowed workers in the home improvement trade to review each others' work, after Trip Advisor allowed tourists to rate lodgings, and after Facebook took a "thumbs-up" and "thumbs-down" approach to liking things or not.
At least according to Wikipedia, Galuten produced many number ones for artists such as The Bee-Gees, Frankie Valli, Barbra Streisand and Kenny Rogers and created the first commercial drum loop in "Stayin' Alive." Galuten is the credited inventor on numerous other patents.
Here is the patent application: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=20160328453.PGNR.
Here is the full story: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/sony-seeks-patent-method-measuring-journalists-accuracy-946279
The Senate Commerce Committee will hold what it bills as the first congressional hearing on augmented reality (AR).
The "lame duck"—no, that is not a Pokémon GO character—hearing is scheduled for Nov. 16 at 3 p.m.
"Expert witnesses testifying at the first congressional hearing on augmented reality will introduce to the committee the potential applications and policy considerations of this rapidly-developing technology," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the committee.
Witnesses will be Brian Blau, research VP at Gartner; John Hanke, CEO at Niantic (Pokémon GO); Brian Mullins, CEO of DAQRI; Stanley Pierre-Louis, general counsel at Entertainment Software Association; and Ryan Calo, assistant professor of law, University of Washington.
See the full story here: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/washington/senate-schedules-first-hearing-augmented-reality/161063
Reigning champ Magnus Carlsen, 25, and challenger Sergey Karjakin, 26, will face off at the World Chess Federation championship at the South Street Seaport, which is being broadcast online in virtual reality for the first time ever.
Organizers want online fans to watch beads of sweat well up on the foreheads and brows of the chess masters who will face off in a soundproof room with several 360-degree cameras, providing a panoramic view of the three-week contest.
Those lucky enough to pay $3,000 for a VIP ticket will be able to watch the match in person through a two-way mirror. Twelve matches are scheduled through Nov. 30.
See the full story here: http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/world-championship-chess-to-livestream-from-nyc-in-virtual-reality-1.12600804
After generating a nearly $15 billion gross merchandise value on its Singles Day (November 11th) promotion last year, Alibaba‘s is all set to pilot its virtual reality shopping experience Buy+ on Single’s Day this year. Buy+, which debuted in the Taobao Maker festival (an offline shopping event targeting millennials) in August this year, allows users to wear a virtual reality headset to view products in a 360 degree view. This provides a closer and “real” look of the products compared to a regular PC.
Given Alibaba’s dominance in China, the pilot of Buy+ will be the largest virtual reality shopping launch and should attract more shoppers to the Single’s Day promotion. To use Buy+, consumers can purchase a cardboard VR headset which can be used with their smartphones to experience the virtual shopping experience. Buy+ is integrated with Alibaba’s payment tool Alipay and users can pay with a nod without removing the headset.
While Alibaba is promoting this shopping experience more for foreign stores such as Macy’s which do not have a physical presence in China, it can help other retailers as well.
See the full story here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/11/10/virtual-reality-is-likely-to-boost-alibabas-revenues-on-singles-day/#b72a5553751d
The virtual reality experiences will be approximately 10 minutes in length and hosted by veteran broadcaster Danyelle Sargent and 13-year NFL veteran Ephraim Salaam from the site of the game providing expert commentary alongside game highlights in virtual reality. The experience will be available to fans on a VOD basis shortly after the conclusion of each game.
How to Access the Free VR Post-Game Experience
Fans can watch the post-game experience featuring the San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals game by downloading the free NextVR app. For more detailed instructions, go to http://www.NextVR.com/GetVR.
See the full story here: https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/NFL-AND-NEXTVR-TO-PRODUCE-VIRTUAL-REALITY-POST-GAME-EXPERIENCE-.aspx
(Philip Lelyveld comment - one of the options is the Reggie Watts Bacon Experience.)
The consumer can choose among four “bacon adventures” to go on, and she chooses the one she wants by hovering the target over the name of the adventure for three seconds. Each adventure corresponds to a different bacon flavor: A consumer goes through the cherrywood forest, for instance, and at the end she finds cherrywood-flavored bacon. When she finds the bacon strip in the forest, she can add it to her cart by hovering the target over it. She completes the transaction by taking the smartphone out of the virtual reality viewer and then fills out the checkout page fields, as she would normally make a purchase on a smartphone.
This is the first time Hormel has sold bacon online. The manufacturer’s bacon department is eyeing e-commerce as a way to sell direct to consumers, and this is its first endeavor, Venenga says.
So far, Hormel is happy with the results. In the first week of launch, thousands of consumers watched the video, exceeding the company’s expectations, Venenga says.
Hormel hired marketing agencies BBDO Minneapolis and Made in Haus to build the virtual reality program, a process that took six months. Venenga would not disclose costs.
Outdoor apparel and equipment retailer Moosejaw, No. 273 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Top 500 Guide, debuted a virtual reality app in May. Moosejaw spent more than $1 million developing the app and the virtual reality video content.
See the full story here: https://www.internetretailer.com/2016/11/10/hormel-hopes-bacon-virtual-reality-videos-sizzle
A multi-disciplinary research team, led by Alexander Klippel, associate professor of geography, and including members from the departments of Geography and Geosciences, the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing, and the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, received a Research Initiation Grant from Penn State's Center for Online Innovation in Learning (COIL). Their proposal is titled "Immersive Virtual Reality (iVR): The Printing Press of the 21st Century and How Learning About Place and Space will Never be the Same."
Here's how it works: You slip on the display goggles and enter a virtual launching chamber, defined by a blue grid. Say you're going to explore the dormant Iceland volcano, Thrihnukagigur,in a project developed by co-PI Peter La Femina, associate professor of geosciences. First, you can walk around a miniature three-dimensional scale model. Next, it expands to a full-size replica of the 700-foot-deep magma chamber—a little more than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty. This replica shows the true three-dimensional structure of the volcano, as measured using a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS). Look and move up, down, sideways. Crawl into a side conduit. Thanks to the millimeter precision of TLS, you can explore and experience every surface and perspective, essentially as if you were there. You can even activate tools that measure diameters of the structures and volumes of the spaces you see.
See the full story here: http://phys.org/news/2016-11-explores-virtual-reality-students.html
The airline has launched a new ‘virtual reality’ app with an interactive experience to allow passengers explore their destination before departure. It shows off the best features of Australia via immersive videos which include exclusive footage of Ulura and Kata Tjuta. Customers with iPhone, Android, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive devices will be able to experience the app which is offered in two modes. There is split screen and 2 D landscape for viewing directly on smartphones, and flights on Qantas can be booked by customers directly from the app as well.
On Thursday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a pending application from Sony Corp. titled, "Veracity Scale for Journalists," credited as being invented by the successful record producer and futurist Albhy Galuten.
Reigning champ Magnus Carlsen, 25, and challenger Sergey Karjakin, 26, will face off at the World Chess Federation championship at the South Street Seaport, which is being broadcast online in virtual reality for the first time ever.
A multi-disciplinary research team, led by Alexander Klippel, associate professor of geography, and including members from the departments of Geography and Geosciences, the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing, and the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute, received a Research Initiation Grant from Penn State's Center for Online Innovation in Learning (COIL). Their proposal is titled "Immersive Virtual Reality (iVR): The Printing Press of the 21st Century and How Learning About Place and Space will Never be the Same."