philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

HoloLens Hack Fools the Brain Into Fixing Itself

A Microsoft employee suffering from myoclonus-dystonia—a condition where the misfiring of the brain causes uncontrollable muscle spasms—discovered that she could regain control during a spasm by looking at her partner’s feet rather than her own. And that’s how she got her great idea: Why not use the HoloLens to retrain the brain and get it to act differently? To that end, she recruited the Microsoft Hackathon team to put the idea to the test.

Previous work by neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran has shown that it’s possible to retrain the brain by tricking it with illusions. By using mirror images of a hand, he was able to alleviate the agonizing symptoms of phantom limb syndrome in amputees.

See the full story here: http://gizmodo.com/hololens-hack-fools-the-brain-into-fixing-itself-1784459615

PlayStation VR play area requirements detailed, seated play recommended

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 14: Attendees participate in VR virtual reality demos during E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016 at Los Angeles Convention Center on June 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/WireImage)

PlaySTation VR is set to arrive on October 13, but a new official pamphlet being distributed by the company (via Polygon) sheds some light on what players can expect in terms of space requirements and gameplay style. The document shows that the idea space is about 6′ x 10′ big, with the player seated roughly in the middle, facing the PlayStation Camera at the long end.

HTC Vive’s room-scale VR, by comparison, requires 6’6″ by 5′ of play space, which is smaller despite PlayStation’s advisory in the pamphlet above that players remain seated whenever possible during in-game experiences.

Other info shared in the sales document for PS VR include system requirements, details regarding second-screen viewing von your TV via Social Screen, compatibility with glasses (it has that), and a proviso that the height of your in-game play area will depend on how high you place your PlayStation camera, and what angle it covers.

The headset, due out on Oct. 13, delivers 960x1080 resolution to each eye at a refresh rate of 120Hz or 90Hz. The field of view is about 100 degrees. A person’s natural field of view is 180 degrees by 150 degrees.

See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/29/playstation-vr-play-area-requirements-detailed-seated-play-recommended/

and

http://www.polygon.com/2016/7/29/12321092/playstation-vr-space-requirement

Technicolor Launching Augmented and Virtual Reality Experience Center

Technicolor is opening a Technicolor Experience Center to develop content, platforms and technology for virtual reality, augmented reality and other evolving media applications. The company is in the process of leasing new space in Culver City for the operation.

The facility will be led by longtime Technicolor exec Marcie Jastrow, who has been named senior vp of immersive media for Technicolor. She’ll be joined by employees from various Technicolor businesses as well as some new hires.

See the full story here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/technicolor-launching-augmented-virtual-reality-915319

A Profitable VR Company?! InsiteVR

InsiteVR makes it easy for enterprises, starting with the architecture market, to implement VR and AR solutions for their business needs. Angel Say and Russell Varriale were ambitious roommates at Columbia University, 3,000 miles from Silicon Valley and the headquarters of Oculus. They aren’t architects. They are engineers and problems solvers.

Architects shouldn’t have to learn Unity or another game development platform in order to use VR. Designers and architects need to stay within the confines of their current workflows. This realization made InsiteVR what they are today — a profitable enterprise SaaS business that lets architects use VR to share, collaborate, sell, and create.

InsiteVR got to where they are today through conservative cash management, obsessive customer empathy, and repurposing off the shelf technology to solve a particular problem. This is how you balance patience and growth as a VR startup. The InsiteVR team proved, in 2015 nonetheless, that virtual reality offered a positive ROI for commercial and residential architects. They are using 2016 to refine their business model, improve the product from (paying) customer feedback, and expand within their target market.

See the full story here: https://medium.com/@flinndustries/a-profitable-vr-company-18eb07a1475#.oj0amj9uz

Absolut Vodka and Music Producer Deadmau5 Team Up On Virtual Reality

The marketing arm of vodka maker Absolut will debut a virtual reality video game on Wednesday that features Grammy-nominated electronic music producer Deadmau5.

The free game, Absolut deadmau5, works with the Google Cardboard VR viewing device, Facebook’s  FB 0.85%  Oculus Rift, and Samsung Gear VR headsets, according to Absolut’s website.

Absolut said that the game’s players take on the role of Deadmau5 as he prepares “to go on an epic night out.” Players start off in his garage and then guide him through several interactive mini-games as they head to the dance club and, if skilled enough, to his concert performance.

In an interview with technology publication Ars Technica earlier this month, Deadmau5 explained that the new game “was me getting my feet wet into VR, on a small scale, obviously.”

“Vive guy’s just gonna f***** laugh his ass off [using the Absolut app],” Deadmau5 said about Google Cardboard’s power compared to the higher-end HTC Vive. “But, Vive guy is one in 10,000 right now.”

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 30: Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Deadmau5 and Kanye West attend the Tidal launch event #TIDALforALL at Skylight at Moynihan Station on March 30, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Roc Nation)

See the full story here: http://fortune.com/2016/07/26/absolut-vodka-deadmau5-virtual-reality/

Mack Trucks Offers Virtual Reality Rides in Certain Models

Mack Trucks said it now offers an online virtual reality test drive of models equipped with its mDrive HD 13-speed automated manual transmission, calling the experience a first for heavy-duty truck manufacturers. Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly physical way by placing the viewer’s perspective within the image or video itself, Mack said. Using virtual-reality headgear, Google Cardboard or a smartphone, viewers can look around 360 degrees to see the cab interior in its entirety as well as see what it feels like to be in the cab of a Mack model while it operates in quarries and on the highway, according to the Greensboro, North Carolina-based company. Mack is a unit of Sweden-based Volvo Group. For example, the virtual-reality experience showcases the power of its mDrive HD 13-speed as it frees the Mack Granite model from mud on a job site; as it easily drives up and down a steep grade without having to continuously apply brakes, reducing brake wear-and-tear; and as it smoothly manages a fully loaded Mack Pinnacle model up and down a 15% and a 20% grade, according to Mack. To experience Mack virtual reality, visit  http://www.macktrucks.com/VR. The virtual-reality videos also will be posted to the Mack website, but will not be as immersive as when Google Cardboard and the app are used, according to Mack.
See the original post with 360 video here: http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=42668

Skully has crashed and burned

Augmented reality on mobile might be a hot topic right now thanks to Pokemon Go, but don't go thinking the tech's boom time has come. AR motorcycle startup Skully is just about dead, and has pretty much done everything you would to wind down but turn out the office lights. Skully's use of AR is fairly niche, of course, so it's not representative of the health of the market as a whole; it is, however, a sign that AR tech that requires dedicated hardware still has a steep hill to climb before achieving real market viability.

See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/26/once-promising-ar-motorcycle-helmet-startup-skully-has-crashed-and-burned/

Apple’s future lies with AI and augmented reality, says CEO

He stressed that Apple is "high on [augmented reality] for the long-run" and investing heavily.

Cook also highlighted Apple's investment in AI, which the company now uses to recommend content to users and even spot usage patterns to improve a device's battery life.

See the full story here: http://eandt.theiet.org/news/2016/jul/apple-ai-augmented-reality.cfm

8 Drivers that will shape the future of virtual/augmented reality

Purpose

Affordability

Content

Accessibility

Usability

Comfort

Aesthetics

Safety and Health

See the full story here: https://yourstory.com/2016/07/future-virtual-augmented-reality/

HoloLens concept lets you control your smart home via augmented reality

“The primary goal of the app is to provide a 3D spatial UI for cross-platform devices — Android Music Player app and Arduino-controlled Fan and Light — and to interact with them using gaze and gesture control,” Ian Sterling, a design student at California College of the Arts, told Digital Trends.

Our demo featured a connection between a music player and a light in order to set a certain mood in your home.”

While the so-called IoTxMR concept is just a demo, Sterling thinks it signals the way our interactions with smart devices need to go.  “I feel that in order for smart devices to be less obtrusive, while at the same time becoming more robust in functionality, new forms of interaction will be a requirement,” he continues.

See the full story here: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/hololens-concept-lets-control-smart-162351903.html