Facebook open-sources its $30,000 360 camera design
The camera rig is comprised of 17 cameras and was designed with a focus on reliability. A rugged aluminum chassis ensures that images are stable and well aligned, and the industrial cameras can run for hours without overheating.
Our seamless automated stitching technology reduces post-production retouching effort and time. After shooting your video, you can use a Samsung Gear VR headset to view the output as a 3D-360 video with no intervening hand processing or fixing.
The Facebook Surround 360 is not available for purchase, however it can be built using the design specifications found on GitHub with off the shelf components.
Provided you have all the parts ready for build and the assembly manualon hand, we expect the Facebook Surround 360 to take around 4 hours to assemble and a further couple of hours to set up the operating system.
We encourage you to join our Facebook Surround 360 Facebook Groupto learn more about the camera, get support and meet with other interested people in the growing 360 community!
See the full post here: https://facebook360.fb.com/facebook-surround-360/
New MIT tech lets you mess with objects in pre-recorded video
[Philip Lelyveld comment - this is amazing technology! It appears to also capture and fill in background information, although that may just be an illusion from the object not moving very far.]
The system, called "Interactive Dynamic Video" (IDV), needs less than five seconds of footage to track movement possibilities. It does so by analyzing how it shifts when intentionally jostled: In the video example below, a researcher slams the table on which a humanoid figure is resting, which lets the system see how it vibrates across different frequencies. Then it extrapolates how the item should behave when viewers reach in with their cursors and jostle the object in video.
See the full story here: https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/03/new-mit-tech-lets-you-mess-with-objects-in-pre-recorded-video/
Porn meets virtual reality, and sparks fly
For Kink.com, San Francisco’s chief outpost of the porn-tech industry and the host of the conference that featured about a dozen other adult video companies, virtual reality may be a lifeline of sorts.
VR could be huge for the industry. Last year, the research firm IBISWorld projected that 2020 revenues for the U.S. porn industry should reach $3.3 billion, which means essentially flat revenue growth. Subscription websites “declined significantly” when free, user-created videos began proliferating, the IBIS report said — though higher-quality VR porn could revive subscription services.
For companies like Kink, which depends on revenue from subscriptions to its trademark bondage and other sexual fetish videos, the hope is that virtual reality becomes the premium experience that gives viewers a reason to pay more.
History is on the side of the porn industry, which has always paved the way for new entertainment technologies, from film to home video tapes to online streaming.
See the full story here: http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Porn-meets-virtual-reality-and-sparks-fly-9012415.php
New York Lottery launches new scratch-off paired with augmented reality app
“Once you scan it, there’s going to be a dragon that comes in and shows you a castle, and you can hold your phone over the ticket and go through the different windows of the castle, and behind those windows are the results of the ticket,” Gurney said. “It’s the same result if you scratched it off traditionally, it’s all preplanned, preprogrammed, but just an additional way to reveal whether you have a winner or loser and cash it in.”
“We’re seeing an average every day of 8,500 people who are interacting with the lottery through their smartphone, and that compares to the number of people who are coming into traditional retail when they have a winning ticket to about 13,500, so it’s achieving a goal in that we’re trying to interact with people differently and we can see that happening.”
See the full story here: http://statescoop.com/new-york-lottery-launches-new-scratch-off-paired-with-ar-app
Virtual reality headsets helping people pick glasses (lenses)
Optometrist Don Stack of Optical Rooms, said: “It is the first time a true simulation of what you will get prior to the glasses being made up here in Ireland. Out -doors in the sunlight we can simulate what your new prescription would look like, with various choices of tints, varying the degree of the tint, adding coatings and various styles of lenses.
See the full story here; http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/virtual-reality-headsets-helping-people-pick-glasses-413569.html
Regal Inks Deal With CJ 4DPLEX to Bring More Motion-Activated Seats to Its Theaters
Seoul-headquartered CJ 4DPLEX has signed a letter of intent with Regal Entertainment Group to bring CJ’s 4DX 4D cinema system to 17 new Regal screens in the U.S. by the end of 2018. Details of the agreement were not revealed.
CJ’s 4DX cinema system includes motion-activated seats and such effects as wind, fog, rain and scents.
Virgin Atlantic launches awesome immersive digital experience with Microsoft to enable customers to enjoy an Upper Class flight without leaving the ground.
In collaboration with Microsoft, Virgin Atlantic has created ‘Ida’, an Immersive Digital Adventure built using a Windows 10 universal app, featuring specially created content that takes the viewer on a virtual Upper Class journey.
See the full story here: https://vrarworld.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/how-does-virgin-atlantic-use-virtual-reality-to-immerse-its-customers
Useful nuts and bolts VR articles
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Online used car dealer Vroom leverages virtual reality to bring the showroom to you
[Philip Lelyveld comment: they are modeling the car, not 360 capturing them. So you won't see the details of a specific used car beyond what they program into the model.]
Online used car dealer Vroom wants to use virtual reality to put a smile on the face of car buyers while supporting their search for the perfect car.
The version launching today will cover 30 models of sports cars. By the end of the year, 300 models will be available for home inspection. While it’s true that over a million households now have access to VR headsets, Vroom will be opening popups at malls to let users who don’t have access to the expensive technology experience the virtual showroom.
From within the showroom, users can inspect vehicles and learn about models. Beyond cool features like hearing the exact corresponding engine sounds of each model, users can visualize important components including blind-spots review mirrors.
All vehicle models have been rendered from actual cars sold on Vroom. The company spends 48 hours going through cars to recondition them before sale.
Eventually Vroom plans to use 3D modeling to allow customers to visualize their cars in different colors with different packages. Individual automakers have used VR for some time, but Vroom believes their strongest asset is the ability to compare cars in one place.
See the full story here: https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/02/online-used-car-dealer-vroom-leverages-virtual-reality-to-bring-the-showroom-to-you/
AR tech is becoming a very familiar component in style and cosmetics applications.
With Pokemon Go encouraging millions of players around the world to “catch ‘em all,” augmented reality apps are now a familiar sight. However, as popular as that game app may be, it is among beauty brands that the mobile technology is seeing notable growth.
As beauty brands rely heavily on the ability to show consumers exactly what they’re getting, augmented reality apps have considerable appeal. Shoppers are already flocking to online and mobile websites for cosmetics, top beauty boxes, skin care and styling products. With augmented reality technology, shoppers can virtually try the products on themselves. They can consider the way a color looks with their complexion or test a new and innovative look. They can also schedule beauty services on-demand from the convenience of their smartphones.
See the full story here: http://www.qrcodepress.com/augmented-reality-apps-take-off-among-beauty-brands/8532422/