Virtual Human Interaction Lab uses virtual reality to foster empathy for homeless community

From June 24 to Aug. 1, VHIL is testing about 1,000 participants at Stanford’s White Plaza and the San Jose Tech Museum under a variety of conditions to induce empathy. Each volunteer participant is randomly assigned one of four conditions, and in virtual reality, participants wear Oculus Rift to experience what it’s like to be homeless from a first-person perspective.

“They see a series of four scenes: experiencing what it is like to go through an eviction, lose their apartment and job, sleep out of their car and eventually sleep on a bus at night to stay off the streets,” said VHIL project manager Elise Ogle ’15.

Throughout the data collection process, the researchers survey participants to assess their levels of empathy towards others, as well as their “predisposition to empathize,” Ogle said.

See the full story here: http://www.stanforddaily.com/2016/08/01/virtual-human-interaction-lab-uses-virtual-reality-to-foster-empathy-for-homeless-community/

Virtual reality could usher the dawn of gender equity in tech

...a new study that found women are considered better developers but only if they hide their gender. “The researchers looked at approximately 3 million pull requests submitted on GitHub, and found that code written by women was approved at a higher rate (78.6 percent) than code written by men.” The study revealed there’s a huge gender bias. According to this data, women tend to be better developers than their male counterparts yet they still make up less than 25 percent of the technical workforce. What a fascinating scenario for companies to consider when reviewing talent acquisition and performance strategies and biases..

See the full story here: http://venturebeat.com/2016/08/01/virtual-reality-could-usher-the-dawn-of-gender-equity-in-tech/

Virtual reality ‘memory palaces’ platform smashes Kickstarter target

As reported in the News, Macunx VR is a platform for building memory palaces - a memory technique widely used in medieval times - in virtual reality. Its designers say it plays to the strengths of visual and spatial memories, and will make learning and remembering things easier than ever before.

The firm's campaign on Kickstarter saw 168 backers pledge a total of £11,868, which will be used to aid further development of the system. Rewards for investors are courses developed by Linguisticator, Macunx VR's parent company, and range from short memory course modules to custom-built memory palaces.

"The ultimate aim of the project is to change the way we learn large and complex subjects. Rather than watering subjects down to make them easier, we want to empower people to learn rigorous disciplines by unlocking the potential of their spatial minds."
Read more at http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/virtual-reality-memory-palaces-platform-smashes-kickstarter-target/story-29572186-detail/story.html#Wi7yhJgY7VMgampz.99

An Artist’s Augmented Reality App Reveals Virtual Art across Miami, and Incites Imagination

Depeña describes his app, called Lapse (2016), as a “decoder or magnifying glass that reveals hidden gems throughout the built environment.” It consists of six multimedia components scattered across Miami, from downtown to the Design District, and even the rail line in between. Through the lens of your smartphone camera and your GPS location, the app presents an entirely new experience of public—though not always visible—art.

For “The Sounds,” an audio-based component, he reached out to Brad Laner of alternative rock band Medicine. “I had this idea a while ago as I was driving through an area—what if we were able to use our GPS locations and actually build a sound composition at every stop light, for instance?” What resulted is a soundscape that changes based on where you are on the MetroMover, Miami’s above-ground public rail system.

See the full story here: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-this-augmented-reality-app-reveals-art-in-public-spaces

National Geographic Channel Announces Its First Virtual Reality Short Documentary Film from Academy Award Winner Kathryn Bigelow in Partnership with Here Be Dragons and Annapurna Pictures

Ahead of World Ranger Day, Sunday, July 31st, National Geographic Channel (NGC) announced today its first production of a virtual reality (VR) documentary short film, The Protectors. The project will expose the dangerous and grueling reality faced by rangers protecting African elephants from ivory poachers. Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (“Last Days,” “The Hurt Locker”) and VR creator Imraan Esmail (“The Displaced,” “Valen’s Reef”) will co-create this 12-minute VR film in partnership with Here Be Dragons (formerly Vrse.works), one of the leading innovators in VR spherical filmmaking, and Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, known for their critically acclaimed films including “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Her,” “Foxcatcher” and “American Hustle,” The Protectors will transport users to a day in the life of African rangers protecting elephants from ivory poachers.

See the full story here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160730005026/en/National-Geographic-Channel-Announces-Virtual-Reality-Short

Lionsgate Promotes ‘Nerve’ With Daring Virtual Reality Experience

The studio and its VR partner are using the experience, officially dubbed “Nerve – Do You Dare” to promote Lionsgate’s new “Nerve” movie starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. In the movie, the two actors play high schoolers thrown into a world of dares that gets ever-more dangerous.

In the app, viewers can experience some of those dares first-hand, thanks to 360-degree video that can be viewed with a Google Cardboard-compatible VR headset, or simply by tilting a phone back and forth. One of those dares involves riding on a skateboard while holding onto a police car, while another takes viewers on a ladder to climb from one New York high-rise to another.

See the full story here: https://www.yahoo.com/movies/lionsgate-promotes-nerve-daring-virtual-reality-experience-212530780.html

Why Virtual Reality Could Inspire More Impactful and Emotional Employee Evangelism

New York-based Imminent is currently in talks with Columbia Sportswear, Shock Top and the UN Foundation to test the concept with its newly launched Imminentvr studio. The studio's chief selling point hinges on creating inspiring, episodic content that will make employees unusually proud to push VR videos among their friends and family online, potentially generating a series of powerful organic marketing.

Employee evangelism has its advocates, namely IBM, which last summer enlisted 1,000 employees to push branded content via their social channels.

"It's not a requirement at all, but it's something that, if they do it, they get recognized for it," Amber Armstrong, program director at IBM Marketing Digital, told Adweek at the time.

See the full story here: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/why-virtual-reality-could-inspire-more-impactful-and-emotional-employee-evangelism-172728

Augmented Reality Law, Privacy, and Ethics, 1st Edition

Law, Society, and Emerging AR Technologies

Release Date:10 Dec 2014

Imprint:Syngress

Print Book ISBN :9780128002087

eBook ISBN :9780128005248

Pages:360

Dimensions:235 X 191

See the listing here: http://store.elsevier.com/Augmented-Reality-Law-Privacy-and-Ethics/Brian-Wassom/isbn-9780128002087/

Are Augmented Reality Games Liable for Depictions of Buildings, Trademarks or Artwork?

In the case of Pokémon™ Go, does Niantic risk liability under copyright law for using images of buildings? Most likely not.

Historically, buildings constructed before November 30, 1990 are not subject to protection under US copyright law, so use by Niantic of representations of these buildings is without restriction.

However, no matter when the building was constructed, PokéStops and gyms depicting sculptures, murals, or other works of art, may not be as safe from a challenge, even if the works are associated with publicly visible buildings. If the images display copyrighted works, they may be infringing on the holder's creative rights. Interestingly, Pokémon™ GO may still avoid liability under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Does Niantic risk liability under trademark law if the game displays any trademarks in connection with depictions of the buildings? Again, most likely not.

See the full story here: http://fkks.com/news/are-augmented-reality-games-liable-for-depictions-of-buildings-trademarks-o?utm_source=Mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=View-Original

and http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/514596/Trademark/Are+Augmented+Reality+Games+Liable+for+Depictions+of+Buildings+Trademarks+or+Artwork

HTC’s $100 Million ‘Vive X’ VR Accelerator Announces First 33 Investments

The first batch of startups were chosen from a pool of approximately 1,200 applications globally, 50% of which came from China, and range anywhere from content creators, to companies focusing on enabling technologies, hardware and services, says HTC.

Participating startups will develop their tech across four Vive X locations—San Francisco, Beijing, Taipei, and a hardware-focused location in Shenzhen—and will have four months “to produce marketable products/content which will be presented to potential investors upon their graduation.”

The HTC-led Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance (VRVCA), a consortium of venture capital firms focusing their funds on virtual reality, has also admitted eight new members, bringing the total investible capital beyond $12 billion.

See the full story here: http://www.roadtovr.com/htcs-100-million-vive-x-accelerator-confirms-33-vr-companies/?utm_source=Road+to+VR+Daily+News+Roundup&utm_campaign=10061fe30a-RtoVR_RSS_Daily_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e2e394ad33-10061fe30a-168170213