Hollywood’s Virtual Reality Guru Looks East
Textor’s company, Pulse Evolution, which he founded in 2013, specializes in the creation of digital humans. These digital humans, artistic renderings of the living or the dead, can be projected onto a stage, used in digital displays or cast into the virtual worlds.
Earlier this month, Pulse Evolution signed a strategic agreement with Simon Fuller’s entertainment company to produce virtual reality experiences featuring Pulse’s digital human technology. Fuller, the creator of the American Idol reality TV program, will become the largest-shareholder of Pulse as a result of this deal.
Textor, a former pro-skateboarder, theater geek and computer coder, is now setting his sights on Asia as he seeks partnerships and capital to give Pulse Evolution a boost.
Textor said Pulse has raised slightly under $40 million to date, and is looking at a capital infusion of $200-$300 million over the long term to bring his business global.
Back in February, Pulse Evolution received $10 million in funding from two Tencent Holdings -backed companies, Shanghai U9 Game and Original Force. With more than half of his current investment from Europe, Textor is hoping to attract more partners from Asia given the market’s huge appetite for games and devices that could spur rapid VR adoption in the region.
See the full story here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/melanieleest/2016/03/31/hollywoods-virtual-reality-guru-looks-east/#7537969e3571
Sulon Q Tries To Become A Single Headset For Both VR And AR
At the 2016 Game Developer Conference last week, Sulon Technologies revealed their upcoming Sulon Q headset. They claim that it is the world’s first and only all-in-one, tether-free, “wear and play” headset for virtual reality, augmented reality, and spatial computing. Yes, it supports both VR and AR. And best of all, it is powered by Windows 10.
110-degree field-of-view
See the full story with video here: http://mspoweruser.com/sulon-q-tries-to-become-a-single-headset-for-both-vr-and-ar/
How Long Before We See Virtual Reality Headsets in Our Mental Health Wards?
So far, therapeutic VR has mostly treated PTSD and anxiety disorders through exposure therapy—where you try to desensitize a patient by gradually re-exposing them to their fear or trauma. But recent studies have shown VR could also be applied as a therapy for people with bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders, eating disorders, addiction, and depression.
A paper from the British Journal of Psychiatry's online publication, for example, found in February that immersive VR could encourage people suffering from depression to be simultaneously less self-critical—a crucial depressive trait—and more compassionate towards themselves.
If this trial's successful, it's still unclear where such therapies might fit into the NHS: In a GP surgery? Or a specialist mental health service? For the moment, they just don't know. "There's still a lot of work to be done within the NHS," says Falconer. "Some people there aren't comfortable with the technology—maybe because their tech or computer literacy isn't quite up to scratch—so that's something else we need to tackle." She also stresses that she sees VR more as a complement to existing therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) than a treatment in itself. "From my perspective, this isn't about replacing. It's about trying to enhance what's already there, and also having something that's really engaging for patients."
See the full story here: http://www.vice.com/read/virtual-reality-mental-health-treatment-uk
British patient to undergo world’s first virtual reality streamed operation
People using virtual reality technology will be able to watch the operation like they are in the room
Shafi Ahmed, who has championed virtual reality technology in surgery will perform the operation and called it a "gamechanger" for healthcare innovation and education.
The patient, a British man in his 70s who is suffering from cancer of the colon, is said to be "excited" about the prospect of having his operation watched by thousands of people across the globe.
The immersive broadcast will run a minute or so behind the surgery in case of any unforeseen complications.
It isn't the first time Dr Ahmed has revolutionised surgery - in 2014 he became the first surgeon to live stream an operation whilst wearing Google Glass and has also experimented with 360-degree cameras.
See the full story here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3509784/British-patient-undergo-worlds-virtual-reality-streamed-operation.html
Sound Makes Virtual Reality a More Powerful Painkiller
[Philip Lelyveld comment; they've quantified what I've known from decades of taking my radio / walkman / iPod to the dentist.]
Researchers at York St. John University in the U.K. say that they came to this conclusion after having a group of adults hold one hand in ice water as long as possible while playing a virtual reality game on an Oculus developer headset with and without sound.
The researchers found that people who played a racing game while hearing the sounds that went with it could tolerate the discomfort the longest, about 79 seconds. When they held a hand in ice water with virtual reality visuals but no sound, they lasted about 56 seconds. Both times the participants held a hand under water for much more time than when they tried to do so without using any VR at all—then, they lasted just an average of 30 seconds.
“I think any scenario, really, where you’re undergoing a short amount of pain in a clinical setting could potentially benefit,” Coxon says.
Sam Sharar, a professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington who studies how virtual reality can be used to control pain, says the assumption has long been that patients have a fixed amount of conscious attention. If you’re feeling pain, using virtual reality at the same time can help divert conscious attention away to something more pleasurable, and it makes sense that audio would help make the experience even more immersive.
See the full story here: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601120/sound-makes-virtual-reality-a-more-powerful-painkiller/#/set/id/601159/
Sony to Launch Ultra 4K Movie Streaming Service Next Week
[Philip Lelyveld comment: I wish them luck, but I think this is a major misread of what consumers want - especially Millennials.]
Sony is slated to roll out its 4K movie streaming service on Monday, April 4. First announced at January’s CES in Las Vegas, the new service will be called Ultra. Viewers will be charged $30 to purchase new Sony-produced films and $12-15 to upgrade pre-owned movies from their UltraViolet cloud locker. Ultra will also offer 4K HDR content such as extras previously only featured on discs. Consumers who buy a 2016 4K Sony TV will get four UHD movies bundled with their new television. Transactional VOD rentals are not expected to be an option featured with the launch.
See the full story here: http://www.etcentric.org/sony-to-launch-ultra-4k-movie-streaming-service-next-week/
Bandai Namco announces plans to open virtual reality experience center
Bandai Namco announced on Monday that the company will open a virtual reality “experience center” in Tokyo next month.
“VR Zone: Project I Can” will give individuals to test out the latest in virtual reality technology without breaking the bank. In exchange, Bandai Namco gets valuable feedback on how to improve their virtual reality simulations.
The company will offer six games to try out:
- Fear of Heights Show: Rescue a cat located on a thin wooden plank 650ft above the ground.
- Ski Rodeo: A ski simulation with high cliffs
- Real Drive: Drive a sports car on a circuit
- Escape Ward Omega: A horror game in a giant abandoned hospital
- Train Meister: A simulation that puts you in control of a train on the Yamanote Line
- Argyle Shift: A mecha battle simulation where you and your co-pilot take on another giant robot.
Bandai Namco is streaming a teaser of users trying out the Fear of Heights simulation.
The simulation center will open on April 15 and run until mid-October.
See the full story here: http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/03/29/bandai-namco-announces-plans-to-open-virtual-reality-experience-center/
Augmented Reality Startup Daqri Acquires Hologram Maker To Take On Microsoft HoloLens
Daqri, which is based in Los Angeles, has agreed to acquire Two Trees Photonics, a U.K.-based company building holographic technology based on research coming out of Cambridge University. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“We’ve been searching for a little over four years for dynamic holography technology and then we encountered this company,” said Daqri cofounder and CEO Brian Mullins in an interview. “The company had a brilliant physicist team that had cracked a fundamental part of dynamic holography. It’s stunning to see the first time.”
Two Trees, which has been around since 2010 but has kept a low profile, builds displays for “dynamic holography.” Car makers like Jaguar Land Rover want to use its laser-based technology to project information on a vehicle’s windshield, creating a futuristic heads-up display powered by holograms. To date, there are around 150,000 cars on the road equipped with the Two Trees technology, Mullins said. Daqri will maintain and expand these kinds of car partnerships.
Daqri recently released the first production model of its Smart Helmet, which uses an Intel INTC +1.00% processor. The company is entirely focused on business and industrial customers. Customers include major companies like Siemens , Emerson and Vinci.
This is the fourth acquisition for Daqri. Past acquisitions include an AR software startup, a display manufacturer and the maker of a headband that tracks people’s brain state by performing an electroencephalogram.
See the full story here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2016/03/28/augmented-reality-startup-daqri-acquires-hologram-maker-to-take-on-microsoft-hololens/#5c3b2135338e
PTC partners with MassChallenge to support Jerusalem’s IoT, augmented reality startups
Global design tools software development giant PTC Israel announced yesterday that they have entered into a partnership with the Jerusalem branch of MassChallenge to help boost the accelerator’s work in the areas of IoT, augmented reality, data analytics, and cybersecurity.
Beyond software solutions for industrial design and manufacturing, the company has expanded into platforms for building IoT and augmented reality products. Their ThingWorx IoT platform provides developers a more effective way to build and deploy apps and products, while the recently acquired Vuforia helps create AR experiences.
“MassChallenge is the key accelerator for start-up businesses,” Belfer explains to Geektime, saying the company sees an opportunity in working with the startups for exposure to new innovations and possible acquisitions. “This partnership will benefit PTC in many ways, including identifying and sourcing startups that have high potential for advancing technology developments in the Internet of Things, augmented reality, big data analytics, and security, key areas of focus for PTC.”
MassChallenge is a leaders in the global startup support network with operations in the U.S., U.K., Mexico, Switzerland and Israel. MassChallenge’s strategy leverages this trend to see them partner with a range of corporate, governmental and “third sector” bodies. By partnering with MassChallenge’s program in Israel, PTC Israel joins The Kraft Group, Poalim Hightech, the Ministry of Economy, the City of Jerusalem, EMC2, and other prominent backers.
See the full story here: http://www.geektime.com/2016/03/29/ptc-partners-with-masschallenge-to-support-jerusalems-iot-augmented-reality-startups/
Pokémon Go Details Officially Out
John Hanke from Niantic Labs revealed that the Pokémon that the trainers are able to apprehend is dependent on its location. For example, Pokémon that is water-type can be captured in areas such as oceans, rivers and lakes. Water-type Pokémon can be spotted and captured in water areas like rivers, lakes and oceans. Pokémon that are grass-type can be found in captured in prairies, open spaces and other interesting spots.
He also teased that some type of Pokémon is good to catch for the trainers as they have a possibility of evolving. Not to mention that when captured repeatedly, it can add to experience points so that the trainers also have an option of leveling up.
The augmented reality title is expected to launch later this year.
See the full story here: http://www.newseveryday.com/articles/34552/20160329/pokémon-go-release-date-news-and-rumors-pokémon-go-details-officially-out.htm