Nimble VR’s IR hand tracking technology
Where most other hand-tracking systems require special sensors or markers, Nimble VR’s technology - with its infrared depth-sensing, 110-degree view and extremely accurate skeletal tracking of the hands - is completely glove-free.
While Wang can’t discuss the particulars of his work at Oculus, the original Nimble VR system involves a specialized camera working in conjunction with a laser. Every 20 milliseconds, the camera sends out a signal, which bounces back off of objects. The camera data allows the system to not only track the user’s hands, but detect objects’ positions, shapes and movements, creating a point cloud of the world around the user.
Wang founded the company in 2012 with Kenrick Kin and Chris Twigg, two computer scientists from UC-Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon. According to Wang, joining Oculus has relieved him of a lot of the pressures of being part of a startup, like having to move fast and raise funds.
See the full story here: http://www.csail.mit.edu/This_MIT_PhD_has_his_fingers_on_the_pulse_of_virtual-reality%20
How Virtual Reality Will Impact The Hiring Process
In my work as the CEO and CTO of a workforce solutions and staffing agency, I’ve explored three areas of recruiting where VR is starting to take off.
The Military
The military uses VR to train and prepare soldiers for different combat situations, according to Wareable.com. VR military combat training lets the military expose new soldiers to a wider variety of training scenarios with less time and cost than field training. It also uses VR as a recruitment tool, designed to engage the typical recruits between the ages of 16 and 24. The UK military uses VR for recruiting, letting interested recruits experience what it’s like to fight in a war zone. They also use a simplified online application and a “100 Percent Army Fit” app that lets recruits build up their fitness to the level of a soldier in training.
Colleges and Universities
Colleges are starting to use VR to recruit potential students. It not only increases engagement, it also reduces costs, creating a positive return on investment. For instance, the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia uses cardboard headsets and a smartphone app to give high school students a virtual tour of their campus. Trinity University uses cardboard VR headsets as well at recruiting events at high schools and colleges, as well as with alumni. Many schools are also using VR in college athletic recruiting. The University of Michigan, Iowa State University and the University of Las Vegas all use VR to recruit athletes for football.
Corporate Applications
Virtual recruiting is already a major part of many employment recruiters’ recruitment processes. It lets employers expand their recruiting efforts to wider geographic areas with fewer travel expenses. Virtual job fairs and virtual open houses let recruiters connect with interested candidates and conduct interviews without leaving the office.
For example, General Mills is using virtual reality for recruiting at the suggestion of one of the company’s application developers.
See the full story here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2016/04/01/how-virtual-reality-will-impact-the-hiring-process/#28e73ce8c749
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/