A Universe Tailored for All

• A Game for Autistic Players, by Autistic Designers”BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space” is more than just a game; it’s a testament to the power of thoughtful design. Created by Alison and Nick Lang, who head Changingday, this game is a result of their six years of hard work and dedication. With an autistic daughter of their own, they set out to harness VR technology to create experiences that would resonate with players like her.

How Accessibility Shaped Every Level of the Space Station Norpopolis

• From the moment you step aboard the Space Station Norpopolis, it’s evident that every aspect has been meticulously crafted with accessibility in mind. Whether it’s navigating through alien landscapes or engaging in quirky interstellar tasks, the game ensures a comfortable and enjoyable experience for players of all backgrounds.

The Extraordinary Adventures of BLINNK

• Undercover Missions and Mischievous GroobsAs you don the role of a Groob-wrangling hero, BLINNK guides you through a series of engaging missions. From spaceport security to dental hygiene at Nazel’s Dental Practice, the diversity of tasks keeps the adventure fresh and entertaining.
• Varied and Engaging ObjectivesThe game’s brilliance lies in its ability to seamlessly transition between tasks that range from the mundane to the extraordinary. Whether it’s taking over for the bumbling security guard Bub at the spaceport or joining Nazel, Norpopolis’s dentist, to clean residents’ teeth, each mission is a unique and delightful experience.

Farming and Fishing on the Station Park:

• Meeting Quotas with FlekIn the station’s vibrant park, you’ll assist the anxious park ranger Flek in maintaining order. Farming and fishing for extraterrestrial creatures become exciting challenges, all while ensuring Flek meets their quota.

Stress-Free Exploration and Customization

• BLINNK understands the importance of providing a stress-free gaming environment. At any moment, players can retreat to the always-available chill-out zone, providing a space to relax and recharge.
• Customizing Sounds and VisualsThe game’s robust accessibility features allow players to customize both sounds and visuals, ensuring a personalized experience that caters to individual preferences.

A Vision Realized: The Creators Behind BLINNK

The Langs’ journey from parenting to game design is one of inspiration. Their dedication and love for their autistic daughter propelled them to create an experience that reflects her world. “BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space” is not just a game; it’s a testament to the potential of VR to foster inclusivity and understanding.

With its innovative design, heartfelt backstory, and engaging gameplay, “BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space” offers more than just entertainment; it provides a bridge to a more inclusive gaming future.

For further insights, you can check out this BBC Click Feature and Screen Rant interview.

The post Embarking on an Interstellar Journey appeared first on Tech Trends.

In a significant stride towards transforming XR development, ArborXR introduces the ArborXR Directory. This centralized platform is designed to seamlessly connect businesses with established VR developers. Boasting a roster of over 60 seasoned developers and a curated library of 20+ demo apps, ArborXR is poised to redefine the XR development landscape.

Streamlining Connections with Trusted XR Developers

ArborXR Directory simplifies the process of discovering and connecting with industry-approved XR developers who have a track record of successful enterprise and education projects. Each developer is meticulously vetted and selected based on merit, with badges indicating their specialization and experience. This ensures that businesses can confidently engage with developers who align with their specific needs and goals.

Previews for Informed Decision-Making

One of the primary challenges facing companies in the XR space is the arduous task of finding reliable XR developers with a proven track record. The ArborXR Directory addresses this issue by allowing companies to download curated demos. This firsthand experience enables businesses to assess the developer’s capabilities and compatibility before initiating any formal collaborations, avoiding potential setbacks down the line.

Showcasing XR Excellence

The ArborXR Directory isn’t just a platform for connecting businesses with developers; it’s a centralized showcase of top XR content creators, demo apps, authoring tools, analytics platforms, and more. It provides key details such as videos, notable customers, testimonials, and available demos. This wealth of information empowers businesses to make informed decisions and choose the right partners for their XR endeavors.

Diverse Range of Use Cases

The directory offers a wide array of demo apps catering to various use cases, spanning from corporate training and healthcare to manufacturing and safety. Leading developers like Futurus, VictoryXR, Bodyswaps, TRIPP, Talespin, GW Pro, Hard Hat VR, Nanome, Reulay, Moth+Flame, XR Health, and Motive.io contribute to this rich ecosystem, ensuring that businesses can find the expertise they need for their specific industry.

Accessibility and Future Prospects

The ArborXR Directory is a complimentary resource, readily available at ArborXR.com/xr-directory. This move demonstrates ArborXR’s commitment to democratizing access to top-tier XR development resources, ultimately accelerating the adoption of AR/VR solutions in enterprise and education.

ArborXR stands as the foremost XR software platform, facilitating the seamless deployment and management of AR/VR solutions at scale. Through its groundbreaking XR directory, ArborXR is propelling XR adoption, revolutionizing learning, training, and collaboration. Visit www.arborxr.com to learn more.

The post Revolutionizing XR Development appeared first on Tech Trends.

Greetings, tech enthusiasts! Excitement is in the air as AWE Asia 2023, the most anticipated gathering of the brightest minds in Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and spatial computing, is heading to Singapore on August 30-31! Are you ready to be part of this transformative event? Let’s delve into why AWE Asia 2023 is an unmissable opportunity to connect, collaborate, and learn from XR experts from across the globe.

AWE Asia 2023: Where Innovation Meets Opportunity

The event promises to be the perfect melting pot for attendees to catch up with partners, connect with new collaborators, and gain insights from XR experts on the forefront of technological advancements. As the middle of Asia Pacific’s rapidly expanding XR market, AWE Asia 2023 offers a unique platform to explore the latest trends, network with industry leaders, and stay ahead in this ever-evolving landscape of immersive technologies.

Featured Keynote Speakers: Visionaries Shaping the Future

AWE Asia 2023 boasts a lineup of exceptional keynote speakers, each a visionary in their respective fields. Let’s take a sneak peek at a few of these extraordinary minds who will grace the stage:

Dr. Mark Billinghurst, Prof., University of South Australia Empathic Computing: Capturing the Potential of the Metaverse

Dr. Mark Billinghurst will take us on a journey through Empathic Computing, a field of research that combines metaverse technologies for natural collaboration, experience capture, and implicit understanding. Discover how this fusion enables people to create a shared understanding, paving the way for richer, more immersive experiences within the metaverse.

Mr. Alvin Graylin, HTC, Global VP of Corp. Dev. From De-globalization to Di-globalization

As AI and immersive technologies embed themselves into our daily lives, Mr. Alvin Graylin will present a thought-provoking analysis of the future society for us and our children. Join this talk to gain historical, technological, and political insights into the path ahead in the era of de-globalization and di-globalization.

Dr. Yu Yuan, IEEE, President, IEEE Standards Association Metaverse as the Next Biggest Thing: Challenges, Roadmaps, and Standardization

Dr. Yu Yuan will explore the rapidly-emerging Metaverse and its profound impact on our lives. This talk will delve into the challenges, roadmaps, and standardization involved in metaverse development, unveiling a world of endless possibilities and innovations.

A Diverse Agenda: AWE Asia 2023 Content Tracks

The conference will be brimming with content tracks, each offering unique insights and perspectives on the vast applications of AR, VR, AI, and spatial computing. The tracks include:

• Developers, Platforms, & AI
• Collaboration, Education, & Training
• Gaming, Entertainment, & Media
• XR Enablement
• Retail, Advertising, & E-Commerce
• Web3, Creators, & Creator Economy
• Enterprise & Industrial
• Start-ups & Investors
• Healthcare, Wellness, & Society

Whether you’re an AR/VR developer, an educator, a content creator, an entrepreneur, or a business leader, there’s a dedicated track for you to explore and expand your knowledge within the XR landscape.

Embrace the XR Revolution at AWE Asia 2023!

As AWE Asia 2023 beckons, tech enthusiasts from all corners of the globe are gearing up for an immersive experience like no other. This event is your gateway to the world of augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and spatial computing. Don’t miss this golden opportunity to engage with visionaries, learn from experts, and become part of the transformation shaping the future of immersive technologies.

There’s still time to secure your spot at AWE Asia 2023! Head over to the official website here to check out the full agenda and plan your trip. Join us in Singapore on August 30-31, as we embrace the future of AR, VR, AI, and spatial computing at AWE Asia 2023!

Note: For the latest updates and to book your tickets, please visit the official AWE Asia 2023 website here.

The post AWE Asia 2023: Unleashing the Power of the Metaverse appeared first on Tech Trends.

SXSW is, among many other things, a place where technology and music can come together. The “metaverse” was a popular topic at SXSW 2022. At the “Across the Metaverse: Independent Music in XR” session, speakers discussed how XR and the metaverse might have an impact on independent music makers. Roblox, may be poised to have an impact in this particular space, according to Jon Vlassopulos, Head of Music at Roblox.

The metaverse is a term used to describe an interconnected network of virtual worlds. This term originated in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, a science fiction novel written in 1992. Currently, the term is largely applied to internet-based 3D worlds, sometimes accessed with a VR headset.

Roblox is a popular online gaming platform. It allows people to play games and create games for other people to play. They can explore worlds that other players have built and interact in these online virtual communities. The website (as of December 31, 2021) has 49.5 million daily active users. 52% of them are over 13 and the 17-24-year-old age group is their fastest-growing demographic.

I spoke with Jon Vlassopulos, Head of Music at Roblox, about the role of music in Roblox and some of the future aspirations of the company. There are some parallels between his previous experiences with other media companies and his current visions for Roblox.

PARTICIPATORY  MEDIA

Before Roblox, Vlassopulos was a TV producer in the “interactive TV” space. He worked on shows like “Deal or No Deal,” where people would text or call in order to participate in the TV program. This worked for things like, voting on the outcome of something or entering a contest. Vlassopulos refers to this as “participatory media.”

This participatory media expanded on the idea of people getting to be a part of the show.  Vlassopulos described how they would do “live callouts” to people who were interacting with the show via their chat lines or websites.

Back when he was working in interactive television, he had firsthand glimpses of the power of live interaction. He tells the story of a man called “Tommy55” who was really active in the chat rooms of a TV show. He was fascinated by the host of the show and the host responded by doing shoutouts on live TV or responding to requests. This kind of interaction made the chatrooms (and ratings) go crazy and they demonstrated the power of making people feel like they are part of the show.

Vlassopulos explained that, over time, people drifted out of this space. The advent of apps and smartphones, “fragmented” this marketplace because they were “trying to do it all” while needing a separate app developed for every system and marketplace, as opposed to “a single call in who’s good for 95% of the audience.”

However, Netflix’s interactive movie, Bandersnatch, came along and reinvigorated the concept of interactive media, from his perspective. It, once again, seemed like a particularly viable space. So, when Roblox approached him, Vlassopulos was intrigued by their potential and how they engaged in participatory media.

He describes Roblox as an “interactive full platform” with an “underlying economy.” From his perspective, this interactive world was “a platform at scale that was under the radar” and that made it an ideal place to “insert music” and allow “the next era” of the music business.

MUSIC IN ROBLOX

This leads to the value of Roblox for live concerts. They could build virtual venues that leverage the interactive qualities of their platform. Vlassopulos uses “the metaphor of a city” to describe the potential of music in a Roblox environment. He explains that they could use concepts of “real-world city planning” to incorporate music venues into the Roblox social environment.

He explains that these virtual venues could be avenues of discovery for music. He compares this to the early days of the Meatpacking district in New York. Sporadic events would happen and over time “a community built around it and it became more cohesive.” This sort of organic growth could be facilitated in the Roblox platform as people create “live music” experiences there that may eventually lead to more permanent virtual venues.

They need not be “intense concert experiences,” according to Vlassopulos. He describes the possibility of hanging out at the virtual equivalent of “your mate’s house in Brooklyn” where you might be subject to that friend’s musical curation. You might play games together while being exposed to your friend’s virtual playlist. Vlassopulos expands on the idea that playlisting in a virtual space may be more interactive and playful and allow for more voices in the music curation space.

Vlassopulos sees the potential for label interest in this kind of growth. The labels may, in his vision, come in to create custom venues for their artists. They might have more immersive brand experiences in the space. Eventually this kind of growth could lead to an environment that resembles some of the organic qualities of “real venues.”

Vlassopulos describes an event they had with Poppy, an artist on Sumerian Records. He explains that they worked to have a cost-effective experience that combined her “music and artwork.”  They created 9 top Roblox “bespoke” experiences with her music playing in the background that coincided with her album drop.

Fans responded to this with a 241% growth in Poppy’s official Roblox group and over 6 million listens across the day of release and the following weekend. This experience also included “Free Flux “verch” (virtual merch) items were offered in the Avatar Shop” and these verch items were obtained by 10.5 million users.

Vlassopulos describes this event as “playing matchmaker.” He sees potential in artist growth for connecting game devs with artists to create these collaborative experiences. This kind of experience could be particularly valuable to independent artists as a way of expanding their reach. He envisions a world where independent artists “who were open to doing this” could have a “bigger listening party network”.

He describes this as a “new Renaissance of artist creativity” and believes artists “with the tools on the platform” could be like “TV producers or filmmakers and allow people to participate in the world that they create.” He sees this as a way for artists to expand their creative world-building beyond the limits of liner notes, which are a rarity in the world of streaming-based consumption. Vlassopulos insinuates that this kind of media may give TV and film “a run for their money” and could serve as an alternative to scripted content.

In Vlassopulos’ vision, an artist may choose virtual events as an alternative or addition to live events. The artist doesn’t have to wear their fancy “lycra jumpsuit” to perform. They could wear a mocap suit and give a performance that would play to “millions of people from around the world.” These millions could interact with the performance online, like a more advanced version of the participatory media of yesterday.

Another potential benefit of this is an increase in quality of life for the artist, according to Vlassopulos. If the artists don’t have to play stadiums they could play smaller, more intimate venues for a live audience while streaming the event to a virtual venue. Or they might be able to avoid touring entirely if they needed to create a more healthy balance between touring and building their own lives. Another bonus Vlassopulos mentions is a reduced “carbon footprint for artists.”

Vlassopulos says that “We want to have more artists be able to make 20 grand a month, 20 grand a year, 30 grand a year, like a living wage.” He sees the virtual venues as something that could help make that happen. The virtual venues provide another avenue of revenue in the form of “virtual merch.” These virtual items can be collected and worn inside of the virtual space and they would serve as an easily-scalable source of revenue for artists in a time when relying on streaming revenue may not be enough.

The virtual venues could also provide a social element. Vlassopulos mentions that after you “buy the ticket, there’s this sort of silence,” while you anticipate the concert. He has a vision that a ticket, live or virtual could come with access to a virtual venue. You could hang out in the space with other fans and get to know people before the concert. After the concert. you might retain access and continue to connect with other fans to reflect on the experience.

However, with all that connection and interaction, one might wonder, what kind of rules will exist in these virtual venues?  As the virtual space begins to resemble “real life” at what point will the problems of the real world seep in as well. Will the virtual venues start requiring IDs or an “X” on the hand of the underaged attendees?

Roblox will be faced with unique challenges as they continue down the road of replicating the particular magic of a live music experience. These questions will no doubt continue to be relevant as interest in the metaverse grows.

For now, we can anticipate that Roblox is taking steps to add music to the metaverse. Perhaps your new favorite venue will be online.

The post Music in the Metaverse: Will People Flock to Virtual Venues? appeared first on Tech Trends.

For the last couple of years, SXSW has done the “The SXSW XR Experience,” which is “an exhibition that showcases outstanding immersive projects.” This event is always an exciting chance to see what sort of innovation is happening in the world of XR (which includes Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality).

Enter Thee Hottieverse

One exciting VR experience I saw was “Enter Thee Hottieverse,” a collaboration between AmazeVR and Megan Thee Stallion. This experience is a VR concert experience that will be on tour to movie theaters in select cities. I experienced Enter Thee Hottieverse and spoke with Ernest Lee, Co-CEO at AmazeVR, about how this project came to be.

This experience begins, like some others do, with a chance to get used to the controllers. You are in a virtual world. You look down at your hands and see that they are floating and glowing. A mini-game begins. Using hand gestures, you shoot diamonds. After the shooting game, the concert begins.

You can see Megan and her backup dancers on a stage. They feel very close, maybe six feet away. In the background is a giant virtual sculpture of Megan’s face, somewhat stylized and looming with ominous beauty.

Megan dances in your general vicinity while performing. The virtual Megan is almost entirely photorealistic. There is a subtle underlying perfection to the Digital Megan. She has walked out of the “uncanny valley” into a place where she is recognizably human, albeit with a slight sheen of filtered perfection.

Spatial sound puts Megan’s voice right in front of you. Turn your head and the sound is appropriately oriented. It is as though Megan is performing for you and only you. She moves closer. At certain times, she seems only inches away from your face. She plays to the camera (your personal perspective) with wry winks and directed gestures. This artist does an excellent job at performing for a virtual space.

Earnest Lee: CO-CEO

I spoke with Co-CEO, Earnest Lee to learn more about this project. Earnest Lee first mentioned that the other Co-CEO, Steve Lee, is not related to him.  After that, he got into a bit more detail about this company.

AmazeVR was started by co-founders and early executives of a company called Kakao. Kakao started as a texting app in the mobile era. Lee explains that Kakao was founded around a “paradigm shift in technology.” The mobile era was a paradigm shift and Kakao talk took advantage of that.

Lees sees a similar paradigm shift happening now. He explains that AmazeVR was founded in 2015. This was around the same time as Facebook’s (now Meta) acquisition of Oculus, as well as other exciting VR innovations. Lee and AmazeVR viewed this time as a sign that “the next big paradigm shift, was being able to experience things you can’t in real life.”

He says that by replacing the “2D display” with ones that are capable of 3D elements, you can do exciting, new, things. AmazeVR was initially, in Lee’s opinion, focused on building “YouTube of, VR” or “the Netflix of VR.” However, they decided to pivot away from that philosophy when they realized that “if your focus is on everything else you’re not focused on anything.”

So they focused on being a VR concert platform and doing it well. Lee explains that you can’t just say “we made a concert of this, let’s just make a VR version of it.” For a good VR concert experience, you have to plan things from the early stages and learn to work with the medium.

Making “Enter Thee Hottieverse”

The Enter Thee Hottieverse experience was a chance for Amaze VR to create an artistic experience in a VR environment.  Earnest Lee explains that “AmazeVR is a VR concert platform company trying to bring artists closer to fans than ever before.” For the moment, this “very highly customized project” is their main focus. However, “ultimately our mission is to allow every artist to perform a VR concert on Amaze.”

Working with Megan Thee Stallion was a valuable opportunity for Amaze VR. According to Lee, “it’s exciting to work with somebody who is known for pushing the boundaries, who is known to be a bold artist, who is known to be a cultural tastemaker.”

The process of working with Megan helped AmazeVR move forward with its goal of bringing artists closer to fans.  They used their tech innovations to provide a platform for artistic collaboration.

Some of their technology is based on “a foundation of our custom cameras; all built in house, the stereoscopic 9k cameras.”  They had also “built some AI technology around it” so they can “actually calibrate the cameras.”  With the combination of the cameras and AI tech, they were able to send content to their “VFX pipeline” based on “Unreal Engine,” a suite of tools used for creating 3D immersive environments.

They had “decided to fully focus on VR concerts in 2019” because they “believed in the perfect medium of music and VR.” When making a VR concert experience they first focused on the unique “values of VR.” Lee talks about the “feeling of closeness” you can get in a VR experience. “Eye contact” and “presence” can be used to create the “feeling that you’re actually sharing space with somebody.” They made a point of trying to optimize for that.

For the Enter Thee Hottieverse experience, they wanted to bring artistry to the table. They chose Lewis James, “creative director for Post Malone and for some other big artists,” to work on the project. When they collaborated, they ended up teaching him how to use the tools they created. They showed him the unique values of the technology, best practices and things to avoid. With that perspective, he “was able to create a creative treatment” that was pitched to Megan.

When Megan actually experienced a demo of a VR concert experience by AmazeVR, “it just instantly clicked.”  Once she experienced the “visceral reaction” that people can feel in a well-executed virtual world “she knew how to create for that medium.”

This is something that shows in the way she performed. In this VR medium, Lee says that she chose to perform like she is “actually engaging the fan one-on-on as if the fan is actually there in real life.” Her performance included these “moments of intimacy” unique to a VR world. Subtle gestures in her choreography and moments of eye contact were a good use of this particular medium that elevated her performance in a VR space.

Creating the experience with Megan was enlightening for AmazeVR because she was able to give “very direct feedback, in terms of what to improve on.” Lee explains that she “knows her brand,” “knows her aesthetics” and “knows what voice she wants to convey.” Working with her challenged AmazeVR to create new tools that may be of use to future projects.

One example is how they “created fire.” The first song in the performance is “Savage” and you enter the show over a “vast, open, sea” to reach a “stage engulfed in flames.” These flames were typical “game engine fire.” It was something that reached the current artistic standard for gaming, but it might not reach the aesthetic standards of Megan’s “hotties” (the nickname of her fervent fans).

According to Lee, these “game engine” quality flames didn’t cut it for Megan and she asked them to “make it better.” They didn’t know how, but they got to work. The engineers did “a bunch of R&D” and in the end, they were able to make fire that “actually looks realistic in a way that we can scale.” By working with an established artist who knows her brand, they were pushed to a new artistic standard and now that fire is part of their tool kit for future work with artists.

AmazeVR wants people to “believe in this medium.” So, in addition to creating genuinely artistic VR concerts, they want people to experience these concerts as they were intended to be consumed. For that to happen they want people to have the full VR experience, which requires a headset. So, in order to make that possible at scale for fans, they are “taking it to the masses by working with theaters.” They will be “outfitting these theaters with VR headsets using the 5.1 surround sound audio and allowing some more interactive social elements as well.”

The list of theaters is available on their website https://amazevr.com/ and the tour kicks off in Los Angeles in April.

SXSW is known for putting technology and arts in the same room, so I would say that Enter Thee Hottieverse was a very solid contribution to SXSW’s “XR Experience.” Check out Enter Thee Hottieverse in theaters this year, and check out SXSW next year, to see what other new innovations are in store.

The post SXSW: Enter Thee Hottieverse appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

The Doodles activation at the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals connects the intangible world of NFTs with the visceral world of experiential marketing.

Experiential marketing is an SXSW staple. Brands make grand spectacles to court the attention of conference-goers and sometimes the general public as well. SXSW 2022 is no exception. The Doodles SXSW activation occupies a large space across the street from the Austin Convention center. The pastel colors and charming, cartoonish, aesthetic entice crowds to gather at the entrance.

But what are Doodles? “Doodles are a collection of 10,000 NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that are made up of hundreds of exciting visual traits designed by Burnt Toast.” NFTs are a hot topic at SXSW this year. In short, NFTs allow people to claim ownership of a digital asset. This ownership is verified using the blockchain ledger. The ledger is a series of blocks that record transactions and can be used to verify ownership of digital assets.

This means that your digital asset belongs to you and you can prove it. Other people might copy the image or something, but you are the “official owner.” Some assets are one of a kind and others are part of a limited series. Some people collect digital assets for fun and some people buy in the hopes that their digital assets will gain value.

Burnt Toast, who is also known as Scott Martin, is a “Canadian–based illustrator, designer, animator and muralist.” Burnt made up hundred of “visual traits” that exist in the adorable Doodles. Drawn in a pastel-bright, simplistic and slightly cartoonish style, the Doodles include cartoon figures and things like  “ skellys, cats, aliens, apes and mascots” as well. The collections can include rare variations as well.

Owning a Doodle lets people participate in the Doodle community. Owners can “vote on community-driven features, products and events.” This experiential event was designed to bring some of that community feel to the “real world.” (https://doodles.app/)

Luca De Laurentiis, VTProDesign’s executive producer, has some things to share about this exciting event. Laurentiis explains that VTProDesign is an agency that creates experiences, usually with “an element about creative tech.” For this event, they wanted to “allow Doodle holders to actually get a real in-person experience.” They worked directly with Doodle and did all the creative ideation for the experience.

To make this happen, they created a world that is “Immersed in all the lore of Doodles, it’s all iconography of doodles.” The outside of the building is bright pastel and cartoonish. The inside space is brightly colored and filled with statues of Doodles and Doodle images printed on the wall.

There are “different touchpoints around the experience.” At these touchpoints, you can interact with your Doodle in the real world (through a digital screen)

The event has many elements to keep people immersed in the world of Doodles. Laurentiis says that they used a “custom score and sound design” to round out the experience. As you “walk through the space it has a narrative feel through it.” The building is impeccably transformed with bright floors and walls that create a kind of pastel, cavern, experience. The outside world is entirely blocked out.

They have a variety of other fun elements in the activation. Like the Doodle noodle station and coffee cart. It is the classic SXSW siren call of free food and drink. There are other, more specialized, experiences as well. Laurentiis explains that you can “get your nails done here with your Doodle on them.” There is also a shop where people can purchase Doodle merch.

After the missed SXSW of 2020, and the Online SXSW of 2021, Laurentiis seems excited to be back in person for SXSW 2022. He says that “It’s great to be back in the immersive real space with people.” He says they are getting great “buzz” from word-of-mouth sharing and on Sunday some “2,500” may have gone through the experience.

Laurentiis explains that he has “a love for SXSW.” He met his wife at SXSW, a couple of years ago. He is fond of the “randomness” of SXSW that allows people to meet and connect in different ways (such as marriage).

At SXSW, you meet certain people, your “SXSW family,” and you may only see them at this one event, but you remember each other and you find ways to reconnect every time you meet.  Laurentiis seems to see a beauty in that synchronicity.

The Doodles activation at SXSW is a fun experience that gives people tangible memories of their in-tangible, and non-fungible, tokens. This marriage of the “real” world and the world of NFT collections, all taking place in a vividly transformed event space, is a classic SXSW experience.

The post Doodles at SXSW: NFTs meet Experiential Marketing appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

In an online session entitled “CES 2022 Tech Trends to Watch,” Steve Koenig VP of Research at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) talks about the behaviors, global trends, and emerging technologies to watch out for this year.

Consumers Level Up

One trend that Koenig observes is consumers “leveling up” their technology in a sort of “home makeover.” situation. He describes this overall trend by saying that consumers “want a 21st-century lifestyle.”

Consumers leveling up their technology in a sort of home makeover situation #TechTrends #CES2022
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This lifestyle may include “smart technology.” People are purchasing more IoT technology in order to have a connected home that serves their needs and wants more efficiently. These smart technology devices may have “attached services” instead of being “just a simple, dumb, device.”

These devices include things like “connected fitness.” Products like this can track progress of individuals with IoT tech or be connected to online experiences.   Koenig explains that “research has shown if you buy one or two products you tend to want more.” So, after these smart home purchases are made, these customers may continue to expand their ownership in that area. Koenig emphasizes that this trend is a worldwide phenomenon.

The average consumer now subscribes to 8 streaming services #TechTrends #CES2022
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More growth has also occurred in the field of “premium brands.” Koenig describes this as a “simmering” trend that has risen over time. He points to Beats headphones and Nintendo Switch as good examples of premium brands that has been embraced by consumers. According to Koenig, consumers want that premium brand experience, and “maybe we’re willing to open our wallets a little bit wider to get that,” he says, adding that this trend increased with the pandemic as more and more people decided to level up their tech.

Another area of growth is the increasing use of subscription services. Koenig says that “customers’ zeal for services” is growing in the socially distant world. The average customer is subscribed to eight services. These “pandemic pivots” are a “product of this season of the pandemic” and according to Koenig, this increasing use of subscription services is set to continue into the future.

Fixing Problems

One pandemic trend that Koenig hopes will end soon, is the issue of the “supply chain.” He shows a chart highlighting how this issue has increased during the pandemic.

Technology could help address future supply chain issues so that they don't affect the industry so badly as they have done during the pandemic #TechTrends #CES2022
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The chart also shows that shipping costs are already going down, so the trend may not remain so severe in the future. He mentions some technology solutions that could relate to this issue, like the possible use of “autonomous trucks.” He says that several companies at CES may be relevant to that future.

Another issue in the supply chain is the “chip shortage.” Koenig says that some semiconductor fabrication plants are responding by increasing their productivity, adding additional shifts to increase production. He also mentions that new chip fabs are being built, but that this solution will take years to address the issue. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are semiconductor fabrication plants.

Trends in Innovation and Industry

 Koenig also sees some larger, relevant, and potentially-positive trends. 5G is a part of this vision. He explains that 5G will “provide the connective tissue for a lot of innovation in this decade.” This 5G wireless generation will be a bit unique in that it is turning away from the previous generations’ “consumer focus.” 5G is “the first wireless generation that will be led by the enterprise and not by the consumer” according to Koenig.

The “real value of 5G” is “the enterprise quotient” and the possible use of this technology in things like industrial IoT #CES2022 #TechTrends
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He says the “real value of 5G” is “the enterprise quotient” and the possible use of this technology in things like industrial IoT. Industry can use IoT to keep their production connected in real-time using the increased connectivity made possible by 5G. Also, data centers are increasingly pushing more things to the cloud and 5G will be crucial in making that happen efficiently.

Another big trend that Koenig mentions is the growth of AI. He says that it’s getting better and better, and that this may allow for transformative new applications and use cases. He uses the “see and spray” function of the new John Deere tractor presented at CES 2022 as a good example of this: This function uses AI to differentiate between plants and weeds and targets pesticides at the weeds, reducing the overall pesticide use.

And of course, the Metaverse

Koenig sees the Metaverse as “the next generation of the Internet that will convey increasingly immersive digital experiences.” This Internet will “become inextricably linked with our physical reality,” he says.

According to Koenig, “the metaverse is closer than you think” and “the building blocks are already present and in place.” According to his reckoning, haptics and volumetric video technology will help make the metaverse more realistic and immersive. Cloud technology combined with the “robust connectivity” of 5G will make this world more possible. He cheekily reminds the audience that “Ready Player One was set in the year 2045,” so perhaps we should begin to anticipate that future.

The Metaverse is the next generation of the Internet that will convey increasingly immersive digital experiences #CES2022 #TechTrends
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CES 2022 may be over, but the online content and video on demand sessions remain available until January 31. And CES remains an interesting place to become aware of the future of technology. Keep your eyes wide open to see which of these trends continue and which of these predictions come true in 2022.

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post #CES2022 Tech Trends to Watch appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Gordon Midwood, CEO of Anything World.

Now that I have your attention (or mild disgust depending on your predilections) there is a big issue around any notion of Metaverse that we urgently need to address. In true optimise an article for SEO style, however, I won’t be telling you what that urgent need is in the second paragraph though. That would be amateurish .

Of course, the notion of what the Metaverse could be is currently in its formational stage and is the subject of much debate. So why not throw our own definition onto the pile?

There is a big issue around any notion of Metaverse that we urgently need to address
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The Metaverse is a series of persistent 3D worlds that accompany every aspect of our lives.

Property development is full of sharks

The Metaverse is a series of persistent 3D worlds that accompany every aspect of our lives
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The Metaverse would ideally just be one massive 3D environment, but I think we are a long way off singing that communal chorus just yet. Interoperability is the best we can hope for at the moment whilst the big players jostle for power in their big power jostling pants. In any case, I digress.

There are many excellent toolmakers and service providers in a great position to connect, empower and enable the growth of many aspects of the Metaverse, many of whom are good friends of ours, for example:

• ReadyPlayerMe — A cross-game avatar platform for the Metaverse
• Volograms — Easy volumetric video capture
• Oorbit — Publish and play interactive worlds
• Crucible — Tools for the creation of the open metaverse
• Volta XR — Design mixed reality experiences

Interoperability is the best we can hope for at the moment in the Metaverse whilst the big players jostle for power
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However, the Metaverse need that we feel most urgently at Anything World and have been grappling with for a couple of years is where all the content for these rich 3D worlds is going to come from.

Or, tenuous link and cheap play on words though it is undoubtedly is:

Who will write the chorus for the Metaverse?

We, in our entirely impartial and unbiased view, would strongly argue that A.I. smart services like Anything World are going to power a revolution in content creation, one in which anybody can be a 3D content creator.

There are many toolmakers and service providers in a position to connect, empower and enable the growth of many aspects of the Metaverse
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A.I. smart services like Anything World are going to power a revolution in content creation, one in which anybody can be a 3D content creator
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Thanks to the Machine Learning expertise that squarely resides in members of the team not called Gordon, we can empower anyone to create living 3D worlds with no technical knowledge. We have 7 proprietary ML steps that can turn any static 3D model into a living object with behaviours and animations applied. We automate the sourcing and bringing to life of models from the likes of Free3D and in particular Sketchfab and have ingested all the models from Google Poly. From next month you’ll be able to add your own private collections to our animation systems too.

So do whatever you want: create animated objects and living worlds and build out apps, add them to the Metaverse platform of your choice, or even mint them on a chain of blocks if you want some NFT freshness.

We are available in Unity right now so come and join the ~4,500 others creating with us! If Roblox is more your thing get in touch with us straight away, we have something top secret in the works! Well, it was top secret.

Gordon Midwood is the co-founder & CEO at Anything World, a service that uses Machine Learning to empower everyone to be a living 3D content creator. In his spare time he likes to think about why he doesn’t have enough spare time. Hit him on Discord, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Facebook 

The post Metaverse: But Where’s The Chorus? appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Caspar Thykier, Co-founder and CEO of Zappar

It’s been a week now since the end of AWE, which is enough time to reflect and get a healthy sense of perspective after the euphoria of the first large in-person gathering for the XR community in some time. And I have to say that the afterglow still lingers and the cynicism hasn’t kicked in!

Now I should say that the folks in and around XR are an endlessly positive bunch which you would expect for people pioneering a new computing platform: panhandling for digital gold comes with a degree of optimism generally, but with that comes a sense of camaraderie and a collegiate approach to problem solving where, although we might be competitive, the amount of blue ocean is so vast that in our group endeavour the tide rises for all (to continue the water-based analogy).

Folks in and around XR are an endlessly positive bunch which you would expect for people pioneering a new computing platform: panhandling for digital gold comes with a degree of optimism generally @ZapparApp
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An Open Forum

This means that AWE is an incredibly open forum for discussion around new product developments and software solutions, best practice, creating standards from every aspect of the ecosystem from top to bottom.

The tone is undoubtedly set up by the ever ebullient personality of Ori Inbar who always kicks off AWE with his special brand of positive energy and off-beat humour. It immediately takes the shackles off and opens up the room and event to informal discussion.

John Hanke’s keynote from Niantic and launch of Lightship brought so many important themes together of how AR can play a positive benefit in our lives and deliver those missing elements for immersion from accurate location mapping, occlusion, and collaboration to deliver heightened experiences. His words about the time for AR being now certainly resonated with our sense at Zappar of where the market is for mobile AR after ten years of foundation building.

What crystallised in my mind during the event and countless conversations with both old and new voices across the industry, was a sense that we are at a point where the stars have somewhat aligned for AR @ZapparApp
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In many ways what crystallised in my mind over the two and a half days of the event and countless conversations with both old and new voices across the industry, was a sense that we are at a point where the stars have somewhat aligned for AR: when it comes to the performance of devices; the speed of networks; the capability of the software and developer tools; and the greater understanding, amongst the business and brand community, of the power of AR to drive positive results for different use cases.

AR Coming of Age

There are of course many exciting new developments still to come but we’re now at a level of maturity in AR with enough data points to see that spatial computing really delivers a level of engagement, positive brand experience, and conversion to sale that many other media cannot provide. Sure, buy your usual digital media if you want reach, but what is reach without engagement? And how real are those impressions? Spatial computing and AR deliver a digital content experience that is active, lean-in, and commands attention with levels of engagement that other channels can only dream of. Looking at the level of creativity on display at the Auggie Awards you can see why. (And OK, yes we did win the Best Campaign Award for our work with Countdown in New Zealand alongside their shopper marketing agency Craze so I might be a bit biased!).

Spatial computing and AR deliver a digital content experience that is active, lean-in, and commands attention with levels of engagement that other channels can only dream of @ZapparApp
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Now it would be hard to write a piece on AWE without mentioning the Metaverse given how soon after the Facebook (sorry, Meta!) announcement the event fell. I can’t speak for everyone but my sense was that overall people see the ambition of Meta as being positive in terms of the firepower it will put behind the exploration of the next computing platform but probably don’t thank it for the level of confusion and misunderstanding it now brings.

Déjà Vu?

The late noughties and early teens saw a lot of work trying to explain what AR isn’t as much as what is and its potential benefits for brands, businesses, and end-users. Back then, as now with the Metaverse, there was a fairly clear consensus on the direction of travel required for AR to become more everyday and useful to people, and over time that came to pass (from tech to tool). The Metaverse is in a similar position of becoming a reality in time, as long as we don’t confuse people, make it overly complex and ensure the community works together to deliver the right safeguards, security, interoperability and standards that everyone will benefit from and learn the lessons and mistakes from the web. I think Tony Parisi’s Seven Rules is a pretty great start point if you want to get into the weeds of it. I look forward to seeing how it all lands at AWE in 2030.

My sense was that overall, people appreciate the ambition of Meta as being positive in terms of the firepower it will put behind the exploration of the next computing platform but not the confusion and misunderstanding it brings
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Raising the Bar

Finally, I must also give the bar at the Hyatt a special mention. The hotel is pretty unassuming and the bar is too but for two days and nights, it becomes its own microcosm. If you happened to be passing through and not attending AWE as a guest, the array of headsets people were wearing and the snippets of conversation you’d pick up would make you feel as if you’d landed on another planet! But it’s here, as always with events, that the real connections get made and new opportunities germinate and partnerships formed.

What the bar at the Hyatt Santa Clara lacks in character and color it provides as a blank canvas that is painted on in glorious technicolour by this wonderfully eclectic assortment of coders, creatives and clients at AWE 2021
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There is no Zoom call or virtual lobby that can get you down these weird and wonderful rabbit holes created by organised serendipity and unconstructed conversations. What the bar itself lacks in character and color it provides as a blank canvas that is painted on in glorious technicolour by this wonderfully eclectic assortment of coders, creatives and clients at AWE. It’s a rare thing but luckily we will be back again before we know it in June ‘22 as AWE hopefully returns to its original slot in our calendars.

A big thank you to the organisers and all the attendees for making AWE a singularly special event.

The post Building the Metaverse Community appeared first on Tech Trends.

Looking back at the past week it feels surreal to think that I was sharing indoor spaces with hundreds of people. Let’s just say it’s been a while since I’ve interacted with this many (responsibly vaccinated and masked) folks IRL.

At #AWE2021, everywhere you looked there were familiar faces behind the masks. It really felt like coming home to family, and there just weren’t enough hours in the day to catch up with them all
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But this wasn’t just any old bunch of people. This crowd was a heady mix of up-and-coming start-ups mingled with Fortune 500 companies. Artists and coders swapped notes with the pioneers that brought us to a place where the average person on the street now (sort of ) knows what you mean when you talk about the Metaverse. In fact, the Tweet below marks what might well become a historical moment in the industry, where one said legend – Unity’s Head of AR/VR Ads and E-Commerce and Metaverse OG Tony Parisi – started using “Metaversing” as a verb.

https://t.co/bJQr8m88FJ

— Tony Parisi Il Padrino Metaversale (@auradeluxe) November 11, 2021

Everywhere you looked there were familiar faces behind the masks. It really felt like coming home to family, and there just weren’t enough hours in the day to catch up with them all.

It’s been a while since I’ve interacted with this many (responsibly vaccinated and masked) folks IRL #AWE2021
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“The most exciting thing about AWE isn’t the technology, it’s the people,” says Alan Smithson, CEO of Metavrse (not to be confused with the lesser-known CEO of Meta).

Smithson believes this is the last year when the event will feel so intimate. “The cat is out of the bag now, and this is going to blow up in a big way,” he says, adding that we’re going to look back on this as a very special conference, and something of a tipping point for immersive tech.

“What we can do now with XR is truly amazing, and it works!” adds Caspar Thykier, CEO and Co-Founder of Zappar, an Augmented Reality company that has been around almost as long as AWE itself.

The best thing about #AWE is not the technology, it's the people
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“AWE is 12 years old now and what I think is really interesting is this incremental joining of the dots we’ve seen every year of all the constituent parts of immersive technology, of hardware and software that are just beginning to mesh beautifully together and I think what’s really exciting – apart from the fact we’re all in the same space together – is the richness of the experience we’re starting to get.”

Zappar – which aims to democratize access to Augmented Reality through its WebAR platform ZapWorks also won the “Best Campaign” award at this year’s Auggies for their “Countdown Super Insects” retail loyalty campaign that helped children learn about New Zealand’s native insect world.

What we can do now with XR is truly amazing, and it works
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Nobody really knows what the Metaverse will look like, and that's a good thing
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To see these veterans enthused about where we are – and what is to come – is exciting, because for those who know where to look, there is real substance behind the hype, as real use cases for the technology build-up, in turn uncovering even more possibilities. As Thykier sums up when asked about his vision for the Metaverse:

“I think that nobody really knows what that will look like, and I mean that in the most positive way,” he says. “There are so many possibilities and that’s why AWE is so great, because that’s where the conversation starts. This is where we start joining the next set of dots like we have done over the past decade in AR, and to understand what those dots look like for the Metaverse.”

Tech Trends offers a broad range of Digital Consultancy services to guide companies, individuals, and brands in effectively leveraging existing and emerging technologies in their business strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a XR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Wrapping Up #AWE2021 appeared first on Tech Trends.