COVID-19 has wreaked serious havoc since it broke out globally, and although the world is getting used to the disease, working towards procedures to curb its spread and fatalities, we are still some way from having a more permanent solution such as a vaccine.

Until then, the virus will continue to impact every aspect of our lives, as well as all sectors of the economy, and tech is no exception. The technology industry has a vital role to play, pushing innovations to help us all tackle what are sure to be more difficult times ahead.

We’ve already seen some examples of this emerging, so read on for three examples of what shape these innovations can take.

Heat Sensing AR Glasses

Augmented Reality glasses have been a trend under development for a while now, exponentially coming down in price and packing more capabilities, processing power, and sophisticated sensors in ever-smaller devices that are much less cumbersome.

In addition to capturing images, it is possible to have heat-sensing cameras built into such headsets, and it is easy to see how this will become invaluable in helping to screen people who might be showing early symptoms that could indicate they are infected with a virus such as COVID-19. This would go a long way in minimizing contact and curbing the spread of the disease.

There is much discussion around what responsibility tech giants as Twitter and Facebook have in regulating and moderating unfounded claims and hold people accountable
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This will aid in the easy identification of threats and possibly help in the safer long-term reopening of various sectors that have been forced to shut down or dramatically reduce their operations since the pandemic began, and is crucial to restarting the global economy without overloading already-stretched healthcare systems.

One instance which would call for the use of such technology is football, where fans are no longer allowed in stadiums at the moment since large gatherings without screening would make it very likely for the virus to spread. Yet this lack of fans in stadia will see football clubs struggling to keep up their finances and the game behind closed doors has left much to be desired. Until we can all get back to life as normal, many of us are still facing some time stuck at home, but the pandemic has not been able to stop folks from deriving excitement from playing online games. You could, for example, choose to play some games at an online casino in your spare time to get your head off the everyday worries and soothe your nerves amid this pandemic.

Implementing worldwide video conferencing standards 

Many of us have had to embrace the idea of working from home in these turbulent times, and in the middle of this transition we quickly discovered that phone conversations won’t always cut it. And although the quality of video conferencing tools has certainly improved in recent years, we still have a long way to go in order to replicate the sense of connection and presence that we get from face-to-face communications that are (at least for the moment) quite literally on hold.

Many of us have had to embrace the idea of working from home in these turbulent times
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There is still a lot of room for improvement, particularly where it comes to interoperability. If, for example, you receive a video call invitation via Facetime, using an Apple device would be convenient on your end. Meanwhile, Zoom would need a Zoom client, and WebEx requires a WebEx client. Even the likes of Skype and Teams cannot interconnect irrespective of the fact that they’re both Microsoft products.

This is a problem that has been largely addressed in mobile phones and other networked devices, so video conferencing should move in the same direction.

Taking the fight  to peddlers of fake news and recommendations

Sadly, there has been a lot of fake information about this pandemic. And while some of it can be dismissed as somewhat funny, much of it can actually prove harmful, and the proliferation of false information has been proven to put people in real danger.

Social media platforms have been the major disseminator of such fake information and conspiracy theories about potential cures, the origins of the virus, or health advice for curbing its spread. There is much discussion around what responsibility such tech giants as Twitter and Facebook have in regulating, moderating, or at the very least flagging such unfounded claims and hold people accountable.

There has been a lot of fake information about this pandemic
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Decisive action would serve as a deterrent to those gleefully jumping on the ‘misinformation bandwagon,’ and here, too, technology can be our ally. There are many Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that can be deployed to identify, flag, and neutralize these invalid ideas and recommendations at scale, and doing this could potentially save lives in the long run. Whether there is enough social and political will to push tech companies into doing so, however, is another matter.

The post Fighting COVID-19 with Technology appeared first on Tech Trends.

For those of us who have always yearned for a time machine so we could experience the most amazing moments in history, immersive technologies are really stepping up to the plate, providing the closest we can get to that without actually cracking the whole space time continuum conundrum.

Madame Tussauds DC is one of the first attractions in the US to place AR at the center of their visitor experience
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ALIVE IN AR is an immersive experience available at Madame Tussauds DC which claims to do just that by bringing iconic moments of the past to life with Augmented Reality.

More than a million visitors have enjoyed ARtGlass tours at iconic sites such as ancient Pompeii, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and Pisa Tower Square
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Visitors use devices created by ArtGlass, which give them the ability to explore the lives of Hollywood A-Listers, iconic political leaders and historical game-changers through rich 360-degree visuals, personal narrations, and sounds layered all around them.

Alive in AR at Madame Tussauds Washington DC from Madame Tussauds USA on Vimeo.

Guests Interact with Legendary Celebrities and Famous Figures on an Explorative 360-Degree Immersive Adventure.The AR experience brings life to some of the most pivotal moments in US history allowing guests to do everything from suiting up to go into space and relive the moon landing with Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong to experiencing the energy from the crowd on the National Mall as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Guests will step inside monumental moments that shaped our history as modern technology brings new life to the past
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“People come to Washington, D.C. in search of a direct and dynamic connection to our Nation’s past. This AR experience will make history and culture real and engaging, which is why we are so excited about this partnership,” said ARtGlass founder and CEO Greg Werkheiser. “While some attractions have experimented with AR on handheld smartphones, Madame Tussauds DC is embracing the more immersive and hands-free smartglass technology.”

ALIVE IN AR is included in every walk-up and online admissions ticket, and the museum hopes that schools will also opt to include it in their tours, as the AR greatly adds to the educational aspect of the experience for students.

AR is taking the Madame Tussauds DC experience to the next level through the use of audio and visual effects
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We’re inviting students in the classroom and students-at-heart to step out from behind their textbook and into an immersive augmented reality journey through iconic moments of history
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Madame Tussauds DC is launching a new, fully immersive experience using Augmented Reality (AR), making the attraction one of the first in the US to place AR at the center of their visitor experience. Through the magic of smartglass technology, the Alive in AR Augmented Reality Experience invites guests to hop between eras and relive moments with celebrities throughout time. The AR experience offers an all-access pass to getting up close and personal with influential leaders and culture icons of the past and present.

“Every day, Madame Tussauds DC connects visitors with the past and present, bringing history and pop culture icons to life,” said Therese Alvich, general manager for Madame Tussauds Washington, D.C. “These highly interactive augmented reality glasses bring the attraction to life right in front of our visitor’s eyes. We love that they feel like they are a part of history, complete with the sights and sounds of a memorable moment,” she concludes.

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 VR 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.

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Let’s face it, humans are vain and fickle creatures, so the fact that most HMDs look dorky as heck doesn’t really help with the whole mass market adoption issue. Magic Leap makes you look like a Minion, and even though I personally think the HoloLens looks much cooler (hey, what can I say, I’m a geek) I will also admit that it feels on the heavy side after prolonged use.

Humans are vain creatures, so the fact that most HMDs look dorky as heck doesn’t really help with the mass market adoption issue
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The Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses platform includes an Android based operating system, a cloud-based services platform that is being developed specifically for the Blade and a growing ecosystem of apps
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So a set of functional AR glasses that actually look like regular eyewear is something to sit up and take notice of, and that’s what Vuzix was showing off at CES this month.

The company is marketing its Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses to both the enterprise and consumer markets, providing differentiated software solutions to each one. On the consumer side, the Vuzix Blade Companion App, which is available for download from the App Store or Google Play, connects the device to both Android or iOS devices. It offers content such as AR enhanced golf training by Oncore Golf, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The app is also being upgraded with new functionality including the enablement of photo and video sharing between the Blade and smart phones.

“Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses are truly wearable smart glasses that can not only be unboxed and paired to a phone in a matter of minutes, but also deliver immediate utility for prosumers and consumers,” said Paul Travers, Vuzix President and Chief Executive Officer. “It provides a natural view of the real world while concurrently allowing AR content to be simply viewed and interactively managed with transparent optics designed to overlay visual information such as GPS mapping directions, restaurant menus, weather information, event happenings, stock information, video conferencing, sports updates, health metrics, patient data, streaming video and more.”

Vuzix Smart Glasses are being marketed to both enterprise and consumers
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The Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses platform includes an Android based operating system on the device, a cloud-based services platform that is being developed specifically for the Blade and a growing ecosystem of apps and software development firms around the world that they are working with, including Yelp and AccuWeather. They are also working with Amazon to finish the broader integration of Alexa expect to complete certification soon; and Alexa BETA is currently available for developers.

“Wearers can see a comprehensive weather forecast as a visual overlay that pops into their field of vision,” says Steve Smith, President of AccuWeather Digital Media “All of this is done without having to pull a smart phone out of your bag, while juggling luggage or reservation documents, making it easy to stay informed on-the-go.”

The Vuzix Blade ecosystem of consumer-oriented applications is expected to grow significantly throughout 2019 – ranging from utilities to entertainment with applications like karaoke, language translation, sheet music scrolling and more.  Also included on the Blade Smart Glasses are four games designed exclusively for the platform including AR Dino Hunter, AR-Golf, AR-Racers, and an idle AR Space-Miner game.

The Vuzix binocular system features HD displays with a large full-color 60-degree field of view
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The glasses aren’t exactly cheap at just under $1000, but compared to similar Mixed Reality devices such as the HoloLens and Magic Leap One they are a comparatively budget solution
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Enterprise customers, on the other hand, subscribe to the Blade Commercial Edge Software Suite, which now includes the LogistiVIEW Connected Worker Platform – an enterprise productivity toolset for frontline workers – and embedded biometric capabilities by PaaS Smart Glass targeted for field-based workers in industries such as aviation, healthcare, security, manufacturing and logistics. It enables first responders, for example, to quickly identify causalities or patients and obtain vital information such as medical histories of allergies and blood type, reducing wait times when arriving in hospital.

Vuzix had previously won the award for innovation at CES in 2005 and 2018 (the company was founded in 1997) and repeated the feat at this year’s event, being recognizing for its “outstanding design and engineering”.

Vuzix’ wide-field-of-view waveguide optics is certainly impressive. The entire display engine is approximately the size of a pencil eraser and will allow future AR smart glasses to have a virtually indistinguishable look and feel from normal eyeglasses.

“This binocular system features HD displays with a large full-color 60-degree field of view (FOV) stereo image, the largest commercially demonstrated FOV system from Vuzix to date. An extremely small display module featuring MicroLED display technology developed with Plessey Semiconductor coupled with a Vuzix waveguide and coupling optics,” Travers explains.

Vuzix won the award for innovation at CES in 2005 and 2018 and repeated the feat this year
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The glasses aren’t exactly cheap at just under $1000, but compared to similar Mixed Reality devices such as the HoloLens and Magic Leap One they are a comparatively budget solution. Also, the price point is not that far from a top-of-the-range smartphone, and as more content and functionality becomes available on such devices, it is easy to see how the investment would start to become justifiable. As a consumer, hands-free AR proposition, it is certainly among the most viable (and least silly-looking) that I’ve come across.

The consumer version Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses are expected to start shipping in February 2019.

This article was originally published on VRScout

AR Glasses You’d Be Happy To Be Caught Dead In via @alicebonasio https://t.co/6oxTx9qKGi pic.twitter.com/1hjoJw9WJd

— VRScout (@VRScout) January 24, 2019

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies our VR Consultancy service offers comprehensive support in strategic deployment of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR 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 AR Glasses You Can Be Seen In appeared first on Tech Trends.

The Brazilian-born inventor gets recognition for his groundbreaking work with the Microsoft Hololens.

The European Patent Office (EPO) announced that it has nominated U.S.-based inventor Alex Kipman as a finalist for the European Inventor Award 2018.

“Alex Kipman’s invention is a vision for the future of computing with the potential to change how we connect and collaborate,” said EPO President Benoît Battistelli. “His ideas are enhancing the real world with digital information that helps people achieve higher levels of efficiency, and creating new opportunities in fields such as engineering, communications, and healthcare.”

Kipman started his professional career at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, right after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2001. In a career spanning more than 15 years as a developer for the company, he has been named as the primary inventor on more than 150 U.S. and Asian patents, as well as two granted European patents and more than a dozen European patent applications. His current position as Technical Fellow of the Windows and Devices Group enables him to maintain a hands-on approach to building the HoloLens and related Windows Mixed Reality software platform.

Built-in machine learning and AI-algorithms enable the HoloLens to be contextually aware of its surroundings and interpret user commands
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The HoloLens incorporates several patent-protected Microsoft inventions, including Kipman’s motion sensors initially brought to market for the Xbox Kinect video game controller. The software for the HoloLens is developed in the Windows 10 operating system in the Windows Mixed Reality software environment. Current applications of the device include telecommunications (e.g. for enhanced video calls), a 3D virtual tourism application, and a suite of mixed-reality games, as well as industrial uses for metering and quality control, and interactive digital human anatomy. A host of promising new applications are being developed. In 2017, a Spanish team of surgeons used the mixed-reality headset successfully while operating on a patient with a malignant muscular tumour. During the procedure, the surgeons were able to view live diagnostic imaging from MRI and radiography data feeds, without taking their eyes off the patient.

The HoloLens is a stand-alone device, independent from external PCs, tablets or smartphones
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Thanks to built-in machine learning and AI-algorithms, the HoloLens is contextually aware of its surroundings and able to interpret user commands such as “move that chair.” It observes its surroundings via an inertial measurement unit (a device that measures linear and angular motion), a depth-sensing camera, a 2.4-megapixel video camera, four microphones and an ambient light sensor – so it “knows” which chair the wearer is currently seeing. It collects several terabytes of data every second, piped in via sensors and then computed.

Alex Kipman's invention is a vision for the future of computing with the potential to change how we connect and collaborate
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“Current-generation mixed-reality glasses include “smart” ski goggles that project data such as altitude, temperature and pulse into the wearer’s field of vision. But these devices display only two-dimensional text and graphics, while requiring a connection to a smartphone for computing power,” explains Battistelli. “The HoloLens is a stand-alone device, independent from external PCs, tablets or smartphones. It contains all necessary computing power in its custom-built processors. These include a CPU (central processing unit), GPU (graphics processing unit) and custom HPU (holographic processing unit), an industry first.”

These processors collect several terabytes of data every second as the HoloLens reads its environment. Data arrives through an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a depth-sensing camera, a 2.4-megapixel video camera, four microphones and an ambient light sensor.

HoloLens owes its innovative edge to the waveguide lenses that trick the human brain into interpreting photons as solid, three-dimensional things
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As the name suggests, the HoloLens owes its innovative edge to the waveguide lenses that “trick” the human brain into interpreting photons as solid, three-dimensional things – hence holograms. They are computed on the GPU and displayed through the device’s “light engines”, two tiny liquid-crystal-on-silicon projectors which beam light onto the two lenses.

Processors collect several terabytes of data every second as the HoloLens reads its environment
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The image is adjusted between the two lenses for clarity and depth, then blended with the real world. As a result, holographic images appear to exist in front of the wearer – from a few centimeters to many meters away – with true depth of field.

Once ready for mass adoption, the HoloLens could lead to a fundamental shift, as mixed-reality devices replace today’s smartphones as the main communications devices. According to experts at market researcher Gartner, 30% of web browsing sessions could be done without a screen by 2020. At that point, 50% of all search queries could originate, not from keyboards or touchscreens, but voice commands as computing moves into an era beyond screens.

Once Microsoft has built an attractive mixed-reality library, products such as the three-dimensional teleconferencing app Holoportation could well join bestsellers like Office 365
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Consulting firm Digi-Capital estimated the world market for augmented- and virtual-reality devices at EUR 3.3 billion in 2016. The firm projects that, driven by next-generation mobile augmented-reality hardware, the market will reach EUR 85 billion by 2021. Once Microsoft has built an attractive mixed-reality library, products such as the three-dimensional teleconferencing app Holoportation could well join bestsellers like the Office 365 commercial suite with over 100 million users.

“Kipman’s HoloLens can make holographic likenesses appear in thin air with new levels of sophistication – for instance in teleconferencing calls. Because the mixed-reality headset requires no computer screen or keyboard, it could be part of a revolution that would replace smartphones as the main communications devices,” adds Battistelli.

Once ready for mass adoption, the HoloLens could lead to a fundamental shift, as mixed-reality devices replace today's smartphones as the main communications devices
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“It’s an experience where content is no longer tied to a screen but exists in both time and space laid over the real world,” says Kipman, who has predicted the “death” of the smartphone and a new revolution in personal computing build around the concept of Mixed Reality. Current industry trends appear to support his statement – such as the shift towards voice search with digital assistants like Cortana from Microsoft, Siri from Apple and Alexa from Amazon. Consumers may one day be talking and gesturing to holographic “ghosts”, while the smartphone becomes a spectre of the past.

Kipman has been awarded the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award (2009), Microsoft Outstanding Technical Achievement Award (2012), and IPO Education Foundation’s Inventor of the Year Award (2012). He also received the honor of being named one of TIME magazine’s Top 25 “Nerds of the Year” (2010), an epithet he wears proudly.

To find out how to leverage VR/AR/MR in your enterprise, Tech Trends offers bespoke Virtual Reality Consultancy support

Alice Bonasio is a VR 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 and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The sexily named patent is viewable in full here: EP3028121

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