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.

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.

Democratizing Animation

Marketers know that few tools are as effective in engaging your audience as a well-crafted animation. Traditionally, however, this type of material has been extremely labor-intensive – and therefore costly – to produce.

Yet LottieFiles is a company looking to change all that with its open-source tool that allows animators to spend less time learning and deploying complex code and more time crafting captivating content that will wow users and increase conversion rates.

LottieFiles allows designers to spend less time learning and deploying complex code and more time crafting captivating content
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Lottiefiles is a lightweight, interactive, and scalable animation format that allows for customization without having to code, build and render bulky files from scratch. In fact, Lottie files are, on average, 600% smaller than other popular animation formats such GIFs, allowing for a much faster, more responsive, and therefore engaging user experience (UX).

Lottie files are on average 600% smaller than GIFs, allowing for a much faster, responsive, and engaging user experience
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Popular apps such as Airbnb and Duolingo have wholeheartedly embraced this user-friendliness. Use cases for Lottie animations range from app loading and wait screes to gamification and user onboarding, as well a vast array of websites and apps looking to serve meaningful content to their users, according to LottieFiles CTO Nattu Adnan

“LottieFiles has helped hundreds of thousands of developers and designers from over 65,000 global fortune companies like Netflix, Disney, Google and Amazon to ship interactive animation faster and more effectively,” adds the company’s Co-Founder and CEO Kshitij Minglani.

Augmenting Reality

AR (Augmented Reality) has been steadily gathering momentum in recent years, and it is easy to see why. Merging the physical and digital worlds is an exciting proposition that opens up a whole world of possibilities for users, and the companies hoping to reach and keep them engaged.

From new ways of experiencing art to enabling customers to realistically try products before committing to a purchase, Augmented Reality is becoming ever more pervasive across an incredibly broad swathe of industries.

Augmented Reality is becoming ever more pervasive across an incredibly broad swathe of industries.
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“Research shows that AR will evolve from one-off ‘surprise and delight’ moments to provide everyday utility and practical value, right across the consumer journey.  This could include helping people visualize how products look in their home, locating products in-store through wayfinding applications, or getting more out of a product post-purchase through usage guidance,” explains Jeremy Pounder, Futures Director at Mindshare UK

One example of how it is possible for innovative companies to bring their customers the best of both worlds by creating Omnichannel experiences is Canadian start-up StickerYou which offers customized, die-cut stickers online, but also maintains a physical shop where customers can touch and feel the merchandise.

“The broader trend in retail, particularly among millennials, is a shift in focus from products toward experiences. For this reason, many customers still choose to visit a physical shop even if it may be more convenient to order the item online, explains StickerYou Founder and President, Andrew Witkin. “For retailers, this presents an opportunity to leverage technology to literally augment the value of their products for their customers,” he concludes.

Meeting Virtually

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic became the catalyst for what we now know as a socially distanced “new normal,” technology had been pushing us towards having more of our interactions in virtual environments.

From virtual live comedy shows to professional poker tournaments, people had started to not only accept the premise of hosting their familiar interactions and experiences in immersive virtual worlds.

Technology has been pushing us towards having more of our interactions in virtual environments
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Given the continuation of the pandemic, however, we have seen most events in the global conference calendar going virtual in some way or another, including one of the biggest highlights in the tech circuit – South by Southwest (SXSW) which is held in Austin, Texas in March.

SXSW Online 2021 included a variety of online meetings, sessions, musical performances, and many attempts at virtually recreating the interactive experience of SXSW.

As Tech Trends correspondent Laura Kobylecky reports, the world of virtual Austin exists within VRChat, an online, virtual reality, social platform which added a layer of immersion and interactivity to this year’s online conference and left her feeling as if she’d really attended the event.

Tech Trends’  Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance their brand’s digital strategy with immersive and emerging technologies such as Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a technology journalist, communications consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Top UI/UX Trends for 2021 appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

I am alone in the empty streets of Austin. Everything has been simplified to geometric shapes and the stars are brighter than they’ve ever been in the middle of the city. Strange eyes look from high points and serve as a unifying aesthetic to the strange world. There are no bats, no rats, and no raccoons. The closest things I’ve seen to life are the hovering drones that await my instructions. Who made this strange, virtual, world? The story begins last March.

On March 6 of 2020, South by Southwest was canceled at the decree of the City of Austin. This occurred shortly before the event was scheduled to begin on the 13^th of March and was one of the first of many large events that would be canceled as a result of the coronavirus.

#SXSW Online 2021 includes a variety of online meetings, sessions, musical performances, and many attempts at virtually recreating the interactive experience of SXSW
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This year, restrictions remained in place that prevented a full return of the in-person SXSW experience. However, the conference organizers decided to pivot to a digital format and that was the beginning of SXSW Online 2021.

SXSW Online 2021 included a variety of online meetings, sessions, musical performances, and many attempts at virtually recreating the interactive experience of SXSW. A notable addition to this is the SXSW Online XR experience. XR is an all-encompassing term referring to include Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and other forms of immersive media.

Blake Kammerdiener: XR and Film Programmer

I sat down for a video chat with Blake Kammerdiener, XR and Film Programmer, to learn more about this project.

According to Kammerdiener discussions about the idea of a virtual Austin began in October of 2020, yet work on the project didn’t start in earnest until sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Day. It was initially a larger concept, but the scope was limited over time.

Discussions about the idea of a virtual Austin began in October of 2020 @sxsw
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In order to create the world, they collaborated with Louis Cacciuttolo and his company VRrOOm. Kammerdiener already knew Cacciuttolo and had been looking for a chance to work together. VRrOOm was provided with basic concepts and blueprints as well as videos and reference images. Kammerdiener explains that “They really worked a lot of magic to make it all happen.”

Designing an XR World

Art direction was provided by Vincent Masson. His aesthetic ended up being an excellent match for this year’s SXSW. The overall look and feel of SXSW 2021 includes a variety of simple graphics of eyes and geometric shapes that meshed will with a virtual world. This theme had already been established before this particular project, so its suitability for VR was more of a happy coincidence.

To create the #SXSW virtual world, they collaborated with Louis Cacciuttolo and his company @_VRrOOm_
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The world of virtual Austin exists within VRChat, an online, virtual reality, social platform. It begins on Congress Avenue and continues with a portal to Red River Street. Kammerdiener explains that they “had to scale it down in some respect.” The Paramount, Empire Control Room, The Mohawk and Cedar Street Courtyard are all venues that you can explore in the virtual world. This world also contains the Texas State Capitol building and the river.

Kammerdiener describes some of the other ideas the team had chosen to include, “Austin has these things called ‘moontowers’ which are these extra-large, big, lights that go up super high and have six or seven lights around them and they’re famous from Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused ‘party at the moontower.’ And so we threw a moontower in there, over there by the capital in the corner, and it’s a real scale model of the moon tower.” Kammerdiener would have liked to include some other iconic, Austin, details as well, “We talked about bats. Don’t think we didn’t talk about bats, at the very least.”

Another exciting feature, according to Kammerdiener, is the virtual concert that happens on demand at the Empire Control Room. If you travel to the virtual Empire, you can press a button and summon a tuba player. That player is Theon Cross, a British tuba player and composer. They did a motion capture recording of him performing at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London and put that performance into the SXSW Online XR experience. Kammerdiener is very enthusiastic about this particular element of the virtual world.

The world of virtual Austin exists within @VRChat, an online, virtual reality, social platform
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One of the most fun things to do, from Kammerdiener’s perspective is go to virtual parties and meetups. These events occur at the virtual venues at specified times. At these events, you and your avatar can hang out and interact directly with other people’s avatars. These events included an XR developers meetup, a DJ at the Paramount, an avatar costume contest, and a virtual axe-throwing contest at The Mohawk. Kammerdiener said that the events created a different level of connection and simulated some of the real feelings of being at a SXSW event. He enjoyed attending the events then hanging out in the virtual spaces afterwards with fellow attendees.

Kammerdiener felt like these meetups really did help fill some of the missing spaces in a virtual SXSW experience. He explains that “from the very beginning, one of the biggest, most important, things that everybody agreed upon” is the importance of creating networking opportunities and interactions between attendees. These experiences are “the bread and butter of SXSW” because they bring in “creatives from all walks of life,” including the entertainment industries and technology sectors. The creative, who normally might not meet, have the chance to interact together in the same space.

The XR Experience

After speaking with Kammerdiener, I did some further exploration in the world of virtual Austin. The worlds are only available to PCVR, Oculus Quest and Windows PC users. I used a PC, without a VR headset. As a result, my experience did not contain the full range of 3D imagery available and I had less mobility for my avatar. However, using a mouse and the “W, A, S, D” keys (forwards, left, backwards, right), I was able to explore a nice range of the world map.

The world begins at Congress. From there, you can either walk or you can grab onto a drone. The drones carry you across the map from a great height so you can quickly move from one space to the other. Without a VR headset, I don’t have as much control, but I am able to traverse the world anyway.

The world of Congress Ave looks a great deal like a simplified 3D rendered cartoon of Austin with a geometric aesthetic. Quiet, pleasant, music plays in the background. Simple eye shapes hover at various points and rotate slowly. At night, you can see very bright stars in the virtual sky. I wander to the Texas State Capitol building and see the famous moontower nearby.

The SXSW Closing Party is happening at The Empire Control Room, so I decide to navigate to that destination. In order to move to the other worlds, you have to find a portal. The portals are large circles labeled with their destination. I walk down the empty street, north towards the Texas State Capitol building and find a portal that leads to “Red River Street.”

On Red River Street are more buildings. There are carts you can ride in if you want to move faster. The Empire Control Room is labeled and you walk through that portal to enter the virtual venue. The venue is a fairly accurate representation of Empire Control Room, complete with a stage, gig posters and a food truck parked in the yard.

The world of Congress Ave looks a great deal like a simplified 3D rendered cartoon of Austin with a geometric aesthetic #SXSW 2021
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The venue is surprisingly crowded with outlandish avatar characters. A great number of people have decided to become cats for some reason. There are robots and aliens and jalapeno peppers. As I walk through, I can hear snippets of other people’s conversations. The spatial audio gives an accuracy that allows me to tell where the speaking avatars are located.

Some people are making their avatars dance or hug or do other, more advanced, movements. I can see the gestures that accompany people’s expressions in conversations. The conversations include a variety of topics, but many of them are reflecting on the experience of a virtual social event. People chat and exchange contact information. Social interactions are happening here.

I go to the courtyard of the venue. It is replicated with some accuracy as well. There are benches and decorative lights. I find the pedestal sculpture that hosts Theon Cross. I summon him with the press of a button. A glowing figure rises from the pedestal to play a beautiful bit of jazz as light and animated details flow around him.

I leave with the faintest feeling that I have actually been somewhere #SXSW 2021
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As the night goes on, avatars disappear one by one. The few that remain are some of the most enthusiastic people and also people who are involved with the event. It is an interesting and strange experience. I leave with the faintest feeling that I have actually been somewhere. SXSW Online XR is a pleasant experience that adds a layer of immersion and interactivity to this year’s online conference.

Tech Trends’ Digital Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

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 SXSW: A Virtual Experience appeared first on Tech Trends.

At the start of 2020 (remember those giddy, carefree times before the pandemic struck?) Unity asked more than a dozen industry experts – including yours truly – to share their thoughts on how immersive technologies would be embraced for a report entitled Top 2020 Trends: Enterprise AR & VR.

All signs were pointing to 2020 being a breakout year for immersive tech, and, as it turned out, this was one of the few things not to have been derailed by COVID-19.

With the widespread need for social distancing and shift towards remote work, companies turned to immersive technology tools such as real-time 3D, AR, and VR to connect employees for remote collaboration, replace events and exhibitions, and allow teams to work in offices, labs, and sites from afar. As the need to support employees remotely grew more urgent, this was reflected in the accelerated adoption of XR across the board.

Microsoft, for example, has seen a 13x increase in remote assistance usage over the past 12 months, and Unity believes that this general trend is likely to continue in 2021.

All signs were pointing to 2020 being a breakout year for immersive tech, and, as it turned out, this was one of the few things not to have been derailed by COVID-19
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Some of the key findings from the report include:

The use of mixed reality will expand to enable more human connections

Mixed reality has traditionally been used to aid in task completion, however, the pandemic has sparked the need for tools that mimic human connection and proximity to create more productive work environments and collaboration.

Cross-functional collaboration across immersive media will grow

2020 has seen more users looking for ways to collaborate remotely from multiple geographic locations, using media that mimic real life. Expect that to continue into 2021.

VR will prove even more useful in the workplace

The disruptions of COVID-19 have led many to look for creative ways to solve new and old problems across the workplace, such as keeping skills fresh, engaging learners without in-person training, improving employee productivity, and fostering collaboration and connection among teams.

Jeremy Dalton, Head of AR/VR PwC believes that in 2021 and beyond we will see a wider range of businesses across numerous industries become more comfortable with emerging technologies that they would otherwise have left on the sideline until pressured to innovate.

While computers will never fully replace the value of in-person connection, Fleckenstein believes there is a tremendous opportunity for more immersive collaboration, and 2021 will see mixed reality evolve beyond task completion and emerge as the ideal medium for human connection.

As the need to support employees remotely grew more urgent, this was reflected in the accelerated adoption of XR across the board
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Futurist and author Cathy Hackl, predicts volumetric video will be a key factor in sustaining this evolution and widespread adoption.

Volumetric video, she explains, can help companies overcome pain points caused by the sudden shift to remote work, since the technology makes it possible to record employees, projects, or scenarios in three dimensions, instead of digitally rebuilding them from scratch for virtual reality simulations.

“The digital video can then be edited and manipulated to be viewed on everything from flat screens to virtual reality simulations,” she explains, adding that experiencing something in 3D with real-life physical movement is shown to increase viewers’ retention of the information being taught.

According to Matt Fleckenstein Senior Director, Mixed Reality at Microsoft, the ROI for firstline workers when adopting mixed reality in enterprise has been significant:

“We’ve seen 90% of touch labor eliminated, errors reduced to zero, and increased employee satisfaction.”

Elizabeth Baron, Enterprise Solutions Executive at Unity Technologies, says “Immersive realities provide probability spaces for enterprises to study any potential reality, or the art of the (im)possible,” with a host of relevant data that is brought to life and experienced rather than merely presented.

“Storytelling with immersive XR can simultaneously bring a spreadsheet to life for an artist and bring a design to life for an engineer,” she explains.

You can access the e-book for free here

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 2021 Immersive Tech Trends appeared first on Tech Trends.

As COVID-19 sweeps through nations, quickly making established ways of working, studying, socializing, and conducting business impractical or even impossible, people turned to technological innovation for alternatives.

Here we look at three key areas that have been brought to the forefront during the pandemic but are likely to stay with us for the long-term.

Immersive Technology/ XR post-pandemic

Alan Smithson, CEO of MetaVRse, says that XR is specifically pivotal because of its potential to replicate the physical dynamics of collaboration in a virtual environment, enabling you to be fully present and engaged with others as you would in real life.

As most of us struggle with the challenge of adapting to this ‘new normal’ where much of the world’s population finds itself unable to safely hold face-to-face meetings, Smithson explains that XR Collaboration tools are emerging as viable alternatives — not to replace current video conferencing, but to augment them through spatial understanding. “By sharing fully immersive spaces with others, we begin to bridge the physical gap between us – opening up a whole new world of communication possibilities. With XR conferencing, people may not be able to see your face, but they can certainly see your body language, and that is really powerful.”

This power, however, is only properly leveraged where creators are mindful of the unique properties of immersive technology, rather than trying to retrofit it to existing tools and procedures.

“The biggest question we should ask is can we or even should we try and replicate the presence of live events via digital means (be it digital video conferencing, AR and VR)? If we merely try to ‘copy and paste’ one experience into the other, we are doomed to fail,” says Galit Ariel, founder and Creative Director of WondARlands Spatial Innovation Lab.

Ariel says that in her view, simply having embodied avatars standing in a virtual conference room and watching a virtual slide show does not make the infinite possibilities virtual platforms have to offer.

With XR conferencing, people may not be able to see your face, but they can certainly see your body language, and that is really powerful
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Furthermore, the move to digital platforms brings opportunities to “control the stage” in ways that are unavailable to speakers and presenters in real life. While pre-tested or pre-recorded talks and events can be potentially more polished, they also lack the magic and serendipity of a physical setting, interaction and immersion. That is a much harder challenge in some ways, Ariel says, as that content then needs to compete for the individual’s attention span with all the great digital content that is already available online, and the things that are happenings in their separate realities.

“When I see online and virtual panels and presentations using the same method of content delivery, I feel it is a miss. [Although] I understand that most event organizers had to find quick solutions. Going forward, they will need to make smarter and more creative choices about what content is valuable and meaningful in a digital context, and what digital tools make sense. We also need to remember that people are quickly becoming ‘Zoomed out’ and dealing with digital fatigue.  I hope, and I am certain, we will see more creative and experimental ways to deliver content via digital means.”

Delivering new digital content through AR and VR will also depend on network innovation and optimization. Globally, plans to deploy 5G are mixed. While the U.S. is still moving forward with its plans to deploy 5G on the same timeline pre-COVID-19, other countries are facing delays in spectrum auctions, investment, and supply chains. In order to create seamless XR experiences in and outside of our homes, there needs to be significant strides in 5G infrastructure and investment into education about different applications and uses for this technology.

Smart city technology for tracking and security

In order to tackle the unprecedented challenges of this global pandemic, it is vital that local, state and federal governments are able to leverage the vast amounts of data already in their systems to make better-informed decisions that help them flatten the curve and take action in real-time to mitigate outcomes and maximize limited resources.

“Data is key toward effectively tracking and managing a government’s pandemic response,” explains Amr Salem, CEO of smart city technology company Quantela, whose AI-powered recommendation engine deploys predictive analysis to forecast future capacity requirements for traffic, crime, weather, disaster and emergency response. The company currently has over 95 live deployments, including installations in Albuquerque, NM., Erie, PA., and Las Vegas, NV.

Quantela recently launched a platform called CoVER (Coronavirus Emergency Response Platform) which enables authorities to input all their data from across their field of operations, including medical resource tracking, testing kits and results, outbreak locations, quarantine locations and duration, and critical asset locations, into one accessible database.

The move to digital platforms brings opportunities to control the stage in ways that are unavailable to speakers and presenters in real life
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The platform – which can be tailored to the needs of each locality and deployed within as few as three days – incorporates any data source that influences their time-critical operational decision-making can be fed into a cloud-based system that gives them increased insight and control over these fast-moving situations.

The dashboard visualizes complex data sets and is able to reliably predict where the virus will be, allowing leaders to reallocate resources accordingly to prevent shortages. Users can drill down from macro-level data (across states, counties, etc.) all the way down to an analysis of city sectors and even individual patients to ascertain how to best deploy resources to manage and contain outbursts and manage infection clusters, taking actions such as sending real-time notifications to health workers in a particular area.

Data is key toward effectively tracking and managing a government’s pandemic response
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Quantela’s digital urban services technology also includes a Citizen App which can be installed on their phones and allows individuals to perform self-assessments and self-report. Citizens can also use the app to receive information about the current situation in their area, including official government updates and notifications, “red zone” alerts, health advice, and the location of their nearest testing and treatment facilities. Field responders, meanwhile, can use CoVER to record their temperature and other vital statistics. Going forward, it may be possible to leverage such capabilities to detect and stop further outbreaks at a much earlier stage by monitoring how positive patients are recovering, and who is traveling.

“Cities will be able to predict future scenarios based on current spreading patterns, understand the impact on critical medical assets, speed up the allocation of patients to hospitals with available capacity, track quarantined patients, and distribute assets where it’s needed the most,” Salem concludes.

Hygiene innovation

Perhaps the most noticeable shift in our routine brought on by the spread of COVID-19 has been in personal hygiene. We’ve been made forcibly aware that the very act of touching a surface can contaminate it for extended periods of time. And while frequent hand washing mitigates contagion to some degree, our devices and wearables are much more difficult to effectively disinfect on a regular basis.

This is a problem that Amy Hedrick, CEO and Co-Founder of California-based smart tech hygiene company Cleanbox Technology had been working on for years, however.

With a background in media production and storytelling, Amy was an early adopter of immersive technology. In 2016, she foresaw the need in the nascent industry for a solution that would allow users to safely and hygienically share headsets without risking contagion transfer.

Cleanbox went on to patent a technology that uses UVC light in an LED to decontaminate hard-to-clean products worn on the face or head. With a focus on high-risk contagion transfer points; its core products were designed for Augmented & Virtual Reality Head Mounted Devices (HMDs). Cleanbox also includes a hydrophobic coating for the soft materials of the headset, to keep contagions at the surface rather than seeping into the electronics. Cleanbox products have been proven to safely eliminate 99.99+ percent of viruses, bacteria, and fungi within seconds.

“We actually started with the most difficult form factor first,” says Hedrick, “Virtual and augmented reality headsets are made up of many different materials and delicate electronics that have multiple surfaces that are hard to reach. They are much more difficult to clean than say cell phones”.

UVC is a wavelength of light that does not occur naturally in the atmosphere, so viruses do not have a resistance to it. Unlike UVA and UVB rays (sunlight & tanning bed lights), which are not generally used as disinfectants, UVC is safe for decontaminating materials including fabrics, plastics, and acrylic. The use of UVC in an LED instead of traditional mercury tubes or bulbs has the advantages of generating no heat or harmful toxins, as well as keeping the product environmentally-friendly, Hedrick explains.

Cleanbox products have been proven to safely eliminate 99.99+ percent of viruses, bacteria, and fungi within seconds
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With the global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) – in particular, N95 respirators (N95s) – and the re-use of masks without proper decontamination placing users at increased risk due to viral load build-up, Cleanbox quickly pivoted and designed a retrofit for cleaning masks, allowing healthcare workers and first responders to safely disinfect their N95s. Cleanbox’s CX1 with retrofits have been donated to institutions such as Children’s National and Northwestern University Medical Center. In parallel, Cleanbox developed CleanDefense, a machine due to launch this summer which can decontaminate up to 100 masks per hour.

Going forward, Hedrick believes this is a solution that will be important not just for first responders, but also in care homes, dispatch centers, restaurants, airlines and other facilities that continue to have a heightened need to protect their employees and patrons against contagions such as COVID-19. CleanDefense’s portable design makes it ideal for airports, retail centers, entertainment venues, hotels, restaurants, and any other business requiring workers to wear masks.

“This technology is really going to become essential for all our devices, from mobile phones and tablets to earbuds and glasses, as we move into a new reality where we will have to learn how to better protect ourselves and each other,” Hedrick concludes.

Turbulent times are often a catalyst for innovation, and this pandemic has proven to be no exception. Unfortunately – in spite of the fact that we’re now seeing many countries moving towards easing restrictions and attempting to restart some semblance of “business as usual” – the long-term effects of COVID-19 are going to be felt for many months and even years. What this crisis has also uncovered is that many of those technological “emergency workarounds” actually present us with better and more efficient ways of doing things, and it is unlikely that they will be set aside, even when the virus is finally brought under control.

This article was originally published on Futurithmic

From #XR applications to new safety protocols and high-tech cleaning methods, the innovations that will come out of COVID-19 will change our lives as we know it. https://t.co/GjyYARWxWu pic.twitter.com/vLhY1QPFze

— Futurithmic (@futurithmic) June 11, 2020

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 Emerging Post-Pandemic Innovations appeared first on Tech Trends.

I love covering this industry, the pace of innovation is awesome, and watching companies large and small vie for market share with powerful and revolutionary tech is inspiring. We have come a long way. Better, lighter, untethered HMDs: Check. Cheaper, easier to use VR solutions: Check. Better access to good VR content: Check (mostly).

And now we have high-resolution VR with hand and eye-tracking which is an important step towards breaking down a barrier that has been holding VR back from broader adoption in some industries. Low-resolution VR might be fine for games and low interaction immersion, but when you are training for one of the most complicated and dangerous missions mankind has ever faced, every detail matters.

Low res VR might be fine for games and low interaction immersion, but when you are training for one of the most complicated and dangerous missions mankind has ever faced @BoeingSpace know every detail matters
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The latest HMD launched by Finnish company Varjo steps into that gap by offering industrial-grade “human-eye resolution” plus hand and eye-tracking. The company has just announced a new partnership with Boeing on a VR training program using its new VR-2 Pro headset for astronauts on the Boeing Starliner program preparing for missions to the International Space Station.

The VR-2 Pro is the latest professional iteration of Varjo’s initial VR-1 model and after extensive development with partner pilot companies including Audi, Volkswagen, and Saab, it features improved Ultraleap hand tracking and 20/20 Eye Tracker tech as well as easy integration with affordable SteamVR content and peripherals as well as the OpenVR development platform from Valve.

“We are proud to be delivering the technology that is pushing industrial training applications to their furthest reaches – even to space,” said Niko Eiden, CEO and co-founder of Varjo. “With our devices, astronauts can see and virtually interact with the switches and control panels inside their Starliner capsule and read the real-time data on their crew displays. Advancements like this have the potential to transform the way any pilot is trained.”

The Boeing Starliner has been developed in partnership with NASA and when the first crewed mission aboard the CST-100 Starliner takes place in 2021, the crew will have banked hundreds of training hours for each phase of the entire mission – including launching, docking, re-entering the atmosphere and landing phases – using Varjo’s human-eye resolution VR devices. Chris Ferguson, the company’s first corporate astronaut, and Starliner commander will soon start using the Varjo VR training system regularly in preparation for the program’s Crew Flight Test, which will be the first Starliner mission with humans on board.

When the first crewed mission aboard the @BoeingSpace CST-100 Starliner takes place in 2021, the crew will have banked hundreds of training hours using @varjodotcom human-eye resolution VR devices
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For the VR training to be effective, astronauts need to be able to read all the displays simultaneously while operating the simulated aircraft with their hands or controllers
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Imagine approaching the ISS in the Starliner spacecraft. Your speed is relatively low, but the ISS weighs about 420,000 kilograms. That’s the equivalent of more than 330 cars. And even though the ISS is weightless in space, it still has mass. And the spacecraft needs to be steered to a fine point at the docking port by following a cone-shaped path. Projecting the display panels and trajectory data precisely is crucial if VR is to be an effective training tool for such a vital operation.

I‘ve recently managed to get some hands-on time with a VR-2 Pro test unit and seen for myself what a huge difference Varjo’s high visual fidelity makes when interacting with control panels and virtual objects. It’s easy to see how this seemingly simple advancement – namely the ability to read text, displays, and buttons as you would in real-life – is crucial in making it possible to train for dangerous and precise procedures such as docking a space ship from inside a complex cockpit.

The spacecraft’s crew console consists of two displays, each about the size of an iPad, which shows mission-critical flight data such as the velocity and trajectory of the aircraft as it moves in space. For the VR training to be effective, astronauts need to be able to read all the displays simultaneously while operating the simulated aircraft with their hands or controllers. With earlier VR headsets, reading the displays in the immersive training environment was only possible when leaning in very close to the displays – but then the astronauts couldn’t see their hands, making it unsuitable for training.

With earlier VR headsets, reading the displays in the immersive training environment was only possible when leaning in very close to the displays but then the astronauts couldn’t see their hands, making it unsuitable for training
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The most important psychological effect of this human-eye resolution, however, is ‘full immersion’ by which I mean how real-life levels of detail better convince the brain it is operating in a real-world situation so that your brain is not wasting any effort suspending disbelief.

It stands to reason that full immersion like this should vastly increase the effectiveness of group practice for unplanned events and working together in simulated dangerous situations, while building the team’s responses and decision-making abilities, without ever putting the astronauts in danger. The Starliner team can thus perform all the routine interactions, voice, and switch commands, while being immersed in the same surroundings they’d see when sitting in the actual spacecraft.

The Varjo VR-2 is the only device to deliver immersive content in pixel-perfect clarity. This allows training for even the most challenging and safety-critical procedures of spaceflight, such as docking to the International Space Station, to be conducted in virtual reality. Further, the system extends the astronaut training program by enabling training through the two week-quarantine period in crew quarters before launch.

The most important effect is ‘full immersion’ by which I mean how real-life levels of detail better convince the brain it is operating in a real-world situation so that your brain is not wasting effort suspending disbelief
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The Varjo VR-2 Pro is the only device to deliver immersive content in pixel-perfect clarity allowing training for the safety-critical procedures of spaceflight, such as docking to the @Space_Station, to be conducted in VR
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Before I dive into my experience of using the headset, let’s look at the device specs for the VR-2 Pro. The HMD features a next-generation Bionic Display with resolution at over 20/20 vision (over 60 PPD / 3000 PPI), flicker-free screen refresh at 60/90 Hz. Combining two 1920 x 1080 low persistence micro-OLEDs and two 1440 x 1600 low persistence AMOLEDs.

Basically this means that each eyepiece uses two screens, one higher resolution in the center and one that covers the peripheral vision. The two are cunningly blended digitally with foveated rendering and optically transmitted through the carefully engineered glass lens in the headset. These combined optics feature a contrast ratio of (over 10,000:1) enabling the deepest blacks and individually calibrated colors, for outstanding accuracy and image quality across an 87-degree field of view. The lens design combines different refractive index lenses for minimal color aberrations, zero ghost rays, and minimal reflections and each surface coating has been designed to maximize the brightness and clarity of the light needed to achieve human-eye resolution.

The real power of the Varjio solution, however, is released when this amazing image quality is combined with their advanced stereo 20/20 Eye Tracker and the integrated Ultraleap hand tracking. Eye-tracking is now faster and more accurate with automatic user calibration – industrial-grade, sub-degree accuracy plus integrated 100hz stereo eye-tracking delivering unmatched accuracy and precision. The hand tracking technology in the VR-2 Pro is especially impactful for interacting with physical controllers and switches as part of their VR training but also makes VR navigation and freehand tasks easy, all together delivering a very natural and intuitive immersive experience.

The real power of the @varjodotcom solution is released when this amazing image quality is combined with their advanced stereo 20x20 Eye Tracker and the integrated @ultraleap hand tracking
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I tried out several demos which were impressive in very different ways and served to highlight various aspects and potential use cases for the tech. And perhaps surprisingly, the sheer impact of the VR-2 Pro’s resolution came across best in some of the most mundane settings. I was able to walk up and down a supermarket aisle checking out the products on the shelves, their prices, and label information while the eye-tracking monitored where my gaze was resting, highlighting which products I was actually examining at any given time.

I was blown away by how immersive that experience felt, perhaps because the setting was so familiar and relatable, as well as so beautifully reconstructed in VR. I could read every brand label and price tag from center aisle and as I approached the shelves it really felt like I could “reach out and touch” the various items level of reality. Tins, packets, and bottles of the familiar products were so crisp and well-lit I was staggered. Somehow even more impressive than this was the rendering of the shelves themselves and the packing crates the sugar was stacked on. The lighting, shadows and textures were so well rendered I spent quite a while pacing up and down just exclaiming “wow.”

The intuitiveness of the interface made the experience feel natural and much more immersive, as if you weren’t in VR at all, leaving you free to concentrate and learn the tasks at hand
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The next demo I tried was set in an airport control tower, where eye and hand tracking played a crucial role. Standing in a control tower you could look around the control center and out through the 360 windows while planes taxied around, took off and landed. Once your eye settled on a plane, terminal or control surface relevant info popped up and control interactions became possible through pinching your fingers. I could look at the computer screen and bring up the weather report, look at a taxiing plane and bring up its flight number and info. I could reach out to switch between feeds on the security monitor and identify parts of the terminal building and related information. The intuitiveness of the interface made the experience feel natural and much more immersive, as if you weren’t in VR at all, leaving you free to concentrate and learn the tasks at hand.

“Being able to see in high fidelity and interact without controllers revolutionizes professional VR. Varjo’s human-eye resolution visual fidelity is unprecedented. So is the accuracy and low latency of Ultraleap’s hand tracking. explained Steve Cliffe, CEO of Ultraleap, “The Varjo VR-2 Pro is the best integration of the two technologies and sets a new standard for natural user experience in VR. We’re very excited about the value it will unlock for demanding use-cases such as training, simulation and industrial design.”

I also got a taste of the astronaut training through a few airplane cockpit experiences, although they didn’t contain any interactive elements. The reason Boeing chose to work with Varjo on the Starliner training program became clear as the level of detail on the control panels was stunning. From a pilot’s seated position I could read every button’s tag and easily perceive the angle and position of flick switches. I could also clearly read the computer screens and the detailed flight info they displayed.

“We have seen first-hand what the power of human-eye resolution in VR can offer in terms of expanding the realm of applications for the enterprise,” said Urho Konttori, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Varjo. “Today we bring the Resolution Revolution overnight to nearly all industrial applications, unlocking the next level of professional VR. With VR-2 and VR-2 Pro, professionals can benefit from the industry’s highest visual fidelity and the most precise eye tracking joining forces with the leading hand tracking technology.”

Overall the quality of the tech was outstanding, also bearing in mind it was running off one Nvidia 2080 Ti GPU in a small but powerful micro PC. However, a few things stood out to me that are worth pointing out. The complex foveated rendering with the multiple screens and lenses was mostly unnoticeable while interacting in VR but when looking at static scenes I became much more aware of the separation between the crystal-clear center of my vision and the peripheral areas, the different resolutions displayed and the joins between these areas.

Today we bring the Resolution Revolution overnight to nearly all industrial applications, said @konttori Urho Konttori, Co Founder and Chief Product Officer of Varjo unlocking the next level of professional VR
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Building on Varjo’s advanced 20/20 Eye Tracker technology, the new products offer even faster and more accurate calibration performance, giving professionals access to precise eye data for applications such as consumer research or safety-critical training while delivering the most natural visual experience needed when designing cars, architectural projects, advanced simulations or research scenarios.

The effect was also noticeable when purposely pushing the boundaries of the eye-tracking but still small when you consider the amount of complex stuff going on and just like everything the next generation will be better. On the plus side, I experienced virtually no eye strain, even after a few hours of use and the HMD itself was cool and comfortable to use. Again considering the amount of tech packed into this headset it felt surprisingly light.

The reason @BoeingSpace chose to work with @varjodotcom on the VR-2 Starliner training program became clear as the level of detail on the astronaut control panels was stunning
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“The highest visual fidelity of Varjo’s HMDs enables a trainee to perform optimally within these safety-critical training simulations in VR. For instance, pilots are able to easily read all the gauges, dials, and switches in a virtual cockpit. With Varjo’s 20/20 Eye Tracker, we are able to accurately track and capture where trainees are looking, allowing us to measure and compare performance over time and across a student population. enthused Scott Schneider, CEO & Co-Founder of HTX Labs, “And with the VR-2’s built-in hand tracking technology, our users can train more naturally and effectively, removing the friction of controllers.”

The sheer improvement in resolution is amazing and enough to put the VR-2 Pro at the top of the list for any mission-critical use case. Yet the main significance of this technical accomplishment is how users will be more deeply immersed in the experience because their eyes and brains won’t be struggling to interpret a pixelated digital environment. The smooth and intuitive implementation of hand and eye tracking will also deepen the felt immersion and therefore improve the outcome for the user. Using both these technologies Varjo has delivered the most natural and intuitive VR UX I have yet experienced. If it looks real and feels real, our minds quite quickly accept that what we’re experiencing is real.

Hand and eye-tracking also deepen the felt immersion and improve the outcome for the user. Using both these technologies Varjo delivers the most natural and intuitive VR UX I have yet experienced
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If it looks real and feels real, our minds quite quickly accept that what we’re experiencing is real. The @varjodotcom VR-2 Pro is a game-changer
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The VR-2 and the VR-2 Pro are available for $4,995 and $5,995 respectively, sold together with Varjo’s software and support services starting at $795. Varjo truly is at the cutting edge of immersive technology and a company to keep an eye on as we all step into an augmented future.

This article originally appeared on VRScout.

The Varjo VR-2 Pro Boldly Goes Where No VR Headset Has Gone Before via @R3Digital https://t.co/fsrV8osRJL pic.twitter.com/X0FR4wKc5f

— VRScout (@VRScout) June 11, 2020

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.

Tom Atkinson is Reviews & Dep. Editor at Tech Trends. Follow him on Twitter @techtrends_tech

The post Varjo VR-2 Pro – High Res VR appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Irena Cronin and Robert Scoble

The Infinite Retina comprehensively documents everything you need to know about Spatial Computing and where it’s heading
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Spatial Computing, the fourth paradigm of personal computing, sounds like science fiction but isn’t. Unlike previous paradigms of computing, like working on a laptop or a mobile phone, Spatial Computing allows you to move around inside computing. You will be able to talk to new virtual beings who will know more about your world than any single human does and you will literally talk to and touch the computing that will be all around you, either within complete virtual environments or within new forms of augmented reality. R&D labs are already showing us that it will go beyond that, with sensors that will interact with your brain directly – not needing optics or keyboards. But for now, that’s five to 20 years further out.

In this article, we will explore the fundamentals and scope of Spatial Computing and how The Infinite Retina by Irena Cronin and Robert Scoble provides an insightful look at the future of augmented reality and Spatial Computing.

Spatial Computing, the fourth paradigm of personal computing, sounds like science fiction but isn’t
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Components and Scope of Spatial Computing

Spatial Computing includes all the software and technology needed to move around in a digital 3D world. That is software and technology associated with AI, including machine learning and natural language processing, Computer Vision, augmented reality, virtual reality, and all other apps that support the creation and the maintenance of a digital 3D world. We see great strides that will be made in how Spatial Computing is being used across many industry verticals, including Transportation, Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT), Manufacturing, Retail, Healthcare, Finance, and Education. There are chapters in The Infinite Retina that detail our vision of where each of these industries will be when the Spatial Computing wave hits.

The current state of Spatial Computing and Augmented Reality

The holy grail of Spatial Computing is a pair of very light glasses, or contact lenses, that let computers completely change how we perceive the real world via next-generation augmented and virtual reality that some call “mixed reality.” While we have early devices that give us a taste, like Microsoft HoloLens, these big and expensive devices haven’t yet made their way onto consumers’ faces. That will change over the next few years as these devices become much smaller and more capable due to new 3D sensors, new Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision, and new hyper-small displays. The HoloLens is already changing industries, and the book describes how this new technology is being used in places like operating rooms and factories. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll see many more uses for this technology as the devices get smaller and become more capable. In other words, we are literally at the beginning of a new age in computing, the Spatial Computing Age. By the end of the 2030s, how we compute will be radically different than it is today and, we posit, much more enjoyable and more productive, to boot.

We see great strides that will be made in how Spatial Computing is being used across many industry verticals
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The inclination of big firms like Tesla, Apple, and Facebook towards Spatial Computing

Spatial Computing is a new paradigm of computing where humans, robots, and virtual beings move through computing. Companies like Tesla, Apple, and Facebook are investing heavily in it because of its capability to completely change how we access, organize, and use information. Instead of seeing computing on flat screens on laptops or phones, computing will literally be on everything and will be controllable with our hands, eyes, and voice. In addition, robots and autonomous vehicles will use Spatial Computing to move around and assist humans, which will lead to very deep economic and societal changes as well.

By the end of the 2030s, how we compute will be radically different than it is today
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The Impact of Spatial Computing

The world is about to radically change. Factories will become much more virtual. We are seeing not only new kinds of robots, called “cobots” because they work much more closely with humans, but they are also being virtualized to enable new kinds of training and remote working, too. This calibre of change will be seen across many jobs — from new kinds of retail experiences to massive changes to transportation.

The Infinite Retina by Irena Cronin and Robert Scoble provides an insightful look at the future of augmented reality and Spatial Computing
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Spatial Computing emerges as a major culture-changing force
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The objective behind The Infinite Retina

Our goals were to understand and record shifts to the business world and society that are currently underway due to Spatial Computing, and to gain perspectives on what its impact will be in three-to-five years and then ten years out. We talked with dozens of pioneers in many fields, from healthcare to retail to finance to entertainment. This is a hugely important book as a new paradigm shift (the fourth of the personal computing age) hits both consumers and enterprises. We documented this paradigm shift in The Infinite Retina.

The holy grail of Spatial Computing is a pair of very light glasses, or contact lenses, that let computers completely change how we perceive the real world
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Spatial Computing emerges as a major culture-changing force. In the book, readers will look at what is driving business to adopt robots, voice-driven user interfaces, immersive VR or AR training, along with Spatial Computing glasses that will change literally everything about computing. The book also introduces what this all means culturally, both pro and con.

The Infinite Retina lays out why Spatial Computing is the future of technology and why companies like Facebook, Qualcomm, Apple, Microsoft and others are each spending billions of dollars in R&D to make it happen. The book also explains why these shifts are already underway and why the next three-to-five years will see a huge wave of Spatial Computing devices and supporting technology.

Robots and autonomous vehicles will use Spatial Computing to move around and assist humans
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Irena Cronin is the CEO of Infinite Retina, a company based in Pasadena, California that helps businesses enter and succeed in Spatial Computing. She has advised many decision-makers on business strategies related to Spatial Computing which includes AR/VR, Artificial Intelligence, Facial Recognition, Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, and other related technologies.

Robert Scoble is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Infinite Retina and a bestselling author. Over the course of his career, he has interviewed thousands of entrepreneurs and has been the first to see the creation of many new technology companies, from Siri to Tesla.

The post Looking Through the Infinite Retina appeared first on Tech Trends.

Back in March, Wendy Morgan, CEO and co-founder of Shift got a call from a fellow entrepreneur asking if she had thought of using VR to train people working in the pop-up hospitals being set up to deal with the extra influx of coronavirus patients that states were expecting from the pandemic.

The immersive training consists of sessions lasting between 15 and 20 minutes in VR which will be used to teach key skills such as choice and use of PPE, patient personal care and hygiene, and COVID-19 test procedures
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This prompted the Shift team to adapt their technology – originally developed for training teachers to recognize and mitigate implicit bias in the classroom – to help with the COVID-19 crisis.

“Our goal was to provide virtual reality COVID-19 training for healthcare workers and those working in post-acute care and long-term care facilities who are being asked to engage in care that is outside their normal practice as well as for those whose training is out of date,” Morgan explains.

The company, which is based in the small town of Bend, Oregon, quickly partnered with Lane Workforce Partnership and got support from the Facebook Foundation through the East Cascade Workforce Improvement Board. The curriculum content and scenarios have been supplied by the University of Portland School of Nursing. This got the attention of the Oregon COVID-19 task force as they were looking for training solutions during the crisis.

Cleanbox technology is likely to become the industry standard for making it safe for different people to use the same equipment.
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At around the same time, Amy Hedrick, CEO and co-founder of CleanBox was also doing her bit to help with the crisis by retrofitting some of their machines – which use UVC light to disinfect VR headsets between uses – to be donated to hospitals, where they made it possible for healthcare workers to decontaminate and safely reuse their N-95 masks.

Hedrick explains that Cleanbox has since gone on to announce a new machine called CleanDefense, specifically designed to disinfect Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and help healthcare workers deal with the ongoing shortages of these essential supplies.

“The desire to help first responders and other front line workers is personal. Almost everyone in our team has been impacted in some way by this pandemic. As individuals and as a company, we wanted to make a difference and to it quickly,” says Hedrick.

The need for Cleanbox’s original use, however (making it safe for different people to use the same VR headset) is stronger than ever, and will likely become the new industry standard going forward.

There's a large role for XR as the pandemic unfolds and as the world finds its new normal
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In fact, when Morgan was setting up the logistics for delivering Shift’s virtual training, one of the first questions funders asked was how they would make sure the headsets did not spread COVID. Cleanbox, she recalls, was already on their radar, and the two entrepreneurs were introduced via a mutual connection at the WXR fund, which primarily invests in promising XR ventures by female entrepreneurs.

“We needed to create a training where geography is not a barrier, financial issues are not a barrier, time is not a barrier,” Morgan explains. “VR is ideal for preparing healthcare workers for high-risk environments without exposing them to real-world risks. In a normal setting, this training requires healthcare trainers and supplies, both of which are now in short supply. Through VR, people can learn and practice in a realistic environment, with full movement, before having to step into a hospital.”

So far Shift has developed training for the Oculus Quest on the donning and doffing of personal protective equipment, proper hand hygiene, contamination in a COVID-19 ward and hospital setting. The immersive training consists of sessions lasting between 15 and 20 minutes in VR which will be used to teach key skills such as choice and use of PPE, patient personal care and hygiene, and COVID-19 test procedures.

Following feedback from their first beta testing they will be gathering feedback and making updates before running a second, larger test and starting rolling out in Eugene, Crook County, Bend, and Portland. Within the next three to four weeks at 15 sites statewide. Each site will have five headsets and the site staff will be trained on how to properly sanitize the equipment with Cleanbox technology between uses. With locations capable of training multiple people at once, hundreds of people throughout the state should be able to access the curriculum each day.

VR can prepare healthcare workers for high-risk environments without exposure to real-world risks
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Shift’s COO and co-founder Maggie Hubbell adds that in the near term, this will provide a no-barrier solution to help bring the skills needed to people on the front lines. “Long-term, this training will continue to be vital to bring our national systems back into balance.”

“There is a very large role for XR as the pandemic continues to unfold and as the world finds its new normal. In healthcare particularly, the need to utilize VR for things like Fundamental Skills training for those in nursing school, orientation for the onboarding process for nurses into hospitals, as well as device training that cannot now be done face to face,” she concludes.

This article was originally published on VRScout

COVID-19 VR Training With Virus-Free Headsets via @alicebonasio https://t.co/SbKxAyMBGw pic.twitter.com/gUNwtrKFrU

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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.

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