XR Training Offers Major Boost to Learner Outcomes, CWRU Exec Says

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

The Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 Miami continues to showcase enterprises across the virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) space. Some of the world’s top institutions featured across the XR medical, defence, education, and entertainment sectors debuted and highlighted their latest immersive solutions.

Case Western Reserve University, a world-renowned medical institution, joined the event to reveal how it leveraged Microsoft’s MR tools by combining them with its educational software platform.

XR Today spoke to Nancy Farrow, Executive Director of Global HoloAnatomy & HoloNeuroAnatomy Software Suite at Case Western Reserve University.

She educates medical schools and universities around the world about her institution’s immersive application, which runs on Microsoft’s HoloLens platform.

HoloLens for XR Medical Education

Farrow stated that her medical school, one of the top 25 institutions in the United States, put plans to build a new facility in 2014. Rather than building a traditional dissection lab to teach anatomy, her institution considered spatial computing products readily available in 2015.

The company explored plastinated cadavers, 3D modelling, and other VR options. Later, Microsoft debuted its first-generation HoloLens at the time. After trying the headset, the “lights went on” and the university’s visionary, Mark Griswold, Ph.D, found that such platforms would become the future.

Speaking further, she said,

“We chose adopt the MR ecosystem because we believe medicine is a sports team. VR serves a great purpose as a self-study tool or an app with a procedural experience. When you’re together with a professor and students in the same environment, or even remotely, you interact collaboratively. Secondly, many students experienced motion sickness with VR, and mixed reality hardware prevented them experincing those feelings”

Speaking on the benefits to students, Farrow explained that “students engaged from day one.”

She added: “We have also learned that their engagement remains persistent. They want to learn and continue learning, and the excitement, collaboration, and engagement are always there.”

The executive added that students in the XR medical labs learned just as well or better than in traditional dissection labs. The university also found that medical students learned twice as fast, allowing them to have extra time to incorporate different modalities, such as living anatomy and radiology.

She continued: “That’s how we prepare our future doctors.”

She also cited a paper noting that students also retained information 40 percent to 50 percent more than with traditional learning methods, even eight months after the virtual course.

IGS and the Future of XR Training

Speaking on her experiences at the IGS 2022 Miami, Farrow said the event allowed her enterprise to showcase what it had accomplished in a very short time as well as look at the available technology currently available on the market.

Explaining, she stated,

“I think the XR world is going to really engage not only in education and at medical schools, but across high schools as well. I hope that the prices of hardware come down and become more available, because that’s where we really need to start. [Starting] in high school, XR can engage students and encourage them to pursue their passion, whether it’s medicine, nursing, or any other type of industry, and also remain in the professional and educational worlds”

She concluded she was happy to see growing developments across immersive enterprises amid the “third wave” of computing. Computing devices and mobiles began as bulky devices later progressed to the modern-day smartphone.

She concluded: “It’s not going to be only for gaming or entertainment. It’s how we’re going to teach our next generation and how we’ll do virtually everything over the next five to ten years.”

The IGS 2022 Miami took place from 5 to 7 December at Miami Beach’s iconic Fontainebleau Hotel. Several of the world’s biggest tech giants, including Meta Platforms, Sony, Agora, HTC VIVE, Unity Technologies, Qualcomm, Magic Leap, Lenovo, and many others joined the event.

Key executives from their respective companies participated in three days of panel talks, keynote speeches, workshops, and product debuts.

L’association VR/AR nomme Ingrid Maes de Vivoka présidente France

L’association internationale VR/AR vient de nommer Ingris Maes de Vivoka présidente de l’antenne française.

Avec plus de 16 ans d’expérience dans la reconnaissance vocale, Ingrid Maes est nommée présidente France de l’association mondiale VR/AR. Elle occupe également le poste de responsable des ventes pour l’entreprise messine Vivoka. «Je suis honorée d'avoir été choisie comme présidente de l'antenne française de l'organisation VR/AR», déclare Ingrid Maes. «Plusieurs clients dans le domaine de la réalité augmentée font déjà confiance à Vivoka, notamment Ama, Vuzix, Rokid, Digilens ou encore Augmentalis. Ces derniers utilisent le VDK Vivoka pour implémenter la synthèse vocale ou encore la biométrie vocale dans des lunettes connectées. Notre mission chez Vivoka et celle que j’aurai au sein de la VR/AR est de rapprocher naturellement l’homme de la technologie, notamment grâce à la voix», poursuit-elle. Cette nouvelle présidente de l’association a été présente à la conférence Immerse Global Summit du 5 au 7 décembre à Miami. L’objectif étant de présenter les dernières innovations de Vivoka en matière de technologie vocale autour de la réalité augmentée et virtuelle.

Zoom sur l’association

Créée en 2015, l’association VR/AR est une institution mondiale conçue pour favoriser la collaboration entre fournisseurs de solutions et les utilisateurs finaux, afin d’accélérer la croissance et aider à développer les meilleurs pratiques du secteur. Elle regroupe les meilleures têtes pensantes de la réalité virtuelle et augmentée, avec des antennes dans les principales villes du monde visant à développer des normes et à connecter les membres.

Madara Kalniņa-Kalnmale launches the Baltics Chapter of the VR/AR Association in Riga, Latvia

Twelve partners from industry, government, and academia in Latvia last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in the country. The initial focus is expected to be on developing relevant skills in Latvia that will support the wider aim of increasing EU independence from other global chip manufacturers.

Included in this event was highlighting the VRARA Baltics chapter launch, led by Madara Kalnina-Kalnmale. Read the rest of the story by Nitin Dahad here!

Marsha Maxwell appointed as Chair of VR/AR Association's Diversity Committee

We are thrilled to have Dr Marsha Maxwell help lead our Diversity Committee. As part of this role, Dr Maxwell will host our Online Meets with guest speakers and the committee will continue creating best practices, guidelines for diversity in our industry.

With over twenty-five years of strategic, tactical and operational technology experience, Dr. Marsha Maxwell creates innovative environments and applications that harness the power of emerging technologies and neuroscience to enhance the educator's reach to better engage students and foster a culture of innovation in organizations. Her areas of interest include eXtended Reality, Augmented Analytics, Immersive Experiences, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, STEAM programs, and Smart Spaces.  Marsha has also been very active in bringing STEM/STEAM initiatives to life especially for underserved and underrepresented groups throughout their educational journey from kindergarten to university and beyond. Marsha has been a featured speaker for various organizations’ educational summits and workshops including Microsoft, Apple, and Google for her skills in education technology, innovation leadership, strategic analysis and decision-making, and equity & inclusion in technology.  

“ I’m excited to help lead the committee to create a community of educators using extended reality equitably to improve the lived experience of students worldwide.”

— Marsha Maxwell

Aequilibrium is grateful to be a part of the Immerse Global Summit, 2022

Immerse Global Summit, 2022 in Miami, was informative, productive, and a lot of fun!

We would like to thank each and every one of you for helping us build an amazing experience at the summit. Thank you for stopping by our booth and for the candid chats. 

Kudos to all the brilliant speakers who shared their knowledge and perspectives on the immersive technology of today and tomorrow!

A shout-out to the amazing team of the VR/AR Association for their splendid skills of organization and collaboration. Also, thank you to Everything VR & AR for hosting a podcast featuring Adrian Moise, the founder and CEO, of Aequilibrium.

Aequilibrium is grateful to meet you all and we hope that you keep in touch with us.

Stibo Accelerator uses the Metaverse to grow talent

Founded in 1794, Stibo Systems is building its Corporate Metaverse with SynergyXR to help university students from all over the world innovate and share their research.

How do you connect students from all over the world to drive innovation?

That was the question faced by Karsten Dehler, director of the Stibo Accelerator in Aarhus, Denmark. The answer, it turned out, lay outside of the physical world and instead in the Metaverse.

The Stibo Accelerator is an initiative of the Danish company Stibo Systems, one of the world’s leading data management companies. The Stibo Accelerator functions as an academic incubator and its goal is “to give back” to the universities from where they get their employees. So, every year, around 25 – 30 students write their bachelor’s, master’s thesis, or final university project at the Accelerator, often working with industry experts throughout the process.

The hope is that students gain a head start on their dream careers and help bridge the gap between student life and getting their first job, says Randi Vestergaard, Communication and Event Manager at the Accelerator.

The Goal: Make it easier for students to connect

To provide students with the best possible environment to conduct research and share ideas, the Stibo Accelerator is constantly experimenting with new innovations, and Karsten tells us that it’s in the DNA of the Accelerator to be at the forefront of new technologies.

So, this is when the team at the Accelerator began to realize the tremendous potential of Extended Reality and decided to develop their own Corporate Metaverse. “We wanted to take what we were already doing […] and transform it into a virtual one.”

Why Stibo Systems chose to build their own Corporate Metaverse with SynergyXR

For the team at the Accelerator, choosing to build their own Corporate Metaverse with SynergyXR was an easy decision. Karsten describes how they were looking for “an experienced and professional partner that we could trust and who was willing to evolve the product together with us.”

Creating a Corporate Metaverse also puts Stibo Systems in control of their virtual environment. For a company that deals with data, this was especially important in the decision-making process. With the SynergyXR platform, Stibo Systems is able to control who has access and where their data is going.

In this way, Stibo Systems’ goal was to create an “internal playground for our colleagues, customers, and partners where we can experiment together,” says Karsten.

Super smooth implementation

“It was just super, super easy,” says Karsten when asked about the onboarding process. SynergyXR provided Stibo Systems with a roadmap for when the different components of their Metaverse would be ready for testing and were able to follow through exactly in accordance with the plan.

Asked about her favorite thing with the platform, Randi states that it has been the SynergyXR organization. “They are all really amazing people and really easy to work with.”

When it comes to customer service, Karsten praises the proactive nature of the SynergyXR team, who have proactively reached out to the Accelerator when updates have been made to the platform.

Also, what Stibo Systems was looking for in a partner was not only an organization that supports them in what they want to do but also acts as a sparring partner.

“Overall SynergyXR has exceeded my expectations in all areas. It is just super positive to have a partner that you can count on, you can trust, and who delivers as promised – if not more.”

The Outcome: A Corporate Metaverse that blends the physical world with the virtual

Although it’s still early days, both Karsten and Randi are delighted with what the Stibo Accelerator has achieved so far. With the help of Synergy, Stibo Systems has created its own Corporate Metaverse that expands on the Accelerator’s already top-of-class environment for incubating academic talent.

While the goal of Stibo Systems’ Metaverse was always to push the boundaries and create something “out of the ordinary”, Karsten tells us that they also wanted to “create some things that were anchored to the real world, physical Accelerator.” For example, some of the existing decorations in Stibo Systems’ office have been used to inspire their Metaverse.

Since launching their Metaverse in June of this year, there has been a repeated “wow” from both students and staff members when they first explore the Metaverse.

A new creative hub for students

The newly created Metaverse has already become a key component of students writing their thesis at the Accelerator. Students are able to use XR equipment like VR headsets to aid with their research as well as share research materials and resources.

Monica Andersen, a student of IT, Communication and Organization at the top-tiered School of Business, Aarhus University wrote her master’s thesis with fellow student Cæcilie Overby Sander on the subject of Extended Reality (XR). The thesis examined how Virtual Reality can be used as a tool to remove unconscious bias in the job interview process.

As a result, Monica and Cæcilie were able to use the VR headsets, along with students who were a part of the project. “It was pretty easy to use,” says Monica “and after 10 minutes or so, you could see the students loosen up.”

In her experience with Virtual Reality, Monica describes how there are “endless possibilities” and that it is exciting to be using a technology that “you can be a part of creating.”

Easier collaboration and knowledge sharing

The Metaverse promises to refashion the way that research collaboration is conducted. Karsten tells us that the traditional way for many students to showcase their research to partners is via a standard Powerpoint or a PDF file. But why not invite them into the Metaverse instead, poses Karsten? You are able to create a more immersive, interactive experience that really brings students’ research to life.

Going forward, all students working on projects at the Accelerator will have a digital copy of their work stored in the Stibo Systems Metaverse, with the goal of increasing student collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Randi tells us they have developed a similar program based out of Stibo Systems’ Atlanta office. While the Accelerator has partnerships with Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, and Georgia State Universities, “combining students’ schedules with the notorious Atlanta traffic makes physical meetings incredibly difficult,” she says. A number of online students from Georgia Tech are currently working on a case from Stibo Systems. And in the future, the plan is to use the metaverse to onboard online students who are potentially based all over the world.

Therefore, meeting in the Metaverse makes perfect sense. It enables students to be able to collaborate on projects without having to travel and lets them share their work with other students in Denmark.

But why stop there? With the limitless potential of a Metaverse, there is always the possibility to invite students, institutions, and companies wherever they are based, says Karsten.

The Future

Karsten and Randi tell us how they are still at the age where people are exploring the Metaverse for the first time. But for the team at Stibo Systems, that is not enough. “I don’t just want people to try it, I want them to fall in love with it and come back and try even more,” says Karsten.

Looking into the future, Karsten and Randi have ambitious plans for the Metaverse not just in the Accelerator but also potentially in the company itself. Stibo System has offices in more than 20 countries, with approximately 2,000 employees working all over the world, so the idea of staff using the Metaverse seems a natural next step.

“It’d be great if Stibo Systems’ employees would use the Metaverse to have meetings with each other” as well as “work on concrete projects inside the Corporate Metaverse,” Randi tells us, also mentioning that the onboarding of new employees is another exciting option.

“I can strongly recommend teaming up with SynergyXR – both for companies that don’t have any idea on how to get started in the Metaverse, or companies that have done their first experience with the Metaverse. With SynergyXR, you get a partner that can challenge you, support you, and develop your solution further than you could imagine.”

Education heading into the metaverse

Post originally appearing on ekathimerni.com by Apostolos Lakasas.

A successful balance between the real and the digital world will be the hallmark of future schools and universities, according to experts. In Greece this field is being pioneered by private schools, but the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) is also setting the pace, starting with the new format of books.

A indication of what is in store for the future is recent research data of the National Training Laboratory in the US, which has demonstrated that the assimilation of knowledge through a lecture or speech will be 5%, through reading it’s 10%, while through virtual reality it increases dramatically to 75%. Just as it is now taken for granted that a business should have a website, in the metaverse a 3D display takes center stage. With the assistance of a teacher, school pupils will be able to visit a museum or an archaeological site and browse the exhibits.

“The use of the internet as it is utilized today is set to change drastically in the coming years as we move from two dimensions to three,” said Antonis Kartalis, a member of the administration of the Moraitis School, who recently attended the Immerse Global Summit conference organized by the VR/AR Association on developments in the field of virtual and augmented reality and the way it is integrated into education. “Advances in technology have already led to the ever-increasing documentation of information with video. We will gradually move toward so-called immersive technologies: The user experience on the internet will be participatory, we will be there as digital avatars and visit 3D sites.”

Among the challenges will be to address the gaps that will be created, according to Myrena Hatzivassiliou, an executive at the Moraitis School. “The information from the school about changes and developments in technology must be continuous for teachers as the speed with which children themselves adopt them is very high,” she told Kathimerini. 

Lisa Watts appointed Chair of VR/AR Association Marketing Committee

We are thrilled to have Lisa Watts help lead our global community! As part of this role, Lisa will host our Online Meets with guest speakers and the committee will continue creating best practices, guidelines for marketing in immersive tech. 

Lisa is a passionate technologist, proven business leader and XR/metaverse expert. She believes spatial computing is the future of industry and our world. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience working at and with companies such as Intel, Sansar, Walmart, Tilt5 and Magic Leap, her goal is to help creators and companies big and small achieve XR leadership, grow ecosystem partnerships, and bring to life the solutions and technologies that are increasingly essential to our everyday lives.

“I’d like to thank VRARA for asking me to chair the Marketing Committee. I’m passionate about working at the intersection of product and the market. I am looking forward to working with this great team to leverage our collective knowledge and expertise to help VRARA and our members share their innovations and stories with the marketplace and the world.”

— Lisa Watts

Industrial XR to Drive ROI in Immersive Market, Lenovo Says

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

Companies across the virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) industry have begun focusing on the future of industrial XR. Many hardware manufacturers are removing the barriers to successful XR experiences with innovative headsets and solutions aimed the enterprise market.

Organisations have launched numerous platforms to facilitate dialogue on the future of spatial communications, namely as businesses hope to reach their highest potential with immersive tech.

The ongoing Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 is taking place 5-7 December in Miami, Florida. Scores of companies, thought leaders, and experts across the global tech industry have attended the gathering to share their knowledge on the future of Web3 technologies.

At the event, XR Today spoke to Jason McGuigan, Head of Commercial Virtual Reality, on his company’s latest product lineup, his views on the Summit, and thoughts on the industrial metaverse.

XR Today: What are your thoughts on the IGS 2022 Miami, and what have you learned and accomplished so far?

Jason McGuigan: There has been a lot of great energy in the crowd during the keynote. We’re seeing a lot of shakeups in the industry right now, but despite this, everyone at the event still carries impressive energy and excitement.

Regarding the enterprise metaverse, I gave an interactive conversation where people could choose their direction and what they wanted to hear about from a customer perspective.

We want to show how to bring XR technologies to the enterprise, and we’re currently at the spot where we need to prove that to people outside of the industry. We need to also prove return on investment (ROI) as we can’t get people to invest in what’s possible for tomorrow if we do not show them ROI today.

I discussed in my morning keynote about how to prove ROI and getting the next level of the Metaverse, as well as some topics on futurism, generative artificial intelligence (AI), and others. We also mentioned our new ThinkReality VRX headset, which is coming out early next year.

XR Today: Can you provide any updates on the ThinkReality VRX and what you hope it will accomplish?

Jason McGuigan: Currently, we’re walking into a very mature landscape and are not generating something from the ground up. While organisations are still discovering use cases for AR, VR still has a lot of proven ROI.

A lot of business use cases have demonstrated its effectiveness and how it could save enterprises significant amounts of money. From this perspective, organisations believe it makes a lot of sense to invest in. They are going to see that return in a very short period of time while saving money and lives, and protecting the legacy of an organisation.

This is achieved by upskilling employees with better skills, making them less adverse, and avoiding the possibility of having accidents or injuries on the job.

We focus our attention on these things and that is our big push for the next few months: to work with major independent software vendors (ISVs) in VR. This ensures that those bringing their software to our headsets are ready to go on day one.

We’ve got great partners at Qualcomm assisting in this battle, and we’re also excited to bring this out to market soon. Regarding AR, the A3 is a fantastic product. We’re consistently updating the device via the Snapdragon Spaces software development kit (SDK), so it has new and better features all the time.

It’s a device that, even a few months back, had already significantly evolved in just a few short months, and we’ll see that constant evolution of that technology. This is because the software constantly receives updates and improves to enhance features dramatically.

XR Today: What do you think industrial XR will look like in the near future, and will the enterprise drive the creation of the Metaverse?

Jason McGuigan: I think the enterprise will open the doors to industrial metaverse. I’ve consistently talked about the enterprise leading the way as it has the most money to spend. Furthermore, it also has many people managing a lot of devices for multiple use cases.

This also improves the consumer space as well with a trickle-down approach as the enterprise space develops and grows the market. These technologies will eventually move from the enterprise to the consumer, but I think the consumer market could hit a wall temporarily as more people adopt XR.

Many people realise that when they try the device for the first time at work, they eventually buy a consumer device. Using these tools on the job becomes the first encounter with XR for many people, giving them a taste of the technology that leads to its adoption in their personal lives.

XR Today: What are your concluding thoughts on the conference and what do you expect from it in the near future?

There are so many conferences for technology that are generalised for tech. The IGS 2022 is one of the few specifically centred around immersive content. Where I see the difference between this one versus your Augmented Enterprise Summit (AES), Consumer Electronics Show (CES), or Augmented World Expo (AWE), there’s an enthusiasm with this group unlike ever before.

Although it doesn’t take itself quite so seriously, there’s a lot of business getting done, people are making great connections, and it takes place at amazing destinations. The previous one was in Madeira and this one is taking place in Miami, allowing people to attend places they want to visit and experience beautiful locales with the people they enjoy spending time with.

This helps inject creativity and liveliness into conversations that I don’t think you get at some of the other major conferences. I’m looking forward to seeing the continued success, and as we meet many of the same people here, it grows into a really strong community that builds upon itself.

XR, Metaverse to Reshape the Human Connection

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

As 2022 comes to a close, much of the tech industry has seen spectacular ups and downs. Despite this, extended reality (XR) has made tremendous growth in some technological advancements and reached key milestones in immersive human connectivity across the immersive sector.

The Immerse Global Summit 2022 Miami has rallied many top brands across the tech industry to reflect on both its achievements and setbacks. Many enterprises have used the Summit for dialogue, scrutiny, and major reveals for spatial computing solutions.

XR Today spoke to Jay Latta, CEO and Founder of the Strategic Intelligence for New Technologies (STINT), speaker, and futurist. He is also an Emerging Technology Strategist with more than 35 years of experience across industrial and enterprise-based information technologies (IT).

We discussed ongoing trends in virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR). We also explored emerging technologies and the ‘human connection’ across the tech industry.

XR Today: Can you tell me about your experience with the IGS 2022 Miami and your best takeaways?

Jay Latta: The IGS is a very interesting conference because it’s very much like a family. This increased greatly after the pandemic, and the first eight years I’ve attended had already built a strong community.

It has taken a highly-curated, familial approach where everyone understands one another. We are the same creatives [focused on] being together and talking with each other. Most importantly, we talk about things [and] simply work on solutions to deliver what is most beneficial for the world.

XR Today: Which emerging trends should we expect for the industry in 2023?

Jay Latta: 2023 is just around the corner, so not much at the beginning, but we can expect a huge rush from companies to do something in the Metaverse despite not fully understanding it.

I’m expecting things to normalise and people to understand what the Metaverse really is. Regarding technologies and breakthroughs, there are several ongoing experiments in augmented reality contact lenses. We can expect at least additional working prototype displays by the end of 2023, which can really offer a glimpse of what these devices will look like.

There are also several rumours about Apple’s upcoming MR headset. We can expect them to set a benchmark, and many new players will enter to fill in the necessary gaps.

I’m also expecting greater moves towards haptics to enhance our immersive experiences. My favourite is also brain-computer interfaces (BCI). I know one startup that has begun creating something in bidirectional BCI, and in the next 10 years, it could even replace VR headsets with direct feedback.

XR Today: What could you tell us about tech firms leveraging AI to enhance machine and human connectivity?

Jay Latta: Regarding technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is an augmentation of it to help humans become a better version of themselves. If corporations control AI, it’s much more uncertain.’Many in the industry are calling for a decentralised internet, which it already is, but the content has been centralised. This is the issue, especially if it’s the usual suspects.

We need to democratise content, algorithms, data ownership, and data sovereignty. Only then can we use all of these technologies for the good and not for profit.

XR Today: Where do you see XR technologies and the Metaverse heading, and which use cases should we expect in the near future?

Jay Latta: I normally describe XR as a cake with five ‘technology layers.’ We’re very visually orientated and need to see things to understand them. Then you have artificial intelligence (AI), the predictive future modelling layer that makes sense of our data.

There’s also data choreography, linked to big data processing for connected devices. There’s also data connectivity, and many users don’t consider where their data comes from. Is it real-time, replicated, already enriched, or immutable data that allows me to trust it or determine if it has been moved?

You can also use blockchain technologies that use high-end cryptography. As soon as companies and others working with these concepts start to understand this cake and take a ‘piece’ as its own business or vertical. Many are wearing horse blinders, where we just see ourselves and have to stay informed. Sometimes we get impulses from radically different silos, and then magic happens.

This is why XR is so important. It makes things explainable and guides the industry to new use cases. I’m a huge fan of human-centricity, where machines meet our needs and not the other way around. Most people will simply say that XR allows them to perform better in their jobs or social interactions.

XR and Rethinking the Human Connection

Imagine that, during the pandemic, if governments preached physical distancing rather than social distancing. Many omitted the social layer. Regarding user-centricity, that would have been the killer app for a company to develop an optical counterpart to a search engine such as Google.

Rather than using a search box to type in queries, the internet could have a digital twin of a virtual library for information.

We can remember the physical and visual details of the book while taking samples on pages and scrolling through content. If we could manage this with the help of XR, we could potentially accelerate and completely revolutionise how and where we conduct searches. This would be amazing for data sets.

Imagine using these in 3D environments, where we’re not just using two-dimensional objects, but our informational resources have spatial properties to them. This is human behaviour, and XR and its use cases will help us to stay human in the process.

Aequilibrium, the Powerhouse of Culture and Technology

Aequilibrium is grateful to meet all the amazing people at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami, as a sponsor on December 5-7.

As a progressive organization, Aequilibrium believes that the technology of extended reality is integrating at a fast pace with our daily interactions and it has gigantic potential across various industries. We plan to seize the right opportunity in time to make a difference in redesigning the technology of tomorrow as a proactive team of talented individuals.

Aequilibrium is a consulting digital agency headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, focused on digital transformation and innovation for digital and financial services. Aequilibrium provides consulting and implementation services to help progressive companies thrive in the invincible digitized world and drive business growth. 

Clients at Aequilibrium enjoy tailored-to-fit solutions as per their requirements. The global pandemic saw the rise of remote working, and Aequlibrium not only provided clients with options for seamless digital transformation and cloud migration but also offered collaborative platforms for people to work together with ease.

Employees at Aequilibrium are vibrant, energetic, and responsible. The element of fun and culture binds them together at work and also at events that are regularly hosted in virtual and physical spaces. Often the team comes together to collaborate and brainstorm to produce best-in-class outcomes and solutions.

Aequilibrium being a progressive organization values people and their perspectives and believes that the mantra to achieve success lies with the integrity and sincerity of people.

Explore more about Aequilibrium and keep in touch with us.

5G Networks Crucial to Metaverse Future, AT&T Says

Post originally appearing on xrtoday.com by Demond Cureton.

Telecoms have played a massive role in facilitating the expanded use of unified communications apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and multiple social media platforms.

Fully functional networks have facilitated immense connectivity for families, businesses, and individuals worldwide, namely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The meteoric rise of virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended reality (VR/AR/MR/XR) solutions recently triggered a surge in demand for network infrastructure, forcing telecoms to innovate and strategise coverage across user demographics.

XR Today spoke to Andrew Bennett, Assistant Vice President for Mass Market 5G Products at AT&T on the sidelines of the Immerse Global Summit (IGS) 2022 in Miami. He discussed building stable, reliable, and future-proof networks for the rising spatial communications platform.

XR Today: Could you explain which use cases AT&T has targeted and why they are important for consumers, namely as it focuses on new metaverse solutions?

Andrew Bennett: To continue leading as a connectivity provider, it’s important to ‘spread the chips across the board’ and explore multiple use cases. We understand that different groups are exploring the Metaverse in their own ways and make sure we take a similar strategy. 

This takes place across the players today, all the way up to the Metas of the world, while considering how our networks will support the growth. This is critical as the killer use case could be months or a year away, or even right under our noses. 

XR Today: Why is it key for AT&T to have a long-term metaverse strategy, namely after the lessons of COVID-19, and how will this benefit enterprises in the future?

Andrew Bennett: The majority of wireless capacity was consumed in dense urban environments with higher population density.

As people began leaving the city for the suburbs and elsewhere, we reviewed our current and future infrastructure as customers changed their usage patterns. The Metaverse experienced similar groundswells, but it will eventually hit that ‘hockey stick’ [of market maturity]. 

It’s important to prepare for those inflexion point events, especially after COVID-19 changed the way we work. The Metaverse and XR have tremendous opportunities to advance remote work by boosting collaboration and improving training. 

One of the panellists from earlier today mentioned that remote work and remote learning create additional opportunities to receive immersive classroom experiences outside the classroom. 

We have to consider all use cases and the ever-changing circumstances across the world. 

The Metaverse creates immersive experiences we once could not imagine, such as meeting in a shared virtual conference room. Now, I can put on my VR glasses for a couple of hours and get the same experience as if I was in person.  

XR Today: Which are some of the low latency-based technologies AT&T (cloud/edge) has been deploying and what are their benefits?

Andrew Bennett: Generally, we use the mass market lens. We deploy 5G, fibre broadband, a brand new 5G network core, and boosting edge network nodes. This brings computing and content as close to the customer as possible to receive low-latency experiences. 

For XR applications, latency is key as many XR applications are not hugely bandwidth intensive. This is important to reduce motion sickness, enhance gameplay, and boost reaction times for remote working. Professionals using remote-controlled robots also depend on low-latency networks while using VR, especially for mission-critical tasks. 

XR Today: What does 6G promise to deliver for enterprises, and how will this help to realise Industry 4.0?

Andrew Bennett: We’re currently participating in industry forums and our lab teams are discussing this with global leaders in 6G. Regarding 5G, we’re deploying these networks, and plan to reveal more in due course. 

The first millimetre-wave node went live in 2018, but we’re still in the early stages of 5G. In terms of a true nationwide 5G footprint, that took place from 2020 to 2021. 

We’re currently deploying mid-band networks and 5G still has a ton of runway. In the early days of 4G, we never realised data would play such a key role, or that the Ubers, YouTubes, and Netflix’s of the world would stream so much data traffic on the network.  

XR Today: Anything else you would like to add? What are your thoughts on the IGS 2022 Miami?

Andrew Bennett: The event space [at the Fontainebleau Hotel] is beautiful, and there’s been a great turnout here, and the energy surrounding the event is spectacular. 

To be among thousands of people at this conference that are passionate about technology, it’s infectious to be around that energy and share the goal of advancing the immersive ecosystem. 

Also, there are major benefits to participating in these events as a network provider such as engaging with the immersive ecosystem and understanding the future of this space.  

We also assess whether we’re building the networks enabling the future. We want to learn as much as possible, reassess, and do more. That’s been the most beneficial part of the conference.

Impact of New Technologies on Self Perception

Post originally appearing on vrinsights.io by Hema Ahuja.

Introduction

Self-perception is a combination of self-esteem and self-concept. It’s a mental picture of ourselves.

Self-perception influences how we present ourselves to others and interact in social situations.
Rather than being what is true about us, self-concept is our idea of ourselves. It may not be who we are and how others see us, or it could be close to reality.

Social media and technologies like virtual/augmented reality are increasingly becoming a part of our daily lives. And their impact on our self-perception is becoming more pronounced.

New Technologies Have Changed Our Daily Routines

The use of technologies like smartphones, tablet computers, and social media increased long before the pandemic. But when COVID-19 struck, it forced societal changes all around the globe that have dramatically increased the average person’s use and reliance on modern technologies.

Working from home and digital nomadism were both on the rise for over a decade, but the pandemic made the virtual office part of the “new normal” for millions. Although due to an emergency, this shift created new ways of doing everything from holding company meetings to supervising employees’ productivity. Even more important, now that the pandemic is over, a recent Pew Research poll shows the majority of workers that are working from home due to the pandemic prefer to continue to do so. The landscape of work has forever changed, and technologies will play a role that is much stronger than ever before.

The shopping habits of the average American have drastically changed post-pandemic. In fact, according to figures from the U.S. Census, online shopping shot up a whopping 43% in 2020 alone, the first year of the pandemic. It forced retailers to implement or upgrade new online offerings to stay afloat and capture this massive movement of consumers from physical shopping to online purchasing. According to a recent research paper by the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Sciences, as of August 2022, some shopping has shifted back to physical stores. Still, online shopping is just as prevalent post-pandemic and likely to grow. 

But humans don’t simply work and shop. We are social creatures, and social media has changed our daily lifestyles more than any other emerging new technology. From staying in touch with family and friends, online dating, sharing, promoting our lifestyles, hobbies, and skills to the world through apps, social media has changed how we conduct our social life in ways never seen before. 

And then comes along Metaverse

Although still in the early stages, Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining adoption in many countries. As it is fully immersive, the effect on self-perception is dramatic in positive and negative ways. A 2021 study found that high levels of involvement in Social VR games by isolated individuals with low self-esteem can lead to higher levels of depression.

But then, another study by the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, found that the same technologies can help treat depression under the proper supervision. Given its immersive nature and customizable user experiences, VR can offer therapeutic experiences that alleviate depression. Another example is this 2022 study where prison inmates, allowed to play their future selves in VR, displayed reduced self-defeating behavior.  

These studies are few with a limited sample, so we need to take a directional view of the findings rather than a conclusive one.

Self-Perception in the New Digital Age

So, has this rapid increase in digital interaction influenced how we see ourselves? The short answer is YES.

Even before the pandemic, studies showed that the rise in social media usage profoundly affected self-perception. Users were comparing their physical image to those on social media and sharing only status updates that make them look happy/attractive, which shaped how they see themselves. Sometimes for the better, social applause around life achievements or states of fitness can cause boosts in both self-esteem and self-concept. But sometimes, comparing ourselves to others in a world where only the positive is posted can make us feel unworthy/less valued when experiencing tough times. 

With the explosive growth of social media during the pandemic, these factors have magnified to the point where self-concept and social media presence is intimately linked for millions of people worldwide. 

VR technology blurs the boundaries even more as people create their avatars and interact with others in a virtual world designed to be as similar as possible to the physical one. The Metaverse is described as a place where you can reinvent yourself, creating a digital identity that you live through in a completely virtual world. 

The impact of the Metaverse on self-perception is closely studied, and experts have varying opinions on how this new technology will ultimately affect us. According to Dr. Marta R. Jablonski, the Metaverse has both positive and negative potential. At one end is the opportunity for enhancing self-esteem because it enables a “greater sense of community, proximity, contact with another person compared to today’s chats, communicators or videoconferencing.” But, it could also lead to problems due to the disinhibition effect, wherein the person in an avatar feels a lack of restraint in their actions compared to real world.

In Psychology Today, Dr. Marlynn Wei argues that the Metaverse will also increase our capacity for empathy, as it frees us from being overly self-concerned and allows us to engage in “perception-taking” activities with others that lead to greater understanding. 

There are incidences of negative experiences in Social VR worlds. This NYTimes article details abuse on these platforms which can negatively impact users’ self-perception at an impressionable age. Here is a research study that highlights harassment faced by Social VR users. The study is skewed towards one geography (Japan) and primarily based on one platform (VRChat), but you can use directional insights to get a sense of the issue.

In conclusion, our self-perception has evolved with technological innovations in the last decade. It is likely to evolve further, given the immersive ecosystem possible with the Metaverse.

What’s Next?

In the next series of posts, we will look into specific dimensions of self-perception impacted by new technologies. We interviewed 152 Social VR users to understand their self-perception, motivations, and likes/dislikes about Social VR. The users had varied backgrounds, from college students to retirees.

Brands have started capitalizing on Metaverse technologies to engage and connect with consumers. The insights from this research will help them make informed decisions for their strategy to engage with consumers in a new environment.

Immersal launches AR game arcade solution

(Helsinki, Finland & Miami, United States, 5 December 2022) Immersal Oy, part of Hexagon, launched an augmented reality (AR) game arcade at VRARA Global Immerse Summit in Miami. The solution enables the retail and tourism industry as well as other sectors to gamify their customers’ experience while providing monetisation and learning opportunities. Potential AR arcade games are Pinball, Air Hockey, multiplayer Pong, Pacman, Tetris, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, multiplayer Snakes and Ladders, and more.

With the game arcade solutions, you can decorate an entire neighbourhood in a city with games, for example, placing Tetris on the surface of a high-rise building. A shopping mall can include branded games with a retailer’s logo or products forming part of the game. These AR elements modernise the shopping experience, improve brand engagement and introduce an element of fun.      

Visitors in a new city or shoppers in a mall can use AR through their mobile devices or AR glasses. AR games can be combined with other AR content like navigation or e-commerce as part of a city guide app or shopping mall’s own app.

AR experiences are typically implemented with 5G, either private or public. It is possible to use MEC (multi-access edge computing) servers to ensure the immediate response times necessary for AR content. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) benefit from supporting these solutions to showcase examples of 5G in use.

Immersal previously introduced a similar solution for stadiums and horse racing tracks and has piloted this together with several operators around the world including Rakuten in Japan. 

In June 2022, Immersal also introduced a personal metaverse app which is an unprecedented way to create, share and experience the metaverse. Immersal App is an easy and fun way to merge physical and digital realities seamlessly into one immersive experience. This functionality can be integrated to both stadium and horse racing solutions.

“To make the metaverse accessible for a larger part of society, we need to lower the barriers to entrance. Games are a great way to inspire people to test AR for the first time. Adding creative monetisation and brand visibility opportunities makes this an attractive option for brands, making this the smartest first step into AR world,” says Anttoni Vesterinen, CEO of Immersal.

About Immersal
Immersal is building world-leading spatial mapping and visual positioning tools – the foundation of the metaverse. Founded in 2015, Immersal’s team is based in Helsinki, Finland, and working with partners, developers and creators across the globe to reimagine how we explore, interact and create. Immersal also has sales offices in Hong Kong and in Silicon Valley, California and is expanding its presence and partner networks globally. The company was acquired by Hexagon in 2021 and continues to pursue the vision of a metaverse built and experienced by everyone on any device.

Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 23,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 4.3bn EUR. Learn more at hexagon.com and follow us @HexagonAB.

Contact

For related images, videos or additional information please contact:

Päivi Laakso-Kuivalainen, CMO, Immersal Oy, +358 40 757 29 27 paivi.laaksokuivalainen@immersal.com

Learn how Agora is innovating beyond physical boundaries

If you are participating in our Immerse Global Summit in Miami (or virtually) on Dec 5-7, join the Agora session on Dec 5 from 4:55 PM-5:25 PM EST and the Agora booth to connect with our team of XR experts.

The technological innovation around XR has expanded how we collaborate and interact, allowing us to intuitively see beyond what's in front of us, ultimately helping us blend our physical and digital worlds.

​Download the Agora full report here.​

​
​Solving XR Technology Challenges

As impactful as XR technology is, there are considerable technical challenges that developers and businesses are likely to face. These issues range from device compatibility and end-to-end latency to usability and a host of other problem areas.

Agora's technology solves these common issues while taking away the guesswork, so you can focus on creating value for your business. Agora not only helps you merge the physical and virtual worlds, but Agora also helps you seamlessly navigate the metaverse, VR spaces, and other forms of synchronous and asynchronous interactions.

How Agora Innovates

The Blending of Physical and Virtual Worlds with the Metaverse

Agora's solution enables live, interactive video, real-time screen sharing, 3D virtual spaces, and other virtual simulations. With Agora’s streaming technology, VR and non-VR users can connect within an existing application using our SDKs for Unity, Unreal, native (Android, iOS, macOS, Windows), or web. We deliver a full spectrum of human-to-human interactivity—from 1-on-1 to millions of concurrent users—to fit your every need.

Intelligent Network

Agora's proprietary global network provides extensive coverage that dynamically routes data in the most efficient path, reduces packet loss, and delivers ultra-low latency. With over 250+ worldwide data centers, you can count on us for reliability and scalability in connecting with people anywhere.

Immersive Experience – Agora's intelligent network provides sub-seconds latency across devices, enabling users to stream and interact from a physical or virtual camera and modify virtual environments in real time.

Scene Synchronization - Agora’s Real-Time Messaging (RTM) is an instantaneous way to communicate between users via 1-to-1 text chat or group messaging that enhances any app. Users can create channels, set up call invitations, and send unlimited messages.

Spatial Audio – Get a fully immersive experience using the Agora Live Audio steaming for your audio spatialization within the virtual environment. Take fine-grain control of how audio streams are rendered in the virtual environment.

An Inclusive Platform for All

Agora treats every customer and project as an opportunity to understand your unique needs and provide a customized or white-label approach solution to fit your requirements.

AR/VR Use Case Supported by Agora

Gaming, Training & Development, Retail & E-commerce, Manufacturing, Social Experiences & Entertainment, Enterprise Remote Collaboration, Healthcare, Virtual Events, Remote Assistance, and much more.

Featured Partners

HTC’s VIVE Sync VR app bridges the gap between the physical and virtual worlds with Agora’s real-time streaming.

Agora is a Unity Verified Solutions Partner that offers creators and developers the tools to easily add in-game interactivity audio and video chat to any app

Wipro’s interactive Experience (iX) Solutions makes deploying augmented reality solutions straightforward and repeatable.

Agora's Commitment to Your Privacy and Security

As an RTE PaaS (Real-Time Engagement Platform as a Service), your privacy and security are our utmost concern. Therefore, we only collect Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and operational information necessary for providing our services. All other end-user data is managed directly by our customers in their applications. Agora also provides geofencing, allowing customers to choose specific regions where they prefer their data and traffic to pass through.

Agora is certified to ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018, and SOC 2 security standards and meets privacy regulations like GDPR, CCAP, and HIPAA.

Get Started for Free Today!

Zero upfront cost, plus your first 10,000 minutes are free each month.

Unleash your creativity and reimagine the future of extended reality.

To learn more, contact https://www.agora.io/en/talk-to-us​

​Download the Agora full report here​
​

VRdirect News: Creditplus creates customer proximity via Virtual Reality showroom

Banking is becoming increasingly digital. That's why banks and financial institutions must ensure that they remain close to their customers. This is done with the help of Virtual Reality:

Creditplus now offers a 360-degree virtual tour of a digital showroom. This creates proximity to customers and partners as well as the possibility of a 24/7 bank visit. The virtual company presentation is available at any time on smartphone, tablet, PC and for VR glasses and let's the customer decide when to do their banking.

With VRdirect as technology partner, Creditplus has created a Virtual Reality concept for a customer-oriented, interactive and personal company presentation.

Click to read the rest of the story…

Why the Enterprise Needs Metaverse as a Service

Scanning the headlines these days, it’s easy to get the impression that the Metaverse winners will be firms offering the best extended reality (XR) hardware or even the killer apps that enable such experiences. But this may not be the case.

Hardware and software are critical, but they are still only part of a solution. Services are going to be a major differentiator in the XR industry. Why? Because speed-to-solution is going to separate firms that accelerate in this new business reality by arming them with first-mover advantages from those who get lost early in the uncharted waters of the Metaverse.

The competition for leading in the enterprise Metaverse all boils down to making it easier to build, deploy and manage enterprise XR solutions at scale. Enterprise XR customers need solutions that are reliable, flexible, able to address the most popular use cases and help simplify the rolling out of new cutting-edge technology into businesses’ workstreams to do things they’ve never done before. if the enterprise customer can’t manage the solution with ease and confidence over the entire life cycle, then you can’t achieve scalable results with the desired ROI.

Enter the model of Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS). Amid the current enterprise environment's focusing on digital transformation, technology stacks are getting larger, and workers’ experiences and expectations are highly dynamic. Firms need trusted technology partners that either build on, or vet and collaborate with, the best technology. Firms will look to open XR solutions and be reluctant to building their presence in the Metaverse behind the ‘walled gardens’ of proprietary technologies and platforms.

Enterprise customers are also looking for XR partners that can help plan, deploy and manage technology so solutions that accelerate business today don’t become roadblocks tomorrow. This requires open solutions to always make the best hardware and software components for the use case available to customers. 

Most firms and their IT decision-makers are first-time buyers in the metaverse. They know how to kick the tires and evaluate the technology. But evaluating technology partners for a multi-year, multi-solution relationship that could transform a business or its operations is going to prove much more complex.

As you start the journey of scaling your enterprise into the Metaverse, make sure to qualify the technology partners at your side, as they may be with you for the long haul. From hardware and software to the services supporting them, the enterprise will need the technology and team that can grow with you. Who knows what the future may have in store? We have only just begun to see the potential held by this next era of enterprise computing.

Created with business managers, developers, and IT managers in mind, the Lenovo ThinkReality portfolio of XR solutions is ready to support your enterprises as it scales into the Metaverse. Let’s start this journey together. 

Meet the Lenovo ThinkReality team at Immerse Global Summit in Miami (or virtually) on Dec 5-7

Aequilibrium, the powerhouse of Culture and Technology

Next week, meet Aequilibrium at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami, as a sponsor. 

As a progressive organization, Aequilibrium believes that the technology of extended reality is integrating at a fast pace with our daily interactions and it has gigantic potential across various industries. We plan to seize the right opportunity in time to make a difference in redesigning the technology of tomorrow as a proactive team of talented individuals.

Aequilibrium is a consulting digital agency headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, focused on digital transformation and innovation for digital and financial services. Aequilibrium provides consulting and implementation services to help progressive companies thrive in the invincible digitized world and drive business growth. 

At Aequilibrium, we craft remarkable experiences by blending innovation, business strategy, technology, project management and governance with a focus on culture and technology.

Clients at Aequilibrium enjoy tailored-to-fit solutions as per their requirements. The global pandemic saw the rise of remote working, and Aequlibrium not only provided clients with options for seamless digital transformation and cloud migration but also offered collaborative platforms for people to work together with ease.

Employees at Aequilibrium are vibrant, energetic, and responsible. The element of fun and culture binds them together at work and also at events that are regularly hosted in virtual and physical spaces. Often the team comes together to collaborate and brainstorm to produce best-in-class outcomes and solutions.

Aequilibrium being a progressive organization values people and their perspectives and believes that the mantra to achieve success lies with the integrity and sincerity of people.

Explore more about our work.

Visit the Aequilibrium booth (#8) at the Immerse Global Summit in Miami on December 5-7 and chat directly with AEQ-ers to share your perspectives and learn more about their mission, vision, capabilities, and offerings.