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Our Enterprise Committee presented the latest case studies, best practices, and ROI
VRARA Toronto Member Dark Slope Secures $1.5 Million And Opens Up New VR Experience Center
Dark Slope, a Toronto-based virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) developer, is creating free-roam multi-user experiences for the rapidly expanding location-based entertainment (LBE) market and for enterprise customers.
The startup company has been around for a year and has closed a seed funding round raising more than $1.5 million, and the launch of its first product, the LBE title Scarygirl Mission Maybee.
Use of funds
Funds will be used to add new staff, develop the company’s free roam technology and its enterprise product line, and to support the release of future VR and AR experiences.
As part of the seed round Dark Slope will be adding new investor Steven DeNure, co-founder and former President/COO of DHX Media, to their board.
“Technological advancements have put location-based VR and AR applications, tools and experiences at the cusp of widespread adoption by consumers and corporations,” said Raja Khanna, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Dark Slope. “The timing is right, and the team at Dark Slope are the best of the best. I am proud to work alongside this group and equally proud to welcome our new investors, and Steven in particular, into the fold.”
Developed from the ground up for large-scale multiplayer free-roam VR environments, Scarygirl Mission Maybee embodies Dark Slope’s goal to design content that brings people of all ages together.
Scarygirl Mission Maybee, based on the cult hit graphic novel and designer toy brand Scarygirl from acclaimed artist Nathan Jurevicius, is a first-person action game that brings up to eight players together to save the world from Dr. Maybee and his diabolical experiments. Players must work closely together to suck up infectious hazardous goo, purify it and blast it back at the hordes of creatures infesting the world.
Scarygirl Mission Maybee, based on the cult hit graphic novel and designer toy brand Scarygirl from acclaimed artist Nathan Jurevicius, is a first-person action game that brings up to eight players together to save the world from Dr. Maybee and his diabolical experiments. Players must work closely together to suck up infectious hazardous goo, purify it and blast it back at the hordes of creatures infesting the world.
“Scarygirl Mission Maybee showcases our hyper-focus on developing multiplayer free-roam VR and AR experiences that bring people together in immersive worlds,” said CJ Hervey, President and co-founder at Dark Slope. “We’re excited for audiences to come and be the among the first to experience Scarygirl Mission Maybee and to witness how incredible free-roam multiplayer VR can be.”
Scarygirl Mission Maybee
To celebrate the launch of Scarygirl Mission Maybee, Dark Slope will be inviting guests to come to its Toronto studio and experience the game’s raucous multiplayer action starting Feb. 28. The facility is located at Liberty Village, 7 Fraser Avenue, Unit 2 in Toronto.
About Dark Slope
Dark Slope was founded in January 2018 by four entrepreneurs with extensive knowledge of building international companies based on emerging digital platforms.
The company’s President, CJ Hervey is a former Executive Producer at Toronto and LA-based digital content studio, Secret Location; COO Dan Fill formerly served as President and Partner at Australia-based boutique entertainment company Chocolate Liberation Front; Technical Director Ben Unsworth was President and co-founder of Toronto-based creative technology company Globacore Interactive Technologies and currently serves as co-chair of the VRAR Association’s LBE Committee, and Executive Chair Raja Khanna, was previously the CEO Television & Digital at global media company Blue Ant Media and co-founder of QuickPlay Media.
Exploring Virtual Reality as a Forensic Tool
Virtual reality (VR) offers unparalleled capabilities to support and facilitate forensic activities. VR is especially well suited for supporting use-cases where spatial information is critical, like accidents and crime scene reconstruction. When used appropriately, this emerging technology will be able to easily leapfrog over current alternatives.
VR is designed to trick human senses and immerse the user into a computer-generated world in a way that makes the user perceive, interact and feel like actually being there. This is referred as the sense of “presence.” In addition, the VR environment can be shared over the internet and users can interact remotely—therefore the term presence in the VR context is also referred to as telepresence. Long story short, a VR environment will make the user “feel” that he or she is at the scene.
Current needs in forensics
The administration of justice and the overall judicial process requires significant preparatory work. In general, this is a time-consuming and expensive process. Processing a crime scene is a long, tedious ordeal that involves purposeful recording and documentation of the conditions at the scene, and the collection of any physical evidence that could provide clues and help determine what happened. The most logical explanations that investigators can recreate, in many cases, can still be very confusing for most people who didn’t have the possibility of being at the scene to comprehend easily.
The current “pain points" relate to the costs and difficulties associated with replicating a scene as an investigative and demonstrative working environment. Another area where improvement offers significant value is the collaboration and communication between investigators and prosecutors.
Value of VR in forensics
To improve justice and support a fair judicial process, society needs the most powerful and cost-effective tools investigators can use across multiple types of scenes. The time is right to leverage these capabilities and provide the best tool possible for investigators and others involved in criminal justice, including prosecutors, defenders, judges and eventually jurors. It is time to allow all of them to "teleport" to a virtual crime or accident scene as needed.
Nowadays, many agencies already capture crime scenes with highly sophisticated 3D laser scanners. They not only have this 3-D raw data readily available, but they are constantly forced to translate, reproduce and communicate such abundant and relevant 3-D/spatial information into a 2-D metaphor (such as diagrams, blueprints, pictures, videos, etc.)
Early conversations and demonstrations with recognized experts in the use of forensic 3-D metrology in the private and public sector have provided very interesting and positive feedback. One expert user said: “There is a distinct need for an intuitive method for the visualization of these rich, 3-D evidence data sets. VR provides this method and does it with little additional effort.”
VR could offer investigators, prosecutors, defenders, and other stakeholders’ multiple key benefits:
Revisit the crime scene: Users would be able to quickly and cost-effectively "teleport" to the crime or accident scene, walk through the scene as many times as needed, assess as many points of view as needed, perceiving the scene as close as possible to the original incident.
Collaboration: Users would be presented with the same virtual scene and share the same collaborative space—participants from multiple specialties and from multiple locations could be given access to a virtual scene as soon as it is digitalized. Users would be able to share annotations and knowledge contributed by individuals.
Knowledge acquisition: Increased capabilities for prosecutors to learn the facts around the scene being investigated, and to become more proficient about investigative techniques, increasing capacity to communicate with other stakeholders in a more compelling and cost-efficient manner, reducing the amount of back and forth and rework.
Compliance: VR environments could enable agencies to better observe, control and report on users as they perform their investigative tasks. The immersive nature of the VR environment could facilitate the verification of required procedures. Successful completion of the required investigative tasks could be tracked and reported.
A future article will elaborate in the potential risks of VR in Forensics, as well as what we expect to be the changes in the near future.
Eduardo Neeter is the Founder and CEO of FactualVR, a startup developing a virtual reality platform to help law enforcement and prosecutors accurately replicate and communicate the facts around a crime scene. Eduardo first began working in the field of virtual reality in a Japan-based research lab 22 years ago. Eduardo is also the co-chair of the VRARA (VR/AR Association) Criminal Justice Committee.
Darren Bennett Microsoft HoloLens from our VR/AR Global Summit 2018 (Video)
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From his first days at Microsoft, Darren has been focused on innovation. His initial prototype contributions to KINECT came early in the platforms development and wowed execs, and he quickly progressed to creative direction of KINECT Adventures. The title offered a new arena for human interaction and was a critical piece in future exploration of human expectation for natural interactions. Darren moved from success at KINECT to leading edge development, from concept to ship, on Microsoft HoloLens. He drove software incubation efforts, creative direction of the experiences portfolio and finally, shipped UX for the first Mixed Reality operating system - Windows Holographic. Today, he's back home in British Columbia and applying the power of Mixed Reality to the modern workplace.
Participate in our upcoming Summits in Europe and Boston! More info here
Webinar expert panel: "Next generation HMDs and the killer app for VR"
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This Friday, the 15th of February at 10am EST / 4pm CET, the European Photonics Industry Consortium will be moderating this VR/AR Association Location-Based Entertainment Committee Panel Discussion that intends to tackle the tough questions of hardware and software for immersive technology.
Both groups have invited key members to discuss the optics and displays that make VR possible in the first place and what it will look in the next generation headsets to come.
Moderated by Jose Pozo, the CTO at EPIC, his guest include:
Leland Hedges, Commercial Director at Pico Interactive
Marek Polčák, Co-founder at VRgineers
Dr. Zine Bouhamri, Market & Technology Analyst at Yole Développement
This webinar highlights not only the future market trends, but also the challenges and successes for the Photonics Industry developing for Virtual Reality headsets. You will also come out with more clearer understanding of the nuts and bolts behind VR. Register for free here (click on Upcoming).
XentStudios takes on the Kitchen & Bath Industry with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
XentStudios, a provider of immersive virtual (VR)/augmented reality (AR) platforms for the K&B industry, will be participating in the 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), North America's largest trade show dedicated to all aspects of kitchen and bath design. This three-day event will be held February 19-21, 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Exhibiting at Booth BL50015, XentStudios will be showcasing its Xentify VR and AR platforms. Xentify VR provides K&B retailers with an immersive and interactive display-as-a-service platform offering room-scale product displays in virtual reality. Used to supplement physical showrooms, the technology allows store customers to experience a significantly more robust assortment of K&B products and combinations within the confines of current floor space and rent.
The Xentify AR platform enables K&B retail customers to view unlimited combinations of products in virtual displays within their home. A few taps on a personal device allows K&B products and product combinations to be projected on their own living spaces, helping to validate design ideas and reduce returns.
For more info visit http://www.xentstudios.com or email Davinder Kohli davinder@xentstudios.com
About XentStudios
XentStudios, established in 2017, provides K&B retailers with VR and AR technology offering a combination of high-tech with high-touch physical products – “clicks-to-bricks.” It allows K&B retailers to merge online shopping with hands-on contact, providing an enhanced in-store experience for today’s tech-savvy customers while cutting costs, reducing space and shortening sales cycles.
Watch Timoni West of Unity from our VR/AR Global Summit 2018 (Video)
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Timoni West is the Director of XR Research at Unity, where she leads a team of cross-disciplinary artists and engineers exploring new interfaces for human-computer interaction. Currently her team focuses on spatial computing: how we will live, work, and create in a world where digital objects and the real world live side-by-side. A longtime technologist, Timoni was formerly SVP at Alphaworks, cofounder of Recollect, and CEO of Department of Design, a digital agency. She's worked for startups across the country, including Foursquare, Flickr, Causes, and Airtime.
Participate in our upcoming Global Summits in Europe and North America! More info here
PhaseSpace and San Leandro Police Department Collaborate on Virtual Reality Training Program
The San Leandro Police Department (SLPD) is collaborating with local virtual reality developer PhaseSpace to see if Department of Defense (DOD) developed technology can help Police, Fire, and First Responder training. Headquartered at the Gate 510 for the past 18 years, PhaseSpace develops motion capture solutions for academic and medical research, training simulations, and the robotics, graphic arts and entertainment industries. Meet PhaseSpace Founder and CEO, Tracy McSheery, and see their technology in action in this video (see minute 9:45).
10 years ago, PhaseSpace developed training tools for the US Navy and Marine Corps under a Small Business Innovative Research Grant. Partnerships with Berkeley, Stanford, MIT, USC and other research institutions gave PhaseSpace experience in virtual reality (VR) long before it became widely available. PhaseSpace is now developing software with the intent of creating a VR training environment for law enforcement training, creating dangerous situations to hone police skills in a virtual environment, saving costs of travel and training. Over the course of the past year, the SLPD has collaborated with PhaseSpace on the development of the software by testing it and providing constructive feedback.
The significance of this public-private partnership is not to be underestimated. PhaseSpace has made leaps and bounds since its original iteration, creating environments that would traditionally carry a high liability. At present, the program addresses numerous stressful aspects of Police training, including de-escalation of tense circumstances, active shooter situations, and extreme driving scenarios.
The VR environment is very realistic, which makes the training experience that much more impactful. Furthermore, PhaseSpace has consulted with mental health professionals in an effort to address the psychological consequences of these situations, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and incorporates unique methods to help minimize trauma. SLPD continues to test the program and to consult with PhaseSpace on further improvements.
The most significant take-away is that PhaseSpace has been able to create a program that places officers in very realistic training scenarios and enables a highly effective learning environment without the risk of real-world damage or injury. While still in development, the product is nearing an iteration ready for introduction to the Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. In the event of an endorsement from POST, it is conceivable that the program will be implemented statewide.
It is incredible to witness something so game-changing being developed right here in San Leandro. This software is of potential statewide, and even nationwide significance, and goes to show that great things are continuing to be made in San Leandro.
Learn more here
RSVP for our Education Webinar "The Impact and ROI of VR/AR in New Millennium Education
You asked the questions, and here are the answers from our Training Webinar Expert Panel
Our Training Committee held a very successful webinar on “The Impact and ROI of VR/AR in Training” on 16th January 2019.
You can watch the Webinar recording here
You can also watch the solution demos here
It proved a popular event, with over 300 people registering to watch four enlightening presentations on very different Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality training applications. During the lively question-and-answer session it became clear that the number of great questions was larger than the time available to answer them all! This post allows the presenters to respond the questions that couldn’t be answered during the webinar.
Presenter 1 : David Trainor, Sentireal
Presentation Theme
David presented the “AppUccino” software, which delivers AR experiences for special-needs trainees to learn how to be a barista and work successfully in a commercial coffee shop. AppUccino directs trainees through the process of making americano, espresso, latte and cappuccino drinks. It generates AR overlays on the physical coffee-making equipment, including the industrial coffee machine itself, the separate coffee bean grinder and the separate water heater. A short video of part of the AppUccino AR experience can be seen here. Trainee performance measurements are taken as they prepare the drink using AppUccino and these measurements are uploaded to a cloud application, which analyzes them and presents training progress information to authorized training managers. An initial pilot with AppUccino indicated that trainees retained twice the amount of information and developed their skills 50% faster using AppUccino.
Webinar Questions for David Trainor
You said it took ~9 months of definition and dev, how many people were working on your team in which roles in order to accomplish this?
We used one media/content creator and one software developer. The work was carried out over the course of 9 months, but neither the content creation nor the software development role was full-time.
How were the analyses done? Observation? Performance against criteria on task?
The analyses were done based on (i) time taken for the trainee to perform certain tasks (ii) measurements of how accurately the trainee performed certain tasks and (iii) estimates of where the trainee’s attention and focus was at specific points in the procedure.
How many users has Appuccino had? What has been the impact? In how many months after development did you achieve that impact?
We’ve just completed an initial evaluation/pilot involving 15-20 trainees within a coffee shop managed by a partner training organization. At some point in February 2019 we intend to expand this to all barista trainees within that training organization.
How long did it take to create AR content for training?
The 3D models for the AR overlays were completed in approximately 1 week. The media is actually quite simple. Strong, simple content proved to be the best way to present the required information to special needs trainees who are affected by autism, Downs Syndrome or general learning difficulties. However we needed to spend much more time - about 4 months - on the instructional design and the directions, animations and transitions within the AR scenarios.
How did you already go about gathering data on ROI prior to the development (and also launch) of the app?
The data was gathered from a pilot study at one location. This was after the app was developed but before it was publicly released.
Very exciting project! Curious why you selected that small, unique demographic to start? Unique requirements? Expect to scale up to other populations?
We picked barista training as it’s an area where there is expected to be a lack of qualified employees in the future. In the UK, where I’m from, it is estimated that there is a shortfall of 40000 trained baristas. We selected special-needs barista trainees because there is a high degree of underemployment in that group and if we can create a good intuitive solution for special-needs trainees then it should scale up well to other groups and other types of catering or hospitality training applications.
Are these analytics published somewhere?
Not yet - the small pilot study that we’ve carried out gave us some indications on the training improvements and return on investment from AppUccino but we’re starting a larger evaluation in February 2019, when more trainees start to use the app at our partner training organization. We plan to publish the detailed outputs from this larger study.
Presenter 2 : Jeff Meador, Portico
Presentation Theme
Jeff presented Portico’s Diversity and Inclusion VR Seminar, which provides learners the opportunity to practice and master their skills with inclusive language. This program was designed to complement traditional classroom learning by preparing learners with practical applications of the skills discussed during classroom sessions. With Portico’s software, learners speak directly to AI-powered digital avatars and engage in simulated conversations that put their skills to test. Learners also get real-time feedback on their performance through a virtual trainer, who uses AI to guide users towards better language choices.
Webinar Questions for Jeff Meador
How did you factor in orientation to the VR experience to overcome novelty or unfamiliarity with the technology to get straight to the experience?
We didn’t want to rely on the learner having any previous experience with VR. We give users time to look around and explore prior to beginning the scenario. This gives them a chance to understand the parameters and boundaries of the exercise. We also engage in some light chit-chat (“how’s the weather” sort of stuff) to let the learner know that they are expected to talk and that the AI is listening and will respond.
Do you need a quiet room?
A quiet room certainly helps. Current speech-to-text technology is very strong, but having a quiet place for the training is very helpful. It also helps the learner concentrate on the task at hand.
Is Portico looking at including body language (proximity to client gestures, etc.)?
Yes; we’ve done some preliminary work with this and have set some behaviors that change based on the learner’s position and/ or focal point during the training.
How is the real time interaction happening? is it a sort of multiplayer training and a mentor is interacting with you? or the AI is giving you feedback?
Everything within our scenarios is driven by AI, including the feedback. Our goal is to have these role playing experiences run without the need for actors or facilitators.
Presenter 3 : Marlo Brooke, AVATAR Partners
Marlo presented a Mixed Reality Training System for aircraft and aircraft subsystem maintenance. Primarily an Augmented Reality / Mixed Reality solution, this high-fidelity, industrial-grade maintenance training system scales from a tabletop model design, to a full-sized aircraft, allowing the maintainer to train on the job, hands free, at the point of need, without any jitter or drift. The system utilizes object tracking (as opposed to stickers or markers) to ensure highly accurate lock on target, even as the user moves around the aircraft. It also integrates to any backend system to both retrieve and record/send information about the maintenance task. It supports collaborative tasks and remote assistance.
Webinar Questions for Marlo Brooke
How did you come up with your pricing for your offerings?
Pricing is based on the specific requirement of the customer. AVATAR Partners can develop the application in its entirety, and/or the customer can purchase SimplifyXR to build/extend all or some of the functionality. Furthermore, because we use open source products such as Unity, the customer does not need to purchase SimplifyXR to extend any AVATAR Partners built XR solutions.
Is SimplifyXR proprietary to you or is it 3rd party?
SimplifyXR is is developed by AVATAR Partners using open source development tools, and can integrate to any backend system through APIs. It is licensed and sold through AVATAR Partners and its certified resellers. SimplifyXR is not required to extend any AVATAR Partner XR applications.
Could you please clarify how 97% reduction was calculated? Does it mean that instead of 100 hours of training without glasses only 3 hours with glasses are required?
You are correct. The training task was calculated based on the current training method for that particular wire failure, which involved an experienced maintainer gathering information from 3 different source materials (ETM, Wire Illuminator, and 2D schematics) to trace and identify the wire failure. The current training method is documented as taking 4 hours on average. The AR training experience is 7 minutes in duration, which is a 97% reduction in time to train.
Marlo, you said you have offices around the country. I didn't hear if Portico has the same, but do either of your companies look to establish satellite offices in more remote locations? If so, what type of environments do you look for? Developed workforce, local colleges, etc?
AVATAR Partners has regional offices in Huntington Beach CA, Arlington (Crystal City) VA, Virginia Beach VA, and Patuxent River MD, with personnel working in 8 different states within the USA. AVATAR has teaming partners with offices in Atlanta GA, Orlando FL, San DIego CA, Dayton OH, and Fort Worth, TX. We are expanding based on a variety of factors including the locations of teaming partners, certified resellers, and universities both within the USA and Allied Nations.
Marlo, how did you measure those analytics?
The performance metrics were derived from test results by AVATAR Partners based on the comparison of the current methodology versus the use of XR. These tests included accuracy, time to train, and time to complete the task. Cost savings were derived based on an assumed reduction of errors based on increased accuracy, and will vary depending on the application and cost of parts. We also discussed other studies such as the Boeing/Iowa State Study on wing assembly (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) 2014).
I’m not familiar with SimplifyXR -- can you describe what that is and whether that is proprietary to AVATAR?
SimplifyXR is a software product developed by AVATAR Partners that allows non-programmers to develop their own Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and Virtual Reality experiences. It also speeds development time by tenfold by using a user-friendly interface. The product also evaluates the user’s desired XR application and notifies the user whether or not the application is well suited for XR, or if a different training media (e.g. video training) would be more effective. SimplifyXR is owned and licensed by AVATAR Partners, and is developed using open-source tools and industry standards, and also integrates to any backend system using APIs. The product is available directly through AVATAR Partners or certified resellers.
Was there a problem using AR on an object as large as an aircraft?
We overcame several challenges to make the solution commercially usable. Using the basic development tools and markers didn’t work - it caused significant drift, jitter and an inability to accurately track the object as the maintainer walked around the aircraft. AVATAR Partners was able to overcome all of these issues by developing algorithms to lock on target without any drift or jitter to the user. Our solution being hardware agnostic, we found the Microsoft Hololens and android tablet supported higher fidelity. Also, we used Mantis Vision 3D scanners to scan the aircraft, gaining an accurate 3D model so that we could use object tracking (instead of markers). This along with our programming algorithms provides the maintainer with absolute precision as they walk around the aircraft, regardless of the unit’s size (from 1:6 the model size, to full aircraft).
Presenter 4 : Carlos Ochoa, ONE digital consulting
Presentation Theme
Carlos presented XR platform for immersive training, operation and maintenance of industry plant services, eolic farms, which includes advanced reality technologies in 3d interactive environments (extended reality, 360º video and digital data integration), methodologies in a modular architecture (on/off line). Innvestion deploy an intelligent XR ecosystem with the specialized know-how to turn unstructured data into value-adding information, for specific subject when providing services such as preventive maintenance, security management or operational management. Simulation-based training, prefaced with traditional training methods on process fundamentals, is the most efficient and fastest way to train new employees and prepare them for their daily work providing huge added value and benefits.
ONE digital consulting has been working for more than 20 years in the eLearning and Training arena, and with our selected partners network in Europe, Saudi, India, Africa and Latam.
Webinar Questions for Carlos Ochoa
What hardware configurations are everyone on the panel currently using for their XR applications?
For a full INNVESTION experience, the user only needs a mobile device and VR glasses that fit the device. The training centre will need an internet connection to download different modules.
INNVESTION can be used in a single “low cost” VR environment based on Samsung Gear Mobile VR, through the most advanced VR Oculus Rift, HTC Vive configuration. The key issue of INNVESTION is data integration in one device. From reality to virtual reality or vice versa.
INNVESTION can be used in a multi window spheric environment, for multiuser training environments.
What are KPI’s?
The acronym KPI sounds for Key Performance Indicator. This is a general business term referring to any metric used in understanding how an organization is doing. While the term can be tossed around the business world ostentatiously or irrelevantly, the fundamental rationale derives from the simple concept that if you don’t know how you did in the past, you don’t know if you have improved in the future. Because every business has its own economic niche, customer acquisition models, geographic localities, production methods, etc., each business must define for themselves what makes them successful. Therefore, the “key” in KPI, should be a metric key to your enterprise. These indicators are as varied as your imagination, but a number of familiar indicators include monthly recurring revenue (MRR), cost to acquire a customer (CAC) and the term used in this webinar’s title, Return on Investment (ROI).
When you are looking to improve your ROI in your training strategy, you need to understand clearly the training savings metrics, saved commute hours, lifelong expense of your LMS solution, overall productivity and revenue increase, other factors specific to your business and training model.
In conclusion, we can see selected companies transforming their business opportunities for the XR technology and adopt it regardless of cost and ‘clunkiness.’ Today we see leader enterprises utilizing XR for training, maintenance, engineering, and marketing purposes. These companies eventually pull everyone else in their direction as the industry caters to their operational needs and chases enterprise benefits.
Join 200+ Attendees Online Next Week for our Enterprise Webinar Expert Panel
Our Enterprise Industry Committee will present the latest case studies, best practices, and ROI for applying VR/AR in the enterprise. Join executives from Accenture, Atheer, Fieldbit, Intel, Motive, Nielsen. We expect 200+ attending live. Join us for the Q&A! RSVP here
Now available ! VR/AR Global Summit Europe Sponsor & Exhibitor Packages
Recap of our Hong Kong Chapter Event
The first VRARA Hong Kong Chapter event was held in Hong Kong! It was a huge success that 35 marketers attended the event and learned about latest VR/AR info shared by our honorable guest- Mr. Amit Chatterjee (Partner of Shadow Factory). Please stay tuned for more upcoming event in Hong Kong Chapter!
Elizabeth Baron of Ford from our VR/AR Global Summit 2018 (Video)
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Elizabeth Baron is a Technical Specialist in Virtual Reality and Advanced Visualization at Ford Motor Company. She has been the driving force in the development and deployment of immersive vehicle verification technology at Ford Motor Company. She is the principle inventor of the Ford immersive Vehicle Environment (FiVE) process and technology. Elizabeth became the first Virtual Reality Technical Specialist at Ford, a position she asked to create so she could grow the technology within the Company. Since creating FiVE, she has worked to bring immersive storytelling for user experience into Ford with an effective marriage of the virtual and physical worlds. Elizabeth was awarded the highest individual technical award in Ford Motor Company, the Dr. Haren Gandhi Research and Innovation Award, honoring her career in immersive visualization and her technical leadership.
New Report: VR/AR Ecosystem for Midwest (Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh) 25+ companies featured, 50+ listed
To get the report email info@thevrara.com
Foreword
Two decades ago, the terms virtual reality and augmented reality barely existed. These were concepts that you’d only see in science fiction films or television shows. Fast forward to today and you can see the presence of these technologies in nearly every industry. Having roots in the video game space, VR and AR technologies are now present in industries such as real estate, marketing, defense, education, medicine, research, and finance. In the United States alone, nearly 23 million Americans are already using VR technologies and the AR market is expected to reach $61.39 billion USD by 2023. If there’s one clear takeaway from these numbers, it’s that VR and AR are going to be key drivers of business and innovation; both of which are essential in Chicago’s mission to become the next global tech hub. Here at 1871, our mission is to inspire, equip, and support founders to build great businesses. We’re fortunate to operate in a city with leading corporations, phenomenal investors, top universities, and a strong ecosystem of innovators and entrepreneurs. To expand that ecosystem along with our community, we’re always on the lookout for transformative technologies, and it’s abundantly clear that VR and AR solutions are already changing the way that organizations operate throughout the world. As a growing innovation hub, our community serves as a lab for pioneers in the VR and AR space, and we couldn’t be more excited to see what they can achieve with the full resources of the city of Chicago behind them.
As we move into the New Year, we at 1871 are thrilled to play a role in the growth of Chicago’s VR and AR community. Beginning on January 16, 2019, 1871 will host a series of VR/AR Chicago events on a monthly basis. I’m confident that this will be a step forward for Chicago’s VR and AR community, which includes numerous developers, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs, and as a result, will help the city expedite its growth onto the national and world stage as a leader in technology and innovation. I’m also confident that our tech community, which is built upon the pillars of support and encouragement, will be of great benefit to those who visit. The story behind ‘1871’ isn’t about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It’s about what happened next; when engineers, innovators, and inventors came together to build a new city. We invite you to help us write the next chapter.
—Betsy Ziegler CEO, 1871
CHICAGO
Chicago has earned its reputation as “The City that Works,” an honor that holds true for Chicago’s immersive technology culture as well. With a growing community of Virtual and Augmented Reality professionals and organizations, the focus in Chicago is on delivering cutting-edge XR technology to institutions that can make beneficial use of it. It is Chicago's pragmatic, get-it-done style that will propel the city to be the next global hub for innovation, and XR technology will be a major part of that growth. Chicago is already a world class leader in global business opportunities. Home to several headquarters of the world's largest corporations, top universities, world-class entertainment, advertising, and media and a thriving venture investment community - the environment is primed for VR and AR innovators to engage with opportunities. Add in the city and state government embracing their roles in developing the city as a technology hub, and it’s hard to find a better place to grow new technology solutions. Beyond the venture capital, talent, and technology ecosystem that exists, the one factor that sets Chicago apart from everywhere else is culture. The city is rooted in hard work, dedication, and discipline. It's often referred to as a big city with a small town feel, because anyone with the grit to put in the work has the ability to succeed in Chicago. And the community exists to help people achieve their goals. There are dozens of free networking and MeetUp groups in Chicago dedicated to technology - many VR and AR specific - that meet regularly for the purpose of helping others move forward in gaining education, experience, or finding work or developers to help them take their next step forward. We welcome you to come and visit, and see what Chicago has to offer.
—Matthew Wren Chapter President, Chicago, VR/AR Association
CLEVELAND
Cleveland has emerged as a biomedical leader thanks to healthcare networks and hospital programs that are consistently ranked best in class on a global level. A renaissance is in full swing with downtown development and a thriving culinary scene, fueled by our nationally recognized chefs and the rapid growth of bespoke food and beverage companies. Cleveland’s renowned art museums, orchestra and theater district inspire and empower creative commerce in the region. The city and its lakefront provide popular shooting destinations for huge film franchises including Marvel's The Avengers and The Fast and the Furious. Our storied and massive philanthropic network is empowering and funding entrepreneurs, community developers, educators and change agents to remake Cleveland for the Experiential Age. The arrival of the XR Channel of communication will trigger a shift in human resource demand from the Corporate-Coder towards the Creator-Composer. Innovative Northeast Ohio educators are adapting the learning landscape with cross-disciplinary degree programs that arm students with the 3D Modeling, Illustration, Animation, Sound Design, Architecture and Game Design/Development skills they will need to deliver compelling, value-added virtual and augmented reality based experiences. Welcome to the XR BELT
—Reynaldo Zabala Chapter President, Cleveland, VR/AR Association
PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh is situated at the nexus of technologies that will shape the future. Dubbed “Roboburgh” for its strengths in robotics, it is also a powerhouse in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center and Schell Games provide a solid foundation for XR in gaming, entertainment, and education; the region’s history of manufacturing—particularly in conjunction with robotics—makes it ripe for implementation of XR in industry. Moreover, Pittsburgh is widely regarded as a major healthcare and biomedical innovation hub. Add to the mix the local culture of entrepreneurship, community-mindedness, and social responsibility, and the city emerges as a potential rising star in XR. The Pittsburgh Chapter of VRARA aims to build upon these foundational strengths, to support practitioners and users, and to create networks that will propel research into and implementation of XR in the region.
—Karen Alexander, PhD Chapter Co-President, Pittsburgh VR/AR Association & Mark J. W. Lee Chapter Co-President, Pittsburgh VR/AR Association
To get the report email info@thevrara.com
Foreword by Jay Fraser, Global Head of VR for Training at HP, to our VR/AR Training Industry Sector Report
** If you are interested in being featured in this report or want to receive a copy, email info@thevrara.com **
Come see Jay Fraser speak at our VRARA Enterprise Summit at LiveWorx on June 10th
First off, thanks to the folks at the VR/AR Association for moving the industry needle and serving as the connecting file for companies across the ecosystem. Before you get cracking on this wonderful report, allow me to share some perspective on training and how VR/AR disrupts the norm.
Training Overall
There is a head scratching data point that I have been referencing lately: corporations collectively spend $350 billion on training each year. To put that in perspective, corporations spend more annually on training than the Gross Domestic Product of 83% of the countries in the world. And what are the results? Before we get there, think about the last time you experienced company training. Was it effective? Were you engaged? Did you remember anything? Answers are probably overwhelmingly no. And you aren’t alone. Most executives think that their company learning and development is ineffective and many employees do not think they are effectively trained to do their job and/or find their training useless.
So what’s the problem?
In a word, practice. To be effectively trained, employees must be afforded the opportunity to practice what they learn. Ask any athlete, first responder, or military service member how often they practice. One of my favorite quotes is from Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Rowdy Gaines: “I swam around the world for a race that lasted 49 seconds.” I came across this quote in a book analyzing the characteristics of top performers. Practice is not easy, both physically, but also, and more importantly for the purpose of this audience, financially. Think of the economic cost of delivering effective training to a workforce: the logistics, facilities, content, instructors, and employee “downtime”. It’s tough to scale good training but training is crucial to having productive employees. Add to the mix an aging workforce, a skills gap, fleeting employees and we are bordering on a training crisis!
Why should you care?
As an employee, you should want a safe, productive work environment and well-trained, capable teammates. Safety shouldn’t be overlooked. In the US alone, 14 people per day die at work in preventable accidents. As a member of society, you should want humans to stay sharp, adaptable, and relevant, particularly with the onset of artificial intelligence and the employment implications. A recent McKinsey Global Institute Report purported that over the next decade, as many as 375 million workers may need to switch occupations. As an executive, you need to balance two objectives: 1) taking care of employees and 2) hitting profit goals (not mutually exclusive). Better training results in more effective employees who can make better decisions and ultimately boost productivity.
What to do about it?
Innovate or die! Embrace immersive technologies. VR/AR provide a unique ability to enable deliberate practice on a mass scale. Because it’s a virtual rendered world, any scenario can be replicated and practiced over and over again with randomization injected to throw multiple scenarios at the trainee. Randomization is a key variable as it avoids “teaching to the test” and exposes trainees to an infinite number of scenarios. Think of a pilot. How many times do they get to experience an actual crisis? Hopefully, never. Yet, they are expected to be able to make split second decisions when placed in that situation.
Who is using VR/AR for training?
To quote the great Jim Collins, “the flywheel is in motion.” Companies across just about every industry are either testing, piloting, or deploying VR/AR for training; the momentum is real. Let’s focus on only a few. Retail: Walmart recently announced that it will deliver VR Training to all stores in the United States and train more than a million employees (thanks STRIVR for making this happen!). Aerospace: several major airlines are leveraging VR to familiarize its flight attendants with the aircraft and the proper protocol in getting underway. Energy: Siemens has started to implement VR to train personnel on the maintenance and operations of its large gas turbine engines within its Energy division. Technology: look no further than my own company, HP! Our learning and development organization is developing inclusion training in VR. Also, our print global services business is piloting a VR procedural trainer on one of our large printing presses. Military: at least one large country in the Middle East is deploying squad sized dismounted troop trainers and the US Army recently announced a $480M deal with Microsoft. Law enforcement: Netherlands police department is testing VR for crime scene investigation, domestic violence, and presentation skills. The list goes on and on.
It's time to reinvent training
Another favorite quote of mine from my time as a Marine Corps officer: “we don’t rise the occasion; we sink to the level of our training” – Archilochus. HP and the many companies featured in this report are committed to enabling effective training (i.e. practice) on a mass scale. Our founders Bill and Dave believed in reinventing themselves and their company. To mark HP’s 80th anniversary this year, let’s work together to reinvent training. Enjoy the report and the creative and innovative means by which companies are doing just that.
If you are interested in being featured in this report or want to receive a copy, email info@thevrara.com
Are you a VR/AR founder/startup looking to expand and relocate your business into North America?
VRARA Vancouver and Launch Academy through the VR/AR Hub has a program launched to help founders like you looking to relocate and become a Canadian Permanent Resident and benefit from easier access to the US/Canadian market for business and travel.
Launch Academy is Vancouver’s leading non-profit tech hub, focused on helping emerging tech entrepreneurs launch, fund and grow their startups since 2012.
They’re a designated organization of the Canadian Government's Start-up Visa Program and are currently working with over a dozen different who have relocated to Vancouver, Canada. See more info about the Start-up Visa Program below.
Application Deadline is March 15th. Get your application started today!
Read more here
The VR/AR Association will co-locate the VRARA Enterprise Summit at the PTC LiveWorx Digital Transformation Conference
The VR/AR Association (VRARA) will co-locate the VRARA Enterprise Summit on June 10, 2019 at the PTC LiveWorx® digital transformation conference, held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This co-location will enable those attendees using enterprise AR/MR/VR technologies to access some of the latest intelligence and practical applications from industry thought leaders, all in one place.
The Summit is a full-day event that brings together some of the best minds in VR/AR from across the globe. Presentations from industry leaders will include VR/AR Enterprise topics on AEC, Aerospace & Defense, Manufacturing, Training, UX & Design, and much more.
LiveWorx is one of the world's most respected digital transformation conferences for the enterprise. Attendees experience some of the most innovative and disruptive technologies — VR/MR/AR, AI & Robotics, IIoT, Industry 4.0, Digital Engineering and more. Over 6,500 attendees are expected to attend LiveWorx from June 10-13, 2019. Learn more about the event here
VRARA is an international organization designed to foster collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR and AR ecosystem that accelerates growth, research and education, and develops best practices and guidelines. VRARA has over 4200 companies and 25,000 professionals registered, over 50 chapters globally, and 20 industry committees. VRARA programs & initiatives are designed to accelerate anyone’s growth, knowledge, and connections. Learn more here
Tickets for the VRARA Enterprise Summit can be purchased here and includes lunch and access to the LiveWorx Reception. The $449 Early Bird Rate ends Feb 20th.
Contacts:
VRARA: Kris Kolo kris@thevrara.com
LiveWorx: Linda Hall lhall@ptc.com
PTC and LiveWorx are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
