ENTERPRISE Program Recommendations for our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

Here are some of the Sessions, Speakers, and Exhibitors related to ENTERPRISE during our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2.

Enterprise Program Highlights

• HP Keynote Announcement: Driving the Next Evolution of VR

• Scaling Enterprise AR and VR Solutions: A “Fireside-Chat” with Lenovo’s Nathan Pettyjohn and Bridgestone Americas’ Brian Robinson, Moderated by Mike Boland. A discussion how AR & VR are showing strong ROI for enterprises.

• The New Golden Age of Insight - will explain the benefits realized at immersive product verification in a globally connected, cross-functional team.

• Southern Company Presents Narrative VR Experiences for the Enterprise - Do Narrative Experiences belong in the enterprise workplace? What are the challenges in creating them?

• Creating a Roadmap for Building, Scaling & Integrating a VR Training Program into Your Enterprise. This talk will help you to understand some of the key factors you need to be aware of when considering how to implement VR training programs.

• HP Presents: New VR Innovation Panel

• Foundry 45 Presents: Enterprise VR Training in the New Normal. Recent events have altered the landscape of enterprise VR training.

• VRARA Enterprise Committee Panel - we will present our latest Enterprise Industry Report and best case studies

• Speed Dating so you can network 1-on-1 with people that match your profile and interests!

• Group networking sessions for like-minded folks

• See Schedule here

Featured Speakers

• Elizabeth Baron, Enterprise Solutions Executive, Unity Technologies

• Aaron Ydenberg, Policy Analyst - Business Engagement at Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)

• Ronan Kelly, Global Digital Manufacturing Senior Manager, Pfizer

• Brian Parzer, Training Product Manager, Lufthansa Cargo

• Michael Spiess, XR Lead, SAP

• Anthony Del Bart, Learning Technology Manager, BP

• Brian Robinson, Innovation Specialist, Bridgestone Americas

• Sanjay Jhaware, President and Co-Founder, RealWear

• See all speakers here

Featured Exhibitors (Virtual Booths in Online Expo)

• HP

• Lenovo

• UK Trade booth: Masters of Pie - Collaborative tools for Enterprise

• Cavrnus - Spatial interactive and collaborative platform for Enterprise

• From the Future (FTE) - Training solutions for improving the human condition

• Elm Park Labs - XR platform powering Industry 4.0

• Kognitiv Spark - Support your workforce remotely

• See all exhibitors here

GET TICKETS

The VR/AR Association publishes an Education Report featuring over 70 companies and startups

Download report

VRARA Education Report 2020

Meet many of these companies at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

Foreword by 3D ORGANON

In this ever-changing world, it is urgent that we respond to the growing demand for a wider range of technology-enhanced curriculum. Eager to respond to this demand, we create3D Organon with the promise to continue to cultivate the dynamics for new learning paradigms and advanced medical education.

Based on our experience as qualified medical professionals, we can help healthcare focused audiences land on the best solutions to craft their own use case scenario and make the most out of edge virtual reality (VR) technologies.

Available in VirtualReality (VR), MixedReality (MR),Augmented Reality (AR), desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, 3DOrganon turns into the most advanced Extended Reality (XR) anatomy platform. Given that the world is witnessing one of the most pivotal moments in the last few decades the unhindered delivery of education seems to be more than imperative. We are ready to address the arising challenges regarding the new reality created due toCovid-19. This is a momentous occasion to overcome limitations and benefit from the high value potential enabled by virtual reality technologies.We can guarantee continuous delivery of healthcare education in safe environments in real time that suit both on-campus and remote users.

We have focused on driving anatomy to new levels and allow a broad spectrum of health professionals, practitioners, educators and learners to access our meaningful learning content from their own devices regardless of their location. By supporting various forms of online learning modalities we facilitate profound understanding of the functions of the human body, through an extensive knowledge-base of anatomical definitions and a plethora of highly-detailed 3Dmodels offered. Our app covers more than 10,000anatomical structures organized in 15 body systems, and over 550 detailed animations of body actions of muscles and organs all of which add significant value to the medical and healthcare education.

Users are free to toggle between body systems, view, review, hide or fade structures, run interactive clinical anatomy quizzes, self directed study, and communicate queries with text and voice chat systems. Under the circumstances enabled by immersive technologies, sessions facilitate deeper immersion, stronger memory imprints and longer retention.

Hundreds of prestigious institutions, such as universities, hospitals, military units, associations, museums, libraries, and high schools have entrusted our app to drive leaps in learning. 3DOrganon aims to bring the world closer. For this reason, its extensive knowledge-base of anatomical definitions is available in 15 languages: English, traditional and simplified Chinese, German, Italian, Spanish, Georgian,Polish,Portuguese, Latin (terminology), Russian, Ukrainian, French, Greek, and Thai.DeepQ, the healthcare department of the tech giant HTC and a strategic partner of3D Organon, has the exclusive distribution of the platform in the Asia region to turn the dream into concrete reality.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, we can offer the requisite building blocks for optimized learning and training possibilities with minimized costs. A virtual reality ecosystem seems to be the safest conduit to predict a brighter outlook for medical education.

We had better not miss out on the opportunity.

Virtually,

Dr. Athanasios Raikos

CEO, 3DOrganon

Dr. Panagiota Kordali

Director, 3DOrganon

Luxexcel prepares for next phase of growth in smart glasses market with individualized specifications such as prescription power

Pioneer in 3D printing of smart prescription lenses strengthens its leadership to support customers to make smart eyewear products that address vision correction. 

Eindhoven – 23 September 2020 – Luxexcel introduced its volume manufacturing solution to 3D print smart prescription lenses to the smart eyewear market, and has subsequently strengthened its leadership team to support this move. The company is now geared to enable high-tech companies to make a better smart eyewear product while at the same time, addressing the vision correction needs of their customers. 

Fabio Esposito, Chief Executive Officer at Luxexcel says, “Our mature volume manufacturing solution enables our customers to combine prescription with smart technology to create regular-looking lenses with advanced smart features, yet personalized to the user’s prescription requirements. The platform is scalable and offers the flexibility to create large volumes of products with individualized specifications, such as prescription power.”  

Luxexcel’s 3D printing solution encompasses proprietary hardware, material, and software. The 3D printing solution prints on different materials, including various plastic and glass types, and also fulfills customers’ airgap requirements. As a result, smart devices such as waveguides, holographic films, and LCD screens are embedded inside a lens and prescription power is printed on top or around it. The result is a lens with embedded devices presented as one seamlessly integrated element.  

Luxexcel enables smart glasses manufacturers to make a unique device with the patient’s customized prescription resulting in a better visual experience for the user. “The benefit for end-users is that they no longer need to wear their prescription glasses underneath their smart eyewear goggles. They can now experience both corrective vision and augmented reality in one single product,” says Esposito.  

Esposito continues that Luxexcel’s leadership team consists of all the skills required to help customers bring smart products to the eyewear market. The leadership team includes: 

• Fabio Esposito is the Chief Executive Officer and leads Luxexcel, as the first company globally to 3D print smart prescription lenses, to strategic, financial, and operational growth.   

• Guido Groet is the Chief Strategy Officer responsible for strategic relationships with high-tech companies and strategic investors aiming to customize Luxexcel’s unique 3D print technology.  

• Joost van Abeelen is the Chief Product Officer responsible for material, hardware and software development and 3D printing strategies, developing the world’s first commercial 3D printing platform for smart prescription lenses.  

• Alexander van der Touw is the Chief Financial Officer and uses his expertise in finance and investments to ensure continued market growth in the smartwear market.  

• Xander van Mechelen is the Chief Commercial Officer who supports partners to transition from traditional eyewear to the world of 3D printed lenses by creating new go-to-market offerings such as electrochromic prescription lenses. 

About Luxexcel

Luxexcel is the only company globally that prints 3D prescription lenses. As a pioneer, we have a unique understanding of the prescription eyewear market. Our in-depth knowledge and expertise help lens designers and manufacturers to create smart eyewear. Our customers expand their offerings with eyewear which corrects vision as well as includes smart-tech features. We do this with our unique patented 3D printing technology that embeds electronics, sensors, and films inside the lens and print prescription power on or around it. The smart tech is fully encased in our unique lens material, as we print. Luxexcel lenses are durable and thin and fit into conventional eyewear. We offer a complete 3D printing volume manufacturing solution which includes post-processes such as printing of hard coating on lenses, and we also address required features such as airgaps on waveguides.  

Press contact

Eva Flipse
Marketing Manager
eva.flipse[at]luxexcel.com

HEALTHCARE Program Recommendations for our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

Here are some of the recommended Sessions, Speakers, and Exhibitors related to HEALTHCARE during our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2.

Healthcare Program Highlights

• Demonstration of ROI in Healthcare Education: Research A review education using VR and several hiqh quality and randomized controlled trials demonstrating the utility of virtual education in Healthcare.

• Development Life Cycle of Healthcare XR Programs - This talk will describe some of the major drivers of XR market growth, and the Breakdown process of the Immersive content creation.

• Medical Think Tank: The Good, The Bad, and the Reality of VR Rehab with Michigan Medicine, Swedish Health Services, and UPMC Centers for Rehab Services 

• Speed Dating so you can network 1-on-1 with people that match your profile and interests!

• Group networking sessions for like-minded folks

• See Schedule here

Featured Speakers

• Dr Nevil Chimon, Director, 4DMED

• Dr Sana Farid, General Surgeon, Co-Founder & CEO, Munfarid

• Dr Danny Goel, Orthopedic Surgeon at UBC and CEO at Precision OS

• Dr Ellen Wang, Medical Director, Stanford's Children's Hospital

• Robert C. Ferguson, OTRL Clinical Specialist & VR Therapy Program Coordinator Neurorehabilitation & Therapeutic Technology, Michigan Medicine

• Simon Gale, Occupational Therapy, Swedish Org

• Randy Huzinec, Senior PT, Centers for Rehab Services, UPMC 

• See all speakers here

Online Expo

• 4DMED - a medical software and medical device development company

• See all exhibitors here

Mike Christian, CEO/Co-founder of From the Future, Launches eBook on how Virtual Reality will Revolutionize Training

eBook launch by Mike Christian, CEO/Co-founder, From the Future.

Virtual reality will revolutionize how we learn. This bold and exciting statement is at the heart of the book How Virtual Reality Will Revolutionize Training and Education. While many people have heard of VR, few truly understand how profound the technology will be when it comes to how we learn. In this book, Christian goes into detail about the potential impact of immersive learning from the digitization of formal approaches to education, such as learning by doing, to gifting students and instructors with virtual superpowers. Christian draws on decades of experience creating virtual worlds and developing VR applications for training, therapy, and rehabilitation to clearly communicate the potential of the new medium. You will not only learn how VR will enhance training and education but also how it might hold the key to developing heightened intelligence on the level of geniuses such as Richard Feynman.

To reserve your copy of the book: https://www.ftfvr.com/ebook-access/

Follow From the Future to request your copy: LinkedIn Facebook Twitter

Contact:

Janice Patton

From the Future, LLC

469.693.6903

jpatton@ftfvr.com

SAFETY & ETHICS Program Recommendations for our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

Here are some recommendations for Sessions, Speakers, and Exhibitors related to SAFETY & ETHICS during our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2!

Safety & Ethics Program Highlights

• Keynote: Planning to Succeed: Safely Deploying Your XR Strategy in a Post Covid-19 World

• Wearable Equipment Safety panel - Safeguarding from COVID-19 & UL 8400 for Equipment Safety Featuring UL, Cleanbox Technologies, Stanford Medical

• Ethics and Commerce in VR. A lively discussion on important and profound questions that are vital to the success of the metaverse being “created” right now.

• World's first standard dedicated to the safety of VR and AR equipment to be presented. Read more here

• Networking group sessions for like-minded folks!

• Speed Dating so you can network 1-on-1 with people that match your profile and interests!

• See Schedule here

Featured Speakers

• Ibrahim Jilani, Product Safety Director at UL

• Ellen Wang, Medical Director, Children's Hospital, Stanford University

• Amy Hedrick, Co-Founder & CEO, Cleanbox Technology

• Evonne Henning, Exec Producer, Playable Agency

• Anselm Hook, R+D, Mozilla

• Greg Fodor, Founder, Jel.app

• Blerime Topalli, Head of Immersive Strategy, CubeXR

• See all speakers here

Online Expo

• See all exhibitors here

Get tickets here

8th Wall Introduces Curved Image Targets for Augmented Reality Experiences - No App Required!

Come meet us at the VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

8th Wall Brings Augmented Reality to Bottles, Cans and Cups

First-of-its-Kind Curved Image Target Technology Powers New WebAR Experiences on Food and Beverage Packaging—No App Required

PALO ALTO, Calif.,-- September 22, 2020-- 8th Wall today announced the launch of Curved Image Targets, becoming the only development platform with tools to create web-based augmented reality (WebAR) experiences that are activated by and can interact with cylindrical- and conical-shaped objects. Siduri Wines becomes the first brand to showcase the commercialization of this technology, with its wine bottle-activated experience created by agency Rock Paper Reality.

Curved Image Targets expands upon 8th Wall’s existing image target functionality which was previously only designed for flat shapes. With this update to 8th Wall’s powerful AR engine, developers can now create interactive WebAR experiences using images wrapped around cylinder- and cone-shaped objects such as bottles, cans, cups and more. 8th Wall launched this new feature to meet the demand from consumer packaged goods brands looking to use augmented reality to engage their customers with their product packaging without the friction of downloading an app. Like all of 8th Wall’s AR capabilities, experiences created with Curved Image Targets require no app to download; users simply click a link or scan a QR code to immediately start the experience.   

“8th Wall is on a mission to make augmented reality for everyone and to do that we need to be able to augment everything,” says Erik Murphy-Chutorian, CEO & Founder of 8th Wall. “The launch of Curved Image Targets builds upon 8th Wall’s existing WebAR technology which includes World Tracking, Flat Image Targets and Face Effects as we continue to prove that powerful augmented reality experiences can live on the web.”

AR design firm, Rock Paper Reality, worked with Siduri Wines to use this new set of tools to create a WebAR experience that interacts with the wine bottle. After scanning the wine label with a smartphone, users watch as a track wraps around the bottle and a grape pops out of the lid and takes a ride before disappearing behind a trap door. Earlier this year, Siduri Wines launched a series of WebAR experiences that featured a volumetric capture of Siduri Founder Adam Lee which used a virtual bottle. This new project was developed to showcase the types of experiences Siduri plans to launch in 2021, which make the real product central to the experience.

8th Wall has made developing with cylindrical and conical image targets simple with a target creation flow that doesn’t require object measurements, tools to immediately test targets without the need to print labels and ready-to-go components that use video and 3D to bring curved image targets to life. Developers can configure multiple target regions on the same product and can choose to combine flat and curved image targets to track the sides and the flat top and bottom of a cylindrical or conical target. They can also integrate external libraries and APIs such as analytics, real-time data feeds and other machine learning libraries within their experiences to create complex and meaningful WebAR projects.  

“8th Wall’s new Curved Image Target functionality allowed us to finally create a web-based, AR project that uses cylindrical image targets. 8th Wall’s new technology helped RPR develop a frictionless, augmented reality experience for Siduri Wines, which lets their customers engage with their wine bottles like never before,” says Patrick Johnson, CEO of Rock Paper Reality. “We are continually impressed with the quality and performance of 8th Wall’s AR engine, so much so we have made WebAR a core focus of our business. The addition of Curved Image Targets to 8th Wall’s platform opens up so many new use cases that we are excited to deliver to brands, particularly in the beverage industry.” 

8th Wall’s Curved Image Targets are now available to customers at www.8thwall.com. New users can sign up for a 14-day free trial of the 8th Wall platform. Existing users can simply log in to get started using the Curved Image Target project template or cloning one of many sample projects from the 8th Wall Project Library.

About 8th Wall

8th Wall is an award-winning augmented reality platform that harnesses the full power and freedom of the web. Developers use 8th Wall to create rich, interactive WebAR content that works on all devices— no app needed. 8th Wall has powered AR activations for brands across industry verticals including retail, food and beverage, travel and tourism, automotive, fashion, sports and entertainment. Customers of the platform include Sony Pictures, Nike, General Mills, British Gas, Heineken, Swiss Airlines, Toyota, EVA Air, Red Bull, adidas, COACH and more. 8th Wall is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. For more information, please visit: www.8thwall.com. Follow 8th Wall on Twitter @the8thWall.

About Siduri 

For over 25 years, Siduri has specialized in producing cool-climate Pinot Noir from six major AVAs along the West Coast, spanning from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, down to California’s Santa Barbara County. Their goal is to produce Pinot Noir that best captures the distinct flavor and character of a given vineyard site. To that end, they specialize in Pinot Noir and source only from vineyards that provide exceptional fruit. Siduri’s philosophy is that wine should be a pleasure to drink and that serious wine and serious fun aren’t mutually exclusive. To learn more about Siduri, please visit www.siduri.com and follow Siduri on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @SiduriWines. 

About Rock Paper Reality

Rock Paper Reality (RPR) is a veteran Augmented Reality agency that helps companies from startup to Fortune 500s develop best-in-class AR content and strategies proven to drive brand awareness, customer engagement, and revenue growth. RPR’s proprietary AR solutions drive value across the customer journey: from advertising to in-store engagements to post-sales loyalty. RPR’s leadership has worked in the AR trenches for over a decade, won some of AR’s most prestigious awards, and received over a dozen technology patents. Founded in 2017 and based in Silicon Valley and Copenhagen, RPR’s clients include Microsoft, Lenovo, NBC Universal, American Heart Association, Epic Games, and many more. For more information or a free demo of RPR’s proprietary AR solutions, email us today: hello@rockpaperreality.com OR visit us at: https://rockpaperreality.com/. 

###

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Tom Emrich

415-990-2341

tom@8thwall.com

Jennifer DeFalco

jen@8thwall.com 

Lenovo is inviting you to their Sessions with Bridgestone and on UX Design, and Virtual Booth at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

Lenovo is thrilled to connect and share with you our view of the current global market and give you a look at products and digital solutions to help manage the changes taking place in our world today. Sign up now to join us online at the VR/AR Global Summit – you won’t want to miss it. Register here. 

Drop into our first speaking session on Wednesday, September 30th at 12:30pm EST (add it to your calendar, click here) to hear from ThinkReality’s Commercial AR/VR Lead, Nathan Pettyjohn and Bridgestone America’s Innovation Specialist, Brian Robinson, as they discuss what’s needed to implement AR and VR solutions at scale and the challenges and opportunities of managing a complex ecosystem of software, hardware, platforms and services.

We’ll also be hosting a thought provoking fireside chat during the Summit. Join us in the afternoon on Wednesday, September 30th at 3:45pm EST (add it to your calendar, click here) as the User Experience Design team at Lenovo shares how they rose to the challenge in creating a new design paradigm that blends hardware and digital experiences to address the unmet needs of their diverse users. 

Lenovo is proud to be a Sponsor at the VR/AR Global Summit. We hope to see you there!

Learn more about our exciting offerings at www.lenovo.com/thinkreality 

VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE: DEFENSE Sessions and Speakers Recommendations

Here are some of the Sessions, Speakers, and Exhibitors related to DEFENSE during our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2! Register now here!

Defense Program Highlights

• Keynote by Northrop Grumman: Designing for AR for the Consumer & Military - How to make Iron Man's Jarvis a reality. A behind the scenes look at what it takes to make the visuals of AR come to life for both the everyday consumer and Military.

• Life after the demo with the General: Addressing Hurdles to Implementing Your XR Solution to Your Military Customer. In this panel we will share lessons learned and ways ahead to reduce the friction of implementing an XR solution.

• XR Use Cases in National Security and How to Sell Tech to the US Government - A run down on various use cases for VR, AR for defense and intelligence community problems.

• Enabling Long Range AR - Bringing AR outdoor at urban scale to enable new use cases in defense

• Networking group sessions

• Speed Dating so you can network 1-on-1 with people that match your profile and interests!

• See Schedule here

Featured Speakers

• Heidi Buck, Director of BEMR Lab, US Dept of Defense

• Randy Brown, VP, ARA Virtual Heroes

• Sarah Garvis, Northrop Grumman

• Jordan Higgins, Head of Immersive Experience, U.Group

• Graham Plaster, CEO, Intelligence Community

• John Burwell, Global Head of Simulation and Training, Varjo

• See all speakers here

Featured Exhibitors

• ARA will be demoing their Virtual Tactical Assault Kit (VTAK), a VR tool for improved mission planning, rehearsal, and better situational awareness. Read more here

• See all exhibitors in our Online Expo here

VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE: STORYTELLING Sessions and Speakers Recommendations

Here are some of the Sessions & Speakers related to STORYTELLING we recommend attending at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2. Get tickets here!

Storytelling Program Highlights

• From the Front Lines of the George Floyd Protests

• Performative-R: A New Technique of Storytelling by Tupac Martir of Satore Studios

• The Art of Cross-Platform Immersive: How Felix & Paul Studios is Taking XR Storytelling to all corners of the Earth and Beyond as they take you to the International Space Station, and dive into the The Jim Henson Company's The Storyteller in AR

• Holographic WebAR: The New Frontier Of Brand Storytelling with A panel featuring Rock Paper Reality, Jackson Family Wines, Microsoft and 8th Wall

• Building a Shared Sense of Humanity with Volumetric Video Presented by Intel Studios

• Producing in XR: How to Create Unique Stories for Immersive Audiences panel moderated by Chris Pfaff

• OVR presents: Combining the Power of Scent with the Potential of VR to Unlock Better Real-World Outcomes.

• AMPD presents: A New Paradigm of Creativity How VR and other virtual production technologies are revolutionizing movie making and more

• To Emmy or Not To Emmy - a panel featuring Eve Weston, Jessica Kantor and Erika Barraza

• Virtual Concerts A panel discussion about the trends the music industry is adopting to combat a world gripped by a pandemic

• Tutankhamun: Enter The Tomb - A Virtual Exploration of The Boy King’s Tomb; a realistic recreation of the tomb’s genuine artifacts as discovered a hundred years ago presented by Hollywood's best (see below), narrated by Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville

• Networking sessions for Storytellers and like-minded folks!

• Speed Dating so you can network 1-on-1 with people that match your profile and interests!

• See Schedule here

Featured Speakers

• Tupac Martir, a creative icon, described by Vogue as “the visual artist and director behind some of the most important events in the world.”

• Sarah Vick, Executive Producer , Intel Studios

• Paul Raphaël, Co-Founder, Felix & Paul Studios

• See all speakers here

Preview of Tutankhamun: Enter The Tomb

GET TICKETS

Varjo and KIA Motors: Driving the Future with XR Collaboration in Car Design

Today Varjo and KIA Motors revealed an exciting new use case around the future of automotive design. Leveraging Autodesk VRED’s latest release that just added support for mixed reality through Varjo’s XR-1 device, KIA is among the first automakers to apply these innovative technologies in their design process. This has become particularly relevant in this new era of COVID where the ability to collaborate remotely and reliably with teams across the globe has never been more crucial.  

Kia Motors has always been an industry leader when it comes to implementing new and innovative tech in their design process. Now, with Varjo XR-1 supported by Autodesk VRED, Kia’s visualization process can move to a totally immersive photorealistic environment. And that means global design reviews can go from days to an hour.

Photorealistic, real-scale and hands-on – Seeing is believing

There’s magic happening in the Europe Design Center of Kia Motors – the South Korean automotive company. Thomas Unterluggauer is the center’s Creative Manager CGI. He’s wearing the Varjo XR-1 headset as he works on a Kia model in the studio; moving seamlessly between the real and virtual car in front of him, and making changes on the fly.

What he’s seeing and doing in the Kia studio hasn’t been possible until now. Welcome to the new reality.

Kia’s European design studio, led by Gregory Guillaume (in the picture), is a pioneer in integrating new technologies into their design workflow. With a digital 3D department, design teams and visualization experts, its goal is to always exceed expectations – both for Kia customers and the company’s leadership in South Korea.

When Kia’s European team tried out Varjo’s VR headset for the first time, they were blown away by the clarity and the resolution compared to all other headsets.

“For the first time, we could literally see the metallic flakes in the paint and perceive the depth and quality of the material shaders. We could see the beauty of the details more than ever before in the virtual world. Varjo is the only device capable of this level of clarity and sharpness,” Unterluggauer says.

Seeing more details in the car exterior was a breakthrough. But when Unterluggauer and the team got to explore the Varjo XR-1 mixed reality device, they realized they could also use it to take their design work to new heights.

With Varjo XR-1, designers can work with their colleagues in the physical design space they’re used to and collaborate on photorealistic, real-scale virtual car models while seeing their hands and bodies. In an immersive mixed reality experience like this, they’re able to talk as they go, give immediate feedback, and run more engaging reviews.

“Immersive collaboration works way more naturally than we expected. This is something I’ve always wished for and with the Varjo device, it’s now a reality,” adds Gregory Guillaume, Vice President of Design at Kia Motors Europe.

At the end of a mixed reality session, Unterluggauer takes off the Varjo XR-1 headset and looks back into the room. “It’s fascinating how quickly you adapt to the mixed reality. You’re tricked into thinking for a moment that reality is wrong, that there is something missing. It’s completely different to any other experience I’ve ever had in VR,” he says. And there’s that magic again.

Kia’s workflow changes up a gear with VR/XR

Located in Frankfurt, Germany, Kia’s Europe Design Center is helping to change perceptions of the Kia brand across the continent as well as worldwide. Its dedicated team of designers create concept cars of the future as well as production models for both Europe and the global market.

The ability to design and collaborate with Varjo’s photorealistic VR/XR and Autodesk VRED is a total game-changer for Kia’s designers.

Until recently, the automotive design process relied a lot on 2D reviews on screens and powerwalls, followed by physical clay models and prototypes to further refine and develop the surfaces.

As manager of the studio’s digital department, Frank Hübbe knows all too well that a 2D model is always a projection that lacks volume. “Although you can use keyboard, mouse, and screen to work efficiently in 2D, you’ll never get a fully realistic impression of the car,” he says. Today, Kia Europe’s designers are complementing their entire workflow with virtual and mixed reality. The teams are using VR/XR technologies to make their visualization work more effective and showcase projects in new ways.

For example, designers are able to review a virtual model directly against a physical model in the same room, or even augment an existing clay model with virtual details.

“With VRED and the Varjo XR-1, you have the context of the real world and the flexibility of the virtual world,” Hübbe says.

Read more here

Our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE is happening next week! Here are more updates and highlights

We are less than 2 weeks away from our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE happening on Sept 30-Oct 2! Below are a few updates and highlights.

Added to our Program

• Lenovo Presents: Designing Immersive User Experiences for XR Solutions

• AMPD Presents: A New Paradigm of Creativity

• Southern Company Presents Narrative VR Experiences for the Enterprise

• AARP Presents: Connecting People through Virtual Reality in Times of Social Distancing and Social Isolation

• How Lufthansa Cargo Creates Scalable AR Trainings Without Programming

• See more Sessions here

Featured Speakers

• Michael Spiess, XR Venture Lead, SAP

• Joanna Popper, Global Head of VR, HP

• Paul Raphael, Co-Founder, Felix & Paul Studios

• Ellen Wang, Medical Director, Children's Hospital, Stanford Univ

• See more speakers here

Online Expo

• There will be over 50 companies exhibiting in our Online Expo in their specific virtual booths or country pavilions (UK, Korea, etc)

Deadlines

• Sept 24th is the deadline to book your virtual booth!

Dr. Sana Farid of Munfarid appointed Co-Chair of VRARA Healthcare Committee

We are thrilled to have Dr. Sana Farid, a General Surgeon, Co-Founder & CEO at Munfarid, President MENA Chapter, and Co-Chair Healthcare Committee to provide her thought-leadership to help accelerate the industry for us all.

Dr. Sana Farid is a zealous Healthcare provider, she is a General Surgeon, Educator, and strives to utilize Futuristic Technologies to improve Healthcare practices.

As a co-founder of Munfarid, Dr. Sana leads one of the pioneers and spearheading XR companies in the region. Munfarid is an elegant concoction of dedication and empowerment via disruptive intelligence. Discovering and implementing revolutionary Immersive applications for Educational, Training, and Healthcare industries.

Her ingenious vision led to the foundation of the VRARA MENA Chapter helping to expand, reach, and connect ingenious XR experts and enthusiasts.

At her new role as Co-Chair of the Healthcare Committee, Dr. Sana aspires to augment the scope of XR in patient care, impacts the lives of millions in developing countries, builds industry standards for XR in Healthcare, and make the world a better place.

“Immersive Tech, intelligent connectivity coupled with human interaction are opening new doors for major revolutions in the Healthcare industry, from hands-on training, clinical skills development, patient education, and awareness, as well as therapeutic uses. The future of healthcare is technology-oriented.

We are truly living in revolutionary times for healthcare thanks to the advent of digital health, and to drive such innovations, the VRAR Association is working incessantly, bringing the global XR communities closer together enabling a robust and fruitful interaction between like-minded entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts and a chance to learn and acquire knowledge from each other.

Our mission at the Healthcare committee will be to spread the knowledge and developments in healthcare which will usher the real era of the Healthcare industry” 

- Dr. Sana Farid

Virtualware's VIROO Enables El Retoño University to create the biggest Education VR Center in the World

Come meet us at the VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

The Technological University El Retoño (UTR) celebrated the grand opening of its new VR Center located in Aguascalientes, Mexico. A new center that will help to create the future world’s best leaders.

The Governor of the State of Aguascalientes, Martin Orozco Sandoval, the Director of the Aguascalientes Institute of Education, Raúl Silva Perezchica, the Secretary of Economic Development, Manuel Alejandro González Martínez, Virtualware VP Sergio Ramirez and Emmanuel Carrillo UTR Vice-chancellor among others, attended the great inaugural.

Immersive technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way universities deliver course content, enabling learners to access spaces and engage with experiences that might otherwise be unavailable to them. Considering that the use of VR has become a reliable technological trend in education, UTR, a higher education leading university in Mexico, is committed to creating the future world’s best leaders by incorporating VR technology as a distinguishing element of its academic offer.

The new VR center a is a 500m²space, designed to create an engaging and personalized environment, that opens new opportunities for deeper learning. A new lab center where UTR fosters the exploration and learning by doing experiences.

This new Virtual Reality room is deployed in a technology patented by the company Virtualware called VIROO. It is a complete solution that enables companies and institutions to create workspaces where maximize the high potential of VR technology, making UTR capable to create the biggest VR Center of the world.

Composed of the most advanced virtual reality technology hardware and a powerful software platform, this innovative VR centre will allow UTR students and teacher to create, manage, control and deploy learning resources and activities in a simple way, adjusted to the different levels and subjects.

This new space is a new concept that allows teachers to train the professionals of the future.

“This VR Center is the materialization of the alliance between strategic sectors in the benefits of our students and the society in general”. Emmanuel Carrillo, UTR Vice-Chancellor

Contact:

Name: David Moreno

Email Address: dmoreno@virtualwareco.com

Website URL: https://www.virtualwareco.com/news/the-vr-center-university-retono-unveiled/

Here are the companies in the UK virtual pavilion at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Sept 30-Oct 2

Immersive companies in the UK combine unparalleled creative skills with tech excellence to generate world-class experiences.

The UK’s world-class creative businesses are leading VR/AR content innovation.  The UK’s Department for International Trade is proud to showcase 10 of Great Britain’s ground- breaking companies on its virtual booth at the VR/AR Global Summit. The delegation consists of companies in:

• Experience Design: Satore Studio and Immersive

• VR/AR Experiences: Seymour Powell, Electric Skies, and Skignz

• Product Design: Priestman Goode, Igloo Vision, and Indestry

• VR Collaborative Tools for enterprise: Masters of Pie

• 3D holography: Vivid-Q

Visit the UK booth to see how these pioneering British companies are pushing the boundaries of immersive technology and how they can push your business forward.  See you soon!

Get tickets!

Veative Labs Enters into Global Partnership with Dev Clever

Dev Clever has signed a partnership agreement with Veative Labs to integrate a range of educational products and services, in and out of the classroom, on a global basis.

Veative is an online specialist in the global Education Sector (“EdTech”) and has developed “the world’s largest library” of interactive, curriculum-aligned VR and WebXR modules for education which is currently being used by schools in 27 countries around the world. Alongside Dev Clever, Veative has previously partnered with Lenovo Group Limited with its content library pre-installed as part of the Lenovo VR Classroom V2 solution.

The careers guidance group said the partnership will create a remote e-learning solution combining its own career guidance platform, VICTAR VR and launchyourcareer.com , with Veative’s educational modules to provide students with stand-out learning tools. The partnership will also offer users access to Veative’s India-based development team, enabling the acceleration of the conversion of Dev Clever’s platforms into local languages.

Shares in Dev Clever have rallied strongly over the last three months from lows of 3p at the beginning of April 2020 to open 5% higher at 7.15p following today’s partnership with Veative. The group highlighted that the products can be immediately marketed together to English-speaking geographies, where the platform has already been localized.

DEV’s initial focus will be to deploy its platforms across both India and China where Veative is already present, representing significant market opportunities for both companies.

Both parties are also exploring ways to develop the partnership into ‘a complete e-learning ecosystem’ for distance-based education, covering a range of aspects, from career exploration to employment onboarding, and into continuing professional development.

DEV said this would equip training providers, higher educators and employers with ‘a unified and unique methodology’ to address the growing global skills and attainment gap.

“It is estimated that more than 1.2 billion pupils in 186 countries are and have been affected by school closures as a result of COVID-19,” said Chris Jeffries, CEO Dev Clever. He highlighted, “It is clear that this has created a significant acceleration in the demand for a complete remote and eLearning solution within the global education sector.”

“We need to prepare the workforce of tomorrow, today,” said Ankur Aggarwal, CEO of Veative.

“Tools and methods used in schools will transform markets. With Dev Clever, we endeavour to make that a rewarding journey for all students,” he added.

DEV said this would equip training providers, higher educators and employers with ‘a unified and unique methodology’ to address the growing global skills and attainment gap.

“It is estimated that more than 1.2 billion pupils in 186 countries are and have been affected by school closures as a result of COVID-19,” said Chris Jeffries, CEO Dev Clever. He highlighted, “It is clear that this has created a significant acceleration in the demand for a complete remote and eLearning solution within the global education sector.”

“We need to prepare the workforce of tomorrow, today,” said Ankur Aggarwal, CEO of Veative.

“Tools and methods used in schools will transform markets. With Dev Clever, we endeavour to make that a rewarding journey for all students,” he added.

Contact

Name: Veative Labs

Email Address: info@veative.com

Website URL: http://www.veative.com

ARM partners with VividQ to bring holographic display to mobile devices!

VividQ has announced the collaboration with Arm today. Together, they enable the integration of holographic display into AR wearables!

Holographic display addresses one of the major limitations of AR: the need for realistic depth perception. The natural depth of field in AR can be achieved with Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) powered by VividQ software. VividQ’s partnership with Arm means that holographic display is now enabled on mobile devices thanks to VividQ software’s compatibility with Arm Mali GPUs.

Realising AR’s True Potential with Holographic Display

In the past, Arm has talked about the enormous potential of augmented reality (AR) and the “limitless possibilities” of this new technology. Back in February 2020, we published a blog setting out the numerous use cases and experiences that will be enabled by AR, from navigation and translation through to ‘superpowers’, such as visual and audio enhancements. While all these experiences are incredibly exciting, not just for consumers but the wider industry as well, we need the technology in place to make it a reality.

Many have pointed to numerous different reasons why consumer AR has not yet kicked on. These reasons include the lack of content, lack of style or comfort of today’s wearable devices, the poor battery life or even the lack of a major brand name device. These are all important factors; however, one major consideration that is often over-looked is the display. I believe that the true potential of AR will not be realized until we unlock many of the challenges for the display technology, especially the need for realistic depth perception. This can be enabled by holographic display, achieved with Computer-Generated Holography (CGH).

The challenge of realistic depth

Depth perception is crucial for the human vision system to interpret what we see in the world. There are around 18 depth cues that help you determine distances between objects and their relationship to you, and each other. Your brain makes sense of these depth cues in the real world to provide an understanding about your surroundings. Should the depth cues provide conflicting information, then it can lead to confusion or even nausea.

Most of the AR wearables available today, such as smartglasses or head-mounted displays (HMDs) display digital images at one or, at best, two depth planes. It means that AR projections can often be mismatched with the real, three-dimensional world. If you look at the following illustration, images on the left show what today’s experience of using an AR wearable might be like. The bowl of apples is supposed to be placed on the sofa in the background, but it appears sharp, even if the viewer (in this case the camera) is focused on the near field. Similarly, the green virtual apple remains sharp even when we focus on the back field. To render this virtual scene correctly, we need a display technology capable of projecting multiple depth planes. Just like in the images on the right where the virtual apple and the bowl appear correctly in or out of focus depending on where we look, adapting to what our visual system expects.

Holographic projections generated using VividQ software, simulating scenarios where all virtual images are generated on a) one depth-plane and b) multiple depth-planes to match the real environment.

Holographic Display and Computer Generated Holography

Holographic displays can help to solve this issue. In fact, Arm is working with British technology start-up VividQ to enable holographic displays for richer and more comfortable AR experiences through future AR wearables, such as smartglasses.

Holographic display is the process of engineering light to project three-dimensional, virtual scenes that possess a natural depth of field (as illustrated in the right previous image). This means highly realistic AR content that integrates seamlessly with the real world, while eliminating user discomfort. Holographic display is also brighter and more power efficient than other AR display solutions, making it a viable technology for not only the next generation AR wearables, but also automotive Head-Up Displays.

CGH is the method of creating holograms digitally from various 3D data sources, from game engines to depth-sensing camera output. Each hologram is encoded with all necessary information required to display a three-dimensional scene, with depth, to the viewer. The challenge for the adoption of CGH used to be the high compute requirement, which meant that holographic display was not a viable technology for consumer electronics. However, VividQ’s software for holographic display overcomes the computational challenges traditionally associated with CGH and allows for real-time generation of holograms for AR applications on commercially available GPUs.

Arm’s partnership with VividQ

Arm is collaborating with VividQ to enable holographic display on a mobile device by making VividQ’s software compatible with Arm Mali GPUs. The collaboration will enable the integration of holographic display into future AR wearables. According to a report by ABI Research, shipments of smartglasses are expected to reach 20 million units by 2024. Due to the ubiquity of Arm IP among mass market consumer electronics, from smartphones to DTVs, this is seen as a vital collaboration to ensure the accelerated adoption and scalability of holographic display. Therefore, this partnership could help to bring improved AR experiences to millions of consumers worldwide.

Tom Durrant, Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer of VividQ says:

“Technologies, such as navigation assistance, messaging and entertainment, are now irreplaceable and becoming increasingly integrated into our lives. The migration to AR wearables and next-generation consumer electronics makes these applications more natural to use, and calls for a correspondingly natural, immersive viewing experience. VividQ provides this with CGH. We are delighted to be working with Arm towards this ambitious goal of integrating CGH in mobile devices. By combining VividQ’s software expertise with Arm’s solutions in high-performance integrated compute, we aim to jump-start the mass consumer adoption of AR with holographic display.”

Arm in AR

Our IP technology is already powering today’s leading AR-based devices and experiences. Through valued partnerships with companies like VividQ, we can address current AR challenges, particularly around display, and help to enable the next generation of AR devices. The innovation of VividQ around holographic display and CGH is helping to enhance the AR experience and ultimately enable the widespread adoption and use of AR. With Arm’s IP and support, we want to move these AR technologies to everyday consumer use.

If you are interested to learn more about VividQ and its CGH technology, please visit its website here.

Industry-Leading VR/AR Innovator, Bohemia Interactive Simulations, joins the VR/AR Association (VRARA)

On the heels of a recent defense industry VR award and the release of VBS4, Bohemia Interactive Simulations’ (BISim) most important product release since the release of VBS3 in 2013, the Orlando-based company is pleased to announce it has joined the VR/AR Association (VRARA). 

Pioneering VR/AR/MR for Military Simulation

BISim began exploring VR’s potential for defense training in 2013 and in 2015 the BISim booth was the only I/ITSEC booth to showcase the beta version of Oculus Rift, having optimized VBS IG frame rate experience sufficiently to pass Oculus’ high standard of FPS performance. Also in 2015, BISim started working directly with military customers on VR/AR projects, most significantly with the U.S. Navy on a VR-based pilot training system that included virtual hand gestures generated through the Leap Motion system. By 2016, BISim’s VBS3 offered out-of-the-box support for the Oculus Rift and HTC VIVE. 

In 2018, drawing on its extensive experience with VR/AR headsets, BISim introduced VBS Blue IG, a high-performance, 3D whole-earth image generator optimized for VR/AR/MR applications. BISim’s work has expanded to evaluating and developing VR, AR and MR systems for other military organisations and commercial integrators. See how customers are using BISim products for VR/AR/MR applications on our Customer Showcase.

Outstanding VR/AR/MR Application 

BISim was recently selected by Military Simulation and Training (MS&T) magazine as its 2020 winner in the category of Outstanding VR/AR/MR Application for work on the British Army’s Virtual Reality in Land Training (VRLT) pilot study. MS&T’s Outstanding VR/AR/MR Application Award recognizes the innovative use of VR/AR/MR technologies to develop effective and efficient training and performance support interventions. BISim delivered a series of training events to the British Army in 2019 demonstrating VR and MR capabilities using its products. These included a high-fidelity Warrior IFV 3D model for VR and the use of mixed reality to allow users to take notes and annotate maps during exercises without breaking immersion. Read more about VRLT. 

VBS4 - Easier, Faster, Global 

BISim recently released VBS4, an easy-to-use, whole-earth virtual and constructive simulation. VBS4 becomes BISim’s flagship product — a fully featured desktop training and simulator-ready replacement for all VBS3 capabilities, with its hundreds of use cases and integration possibilities.

VBS4, together with VBS Blue IG, delivers the highest performance and greatest possibilities for military VR/AR/MR when paired with the latest generation XR headsets. Unlike many other game engine-based simulations, the VBS4 engine (VBS Blue) is optimized to serve the military simulation and training domain, so it offers more military XR use cases out of the box. VBS Blue offers millimeter accuracy and global scale simultaneously, and with a flexible terrain ingestion pipeline capable of facilitating quick use of terrain data from any conceivable source, users are well equipped for developing innovative XR projects. Learn more at vbs4.com

About Bohemia Interactive Simulations

Founded in 2001, Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) is a global software company at the forefront of simulation and training solutions for defense and civilian organizations. BISim utilizes the latest game-based technology and a 200-strong, in-house team of engineers to develop high-fidelity, cost-effective training and simulation software products and components for defense applications.

Globally, more than 500,000 military personnel are trained every year using VBS software products. More than 60 NATO and NATO-friendly countries and over 250 integrators/prime contractors use VBS technology, many making significant funding commitments to extend VBS product capabilities. Customers include the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, Australian Defence Force, Swedish Armed Forces, French MoD and UK MoD and most major integrators. VBS products have become, by far, the world’s most widely used COTS product range in the military-simulation sector, supporting hundreds of military use cases and vastly greater military exploitation than any comparable products. 

Contact

David Dadurka

Marketing and Communications Manager

Bohemia Interactive Simulations

p: 407-890-5510

a: 3050 Technology Parkway, Suite 110 Orlando, Florida 32826

w: bisimulations.com  

e: sales@bisimulations.com