VR is here to stay.

In December, I offered a window into how virtual reality was being implemented in flight training and suggested it could be an essential tool in lowering training costs for the next generation of pilots. I couldnt anticipate the overwhelming interest that Id receive from readers eager to learn more. It has only expanded my perspective on how critical this technology will be in training moving forward.Since then, two things have caught my attention that merit an update. In February, Chris Koomen, a virtual reality engineer and specialist at Air FranceKLM Airlines Group, posted this viral walkaround video that his department produced. A pilot in training would be able to use the Oculus Quest 2 for business headset goggles and module for initial training on the 787.

I reached out to Chris to understand how VR is being used at an airline level to train pilots. Koomen says he began working with virtual reality many years ago, and his effort caught the attention of his company, who asked him to help implement it for their training departments once they saw the potential. Presently, he creates 360-degree videos and photos, like the one he posts, and manages all the devices there.

In the video, he said he was actually in an office wearing the VR headset with the pre-defined proprietary content built-in for the pilots to use. Pilots can take the headset home to practice on their own, or to complete flight-deck familiarization or walkaroundsa much more efficient process.

How much more efficient?

For the Embraer flight deck trainingnormally they did a startup procedure in the cockpit for the first time within one hour or so, Koomen said. Now, they do it in 15 minutes because they already know the distances, how to start it up, and all those procedures are practiced in the headset.

He said the airline has built a variety of scenarios and environments that the pilots can also access via the internet, such as 360-degree videos of a crew completing a landing, which allows the viewer to be fully immersed.

We also sell it to schools. When the school is training, they train a cabin fire, for example, with multiple pools, fire safety tagging, and a jet bridge training to connect the bridge to the aircraft, Koomen said. We have a pushback simulator where you can simulate a pushback on a simple airport and smaller things like evacuations and door training. It seems the possibilities are endless. Eventually, Koomen mentions, there could be a more significant use case for aviation mechanics.

Some of the trainingespecially for pilots in recurrent trainingis supplemented with modules on iPads, which also allow them to complete walkarounds or emergencies. Koomen suggests this could be more convenient for pilots who wont need to travel anymore or go to the aircraft, which offers measurable steps towards sustainability.

For the most part, aviation is a crewed profession, so I wondered how this would translate if pilots trained independently? He said the airline had already built some multiplayer scenarios that allow two pilots and an instructor to work togethersuch as a cabin fire.

Youve got two headsets, two trainees, and one instructor. The instructor starts the fire wherever and whenever he wants, and the trainees need to act on it. But does the crew work well together? Koomen said while some are getting used to the new environment, trainees have adjusted.

The moment you set things on fire, they see smoke filling the aircraft, the passengers coughing, and they hear the instructortheir adrenaline starts to climb. Youll see them take action to activate their skills, talking with each other and working with each other to extinguish the fire before its too late.

So, this begs the questionhow is this regulated? Koomen explained that the Dutch government allows the tool for in-house training. When the program was announced, the company said the VR courses complement KLMs existing training program and that it was trying to obtain EASA certification for the course, which would eventually replace some of the standard training components, such as classroom instruction, the cockpit poster, and textbooks.

So, aside from being a familiarization tool, it is a part of training, though pilots who arent comfortable with the setup yet can opt out.

Trainees can use it, but they dont have to because there are also people who get lost using it.

Still, nausea seems to be one of the easier challenges to manage. Managing the devices dataset and security presents a more pertinent problem because many commercial headsets are industry-agnostic and are built for the broadest use cases. This creates other unwanted scenarios around data management and headset security that these new departments will have to anticipate.

On the other hand, as this new field develops, these challenges are also opportunities for people who want to get involved in the training industry, but not like before. Koomen said one of the biggest challenges to the technology maturing would be graphic design, or better, gaming development. Training the next generation on these technologies will then be necessary. He said that this is why there are now a handful of public schools in Holland that introduce students to the airline environment.

The other thing that caught my attention is the progress on this side of the pond. Around the same time, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University provided an update on its PILOT program. PILOT stands for Pre-flight Immersion Laboratory for Operations Training. The university created it to increase the student training capacity of the Daytona Beach Flight Training Department by increasing the efficiency of private pilot training.

The goals are to increase student throughput, improve student aircraft preparation, decrease overall training time, and decrease private pilot training costs. A semester after implementing VR technology, the university said a group of 58 flight students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University reduced the time it took them to complete a first solo flight by more than 30 percent.

Another program feature is a virtual air traffic control lab with multiple elements that expose students to aviation English at a more manageable pace with a guiding virtual instructor and allows them to practice on their own later.

In the final stage of radio training, students enter a VR flight to test their skills in Simulated Environment for Realistic ATC (SERA) training technology developed by a company called Advanced Simulation Technology inc. (ASTi). As they speak with ATC, the SERA system uses artificial intelligence software to react to what the student pilot is saying as their flight progresses, correcting them when they make mistakes, the university said.

At the time, Ken Byrnes, chair of the Flight Department at Embry-Riddles Daytona Beach, Florida, campus, shared that students who go through our new training program are better prepared when they step into an airplane. They also have lower anxiety and greater confidence due to their experience and understanding of what to expect in the aircraft.

When Byrnes presented an update at the Air Charter Safety Symposium in April, he shared in a presentation for the university that early completions have averaged 18 percent below the 2020-21 median cost to complete the private pilot course. Moreover, students seemed better prepared, less anxious, and demonstrated a higher mastery of the radio.

As the industry grapples with an actual pilot shortage, here is one tool thateven though it will require some adjustments to the way we do thingscould materially make flying more accessible for would-be pilots. At the professional level, this could reduce the strain on training departments already at capacity and lower training costs.

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Virtual Reality's Impact on Flight Training Continues to Grow - FLYING

The Smithsonian Institutions visitors will soon be one step closer to virtually walking on the moon.

A new collaboration between Meta and the Smithsonians Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall will allow visitors to put on a Meta Quest 2 VR headset and experience the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, which sent Neil Armstrong and others to the moon. Participants will be placed in the Eagle spacecraft before being able to walk on the moons surface.

You can literally walk around and look and see the lunar buggy next to you and look down and see the rocks and look at the horizon, says Rachel Goslins, director of the Arts and Industries Building. It has literally never been possible, unless you were an astronaut, to experience the moon this way.

The Moonwalk exhibit, which opens May 4, comes as museums around the world are exploring ways to use virtual reality technology to tell stories and engage with visitors, and as the Smithsonian promotes the recently revamped Arts and Industries Building with a renewed focus on exploring the future. While VR technology may be new, Goslins emphasizes the building and the Smithsonian have long played a role in introducing people to science and technology of both Earth and space. The museum is like the original immersive experience, she says.

Theres just a very large collection of scanned objects that are able to be accessed through our technology, says Monica Ars, head of Meta Immersive Learning, a company initiative providing $150 million in funding for metaverse and immersive experience projects.

The exhibit is part of an ongoing series exploring potential artifacts of the future. It relies on more than 7,000 photos taken by NASA astronauts on missions to the moon, stitched together and converted to 3D imagery by humans and AI software through a process called photogrammetry.

Visitors will also be able to hear conversations between astronauts and Mission Control staff as they explore the digital exhibition. They banter with each other; it just makes it so human, Goslins says.

This wont be the first time the Arts and Industries Building, first opened as the National Museum in 1881, lets visitors learn about the lunar expeditions of the 1960s and 70s. Just a few weeks after the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, Goslins says, visitors were able to see a rock retrieved from the lunar surface.

It was this mind-blowing experience for people, she says. A little bit later we actually had the Apollo command module and lunar lander in the building. As museumgoers wait to enter Moonwalk, theyll also be able to use augmented reality technology to explore the historic lunar command module as it sat in the building on display in the 1970s, and can take a virtual selfie in a digitized astronaut helmet.

The Smithsonian and Meta previously worked together on a virtual tour of Venice available online, though Moonwalk marks their first in-museum collaborative exhibition. Ars emphasizes the ability of VR to let people experience immersion in a particular place and time. It allows you to walk in other peoples shoes, she says, just like being able to walk with the astronauts who were able to go up to the moon.

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Smithsonian and Meta will let you experience the moon in virtual reality - BollyInside

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices are still relatively niche types of consumer products, considering their hefty price tags and limited uses. But many tech companies are making big bets on the VR/AR market blowing up in the coming years.

If bullish predictions about the VR/AR market are correct, three companies in particular stand to benefit thanks to their firm holds on their respective niches in the space: Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Sony (NYSE:SONY), and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). By investing in VR/AR stocks with a diversified range of focuses (social networking and social gaming for Facebook, narrative-driven gaming for Sony, and enterprise uses for Microsoft), investors can benefit from the rapid adoption across different industries.

Using AR headsets to view a digital image of a jet engine. Image Source: Microsoft.

Facebook's strategy for domination in VR started early with laying a solid foundation of technology and developer talent, mostly through acquiring existing VR hardware and software companies. Since its acquisition of Oculus VR in 2014,Facebook has acquired several other small yet high-performing studios likeBigBox and Unit 2. This talent lineup, combined with the company's early-mover status, put Facebook ahead of the competition in VR gaming.

The company's long-term vision for VR is much more grandiose than just gaming, though. Mark Zuckerberg has big plans for a Facebook-powered metaverse (essentially, a VR-powered social network or "digital world"), and the company stands light-years ahead of potential competitors in this sector thanks to its sheer user count and unmatched network effects. While Facebook still has some work to do in gaining public trust, it is one of the best bets on the future of VR and AR.

Sony's VR ambitions are focused more acutely on gaming -- especially on immersing players in the company's famous storyline-driven game franchises, as opposed to a social-driven game platform or metaverse. This focus is well suited for Sony's strong lineup of exclusive, narrative-based game franchises like God of War, The Last of Us, and most of the Uncharted titles.

Whether you're a gamer or not, the numbers don't lie: Sony's PS VR is the best-selling headset on the market today. This market leadership, combined with a forthcoming new PS VR built for the PlayStation 5, mean investors shouldn't overlook Sony as a leading stock in VR gaming.

While Microsoft has no public plans to develop VR or AR capabilities in its Xbox gaming division, the company's $22 billion contract to build AR headsets for the U.S. Army implies it will focus instead on VR/AR use in the government and enterprise sectors. Microsoft's enterprise "mixed reality" headset, the HoloLens 2, is used to train and guide employees through difficult tasks. For example, Lockheed Martin uses the HoloLens 2 to build spacecraft with efficient precision.

Microsoft is a great growth stock to own for multiple reasons, including its powerful cloud and Xbox's promising future in cloud gaming. The strong leadership position of the HoloLens 2 in enterprise and government solutions is yet another convincing reason to own the stock for the long haul.

Overall, expectations for high growth in the VR/AR space are not unwarranted. Fortune Business Insights forecasts that the global market for VR gaming will reach $45.2 billion by 2027 (from $5.1 billion in 2019).

This translates to a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.8%, compared to a CAGR of only 5.3% for the overall gaming console market over the same forecast period. After this market hits the ground running, investors will be glad to own the three VR/AR stocks discussed above.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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3 Virtual and Augmented Reality Stocks to Buy Right Now - The Motley Fool

Makana Chock

Makana Chock, David J. Levidow Professor of Communications in the Newhouse School, has been awarded a $75,000 research grant from Facebook Reality Labs to explore the impacts of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) on bystander privacy.

Chock will work withSe Jung Kim, a doctoral student in Newhousesmass communicationsprogram. They will focus on two countries with disparate cultural normsthe U.S. and South Koreato examine the impact of cultural differences on privacy concerns and ultimately inform the design of AR/VR technology.

This is another example of how many of the leading communications companies in the world are turning to the Newhouse School to better understand some of the challenges we are facing as a society, says Newhouse Dean Mark J. Lodato.

Chock developed her proposal, AR/VR recording: Cultural differences in perceptions of bystander privacy, in response to Facebooks request for proposals on responsible innovation in AR/VR: Consider Everyone.

Chock says the ubiquitous and covert nature of AR/VR recording poses the threat of serious privacy violations as bystanders are captured without permission. At the same time, different societies often have different concepts of bystander privacy, and those differences are reflected in the way image recording is regulated.

In the individualist culture of the U.S., recording bystanders in a public space is largely accepted and often protected under the First Amendment. In the collectivist culture of South Korea, where a higher premium is placed on privacy, express permission is required to record individuals. Yet even there, younger adults regularly post images and recordings on social media that may contain bystanders.

Additionally, Chock says bystander privacy issues are especially important when it comes to vulnerable populations like immigrants.

Over the last few years, immigrants in both the U.S. and South Korea have faced restrictions and increased scrutiny from the government agencies, as well as discrimination and bullying from some members of their communities, she says. These factors may heighten concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of immigrants personal information or images. It is therefore important to increase awareness among AR/VR users of bystanders concerns and the potential for inadvertent harm.

The three-part study will begin with an online survey conducted in both countries to assess potential differences in bystanders privacy perceptions and concerns and identify additional concerns of targeted immigrant groups. The team will then conduct a series of in-depth interviews with a subset of survey participants to provide additional qualitative data about cultural differences in bystander privacy concerns. Finally, they will facilitate a series of focus groups comprised of U.S. and South Korean users in a multi-user social VR environment in order to determine if the cultural differences seen in real world public spaces also apply in social VR spaces.

Chock is set to be the founding research director of the Newhouse Schools new XR lab and is co-leader of the Virtual and Immersive Interactionsresearch clusterat Syracuse University.

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Newhouse Professor Wins Facebook Reality Labs Research Grant to Study Impacts of Augmented and Virtual Reality - Syracuse University News

TikTok parent company ByteDance seems to be looking to one-up Facebook anywhere it can. After taking over the mantle of most-downloaded social media app in the world with TikTok, ByteDance is coming for Facebooks moonshot, buying up its own virtual reality headset maker called Pico.

The deal first reported on by Bloomberg last week was confirmed by the company on Monday, though ByteDance didnt disclose a price tag for the deal. Pico had raised some $62 million in venture funding from Chinese firms, including a $37 million Series B in March. Like Oculus, they create both hardware and software for their VR devices. Unlike Oculus, they have a substantial presence in China. Pico may not hold the same name recognition as Oculus or HTC, but the company is a top VR hardware maker, selling to consumer audiences in China and enterprise customers in the Western world.

With Pico finding its home now at ByteDance, two of the worlds largest virtual reality brands now reside inside social media companies. Ironically, many of the companys North American customers Ive chatted with over the years seem to have at least partially opted for Pico headsets over Oculus hardware due to general weariness of Facebooks data and ads-dependent business models, which they fear Oculus will eventually become a larger part of.

Its no secret that the virtual reality market has been slow out of the gate, but Facebook has blazed the trail for the technology, dumping billions of dollars into an ecosystem that traditional investors have largely seemed uninterested in, in recent years.

Without knowing broad terms of the deal (Im asking around), its hard to determine whether this is a moment of resurgence for VR or another sign of a contracting market. What seems most likely to me is that ByteDance is indeed interested in building out a consumer VR brand and is aiming to follow in Facebooks footsteps closely while learning from their missteps and capitalizing on their contributions to the ecosystem. Whether the company solely focuses on the consumer markets in China or loosely pursues enterprise clients stateside as well is a big question ByteDance will have to address.

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TikTok owner ByteDance buys a top virtual reality hardware startup - TechCrunch

At this point in the pandemic, I would happily sit through a meeting that could have been an email if it meant being in the same room with a bunch of work friends. So when Facebook releasedHorizon Workrooms, an app that allows people to gather in a virtual-reality office, I was prepared to keep an open mind about its potential.

After all, humanity seems destined to one day leap into the metaverse, the internetwe will not just use but inhabit, so why not check out a vision of what that might look like according to a powerful company that hopes to help shape it, for better or worse.

Only two other people at my office own, or will admit to owning, an Oculus Quest 2 headset, the $300 headset required to experience Workrooms in VR. Together we created a tiny focus group: This would be the first time wed try to connect with others avatars in a virtual workspace.

Fortunately for Facebook, peoples lasting impressions of experiences are heavily influenced by how they end and not how they begin. Unfortunately for us, our onboarding process was bumpy.

As the only Gen-Xer in the group, I worried I might live up to stereotypes about older employees being stumped by new technology, so I was mortified when I could not find my way into the first meeting room I was invited to join. Instead, I landed on the virtual screen that acts as a portal for non-virtual guests to attend any gathering, as if on a regular video call.

Looking through my headset, I could see my cartoon avatar waiting to be teleported. On my laptop screen, the avatar for Quartzs CEO, a willing participant in our little experiment, sat alone. When I created a meeting room and invited him, we found ourselves in the same predicament, but with our roles reversed. (For the record, its surreal and somewhat embarrassing to be a dorky avatar staring up at the image of a real person on a video call-in screen. I understand why this feature has to exist when headsets are not yet in everyones tech arsenal, but I doubt that avatar-video hybrid meetings will be a hit.)

By our second attempt, I figured out what had gone wrong: Although it would seem intuitive to use your company email account to sign up for a workplace product, you actually need to log in with the same address you use for Facebook. This had not been obvious to me, nor to a third member of our group who also first appeared on the video screen in her headset. The takeaway: If youre going to try Workrooms, be prepared to share your ancient hotmail address, or maybe a nickname that hasnt been a part of your life since college, with your present-day peers and manager.

Eventually, all three of us came together in the apps conference room, where we initially spent some time checking out our digital bodies. The Oculus had warned us that legs may not be possible in every app, so it wasnt exactly surprising to find our bodies disappeared into floating blue office chairs at about hip level, but it was distracting.

It turns out that this isnt merely a result of Facebook rushing out a product a bit early, in VR, replicating legs that can walk or run is complicated, so they are absent in other VR meeting apps, too, including within the more graphically rich Spatial app, and in MeetinVR.

You might imagine then that ones virtual arms would compensate for the missing bottom limbs, but in Workrooms, they were instead unwieldy at times, often busy with their own projects underneath our virtual conference room table, or hanging in mid-air.

The app insists that users turn on hand tracking so your plastic controllers can be used as whiteboard pens, but the hand and finger functions seem glitchy and frustrating. To pick something up or select from menu items, youre supposed to make a pinching motion with your real fingers, which takes practice. At times we appeared to lose our CEOs attention as his avatar stared at his hands grabbing the air, seemingly catching flies Karate Kid-style.

Next, we checked out all the things our avatars could do in the programs bright, extremely generic conference room. Considering the resources Facebook would have at its disposal, we found the list of impressive in-app features surprisingly short. Heres what we liked:

By adding the remote desktop, a person could, in theory, spend their entire day working inside this other reality, popping in and out of virtual meetings. However, its unlikely that anyone would actually want to do that. After about 20 minutes, the Oculus 2 headset becomes hot and heavy on a persons face. Long meetings would also mean charging the hardware periodically because Workrooms seems to tax the battery.

But beyond the physical limitations, theres a bigger problem: The virtual rooms are so dull that a person would quickly run out of reasons to stay there.

Yes, you can switch up the seating arrangement so that youre facing your peers or taking in a presentation, and you can jump into a new seat in a blink just to view the room from different angles, but thats really all there is. You cannot huddle around a coffee bar for an informal chat, bond over foosball, or lounge in a Moon Pod.

Workrooms, in other words, only recreates the things we dont miss about office meetings, like the opportunity to watch someone give a PowerPoint presentation. Somehow, the worlds biggest social media site forgot to make its latest product social. And without unstructured time in the company of others in VR or elsewhere, its hard to imagine having the kinds of conversations that lead to creative breakthroughs and keep people motivated, or get people interested in the metaverse.

While it may be unfair to mock the details that will surely be refined as the software moves out of betafor example, how are the perpetually pleasant half-smiles on the avatars faces going to land during serious discussions?the apps dry focus on a corporate ritual is a let-down. We definitely expected to find more than an unremarkable conference room in the first virtual space Facebook has debuted since Zuckerbergs ode to the metaverse on an earnings call.

Still, I had to admit when I peeled off my headset that it felt like I actually had been somewhere else, with other people, for a change.

The virtual trip was not as energizing as the real visit to the office I made before the delta variant began surging, and I think we will need more private spaces if were actually going to socialize in a virtual office. But I do understand the optimistic forecasts that say the enterprise VR market will expand, possibly reaching $4 billion by 2023. (A few big firms, including PwC, have already begun experimenting with VR meetings.)

Its not a bad bet given the future that awaits us. One day, VR goggles might be lighter and the graphics less clumsy than they are today, but office closures during grim public health crises or devastating climate events may be just as common.

Originally posted here:

Facebook Workrooms: the worst of in-person office life, now in VR - Quartz

It's free to attend, but donations are welcome.Virtual Burning Man

The iconic desert festival Burning Man has moved entirely online for 2021 over COVID concerns, allowing attendees to roam the art-laden landscapes from the comfort of their own home and inside virtual reality, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Its not the first time the festivalhas moved online. Last year, a VR experience had to be put together in record time as the pandemic was only getting started. An estimated half a million people attended the virtual event at the time, according to the WSJ, over five times the amount that attended the in-person Burning Man back in 2019.

Attending this years event is also free, though donations are accepted. You can check out an overview of the virtual space for yourself here, straight from your browser.

Its a major shift for the many Burners who are usually willing to travel long distances to attend the event, normally held in the Nevada desert. This time, all they will have to do is strap on a VR headset to get their Burning Man freak on.

The event, called Virtual Burnthis year, is themed around decommodification, free expression, and self-reliance.

The events theme is The Great Unknown perhaps a nod to our uncertain future in the midst of a global pandemic and will include the traditional burning of a giant wooden effigy, the eponymous Burning Man. A real effigy will actually be lit in the desert, but the lighting will be livestreamed over VR as well, the WSJ reports.

COVID isnt keeping all physical Burners away. An unofficial event called Renegade Burn being held in the Nevada desert is expecting some 10,000 people gathering at the site, according to Billboard.

Similarly, last year saw a large group of people attend a Not-Burning Man for their own unofficial event.

But at least organizers are trying their best to make virtual Burners feel like theyre attending the real thing this year. They programmed in a rainstorm in the desert, causing hours of virtualized delays just like it did in real life back in 2013.

READ MORE: How Could Burning Man Get Weirder? When Its in Your Living Room. [The Wall Street Journal]

More on Burning Man: Neuralink Co-Founder Has an Idea for a New Religion

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Burning Man Is Completely in Virtual Reality This Year - Futurism

CAMBRIDGE, MAAccording to a new report issued Monday by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, years of advances in virtual reality have brought users no closer to being able to make out with a digital interface resembling Abraham Lincoln. While technology can now provide us with convincing interactive experiences in a variety of artificial environments, we are still unable to simulate convincing, steamy tongue kisses with President Lincoln, said MIT professor Spencer Roberts, explaining that VR had repeatedly failed to recreate the sensations of loosening the 16th U.S. presidents black bow tie, caressing his chest, feeling his taut, well-muscled shoulders, and wrapping ones legs around his powerful 6-foot-4-inch frame. Weve spent close to $65 million on this problem, and while we have succeeded in providing users with a recreation of what his stiff beard might have felt like against their cheek, we have yet to construct a workable replication of this rail-splitting frontiersmans lean and lanky flesh, which they could then explore with their lips. Its unfortunate, because this technology showed so much promise back in 1990, when we first built a computer that could run a 16-bit animated graphic of Lincoln doing a striptease that concluded with him wearing nothing but his stovepipe hat. Roberts went on to contrast the failure with VRs runaway success in building a simulation of what it would feel like to get drilled from behind by Lyndon B. Johnson.

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Report: Virtual Reality Still No Closer To Allowing Users To Make Out With Abraham Lincoln - The Onion

A study done by Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the Keck School of Medicine of USC shows that engaging in virtual reality may also reduce the need for anesthetics.

Anyone who has watched a child face a doctor with a needle knows how stressful those moments can be for all involved. For children with serious medical conditions undergoing frequent procedures like blood draws and catheter placements, the ongoing anxiety and fear can take a toll. Now, a study published in JAMA Network Open shows that virtual reality can decrease pain and anxiety in children undergoing intravenous (IV) catheter placement.

Jeffrey Gold, PhD, a professor of clinical anesthesiology, pediatrics, psychiatry & behavioral sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and an investigator at The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, has been investigating the use of virtual reality (VR) for nearly two decades as a technique to help children undergoing painful medical procedures. His research shows that the technology can make a big difference in a patients experience. In fact, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles now routinely offers VR for blood draws.

Some patients dont even realize that their blood is being drawn, says Dr. Gold. Compare that to a child who is panicking and screaming, and its a no-brainer. We want kids to feel safe.

Turning pain and fear into childs play

This new study examines whether engaging in a VR game can prevent pain and ease stress for patients undergoing a peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) placement. The game is simple but requires focus and participation. Patients in one group played the VR game throughout the procedure, while those in another group received standard of care the use of a local anesthetic cream coupled with distraction techniques. The patients who used VR reported significantly lower levels of pain and anxiety.

We can actually reduce pain without the use of a medication, says Dr. Gold. The mind is incredibly powerful at shifting focus and actually preventing pain from being registered. If we can tap into that, we can make the experience much better for our kids.

Children arent the only ones who benefit

This is one of the first studies to analyze the effects of VR not only from the patient perspective, but also from that of the clinician and the patients family or caregivers. All three of these groups reported a more positive experience with the use of VR.

We started this as a way to mitigate pain and overall distress in children. But caregivers and healthcare providers are also reporting improved outcomes, adds Dr. Gold. Effectively treating the patient clearly has a ripple effect.

Consider a typical scenario in which a child has a chronic illness and must routinely receive PIVC placement. A patient experiencing anxiety about her procedure may tense up, making it more difficult for the clinician to find a vein and insert the catheter. If multiple attempts are necessary, a childs fear may amplify, causing a snowball effect, which in turn may impact medical adherence and ultimately long-term health outcomes.

If, on the other hand, the patient plays a virtual game while undergoing the procedure, she may relax and experience less pain, improving the overall experience for the child, the family, and the healthcare provider.

Stress actually causes veins to constrict, says Dr. Gold, but you dont need to know the physiology to know that its better to have a relaxed kid.

The ripple effect goes further. A childs experience during a visit sets the tone for future visits. If the experience feels traumatic, the child and family may be less likely to adhere with scheduled visits or may feel more stressed coming back to the hospital. We dont want a childs healthcare experience to be another adverse childhood experience, says Gold. Adverse childhood experiences, also called ACEs, can lead to poor health outcomes.

We care about the healthcare experience that children have, says Dr. Gold. By reducing fear associated with routine procedures, we prepare the child to begin treatment with a more positive outlook, and this can affect their health for a lifetime.

About the study

The studys co-authors include Michelle SooHoo, PhD, Andrea M. Laikin, PhD, Arianna S. Lane, BA, and Margaret J. Klein, MS, of The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

This research is funded by Beatrice and Paul Bennett, the Tower Cancer Foundation, the Cancer Free Generation, and hardware and software donations from AppliedVR. Dr Gold reports providing consultation to AppliedVR and receiving equity in the form of stock options outside the submitted work.

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Playing a virtual reality game during medical procedures can reduce pain and anxiety in children | Keck School of Medicine of USC - USC News

Venice VR Expanded co-creators Liz Rosenthal and Michel Reilhac have warned of freedom of expression issues threatening to stop daring and ground-breaking VR work being seen widely.

The Venice organisers need to work with the leading VR platforms, who are generally strong supporters of artists in the fast growing VR field, in order to distribute virtual-reality projects online. The hitch comes with what these platforms are allowing to be seen.

They have a very strict moral code with very strictly defined family moral values, Reilhac said.

Any piece that does not comply with the platforms criteria is rejected, he explained. Nudity and sex are completely impossible to show on any of the platforms which really contradicts the notion that VR is a new art form and that therefore new artists want to use the medium to express freely their story worlds, Reilhac added.

This means, for example, that some works chosen for the Venice programme cant be shown through the platforms. Taiwanese director Tung-yen Chous sexually explicit In The Mist, dealing with a gay experience in a male sauna, is one example of a project affected.

We had to pull it out of competition because it cannot be seen on the platforms but weve kept it as a special event, Reilhac noted.

In The Mist can only be seen in Venice itself or in one of the satellite cities but cannot be experienced online.

Highly politicised projects are also being affected.

A panel is being held in Venice on September 8 as part of the VR Expanded progamme to explore the options available to artists whose work does not fit within the family values boundaries set by some of the VR platforms.

After a fully virtual edition last year, the Venice VR Expanded programme has returned to the Lido as a physical event, albeit on a smaller scale than in previous years.Based in rooms in the Venice Casino, the VR programme has had to vacate (for now) its old home on Lazzaretto Vecchio, an island 50 yards off the Lido. This means it lacks the space and facilities to host or present installations.

However, the online presence continues to grow while satellite cites including Beijing, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Moscow, Portland and Barcelona are also producing their own local events at which the Venice VR selections are being showcased.

A new VRChat metaverse world gallery has also been established. There are 24 projects in Competition; 11 projects in the Best Of section; one project in the Biennale College Cinema VR section and one special event, out of competition.

Competition projects include Barry Gene Murphy and May Abdallas Goliath, a story of a man with schizophrenia who finds connection with the world by playing video games. It is narrated by Tilda Swinton.

Another high-profile title in competition is Glimpse, directed by the Irish filmmaking duo Benjamin Cleary and VR creator Michael OConnor, and which stars Taron Egerton and Lucy Boynton. The anthropomorphic tale details the break-up of a relationship between a panda and a deer.

Another competition title highlighted by the organisers is Taiwanese director Hsin-chien Huangs Samsara, a dystopian project set in a near future in which the environment has been completely destroyed by the human race. Humans have to flee to find a new home in space. They re-engineer their DNA and evolve into a new form and then search for a new planet on which to live.

All the competition works are world premieres.

Venice remains the only major festival which includes VR as an integral part of its main programme. The other festivals that have a significant VR section, they all have it on the side. Its not part of the official selection, says Reilhac. I guess it is because they dont believe yet it (VR) is an art form. We are very, very thankful to the Biennale and to Alberto Barbera, the artistic director, to trust us and give us the time over the years to really show that this is an art form.

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Freedom of expression issues clouding virtual reality world, according to Venice VR Expanded heads - Screen International

Apples virtual or augmented reality headset will rely on another device such as a connected iPhone or Mac, according to a new report.

The company has been long rumoured to be working on its own headset, which would either create whole new virtual realities or layer graphics on top of the real world to create an augmented reality.

Now new details suggest that it will include its own specially-designed chip, which will lack some of the power of the processors in other devices like the iPhone or Mac. Instead, when it needs those capabilities, it will communicate with another device that is nearby, according to the new report from The Information.

It will not have the neural engine that sits at the centre of the iPhone, iPad and Mac and allows it to do artificial intelligence or machine learning processes more quickly, for instance.

But it will instead have specific capabilities designed to address the needs of such a headset. It will be able to wirelessly send and receive data particularly quickly, and will be better at decompressing video, the report claimed.

Apple pursued a similar strategy with its earlier Watches, which handed much of the complicated processing over to the iPhone with which it was paired. Over time, as battery life has improved and processor speed has increased, the Apple Watch has become more capable on its own.

The same report also claims that the headset will have an image sensor the size of the lenses that work as displays, and has proven difficult in manufacturing. That would presumably allow for the creation of augmented reality experiences not by layering virtual objects on top of the world, but by taking video of that world and showing users a new and edited video.

Rumours of an upcoming Apple AR or VR headset have been swirling for years, but have become more concrete and precise in recent months, seemingly as the product comes close to launch.

Reports have suggested that Apple is in fact planning two distinct versions of the headset. The first will offer high end VR capabilities but at a high price and in a potentially unwieldy helmet-style design, which could only be aimed at developers; the more mainstream version that packs all that into smaller hardware and a lower price point and is aimed primarily at augmented reality is expected to follow later.

The exact timing of those release dates remain unclear. Some have suggested the first, larger headset will arrive next year, though it could be the year after; the glasses have been rumoured to arrive somewhere between 2023 and 2025.

Apple and its chief executive Tim Cook have spoken in detail about their plans for augmented reality, which is already central to the iPhone and iPad, including with the addition of LiDAR sensors that can create 3D models of the space. Mr Cook has been optimistic about augmented reality since at least 2017, when he told The Independent that the technology will change the world and that Apples combination of hardware and software meant it was uniquely positioned to lead that transformation.

But it has been much quieter about its plans for specific hardware built for virtual reality. It is yet to publicly confirm that it is even working on such technology, despite a number of leaks.

Mr Cook said in that same interview that the company would only ship its own virtual or augmented reality products when it could do so in a quality way.

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Apples virtual reality headset could borrow power from iPhones and Macs, report claims - The Independent

Thirdverse, the developer behind Swords of Gargantua, is planning to release a new sword fighting game in early 2022.

Famitsu confirmed this in a recent interview with Thirdverses Teruyuki Toriyama who told the site the developer is planning to launch a sword fighting action game in early 2022. Toriyama revealed that the new gamed will be geared towards casual players as opposed to Swords of Gargantua.

It isnt clear whether the new game will feature any connection to Thirdverses older title. The developers Swords of Gargantua is still undergoing several updates and strongly emphasizes sword combat. It is also known to be exceedingly tough and the earliest comparisons of the game referenced the Dark Soul series. It seems like the new experience of the game will be casting the net a little wider and embracing more players who may not be able to cope with the difficulty in Swords of Gargantua.

The Toriyama interview didnt reveal any platforms but he did note that the Oculus Quest headset left an impact on him after several years as a producer at Sony Interactive Entertainment where he worked on both PSVR and flatscreen titles.

Thirdverse has recently raised more than $10 million to be pumped into virtual reality titles and it roped in Inxile Entertainment boss Brian Fargo to the company in an advisory capacity. Thirdverse also tapped on Hironao Kunimitsu to steer the company.

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Thirdverse to Launch a New VR Sword Fighting Game in Early 2022 - Virtual Reality Times

The Virtual Reality in Tourism Market report upholds the future market predictions related to Virtual Reality in Tourism market size, revenue, production, Consumption, gross margin and other substantial factors. It also examines the role of the prominent Virtual Reality in Tourism market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview. While emphasizing the key driving factors for Virtual Reality in Tourism market, the report also offers a full study of the future trends and developments of the market.

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Virtual Reality in Tourism Market Size Growth Forecast 2020 to 2025 - Northwest Diamond Notes

Apples mixed reality headset will need a device thats better able to handle the bulk of the computations required for the screen.

If we believe the rumors currently circulating, An apple In recent months she will be working on a virtual / augmented reality headset. Some say that the launch of this new product could happen as early as this year, or next year, but it must be admitted that very little is known about this project. However, a new report from The Information brings Some new details about this supposed device.

Thus, according to the article in question, Apple has finished work on the chip that will equip this headset. The first phase of production testing to test the physical design will be ready to begin. And apparently, TSMC is Apples preferred partner for this chip, which is not too surprising because the Chinese manufacturer is very close to Cupertino.

The report goes on to explain that although the device is indeed wireless, it must be connected to another device. It can be a smartphone, tablet or computer, and it is the latter that will perform the bulk of the calculations required for viewing in virtual / augmented reality.

Its no surprise that Apple made the decision to use the computing power of an iPhone or iPad to do the heavy lifting for the headset. Right now, the Apple Watch still needs the iPhone to receive notifications and calls (unless you opt for the LTE version, of course). Apple recently left clues here and there about its intentions for augmented and virtual reality without confirming the development of a product dedicated to the technology.

Its also hard to know when this helmet will be able to see daylight. If the first production tests can begin anyway, theres a good chance that marketing wont happen this year. So it will be 2022 at best.

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Apple VR/Augmented Reality Headset must be connected to iPhone - Tech News Inc

Although augmented and virtual reality technology is still in the early stages of development, instructors in K-12 and higher education have become increasingly open to making it a staple of classroom instruction, according to a recent report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a science and technology policy think tank.

The report, The Promise of Immersive Learning: Augmented and Virtual Realitys Potential in Education, said AR/VR technology could prove itself as a promising addition to ed-tech toolkits at schools and universities in the years ahead. Ellysse Dick, ITIF policy analyst and author of the report, said the future adoption of AR/VR ed-tech tools could provide schools with more immersive content and experiential learning opportunities to help close achievement gaps.

It expands access to opportunity, she said of its applications. A virtual field trip isnt a full replacement for a real-life field trip, but for those students who wouldnt otherwise be able to visit places that might be a bus ride away for others, VR can give them opportunities to experience some of those things.

Dick said interest in AR/VR for education had already been rising prior to 2020, when schools and universities adopted digital learning tools mostly out of necessity. According to the report, 85 percent of public school teachers reported seeing great value in AR/VR ed-tech platforms in a 2019 survey. Additionally, two-thirds of higher education institutions had either partially or fully deployed AR/VR solutions in 2018.

Dick said cost and content offerings remain two key barriers to the mass adoption of AR/VR in schools, however.

Though Dick said it could be years until AR/VR tools become commonplace in schools, the report noted several case studies outlining its applications in K-12 schools to date. K-12 instructors now have access to programs like BioDive, a web-based VR platform designed to teach middle school students about marine biodiversity, as well as Project VOISS, a U.S. Department of Education-funded program that uses VR for neurodiverse students to practice learning social skills, among other use cases.

Gamification, which has been widely shown to be beneficial to learning, is one of the huge advantages of VR and AR in education, Dick said of current use cases. That really brings them into the experience and gives them a longer lasting knowledge base for the future.

According to the reports case studies, the University of Oregon Center for Applied Second Language Studies launched a Virtual and Augmented Reality Language Training (VAuLT) program in 2018, allowing language learners to practice foreign languages in real-world settings. Oxford launched a VR-based medical simulation platform to practice patient care scenarios, as other institutions explore applications in health sciences.

I think higher ed is looking good for VR, especially when we talk about things like STEM and medical education and even career and technical education, she said. For K-12, its a lot more up in the air.

Thirty percent of parents remain very concerned about the potential negative impacts of VR in schools and increased screen time among children, according to a 2018 report by Common Sense Media. Another 2020 study from Perkins Coie and the XR Association named education as the second most likely sector to be disrupted by immersive technologies in the near future, indicating some mixed feelings.

Noting concerns about efficacy and adoption costs, the ITIF report recommended funding from the Department of Education for research and development of AR/VR in education, as well as funding for school adoption efforts.

While schools have received billions in federal coronavirus relief funds for technology, Dick said most of it isnt geared specifically to AR/VR.

There have been investments in AR and VR, but theyre part of broader ed-tech considerations, she said. This sort of technology is at a certain point where we need a concerted effort to bring it into classrooms and to bring it to classrooms the right way.

The only way to do that is to have the research to understand what that means and to use that research to solicit proposals for targeted investments in the content area, as well as [making sure] the right technology gets into schools.

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Report Finds Promise for AR/VR in K-12 and Higher Ed - Government Technology

Its a bit tough to trace Lottery back to its very inception, but its almost sure that the game started around the 1600s. Since then, it has definitely come a long way. In the early 21st century, the lottery has reached the peak of its popularity. It was a time when people used to wait for the results to be declared on TV channels.

However, the Lottery of that time is nothing compared to what it is right now. Not only have the prize money risen greatly, but the anticipation, player-base, and the technology used to draw the lottery have developed by a great deal as well. Platforms like lottoroyals.com have been improving their technology tirelessly to provide a better experience.

In this article, well take a look at how online lotteries have changed in recent years.

Online lotteries have changed greatly in recent years, thanks to the advancements in the computer sector. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning (DP), and Machine Learning (ML) has changed the entire lottery industry.

Unlike the randomness of the lottery industry that we used to see previously, we now have a completely stable industry that understands how the players and the industry itself are performing. Now that they can provide a stable and controlled experience to the players, they are slowly developing the overall user experience.

Although online lotteries have made life much easier, they have taken one key element from the lives of the players, the entire lottery experience.

Its seen that most of the veterans miss the way they used to drive down to their local post office to stand in the queue, write a few numbers, and scratch themselves a card meanwhile. This traditional lottery experience is missed by a lot of the players who now draw on online platforms. Not only lottery but its also being missed by poker players and other online gamblers.

Well, thanks to the advancement of the online industry, perhaps itll be possible for the industries to provide a more traditional experience to the players. This will not only make the experience better for the older players, but itll also make things for the new players.

This can only be done through virtual reality. Weve already seen a few fictional movies and series on how virtual reality can be harnessed to give the players an ultra-realistic gaming experience.

ALSO READ: THE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL REALITY ON THE WORLD OF GAMING

If virtual reality can be used properly, the entire experience of a traditional lottery game can be simulated. We have different gears for the simulation as well. For example, the visuals can be simulated using a VR headset. To simulate touch and movement, VR gloves and other appropriate sensors can be used.

Even though we still lack the technology to simulate a hyper-realistic lottery experience, we can still simulate the touch and some of the visuals. However, as the technology is developing faster than ever, itll be possible to simulate hyper-realistic visuals and overall experience in a few years of time.

Itll take a few more years for the technology to reach the mass people, and then itll finally be possible to enjoy the traditional lottery experience from your home.

Another major change that may come to the online lottery system is that things may become subscription-based, like most of the other services in the world. Getting a subscription will automate the entire process of buying a ticket.

If you dont want the lottery experience and just want to try your luck at a lottery game, then this will definitely help you out. In this case, a subscription will buy a lottery for you automatically after a certain period.

Bottom LineSo this was everything about what virtual reality has done to the online lottery industry. As you can see, virtual reality can change the way you take part in an online lottery, and that too, for the better.

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Virtual Reality and Online Lotteries: What Has Changed in Recent Years - PC Tech Magazine

In recent years, medicine has turned to alternate ways to alleviate the pain and anxiety that many children experience during medical procedures. When children must undergo peripheral intravenous catheter placement, does the use of an immersive virtual reality experience perform better than standard care with pain and anxiety management?1

Investigators performed a randomized clinical trail from April 2017 to July 2019 in patients aged 10 to 21 years who received peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter placement in 2 clinical settings: radiology department and an infusion center at an urban pediatric academic medical center. Clinicians, caregivers, and patients completed questionnaires before and after the placement, which asked about patient pain, anxiety, and sensitivity to anxiety. Patients were randomized to get standard care, which involved simple distraction techniques such as coloring as well as the application of a numbing cream, or a virtual reality intervention.

There were a total of 107 patients who completed the clinical trial: 54 in the standard care arm and 53 who received the virtual reality intervention. Those who had the virtual reality intervention had significantly lower average post- peripheral IV catheter scores than standard care when clinician-reported (2.04 points [95% CI, 1.37-2.71 points] vs 3.34 points [95% CI, 2.69-3.99 points]; P=.002) and patient-reported (1.85 points [95% CI, 1.28-2.41 points] vs 3.14 points [95% CI, 2.59-3.68 points]; P<.001). Similarly, there were significantly lower average peripheral IV catheter placement pain scores when patient-reported (1.34 points [95% CI, 0.63-2.05 points] vs 2.54 points [95% CI, 1.78-3.30 points]; P=.002), caregiver-reported (1.87 points [95% CI, 0.99-2.76 points] vs3.01 points [95% CI. 1.98-4.03 points]; P=.04), and clinician-reported (2.05 points [95% CI, 1.47-2.63 points] vs 3.59 points [95% CI, 2.97-4.22 points]; P<.001).

Patients who had a virtual reality intervention experienced significantly less anxiety and pain than those who were given standard care. The use of a variety of viewpoints (patient, caregiver, and clinician) provided a large array of data on pain and anxiety, more than would have been possible in a study that only looked at patient reporting.

Reference

1. Gold J, SooHoo M, Laikin A, Lane A, Klein M. Effect of an immersive virtual reality intervention on pain and anxiety associated with peripheral intravenous catheter placement in the pediatric setting. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(8):e2122569. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22569

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Can VR help with pain and anxiety during painful procedures? - Contemporary Pediatrics

They feel relaxed and enjoy the experience, which is a nice thing to be able to say during a work day, Fritz-Kalish says. [It means] the whole day isnt just about working for someone else, they have done something that nourishes themselves.

Talk of wellness programs has been popularised in the past decade with the rise of tech giants and our increasingly digitised workforce, but it tends to evoke notions of free kombucha and nap pods, often drawing eye-rolls from workers fed up with superficial initiatives that avoid dealing with systemic problems of stress and burnout.

Past studies have found that employee wellbeing programs dont lead to significant improvements in physical health markers, rates of medical diagnosis and job performance, despite participants reporting they engage in more positive behaviour, like regular exercise, or perceive themselves as healthier.

But in a post-COVID world in which personal health is at the fore, workplace wellness can be a lever to lure employees back to the office. Workers have relished the benefits of operating from home: a Fair Work Commission survey found only 5 per cent want to return to the workplace full-time. So while most offices are now diligent about hygiene measures and social distancing rules, drawing people in will take more than just plenty of hand sanitiser.

Allied health provider Better Rehab reopened its Melbourne offices in October and quickly expanded its wellbeing program (which includes wellness leave for self-care days and discounted gym classes) to launch a daily breakfast bar for its 80 employees.

Each weekday from 8am, the staff kitchen hosts a spread of cereals, pastries and fresh fruit with hygiene measures in place.

Victorian manager Kyle Platek says the idea is to support good nutrition at the start of the day and provide the team a chance to socialise before they begin to work.

Better Rehabs Kyle Platek and Jenna Cardamone have been enjoying free daily team breakfasts.Credit:Eddie Jim

Funnily enough no one spoke about it really in the beginning but in practice its the one we hear the most talked about. People seem to really bond it generates some nice common ground, Platek says.

Twice a month the menu is expanded most recently, with bacon and eggs while the business has also been arranging what it calls magnet events, such as Fur Fridays when staff can bring their dogs in.

Theyre a deliberate effort made to help bring people back in and be together, Platek says.

Libby Sander, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Bond University, says in-office wellbeing measures can help entice people to the workplace, and ones that have a social or mental health element will be particularly effective.

[Its about] having purpose around the reason youre going to the office, Sander says. I think employee wellbeing programs are very important and even if people arent stressed by the job, theyre stressed by whats going on externally. So I think its as, if not more, important than ever.

But these initiatives are unlikely to convince people to return full-time, she says, with a hybrid model expected to be most popular. People have seen a new way of doing things I dont think its enough of a trade-off, two hours of commuting [every day] for a nice coffee machine and free gym at lunchtime.

The new Sydney headquarters of business software company SAP ANZ is designed to emulate some of the positive impacts of working from home, says head of human resources Debbie Rigger.

A wellness room with cushions and yoga mats designed by Unispace for Pfizers Dublin office in mid-2020.

Staff who choose to return have access to treadmill desks and a shared wellness hub called The Nest, which includes a reformer Pilates studio and an area for fitness and yoga classes, as well as health seminars.

There have also been layout changes to foster team collaboration and socialising, with table tennis and pool tables. [It] has been designed like a big fun house and it feels like family.

Ian Worthy, principal of strategy at commercial interiors design firm Unispace, says many organisations are reconfiguring the workplace to offer what cant be experienced at home. Some offices are turning areas with rows of desks and closed meeting rooms into team huddle spaces, amphitheatres and flat rooms for yoga and mindfulness classes. Bike and car parking is also a focus.

The return to work is much more purposeful than its been before. You dont return to work [just] because its Monday ... Smart organisations are getting to understand that, Worthy says.

So how can businesses avoid falling into the well-worn trap of gimmicky wellness programs?

Sanders key message to employers is to implement wellbeing initiatives that staff actually want or are evidence-based, not fads, while remaining focused on the overall work culture.

Organisational psychologist Dr Amanda Ferguson is sceptical of work-wellbeing programs and cautions against measures to build resilience rather than genuinely helping employees.

Its like a bandaid. It doesnt solve the problem [of resourcing and workload], Ferguson says. If you have a good culture and you have [wellness] perks and theyre adding to your message, staff are more likely to buy into them. But if they think theyre just an overlay to a structural problem youre just breeding cynicism.

Start your week with practical tips and expert advice to help you make the most of your personal health, relationships, fitness and nutrition. Sign up to our Live Well newsletter sent every Monday.

Sophie is Deputy Lifestyle Editor for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

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Virtual reality meditation and breakfast bars: Can wellness save the office? - Sydney Morning Herald

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook, made a short appearance on the audio-only Clubhouse app as Zuck23. Clubhouse is a new social networking app that provides audio-only rooms. The recent club house meeting was hosted by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and CEO Vlad Tenev. They discussed about the crisis which the game stock market is in these days. Mark Zuckerberg talked about the future of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology and also discussed about the contribution the company will be providing to these two platforms in the near future and the progress it has made till now.

Talking about the corona virus pandemic and how it hit everywhere else Mark Zuckerberg said that one thing that this pandemic and the lockdown has taught is that working doesnt always require physical appearances and that work can be done from home and from anywhere as well, he said that VR and AR platforms can make that happen more fully in the future. VR will unlock the chance where one can live anywhere he wants but can also be present at someplace else and still feel like hes actually there. With the work Facebooks Reality Lab is doing these days it is soon to be expected that Facebook will make this happen soon virtually and that is the main focus of the Labs as well, i.e. to create the sense of presence without actually being present physically. Mr. Zuckerberg also believes that everyone should be teleporting and not transporting, Facebook has a plan set out for the future of four to five years for AR and VR platforms and with these plans all of the above mentioned things are to happen soon.

According to Josh Constine, the private equity investor, Mark Zuckerberg says that the main aim for these technologies is to develop something small enough to fit into that body. Such technologies will also get the work to be done even from remote working areas and half of the workforce is likely to work from these areas over the next decade or so.

Mr. Zuckerberg said that Facebooks progress regarding these platforms is at the correct pace and these tasks are to be done very carefully, responsibly and thoughtfully.

Andrew Bosworth, currently the vice president of Augmented and Virtual Reality at Facebook tweeted that Facebook is working towards making remote areas more developed to be worked from at and is trying to make a mixed reality environment. He also mentioned that floating displays will be shown that will be able to move and resized via only gesture control. The user will be able to take over shortcuts on a keyboard with a virtual taskbar, including the windows and facebook icon.

Featured photo: AP

Read next: Facebook Provides Misleading Information to the Users in Its Fight Against Apples New Data Policy

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Mark Zuckerberg made a short appearance on the Clubhouse app and talked about the future of AR and VR and Facebook's progress on it - Digital...

Playhouses may be dark, but the Royal Shakespeare Company is to bring immersive theatre to audiences wherever they are in the world by combining revolutionary virtual reality and video games technologies with traditional live performances.

Real-time animation will be created by actors interacting with a live audience, who will in turn influence a story inspired by A Midsummer Nights Dream.

Mischievous Puck and his fellow fairies will be conjured up by actors whose every movement will be translated by cutting-edge technology into virtual avatars that mirror them as extraordinary creatures.

A fantasy world inspired by Shakespeares imagination will be recreated on an audiences computers and mobile phones in a way that allows them to interact directly with the narrative and music. They could, for example, become an iridescent firefly, lighting up a virtual enchanted forest along with thousands of other fireflies and guiding Puck along the way. Or they could trigger layers of instrumental sound, adding to a symphonic score performed by the London-based Philharmonia Orchestra.

In a pioneering project, to be announced tomorrow, specialists from the worlds of theatre, music and gaming have shared their expertise, developing a prototype that could be adopted for future live performances.

In a groundbreaking RSC production of The Tempest in 2016, actor Mark Quartley wore sensors that captured his movements, rendering Ariel, the sprite, as an animated ethereal character on stage.

It used real-time performance-capture technology that has developed dramatically since then. Now in a production entitled Dream, to be premiered next month motion capture and facial rigging will reproduce the movements of seven RSC performers for virtual avatars that are more detailed, including faces and hands, which could not be achieved for Ariel.

Unlike a regular live stream, this is interactive, showing how the excitement of a live performance can be recreated beyond the confines of a physical location.

Headed by the RSC, the projects key players include the Philharmonia Orchestra, Marshmallow Laser Feast, virtual reality creators, and Epic Games, developers of the Unreal Engine video games software.

The RSCs artistic director, Gregory Doran, spoke of his excitement at the projects potential.

He told the Observer: This is a 21st-century reimagining of Shakespeares play, which is giving us a completely different vocabulary of imagery. Thats extraordinary. When we did The Tempest in 2016, we explored the opportunities that the digital world could give to us.

I really did think then quoting the play this is a brave new world. Theres so much opportunity out there. Its as if technology is now providing us with this amazing paintbox. We have a lot of very exciting talent that can find uses for those new tools.

He added: What I love about this potential for an interactive experience is its not the play of A Midsummer Nights Dream, but its the world of A Midsummer Nights Dream. If that makes you want to read or watch this play, then thats great.

He recalled that in his youth he got hooked on the Greek classics by watching the extraordinary creatures created by Ray Harryhausen, who pioneered animation effects in films such as Jason and the Argonauts, the 1963 masterpiece.

He believes that the technology could inspire interest in the theatre and Shakespeare from young people who are already so familiar with the world of video games: This gives audiences of different ages a shared point of connection across the generations and, if that experience also has Shakespeares imagination behind it, thats got to be a good thing.

Luke Ritchie, the Philharmonias head of innovations, said: Weve never had a collaborative process like this. Its a game-changer. Youll be seeing real-time live animation which is being made live by live performers on a stage, creating virtual beings.

Sarah Ellis, the RSCs director of digital, said: We are expanding our theatre-making toolkit. This is a pioneering piece of stage production. It allows us to look at exciting possibilities.

She added: One of the things we were most proud of with The Tempest was the inter-generational moment where we had young and old audiences responding to it. Through gaming technology were now creating a piece of live performance, not a game and we hope it will once again bring together generations, either through the Shakespeare or the technology.

The production will include two new orchestral pieces by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Philharmonias principal conductor, and by Swedish composer Jesper Nordin, creator of a groundbreaking interactive music software called Gestrument, which enables Dream to have an interactive musical soundtrack affected by the actors movements.

Dream is an Audience of the Future Demonstrator project, part of the governments Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. It will be performed between 12 and 20 March. Audiences can either buy a 10 ticket, to interact directly, or view the performance passively for free. Tickets will be available via dream.online

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Is this an avatar I see before me? Audience takes to stage in virtual Shakespeare play - The Guardian