Daily Archives: April 18, 2020

A new study published by the NCCCO Foundation suggests there may be potential for the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in delivering exams to crane operators.

The study, which was conducted over an eight-month period, tracked the performance of a group of NCCCO certification candidates taking crane operator certification exams on actual cranes as well as via VR-simulation. The results indicate that the VR test is a highly reliable measure for predicting a passing score on an actual crane.

The likelihood of a candidate passing the VR test but failing the subsequent parallel test on an actual crane is 5.5 percent, said Wallace Judd, PhD., who designed and authored the study. And the likelihood that a candidate will get the same pass/fail score on both the VR test and the actual crane is 0.87.

However, Judd, an internationally recognized expert in the development of performance-based exams for high-stakes certification testing, and who has served as an ANSI assessor for its personnel certification accreditation program, cautioned that, while the results were encouraging, further studies would likely be needed.

This study has significant implications for the way virtual reality is viewed in the professional assessment community, Wallace added, and in that respect it is truly ground-breaking. However, additional studies will be required to determine conclusively whether it would be appropriate to certify a candidate VR technology as a replacement for an actual crane.

The full report may be downloaded free-of-charge at the NCCCO Foundations website at: http://www.ncccofoundation.org.

Continued here:

NCCCO Foundation examines virtual reality in certification testing - American Cranes and Transport

Conversations have changed since lockdown. Have you noticed? Classic, tried and tested small-talk questions like what did you get up to this weekend? or any plans for tonight? are now dead ducks.

Because the answer is inevitably something like ah, I just cracked on with that puzzle or I went outside for exercise, briefly or at the most interesting imaginable end of the spectrum: Ive got a virtual pub quiz to attend tonight.

However, when my girlfriend returned home from work yesterday and asked what I did, for the first time in weeks I had an answer that didnt numb her mind with tedium: I told her that I had visited the Faroe Islands.

How did I achieve such wizardry, when the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel? And more importantly, how did I achieve such wizardry when she only saw me 12 hours ago, before heading off for her days work at the hospital?

Through the means of the Faroe Islands brand new remote tourism platform, thats how.

Its the stuff of Charlie Brookers imagination. Through this you can control a living, breathing human being, who has a camera strapped to their head, and direct them with an on-screen Super Nintendo-style controller (with directional buttons, plus jump and run) the first tourism experience of its kind, so they say.

Yesterday, along with a selection of journalists, I got a sneak peek. So how was it?

As the clock struck 1pm, I was transported to a rather grey and windy looking Faroe Islands. The camera looked out at a silvery sea, with those iconic Faroese stack-like islands in the distance, and a chap named Levi from the Faroe Islands our eyes, who incidentally used to play for the Faroes national football team was in the middle of saying something.

You get to control me entirely, he said. Obviously not entirely, he quickly added, Im not going to jump off a bridge. But Ill go where you ask. Within reason.

And so we were off, we being a group of unknown size you cant see who else is taking part. Which means, of course, you also cant see whos in control of our guide. Indeed the first person in control of our avatar, it seems, was less interested in the quaint Bur village, which was close by, and declined the chance to approach the sea for a better look at the view, but rather wanted to make the chap rotate in circles. Which he dutifully did.

You really like going left, he said, as he kept turning in circles. But then their minute was up, and soon someone with a more enquiring mind was in control. We were heading towards the village. I was beginning to wonder which type of "controller" I would be, when it was my time.

This isnt the first time the Faroes has launched a groundbreaking tourism initiative. Last year, the archipelago closed for maintenance in a bid to preserve its fragile ecosystem and protect itself from the effects of overtourism. The initiative was such a success it was set to happen again over a weekend in 2020 but now, of course, the islands are being given plenty of breathing space without the need for enforced closure.

Then, some excitement. In the village, as we continued to make this poor man rotate, jump and run about in a very non-linear path, a postal van appeared. A real life postal van!

Imagine if we had organised it so he had some post to deliver me, he chuckled. We can but fantasise about such hijinx, for now. The postman carried on with his business, and so did we. Jump, run, turn. Jump, run, turn.

There were morsels of interesting information as we explored. The grass roofs on these houses, iconic to the archipelago, are not mown by hand, but rather by sheep, he explained. We moved on and for some time we lingered next to Burs black and white church, built in 1865 and archetypical of the islands quaint architecture.

Guri Hjgaard, director of Visit Faroe Islands, says that the nation is proud to welcome virtual tourists to its remote North Atlantic location.

When the travel bans began to escalate, we wondered how we could recreate a Faroe Islands experience for those who had to cancel or postpone their trip to the Faroe Islands, and for everyone else stuck at home. The result is this new platform to enable those in isolation to take a walk across our wild landscapes, to regain a sense of freedom and to explore beyond their own four walls, she said.

We believe that our remote islands are the perfect place to inspire people in lockdown and, naturally, we hope to welcome them in person once everyone is free to travel again.

In truth, I was most impressed not so much by the scenery, hard to capture on a small screen, but rather by the unflappable patience of our guide. He really did do everything he was told. Which I think explains why, when an alert came on my screen 3 2 1 Youre in control! something happened. I was compelled to make him run, and jump, a lot.

OK, Ill get running, he said as he jogged along and I kept tapping the button. ... uh, and jumping, he added, now stopping to jump. Yes! Run! Jump!

Its so strange to think I am being controlled by someone on their sofa, or even on the toilet, he said, starting to sound a little bit breathless.

We were running down a single-track road and approached a tractor, which he said he probably shouldnt disturb, so I instructed him to rotate 90 degrees to the right and there, in front of us and up a grassy bank, was a sheep, looking quite confused at the sight of a fully grown man running and jumping about. Im not quite sure what came over me, but I did it. My own Milgram Experiment. I clicked run. Then started tapping it, faster, just to see what would happen.

Silence.

Hmm... I dont think I should run towards that sheep, he said, utterly reasonably. But I can keep jumping, yes, he added, responding to my revised instructions. The sheep trotted off, and somebody else took control and moved us back towards the village. What a rush. He passed the moral test. The timer rebooted and informed me I would be in control again in eight minutes. I bet he couldn't wait.

Having never been to the Faroe Isles, at least not since I was three years old on a drive to Iceland with my family, I wasn't sure of just how short the VR version falls of the real thing. My colleague, Hugh Morris, who visited the Faroes last year, popped into the virtual tour to give his assessment.

The Faroe Islands does not do conventional scenery; its peaks, cliffs and lakes often appear around corners without warning and are difficult to make sense of, so virtual appreciation of the place is always going to fall short of the true experience.

But then, I suppose, it is not meant to be a replacement for a visit, only whet the appetite of those unable to do so in these times. Once there, you'll be able to taste the Atlantic on the wind, breathe in what may be some of the cleanest air in Europe and scale heights that provide baffling views across an archipelago seemingly cut adrift in the middle of the ocean.

And whetted, my appetite most certainly is. In these times of lockdown, we have seen creative solutions to problems across all industries, and I salute the Faroe Islands tourist board for this initiative by far the best VR experience Ive tried to date (I've tried a few). Its fun, playful, informative, and my walking tour was just the tip of the iceberg future excursions will include a hiking experience, a helicopter ride, a horseback experience and a boat ride.

I will be tuning in again, for sure. As much for the escapism, as for the thrill of making somebody thousands of miles away jump, run, spin, and make moral decisions regarding sheep.

The Remote Tourism platform, now live, launches today and will run twice daily, at 2pm and 5pm, initially for 10 days. The Visit Faroe Islands tourist board team will be online in real time on Instagram and Facebook Live to answer any questions that participants may have.

Read the original:

How does a virtual reality tour of the Faroe Islands measure up to the real thing - Telegraph.co.uk

motorized gimbal, videographer using dslr camera anti shake tool for stabilizer record video scene.

Related core topics: Business news, Cocoa & chocolate, New products, Packaging, Processing, Sustainability

Related topics: bakery, confectionery, coronavirus, customer engagement, pandemic, strategy, virtual reality

Related organisations: Buhler, Macpac, Mondelz International, Tomra

Related regions: europe, UK, US, worldwide

Evaluating the full global impact of the present coronavirus outbreak will take some considerable period to fully establish, as it continues to affect every aspect of our lives over the coming weeks, and probably months ahead.

The latest statement from the International Monetary Fund has projected that the world may well be heading for one of the worst global recessions that has ever been witnessed, with the UK economy alone predicted to be down 35% for the second quarter of 2020.

Its hard not to be a little overwhelmed by such stark figures, but amid such bleak statements, businesses are doing their level best to lead a fightback against this most unwelcome turn of events that has already caused so much economic disruption and personal anguish.

One of the most notable initiatives is that of companies turning to technology to get them through these near-lockdown times in which global travel has been restricted in an unprecedented manner. Swiss headquartered Bhler has moved to stage a virtual Interpack in light of the trade fair (along with many other over the coming few months), being either postponed or cancelled.

The global equipment and solutions provider will be offering a series of webinars, and digital learning sessions that will enable it to engage with customers as best as possible under the circumstances. Clearly, being proactive under the circumstances is surely the best possible course of action, as business, like wider world events, rarely, if ever stands still.

So, it is most likely the case that those companies who have worked hard to retain their customers amid immensely challenging times that are expected to be in the best shape on the other side of the present situation we find ourselves in. Its encouraging to see there are in fact a number of other examples of firms being equally engaging with industry, such as equipment and solutions business Tomra (pictured), which has devised digital showrooms for its company offices around the world in a bid to boost business continuity.

As mentioned in last weeks blog, its also heartening to see direct efforts to help those tackling the coronavirus crisis, which has produced a number of stories itself including Mondelez International in the UK assisting with 3D printing for protection kit for medical staff, and similarly, British business Macpac directing its packaging operations towards creating visors for hospital use. Its through such collective efforts that businesses and wider communities can pull together to contribute in helping resolve these extremely testing times.

See the rest here:

Virtual reality brings an added perspective for business continuity - Confectionery Production

Brazilian developer and publisher ARVORE is proud to announce thatPixel Ripped 1995will launch on April 23rd on Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, and Steam. Review code and interview requests from press and content creators are open. If interested, please reply to this email. Additionally, ARVORE wants to thank all fans in the PSVR community for their patience, as the Pixel Ripped 1995 version for that platform is going to take a bit longer to release. It has already been submitted to the Sony QA and certification process, and is expected to launch in May.

In the newest chapter of the acclaimed Pixel Ripped series, gamers will take an unforgettable nostalgic trip back to 1995 in this Virtual Reality love letter to classic gaming. Set in a classic era when 16-bit was evolving to 32-bit and first-generation console players were evolving from teens to adults, players will take a trip inside (and outside) of their video game screens to save the universe. In Pixel Ripped 1995, video game hero Dot will recruit the help of the best gamer of the year, an unassuming 9-year-old boy named David, to face challenges together through the world of 2D games and the very first 3D games.

Players will remember that classic feeling of adrenaline when trying to play video games post-bedtime without getting caught, or the thrill of finally finding that brand new game at the store. They will venture through homages to the best games and genres from the 1990s, like action RPGs, brawlers, platformers, space shooters, and racing games. And they will do it all while dodging the indignation of miffed parents through multiple environments the living room, bedroom, the local video rental store, the arcade at the pier, and more. With 6 fully original levels that each feel like entirely different games, Pixel Ripped 1995 is an incredible journey for both VR and retro gamers.

Ever since the first days working on the project, there has been a very special connection between the development team and the Pixel Ripped community, so much so that the future of the series was decided by the fans themselves. Players who completed the first game encountered a time machine that allowed them to choose their favorite year, and the developers used that to decide the setting for the next game: 1995.

At ARVORE, the development of Pixel Ripped 1995 was led by the mastermind behind the series, Creative Director Ana Ribeiro who not only has creative superpowers, but also personifies Dot, the games hero. Ana and her team were fully committed to yet another labor of love, built from the ground up for Virtual Reality. Players of all major VR platforms will live a magical experience that will amaze them with the innovative use of classic mechanics, gaming references, hilarious dialogue, easter eggs and of course, the challenging gameplay of 90s classics.

Thanks to the success of the first game, we were able to dedicate more resources and use more experience to create a game that is an even crazier nostalgic adventure. The setting of 1995 gives us a lot of great classics to reference and a whole new world to explore, says Ricardo Justus, CEO and Co-Founder of ARVORE.

Launched in July 2018, and with over 17 award wins and nominations, Pixel Ripped 1989is a wacky multi-dimensional homage to the early days of gaming. The player embarks on a journey into the screen of a classic video game and beyond. Set in the era of portable 8-bit consoles, this game-within-a-game follows the adventures of Dot, an in-game character who sees her world torn apart by the Cyblin Lord, a villain able to break through the video game screen and invade the real world.

In the game, the player inhabits Nicola, a second-grade student who must help Dot save both realities from this menace by facing challenges in the retro-gaming 2D world, all while distracting the cranky teacher and escaping from the furious headmaster in her own 3D world.

The game has received funding from Oculus and multiple international awards and nominations:

The rest is here:

Pixel Ripped 1995: The Virtual Reality Love Letter to Classic Gaming launches April 23 - GamingLyfe Network