Category Archives: Virtual Reality

Albright Colleges Game and Simulation Development program has been awarded a Create with VR grant from Unity and Meta Immersive Learning. Meta is partnering with Unity to help educational institutions and nonprofits bring their visions for immersive and collaborative learning experiences to underserved learners in technology.

The grant awarded 15 virtual reality (VR) headsets for use in our Game and Simulation Development major, as well as a complete curriculum to train faculty members in VR development, explained Mike DErrico, Ph.D. DErrico is chair of the Albrights Music Department, as well as director of music technology and composition and assistant professor of music and computer science.

The new Meta Quest 2 VR headsets will be used to deliver immersive instruction across a range of subjects and to train students to become the creators in the growing, high-wage industry of virtual reality. In addition, Albright faculty will have access to cutting-edge professional VR development opportunities.

Demand for workers with virtual reality skills is growing rapidly across gaming, education, healthcare, automotive, architecture, engineering and beyond. A PwC report on the economic impact of the industry estimates that, by 2030, 23 million jobs will be enhanced globally by augmented and virtual reality. Salaries in the industry also provide ample promise, averaging $158K annually, according to Hireds 2022 report on the State of Software Engineers. The Create with VR grant will equip Albright faculty with new technology and skills to launch students on this exciting career path.

Unity is the worlds leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D content. Creators, ranging from game developers to artists, architects, automotive designers, filmmakers and others use Unity to make their imaginations come to life. Unitys platform provides a comprehensive set of software solutions to create, run, and monetize interactive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. Meta is investing $150M to help develop the next generation of metaverse creators, fund high-quality immersive experiences that transform the way we learn, and increase access to learning through technology.

Named a top national college by Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, Albright College (founded 1856) is home to a diverse community of learners who cultivate integrity, curiosity, connection and resilience. Through learning experiences that engage a students creative and innovative capacities across all disciplines, both inside and outside of the classroom, an Albright College education guarantees that each student learns how to engage the world, understand the world, and is prepared to make an impact on a rapidly changing world. Located in Reading, Pa., Albright is home to undergraduate students, adult learners and graduate students.

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Grant to Advance Virtual Reality Equipment and Training at Albright College - bctv.org

More than 1,000 openings in the Finger Lakes region for skilled machinists are projected in the coming years. Labor trained by local academic and workforce programs are expected to fill only a small percentage of those needed. Shortages will come about because of retirements, but also because fewer apprentices are seeking positions in the field.

Local academic researchers and industry partners are developing new training options to fill the expected gapsintegrating gaming and virtual reality to appeal to a younger generation of manufacturing professionals.

Rochester Institute of Technology researchers Rui Liu and Yunbo Zhang received a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundations Advanced Technology Education (ATE) program as part of the NSFs focus on the future of work and the integration of technology with training and learning. The project uses new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality to benefit trainees by increasing skills needed in industries today and allowing for those who may be deaf or hard-of-hearing better access to career fields in need of machinists.

Is there an easier way to get machinists trained? We are looking to bridge the gap between supply and demand, those interested and the companies that need skilled people to fill these important jobs, said Liu.

Zhang agreed. This area is very special and this is a cross-college, multiple-institution project that includes different sectors of the workforce because the nature of this problem is not something that only one department or one sector can solve. We have included people we think are essential to solving this problem.

Liu and Zhang, both faculty-researchers in RITs Kate Gleason College of Engineering, lead a team that consists of campus partners from the universitys Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, as well as faculty from the ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute. Monroe and Finger Lakes community colleges have faculty involved as well as those from regional BOCES programs. Industry partners such as Gleason Works and input from regional economic development representatives round out the team.

Project members are developing and field testing a set of training modules based on the cognitive apprenticeship modelinstruction that combines formal coursework and apprenticeshipsfor learning complex skills coupled with artificial intelligence and virtual/augmented reality.

Machining is a skillset needed to build and produce precision parts. Learning often begins with an apprentice working side-by-side with a seasoned professional. Trainees practice with supervision until they are able to work independently, often taking a year or more to master equipment and processes.

Both faculty researchers have done extensive work in gathering data about skills needs and gaps from the regional economic organizations. Findings indicate that while there are workforce gaps, the area is rich in varied industries with open positions, as well as academic institutions to provide levels of training development.

Components of the program focus on modernizing machining education programs with new technologies, said Liu. We have integrated a lot of new technologies into this training program, including gamification. This a new concept. We think this might be the thing that attracts young people into industries. We are also adding some online training. For some prospective students from rural areas, it may not be easy to get to the area.

Plans include preparation of customizable materials for some independent study, but also for integrating human behavioral considerations to better understand trainees background. Modules can provide information to fill gaps and update skills needed to address Industry 4.0 topics such as automation and monitoring, sustainable machining, and cybersecurity. But the core focus is on consolidating skills and requirements.

Right now, we have very diverse training requirements, for students and for retraining current workers, with different requirements from college and from the companies, so that is the reason we want to make the training program flexible. Just trying to coordinate the curriculum from different training providers, each with their own machining training programs. All different materials, how can we synchronize them together? said Zhang.

Added to this are different machines and systems to master as well as the multiple procedures to complete processes. And if apprentices want to attain degrees and further their education, recognized standards for coursework and experiences are needed, said Zhang.

Students who complete their associate degree and want to finish with a bachelors degree might need courses and trainings they took to be compatible for transfer to four-year colleges, said Zhang. If students want to transfer, it will be really easy for them to evaluate their background. We can we synchronize the curriculum so they pursue a higher degree.

Data from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that 30 percent of the machinists today are over the age of 55 with retirements expected in the next 10 years. Nearby training institutes and community colleges can train more than 100 new machinists per year. In the Finger Lakes region, there are estimates of more than 800 to 1,000 job openings per year.

Training prospective machinists and updating current employees in the machining field is only one of several economic development initiatives underway in the region. RITs engineering college has been recognized for its online programming, and the university recently launched RIT Certifiedan applied education and training pathway. Last month, Monroe Community College opened its Economic and Workforce Development Center. The combined resources of these and other training programs are aimed toward building a new economy workforce in the region.

The research team will continue curriculum development through the summer and begin module testing by the fall. Partners in the research program are: Liu and Zhang, both assistant professors from the Kate Gleason College of Engineering; Chao Peng and Hanif Rahbari, both assistant professors from the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences; and Michael Thurston, research faculty from the Golisano Institute for Sustainability. Collaborating partners are Monroe and Finger Lakes Community Colleges and the regional BOCES programs.

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Research team develops workforce training that integrates virtual reality, gamification - Rochester Institute of Technology

Nineties kids (and their parents) may remember the Tamagotchi craze, a tiny egg-shaped video game that dominated toy markets for a time. Kids would raise a virtual pet that could hang from their backpack like a key chain. I've been told it was a great toy the trauma of forgetting it somewhere and then finding it had passed on to greener digital pastures notwithstanding.

Now, in the age of the Metaverse, something else is here ... and it is even creepier. "Augmented-reality babies" offer users the virtual experience of "parenting" an algorithm designed to behave like a real baby. Using virtual-reality goggles, or even potentially wearable gloves that can simulate physical touch, users can interact with a digital baby as it grows ... or, optionally (and even more creepily), as it stays exactly the same.

Some gurus are heralding AR babies as a new age of parenting. "Make no mistake that this development, should it indeed take place, is a technological game-changer which ... could help us solve some of today's most pressing issues, including overpopulation," says Catriona Campbell, a former technology adviser to the British government and author of the book "AI by Design: A Plan for Living With Artificial Intelligence."

Some argue this new development could also ease loneliness for those who want children but are unable to have them or for those who feel they can't afford to have children. While the average kid costs about $230,000 by the time they reach age 17, reports the New York Post, "a digital kid ... could have all its needs met for less than $25 per month." And as a bonus, no changing diapers!

In light of these possibilities, Campbell offered a somewhat unsettling prediction: "I think it would be reasonable to expect as many as 20% of people choosing to have an AR baby over a real one."

On one hand, it's hard not to be cynical of Campbell's bright-eyed tech optimism, especially given the current dubious state of Mark Zuckerberg's Metaverse. No matter how good it gets, augmented reality simply cannot replace many of life's best experiences. Playing a video game in the Metaverse, for example, is fun. Eating a slice of cake ... not so much.

By misunderstanding why people become parents in the first place, many proponents of augmented reality misunderstand the essentials of what it means to be human. Logging off from an AR "baby" might be easier, but all the labor spent on an actual child is something that simply cannot be simulated or replaced by a simulation.

And of course, the entire idea of global overpopulation continues to fall apart as its predictions continue to prove false. Should it actually work, this technology will almost certainly be adopted in countries where the most acute problem is underpopulation, not to mention increasingly devastating rates of loneliness. It's a common trend in the modern world much like prescribing marijuana to combat anxiety that our "cures" only further aggravate the problem.

Spending over seven hours every day staring at screens for work, leisure and connection has led many people to think technology can replace real relationships. But the opposite is true. Technology can do wonders, but putting a virtual baby in the hands of a lonely person is akin to giving a glass of salt water to someone dying of dehydration.

Likewise, it is simply not true that a life free of responsibility is the one which will produce the most happiness. As any parent knows, real kids are noisy, expensive and inconvenient. There are days when they seem to constantly take our reserves of energy and, sometimes, the last strands of patience. But they're worth it.

Jesus' words that "it is more blessed to give than to receive" aren't just a pious aphorism. They're describing a core piece of what it means to be human. The surprising source of real life, joy and vitality is from serving others, not just ourselves.

No matter how sophisticated they may someday be, virtual babies will always be just a piece of code, a vain attempt to meet the felt needs of lonely adults while never providing for their true needs. If that's what people want, it would be best to avoid any pretense of "parenting" and buy them a Tamagotchi instead.

From BreakPoint, July 20, 2022; reprinted by permission of the Colson Center, breakpoint.org.

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BreakPoint: Augmented-reality babies are not the route to parenting - Chattanooga Times Free Press

People are being given the chance to experience sights and sounds from their hospice bed thanks to virtual reality technology.

Experiences available through a headset at St Giles Hospice include cities of the world, space, and wildlife, as well as a specific film narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

The Whittington-based hospices occupational therapy team has been delivering the VR experience to patients.

Janet is currently living with endometrial cancer and is a patient at St Giles Hospice.

As well as assisting with mobility issues, staff help patients take part in things they enjoy and which could help as a distraction from their condition.

Occupational therapist Beth Robinson said:

The use of the VR headsets helps our patients to immerse themselves into a calming space.

This distraction related activity enables our patients to escape the realities of their present situation and offers a form of relaxation.

Its lovely to see the benefits the VR headsets offer to our patients they appear calm and relaxed.

One of the patients to benefit was Janet, 71, who was transported to the beach thanks to the virtual reality film.

She said:

The headset is absolutely brilliant.

Ive never experienced anything quite like it in my life I was totally lost in the moment.

While engaged in the experiences of the headset, my pain was a distant memory it was so soothing.

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Virtual reality experiences offered to people at St Giles Hospice - Lichfield Live

Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg believes that Meta and Apple are in a very deep philosophical competition in building the metaverse. This suggests that the two tech giants are ready to go Head-On for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality hardware sales.Earlier this month, Zuckerberg told employees at an all-hands meeting that they were competing with Apple to determine where the Internet should go. He claims that Meta would position itself as a more open, cheaper alternative to Apple.Apple is expected to release its first AR headset as early as later this year.

Its a competition of philosophy and ideas. They believe that by researching everything on their own and integrating them tightly, they can build a better consumer experience, Zuckerberg said. Theres a big gap in expertise across companies, which allows a larger ecosystem to exist.

Since changing Facebooks corporate name to Meta, Zuckerberg has been pushing the concept of interoperability in the Metaverse.He believes that themetaverse will be the next big chapter in computing after the mobile phone.Most recently, Meta partnered with Microsoft, Epic Games, and others to form the Metaverse Open Standards Organization. The aim of this organization is to foster open protocols that allow people to easily carry their virtual goods in the immersive 3D world of the future.

Of course, as everyone will expect, Apple did not participate in the group meetings. However, this is not a surprise to Meta. Zuckerberg told employees that Apples absence was not surprising. He explains that Apples approach to tightly controlling hardware and software works well on the iPhone. Nevertheless, he made employees understand that the situation may not be the same with Metaverse. He said, but for Meterverse, its unclear whether an open or closed ecosystem would be better.

Previously, Apple and Meta had already forged a relationship. Apples tweaks to its iOS privacy policy cost Meta billions of dollars in lost ad revenue this year. Zuckerbergs remarks suggest that the two companies will still compete for years to come, even as he tries to break away from Apples control in the mobile field.

Although Apple and Meta initially had different paths, their path is now converging in virtual reality. Apple has so much control over the iPhone and other Apple products. The company wants the same with metarverse. However, Meta believes in integration. This is why Meta is hoping to collaborate with other companies to make progress.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, recently announced the companys second-quarter earnings report. Unfortunately, Meta virtual reality unit is not doing so well. According to the report, Meta virtual reality unit, Reality Labs, posted a loss of $2.81 billion on revenue of $452 million in the quarter ended in June.Meta changed its name last October and since then, Meterverse has been recruiting. There is significantly large recruitment of Reality Labs employees. Overall, more than 13,000 employees were added last year and nearly 6,000 were added in the first quarter of this year.

Zuckerberg saidvirtual and augmented reality headsets will be the primary next-generation computing platforms. However, he confirms that there will be huge investments in technology and prototypes over the next few years.Meta has also previously invested in VR companies and startups developing core headset technology.

According to the financial report, Metas revenue in the second quarter was $28.822 billion. This is a 1% decrease from $29.077 billion in the same period last year. The companys net profit is $6.687 billion, down 36% from $10.394 billion in the same period last year. Furthermore, its earnings on diluted shares were $2.46, down 32% from $3.61 a year earlier.

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Meta virtual reality will be more open & cheaper than Apples - Gizchina.com

Forecast to be a highly lucrative business vertical, the Virtual Reality Software Market has been projected to accumulate modest proceeds by the end of the projected timeframe. Incorporating a concise analysis of the Virtual Reality Software Market in meticulous detail, the Virtual Reality Software Market research study aims to deliver valuable insights with reference to factors such as market size, revenue forecast, sales volume, and others. The segmentation of the Virtual Reality Software Market as well as the driving forces impacting the industry landscape are categorically provided in the report.

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Virtual Reality Software Market by Technology Innovations and Growth 2022 to 2028 - NewsOrigins

The monstrous, nightmarish figure in William Blake's The Ghost of a Flea (around 1819-20) has come to life in central London. United Visions, a new augmented reality (AR) experience created for California's Getty Museum was launched on the App Store on 26 July and will be shown to the public for the first time at the newest Apple Store, in Brompton Road, on 28 July.

Tin Nugyen and his artist partner Ed Cuttingwho make up the Australian-born, New York-based artist and creative technologist combo Tin&Edworked with the US hiphop producer Just Blaze to animate Blake's artistic imaginings.

Five or six animated three-dimensional recreations of Blake's figures gyrated and flew, life size at one moment, larger at another around the Apple store's mirror-ceilinged auditorium. Suddenly, the group atomised and reappeared as a towering, solo "Flea" figure that stood around 3m tall in front of the audience. Its head transformed first into the adamantine St John the Evangelist eagle of Blake's watercolour Beatrice Addressing Dante from the Car (1824-27) and then again into the "burning bright" head of Blake's poem The Tyger (1794). A group of three serpents then looped and jived like battling kites around the dancing central figure in interlocking spirals before everything collided and shattered into fragments, releasing the audience from the grip of Blake's darkest imaginings.

Tin Nguyen (left), Ed Cutting and Just Blaze discuss their collaboration in the creation of United Visions at the Apple Store, Brompton Road, London Louis Jebb

The Getty Museum holds one of three surviving examples of Blakes Satan Exulting over Eve (1795), with one of Blake's most memorable serpents. Its threatening eyes seem to be present in the battling serpents of United Visions. The museum's Blake exhibitiona development of Tate Britain's 2019 retrospectiveis scheduled to open in autumn 2023, after the Covid-19 pandemic delayed its initial planned opening scheduled for July 2020.

"Blake inspired so many artists around the world," Nguyen said at the launch of United Visions. He described how he and Cutting took a deep dive into the artist's work at the beginning of the project"It drove us pretty much mad!"and found what connected them with the artist. It was, he said, "this idea of light and dark [that] are inherently connected [...] in a dynamic union". Nguyen referred to Blake's celebrated visions which he saw as "the mind creating in order to bring imagination into the world". And, he said: "augmented reality is just that sort of medium."

The eagle head of Blake's St John the Evangelist from his Dante drawings is one of the works sampled during the launch demonstration of United Visions Louis Jebb

Nguyen and Cutting created their Blake figures, applied them to motion capturethe first take of the danceand sent these visuals to Just Blaze. Just Blaze sent back his spellbinding soundtrack, with its building beat, layered with readings of Blake's poetry. The Tyger is voiced by Just Blazes son, Solomon Smith, with additional chopped-up lines from Blake written and spoken by the New York City-based Dominican rapper, music producer and poet, Oveous Maximus. Nguyen and Cutting rechoreographed their dancing figures to fit Just Blaze's hypnotic sound track and sent it back to him. "We had this really up-tempo track," Just Blaze said, "but we needed to darken it. So I called up a violinist and cellist friend."

One of the battling Blake-inspired serpents in the launch demo of United Visions at the new Apple Store in Brompton Road, London Louis Jebb

Just Blaze said he was attracted to the Getty Museum project by the seriousness with which Tin&Ed approach their art and by his own respect for Blake. And also because he is a "huge proponent" of AR: "one of the future story-telling genres". He described his own introduction to Blake's worka story in a Spiderman comic based around The Tyger, perhaps Spiderman and Tigra (Marvel Comics, 1978)and said he hoped that United Visions would provide a similar introduction to Blake to others. The piece, he said, brings The Tyger bang up to date, and he hopes it will be "a way to introduce people without saying: 'Here read this book'."

"Bang up to date'": Blake's "Tyger" was at the heart of the launch demo of United Visions Louis Jebb

Listening to Nguyen, Cutting and Just Blaze describing their process was a reminder of how much Blake the artist was an innovator in colour etchingsome of his methods still not understoodin which he layered his processes of outline, imposition and colour, much like a DJ building a soundtrack with words, rhythm and instrumentals or an artist-developer in AR pulling together motion capture, 3D modelling and surface textures.

The creation and execution of United Visions is a reminder, if one were needed, of how far Blakea radical misunderstood in his lifetime, mythologised as a "mad genius" by those who remembered him following his death before being rescued by the extraordinary bibliographical and scholarly voyage of the past 150 years, its course set for many decades by the remarkable Geoffrey Keyneshas come to be recognised as both a writer and an artist of the first rank. But also as a keystone of popular culture, sampled and referenced by film-makers, writers, artists and now at the cutting edge of the vision machine of telling stories in augmented and virtual reality.

United Visions is available on the App Store and supported on iPhone 11 or newer, iPad Pro 12-9-inch (3rd Gen), and iPad Prod 11-inch (1st Gen)

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Getty Museum and Apple team up to recreate William Blake's terrifying visions in augmented reality - Art Newspaper

The company, the first Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS)-accredited fleet operator in the utilities sector, will now require all its drivers to attend a Work Related Road Risk (WRRR) course, organised by driver-training specialist Fleet Source, at its dedicated training suite in East London.

During the course, trainees don VR headsets to experience an immersive 6-hour session that includes live scenarios filmed from a variety of perspectives - inside the vehicle, cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders - to simulate typical situations they are likely to encounter and how to react and respond to them correctly.

This is a major step-change in the way we receive driver CPC training, said Jason Shreeve, Falcos fleet & facilities manager, The VR module really brought the scenario training to life and was much more thought-provoking and engaging than the traditional classroom-based instruction.

The company, which has 130 vehicles in its fleet, has used Fleet Source for CPC driver training since 2017, plans a further nine VR sessions for later in the year.

The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary accreditation scheme for fleet operators which aims to raise the level of quality within fleet operations, and to demonstrate which operators are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency, and environmental protection.

Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk

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Falco to use virtual reality for drivers training - Construction Index

Google is rededicating itself to the augmented reality (AR) arena, which means technologists who want to build AR apps and services may soon have a whole new ecosystem to explore.

In a corporate blog posting, Google suggested it plans to begin testing AR prototypes in the real world (whatever that means) in August. Well begin small-scale testing in public settings with AR prototypes worn by a few dozen Googlers and select trusted testers, the posting added. These prototypes will include in-lens displays, microphones and camerasbut theyll have strict limitations on what they can do. For example, our AR prototypes dont support photography and videography, though image data will be used to enable experiences like translating the menu in front of you or showing you directions to a nearby coffee shop.

The posting added: Its early, and we want to get this right, so were taking it slow, with a strong focus on ensuring the privacy of the testers and those around them.

Google is likely taking this new AR experiment slow because the last time it tried to enter the arena quickly, with its Google Glass headset, things imploded in spectacular fashion. Users disliked the devices aesthetics, and the hardwares sticker price made it prohibitively expensive for many; in addition, Google didnt effectively address the privacy and security concerns that inevitably come with someone walking around with a web-connected camera strapped to their face.

But undeterred by that misfire, Google has been hiring technologists for this new AR project. Its looking for job candidates skilled in theLinuxkernel and driver model as well as real-time operating system (RTOS) development.Overall details are still sketchy, including what the final hardware may actually look like.

If Google manages to roll out an AR headset that succeeds with audiences, it could open up a whole new ecosystem of apps and serviceswhich could translate into significant opportunities and profits for technologists. It will also face likely competition from Apple, which will supposedly roll out an AR headset next year, and Meta/Facebook, which is betting its entire existence on the metaverse, the companys term for an ecosystem of AR and virtual reality (VR) apps.

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Google About to Test Augmented Reality (AR) Headsets in the Real World - Dice Insights

Doddz is an artist at the forefront of the Augmented Reality movement. He started as a street artist, transitioning into creating custom garments that produce an interactive experience where the artwork comes to life once a smartphone scans it.

His work pushes ARs boundaries, creating an artistic experience that is unlike anything else with a strong focus on sustainability, the Metaverse and digital fashion. He is paving the way for how we experience, collect and interact with art. Word of his sorcery soon spread, leading him to collaborate with some of the worlds biggest brands and artists, including Dior, Disney, The Beatles, Amazon, Adidas, Billie Eilish, Drake, Giggs, and Big Narstie, to name a few.

I endeavoured to make my work stand out from the many other artists

He has recently founded his online academy, which hosts online courses and free webinars, teaching his audience the simple steps to begin their digital journey. In his latest project, see him take over a billboard in New Yorks Time Square in true Augmented Reality fashion. We managed to catch up with the AR artist to learn how he got started, his process and whats next for him.

A: Of course, my name is Doddz. Im a 28-year-old artist working primarily with an Augmented Reality art style.

A: To take my art career more seriously, about five years ago, I endeavoured to make my work stand out from the many other artists and create something no one had ever done. This move was based on the feedback and rejection Id received from many galleries when looking for representation. This led me to experiment with all different types of mediums which was a fun, free creative number of years for me where no idea was off the table.

In order to make something that no one else had done before, I thought about using tech that hadnt been around for very long. It made sense that there wouldnt be much AR art as its still very much in its infancy. As soon as I experimented with Augmented Reality, the reaction was significantly different (in a good way) than all previous attempts, so I doubled down, and here we are.

10204 main stage at Coachella with a special guest? @champagnepapi

A: Typically theyll reach out to the team with a campaign they are keen to include AR with. Well hear them out, understanding the broader context of the whole campaign, and if we agree that AR makes sense, well put together several ideas and present them back. Once were agreed on the idea then, well begin production.

Having worked in the marketing world for a long time, I understand being able to steer the creative direction is a privilege which I dont take lightly. I often express a lot of gratitude that we are able to guide the clients decisions rather than reacting to client demands as we explain how and what works best for AR. Most of the time, its a collaborative effort rather than being hired by a brand to build out their ideas.

A: I think the work surrounding the start of my career will be focused around education. Teaching people whats possible with AR through art examples. Most of my artwork also blurs the line between digital and physical; this project was no exception. I rented out a billboard at the centre of the marketing world.

Times Square after recently seeing the trend of 3D billboards from brands where they fake a 3D effect using perspective on a 2D screen. Our billboard went the extra step of allowing the character to break free from the shackles of the screen and scoop up unknowing pedestrians in a King Kong-type fashion.

A: Every major tech company is not building a new phone model. Theyreallbuilding AR devices. So at this point, I would argue its difficult to suggest that the future is not centrally focused around AR; mobile devices have taken us as far as they can and staring at the screen feels unnatural, disconnecting from the surroundings. AR allows you to do everything a phone does and more, and youre now connected back to an enhanced version of your environment.

Unbeknownst to us, there is a tech rat race for who will own the next influential device. Apple won the phone battle, but that doesnt mean theyll win the smart wearables (watches, glasses, contact lenses) race. At the moment, I would say Meta is winning as Oculus has the most globally accepted headset in the market.

Regardless of who wins, there still needs to be some serious development areas like lighter, longer-lasting batteries and increased internet speeds before we all wear Apple Glasses.

A: Im glad you asked. Im releasing my first NFT project shortly in collaboration with DressX, the marketplace leader in digital fashion, at the end of August. There have been questions about releasing NFTs as a digital artist, but until now, Ive always felt that if I did release something, it would have been a money grab rather than something constructive. The more I learnt about the Web3 space, the more I felt that if I worked on an NFT project, it would need to be something Im passionate about, and as you mentioned before, Im often working on digital fashion as a personal project so this made sense.

The NFT release will be a small number of physical clothes I designed. Youll have the option of purchasing the physical item individually or buying the NFT, granting access to what Im calling the digital layer. That includes a virtual version of the clothes and Instagram effects that allow you to scan the physical item and reveal a hidden AR experience.

A: Unfortunately, as Im travelling around currently, I dont have a base where I can build out a studio, but in my old space, I owned a replica of the Micheals Special Stuff water bottle from Space Jam. You know the one? I know it sounds silly, but as a kid, I loved the bit where they drink the water, think theyre invincible and play great basketball only to discover its water, and their own self-belief made them great.

Now Im on the road, two important things Ill always have with me are dog treats to keep my Frenchie Louie happy and an ironing board. I read once in a 50 Cent book about the power of appearance and even if you cant afford the expensive stuff, making an effort and ironing your stuff (especially if you live out of a suitcase like me) makes a big impact on those you meet.

A: To continue the education of what AR can do by bringing AR into culturally relevant moments to reach more people with my artwork and hopefully put on some Immersive exhibitions later this year/early next year.

https://www.instagram.com/doddz/

https://doddzacademy.com/

2022 Doddz

Len is a curator and writer at Art Plugged, a contemporary platform inspired by a passion for showcasing exceptional artists and their work he also studying an MFA in Curating at Goldsmiths London.

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Doddz: The Artist Taking The World By Storm With His Augmented Reality Art - ArtPlugged