Category Archives: Virtual Reality

The National Football League kickoff game in September was the first time in nearly 40 years that the same teams who played each other for the previous Super Bowl championship faced off in the first week of the new season. But this historic moment was tarnished by the excessive beating thattheCarolina Panthers star quarterback, Cam Newton, took from the Denver Broncos defense.

NFL players face considerable risk of injury, but in this case the on-field behavior of the Broncos Brandon Marshall and Darian Stewart was so egregious the players were fined a total of more than $40,000 for excessive strikes to Newtons head.

Newton later brushed aside the incident by saying, My job is not to lobby for my health as debate erupted over whether Newton should have been allowed to continue to play after being visibly shaken by the multiple strikes. The NFL said Newton passed four concussion tests after the game, but these tests can overlook minuscule symptoms.

Now theres hope that virtual reality technology can improve diagnoses, not just in American football but other contact sports like rugby, soccer, boxing and Australian rules football.

This year two important studies are taking place that hold promise that someday in the not-too-distant future we could see players on the sidelines wearing virtual reality headsets that would test for injury with much more accuracy.

The first study, being conducted at Indiana University, is focused on using virtual reality to collect eye-movement data from soccer players and competitive divers to gain a greaterunderstanding of howblows known assubconcussive impacts and sustained when soccer players use their heads to pass aball or competitive divers hit the water contribute to brain damage.

Without knowing the effects of subconcussive head impact, we will never be able to fully understand concussion, Keisuke Kawata, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Indiana University who orchestrated the study, told Salon byemail. It remains completely unknown whether neuronal damage and sensory deficit are caused by a single concussive blow, repetitive subconcussive impacts before the concussive blow, or both.

Kawata said his previous research found some college football players had abnormally low eye-movement function before practice and then later sustained concussions. His theory is that there is a relationship between a player having an accumulation ofsubconcussive impacts and later sustaining a full concussion. Sleep deprivation, a common issue among college players who have to juggle their academic and athletic responsibilities, may also be playing a role.

To do his research, Kawata is using a virtual reality headset called Eye-Sync, which relies oninfrared camerasto track eye movement as auser follows a moving circle with his or her eyes. The data thats collected is then compared to baseline data to measure minuscule aberrations that could be overlooked with conventional tests.

The technology was initially developed by researchers atStanford University and the Campbell, California-based Brain Trauma Foundation, but the equipment was too big to be of much use on the playing field. Thus Boston-based neurotechnology company SyncThink created Eye-Syncto serve as aportable virtual realitysystemto be used on the sidelines at sporting events for detecting unusual eye movements in about a minute. New York-based Oculogica is also working on its own patent-pending system, but the EyeSync device gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvallast year, opening the way for researchers to test it and build a case for leagues and university sports teams to use it.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, a separate research team is using an Oculus Rift VR headset to help determine if a soccer player has sustained a brain injury by testing his or her ability to maintain balance while following instructions. Once the headset is placed, the player sees a virtual room that tilts and inside wordsflashon a wall to be read. This test challenges a players ability to maintainbalance while following visual cues. This test could be tappedto detect subtle brain impacts andused by teampersonnel who have to make split decisions about whether a player should be sidelined during a match.

Very few tests based on physiological response are currently in use, Michael J. Grey, the head of the study, told Salon byemail. This is an area that can be improved using VR.

The English Football Association has expressed interest in using the technology if the results of the study show promise, Grey said.

We cannot even begin to have the conversation with pro-sporting bodies before we show clear efficacy of the technology, Grey added.

For his part, Kawata said the NFL and college teams are waiting until more research is done on VR-based brain injury tests before taking action.

Their approach is more like show me the evidence, then Ill listen, he said.

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The future of fighting sports concussions could be virtual reality - Salon

Photograph by Benjamin Torode Getty Images

There are plenty of virtual reality games letting people soar like eagles and films surrounding you with Cirque du Soleil's acrobats. But the opportunities for people creating their own virtual reality home movies has been limited.

That's changing now as a number of consumer VR cameras hit the market, letting you do everything from putting together a 360-degree video of your kid's soccer game to capturing a holiday dinner with the family.

Unlike typical video cameras, these VR/360 cameras film in all directions (the 360 signifies a 360-degree film radius), giving viewers the option to see all around a scene as if they were swiveling their heads. While companies like Google and Lytro are working on professional grade cameras, several other companies are focusing on cameras for consumers.

Looking to try your hand as a virtual reality auteur or pep up your home movies? Here are a few affordable cameras that can help you do. Just keep in mind that, by and large, you'll need a VR headset which cost from just $15 to several hundred dollars to really get the full effect of virtual reality films.

While the camera itself may lack some of the other cameras on this list, the $400 360 Fly has one of the most user-friendly apps. It gives you a live preview of what's being shot (something not all VR cameras do), lets you upload directly to YouTube, and offers a mode that lets you put your phone into a VR headset directly to watch videos rather than transferring them to your headset's proprietary program. It's also water resistant, can handle some rough treatment, and has an ample 64GB of internal storage. Despite the name, it doesn't shoot full 360-degree video (the field of view is limited below the camera's horizontal line of sight). And the video quality is best suited for small to medium screens. But if you don't need a full 360 view and ease of use is the most important factor, it's an option to seriously consider. [Buy 360 Fly 4K here]

The $260 Theta SC shoots full 360-degree video in 1080p (but not higher quality 4K). Rather than the dome shape of many other VR cameras, this one is shaped more like a candy bar with a lens on each side. Your recording time is limited to five minutes, though, so it's not ideal for long-form recording. You adjust the settings and do the editing on your smartphone or tablet. There's an earlier version of the Theta that's $40 more expensive (called the Theta S) that might be tempting, but save yourself the money. There's really no discernible difference between the two devices. [Buy Ricoh Theta SC here]

Kodak aims at a slightly more professional audience with the PixPro SP360 4K, but it's within the budget of most consumers. A single camera cost $449, but if you want full 360-degree video, you'll want to consider the $632 dual pack, which comes with two cameras. (Like the 360 Fly 4K, a single PixPro requires you to forego recording what's below the camera's lens.) Kodak supplies software to let you stitch together the video from the twin cameras, but it may be too complicated for hobbyists to spend time figuring out. If you're looking to record action sports in virtual reality, though, like surfing, bike riding or skiing, this is a tough, reliable camera that can take the abuse. [Buy PixPro SP360 4K here]

Samsung was one of the first companies to really embrace virtual reality with the Gear VR, so it's no surprise, really, that it has a strong 360 camera to go with it. The Gear 360, which costs as little as $215, is lightweight, compact, and offers a complete 360-degree range. Picture quality is a tad lower than the 360 Fly 4K or Kodak's PixPro, but higher than Ricoh's Theta. The biggest caveat is this is a camera that's built to go with Samsung's phone and headset. (A recent Samsung model phone, for example, is the only way to get live previews of your shots.) It's easy to operate, though and the editing software is intuitive as well, assuming you've got the right phone. [Buy Gear 360 here]

Apple hasn't shown a lot of interest in VR yet, so there aren't many options for recording 360 video for iPhone users. The $199 Nano 360 fills that gap, clipping onto your phone and connecting through the Lightning port. The Nano's dedicated app lets you view shots (which are in full 360 thanks to the dual lenses) in real time. While the editing package is basic, it's functional. Image quality is not as good as some competitors, but it's easy to share your 360 videos on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media sites. And, smartly, the Nano 360's retail packaging also serves as a Google Cardboard -like headset (one of the lowest priced VR headsets on the market), so you can easily enjoy the videos you shoot without having to spend more money on a separate headset. [Buy Nano 360 here]

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Shoot Killer Virtual Reality Films With These 5 Cameras - Fortune

The owner of Road to VR is one of several Unionville High School alums finding success in the tech industry.

By J.F. Pirro

The simulated adventure begins withyour trusty dog atop Vesper Peak in Washington State. Then, its on to an underwater shipwreck with a whale swimming at arms lengthand later a trip to the operating room for an examination of a human spinal chord and brain. Hosting this hour-long itinerary is Ben Lang of Kennett Square, Mushroom Capital of the World and the unlikely fertile ground for Road to VR.

At the techie age of 26, Lang is the co-founder and executive editor of the leading virtual-reality news source. He doesnt sleep muchand wont until he popularizes the industry enough that supply-and-demand makes start-up prices affordable, giving the technology mass accessibility. Virtual reality yields the richness of the digital ecosystem, he says.

In covering the industry since 2011, Lang has unearthed an anomaly rooted in southern Chester County. He joins two other Unionville High School alums whove emerged as East Coast VR innovators in a West Coast-dominated tech sector. Robert Morlino now lives in California and heads the public relations department at Nokia Technologies. Adam Arrigo is the co-founder of TheWaveVR, which is developing a music app for DJs, artists and festivals.

In 2016 alone, close to $1 billion was invested in VR technology, which really found its legs in 2012, when startup company Oculus re-ignited consumer interest with an online crowd-funding campaign.

The original goal was to raise $250,000 through Kickstarter for an innovative new headset to be sold at a consumer price point. The campaign generated $2.5 million.

Meanwhile, Lang was celebrating a year in business since launching Roadtovr.com as a Temple University student. At first, the blog was a hobby for a guy curious about technology. Lang had worked in tech journalism, and he figured the best way to learn about VR was to write about it. He found himself immersed in an exploding industry.

When Oculus sold to Facebook in 2014 for $2 billion, it shook the tech sector. Since then, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia and others have re-entered the arena. The consensus is that VR is the next hugely disruptive technology, on the level of the smartphone. Major U.S. investment firm Piper Jaffray recently issued a market research report calling VR the "next mega-tech theme," forecasting a $60-billion-plus market by 2025. While its forging a relationship between the Silicon Valley tech sector and the Hollywood entertainment scene, theres also potential in the fields of healthcare, tourism, architecture and more.

Arrigo is busy building a software platform that could create the next evolution in the music world, pushing that industry forward with connective content. It doesnt matter where you are when youre networking online within the same virtual space, he says.

A self-described altruistic evangelist working in public spaces, the one-time journalism major promises an explosive social platform like Facebook. Were democratizing the music experience with VR. If youre not a performer, you can just hang out and dance, but you could also be an aspiring DJ or artist, says Arrigo. This makes it super easy to be up on stage and build an audience of followers. The goal is to generate alternative revenue streams for artists, though we havent flushed out the business model. This is totally new.

Ben Lang//Photo by Tessa Marie Images

When Ben Lang graduated from Unionville High School in 2009, he was already writing about laptops and Smartphones for online tech publications. He started Road to VR with Englands Paul James, back when virtual reality was more of a community than an industry.

Actually, virtual reality has existed in some form since the 1960s. By the 1980s and 90s, VR got busy, says Langthough it was pricey and unsophisticated. Ivan Sutherland's Sword of Damocles is frequently credited as the first VR headset. It could only show the simplest geometry, but it did have rudimentary tracking, moving the image as the headset moved. Lang describes it as the Pong of VR.

Today, smartphone tech has advanced the need for affordable state-of-the-art VR. Putting technology in our pockets and handsits the core for all technology now, says Lang.

But even today, the best VR systems must be tethered to a powerful computer, and until five years ago, the technology to create a comfortable, convincing or connected experience that replicates human movement didnt exist at a consumer price point. Lang helped develop one in 2015 with AVADirect, determining what components would be necessary to smooth out the headset experience. We thought, We can get a VR computer, he recalls.

You can find a VR-capable PC for $800 to $1,000, though it wont deliver the highest quality experience. The total buy-in costcurrently about $1,300 at the low endstill needs to come down, Lang says. His company helped develop the second-edition system sold by AVA: The Exemplar comes in two configurationsone for $2,500, the other for $1,500.

Lang says the goal is a $300 system with a $500 (or less) console to run it. Sonys PlayStation VR headset was launched this past holiday season at $750 for both the headset and the game console. Its the most affordable thus far. And there are less- expensive VR systems in a lesser class of experience that run on mobile phones. This is just the start of it, says Lang, predicting a time in the near future when a businessman trades a flight to California for a headset. The content is creative for the creator, too, because he gets to see whats in his head and share it. Users of VR can express themselves, too. They can paint a line in spaceor whatever is in their headsand not be bound by limitations. All technology is about defeating limitations. It was once a limitation to travel quickly and safely to another countrybut an airplane fixed that.

Can VR ever replace reality? Technically, no, Lang says. You can take a VR trip to Paris, but can you say youve been to Paris? Visually, yes, you can look up the Eiffel Tower, but youre still missing the sense of being there. But, before, the only natural way to interact was through a computer that one small window. But now you can stand in the middle of that window.

A student exchange trip to Mexico neednt involve plane tickets or baggage checks. Visit through a headset, Lang says. Within the travel industry, it could bolster sales. You still may want to actually go on the cruise to feel the breeze, smell the sea and eat the food. But VR can be a useful marketing tool that provides just enough exposure, then you hit a button on the screen and get the trip scheduled.

VR applications in healthcare include progress in whats called diplopiawhen one eye is much less dominant. With a VR headset, doctors can improve function in the weaker eye by altering input to the part of the brain that controls it. Signals to the weaker eye tell it to pay more attention, giving stereoscope to both. You can gain a greater ability to see by seeing in 3-D, Lang says.

Among other VR developments, doctors in different parts of the country would be able to view and discuss the same medical scans simultaneously. A headset can also import the outside world to a patients hospital bed.

Presidential debates filmed with VR can provide a more authentic sense of audience reactionand there are broader philosophical applications beyond politics. VR can virtually put you in the same room with someone who, if he were actually there, might kill you, says Lang. Maybe that could lead to greater understanding. VR can make us feel more like neighbors to each other.

Lang has always viewed technology as something that can change lives for the better. I look at my parents lives compared to mine, Lang says. When they left high school, how did they keep in touch with friends? I had Facebook. My mind races at night with whats possible [with VR] beyond gaming and entertainment.

A self-taught game developer, Adam Arrigo once worked on the wildly popular Rock Band videogame franchise. Based in Los Angeles, he sees his niche as a few years removed from music app development. Theres no set rollout date for his TheWaveVR platformwhich will allow anyone to create their own stagesometime this year is a safe guess. Versions already exist, and the company is engaging artists.

For fellow VR guru Robert Morlino, its all an innovation raceone thats competitive and necessary to make meaningful differences in peoples lives. He manages Nokias PR campaign for the OZO 360-degree VR camera, which debuted in 2015. OZO can radically change how we deliver news, how media connects people to stories, and even the role of reporters, says Morlino. You can take it into a refugee camp or a war zone. Imagine the empathy and interest if you can see what happens in a news space. Traditional cameras point in one direction, and the cameraman decides what viewers see. With OZO, theres no pointing. It captures it all, and its up to the viewer to decide what to watch. Thats empowering.

You need highly creative content to attract users, so theres significant investment in creating it. If successful, the content will prompt a public to pay for it, creating a tried-and-true cycle of supply and demand. To put things in perspective, Xbox has thousands of games. VR has hundreds.

Theres really no way to estimate the impact Lang has had on the growth of VR, though social media analytics firm Little Bird has ranked him the third most influential individual in the industry. I dont want to overstate our impact, but we have followed VR around the world with reliable reporting, rather than letting our readers hear about it through marketing speak, he says.

A graduate of NYU and the Columbia School of Journalism, Morlino couldve never predicted the course his career would take after switching from public-policy journalism to corporate communications. I was in communications, but everything became tech industries, he says. It became where exciting things were happening.

Among hundreds of Nokia projects, one was a solution for capturing 3-D stereoscopic audio and video for VR playbacka funky lab rat, as we described it, Morlino says.

That was before the talented Nokia design teams crafted the final product. OZO is $45,000 camera that allows for real-time preview and monitoring on a live production set. Hence, it saves time and money and inspires instant creatively. OZO has spawned multi-year deals with Disney, Sony Pictures and Chinas Youku.

As for Arrigo, he remains confident that he and his partners can change a music-industry ecosystem that has become increasingly less livable. It could be last job we ever have, he says.

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Kennett Square's Ben Lang is Breaking the Borders of Virtual Reality - Mainline Today

Soon all this geeking out will soon become second nature to us, since a $15 cardboard version of virtual reality helmets is already on sale for your own VR immersion experiences. Photograph: P Chernaev/iStock

Comfortably cocooned inside a rocky red cave on a far-flung planet, I examine my new self. I have smooth brown knees, and ... hang on a mo Im a black woman with tiny feet? Hmm. Seems so. Oh, and Im in an astral hair salon presided over by an afro-female divinity. Outlook is rosy with a chance of dreadlocks. Always wanted dreads. Hey, would you look at those? I tell you, its a whole different woman!

Thanks, Hyphen-Labs, and the helmet Im wearing an Oculus Rift, wildly wired with electrodes to stimulate brainwaves and wildly expensive! I was immersed in a new body, life, and planet, encircled by diffused light. Surveying this environment is as mind-expanding as youd hope. This exceptionally trippy idea was created by four women of colour Ashley Baccus-Clark and her collaborator Carmen Aguilar y Wedge, together with architect and engineer Nitzi Bartov, and Ece Tankal, to create a vibrant Afrofuturist world in which women of colour lead progress in science and art.

Baccus-Clark said that meeting micro-aggressions all young women of colour know was why she envisioned the project. They dont necessarily know science and art are fields they can see themselves in.

Plus, the members of Hyphen-Labs wanted to create the experience for others. Its all in a fantasy-rich virtual reality performance called Neurospeculative Afro-Feminism, using art with tech.

Ashley sports a head of dreads framing a laser-sharp brain that is equally left and right. She met Carmen Aguilar y Wedge at the University of California at Santa Cruz a seaside campus famous for its idyllic setting and fusion of art with tech. Fittingly, the two one black, one brown bonded over a shared printer cable, and became inseparable. (Full disclosure: Carmen, part Mexican-Cuban and all San Franciscan, is my neighbour.)

Now theyve combined in experimental virtual reality adventures. This is the springtime of this art form, just as the 1900s were the springtime of silent films, says Ashley. So VRs wide open right now. But the bar is set very high, adds Carmen.

Equipment is expensive, much more than film. Credit cards melted, and loans lifted. Intel stepped in to back Hyphen-Labs, and they headlined at Sundance Festival and Austins South By Southwest Festival.

Both places showcase VR, and draw the worlds VR nuts to don their $800-plus Oculus Rifts helmets (Facebook-owned) or cheaper Daydream (Google) to geek out.

The wiring is pure mad-scientist Frankenstein territory, and Carmen describes Daydream as like a pillow on your face.

But all this geeking out will soon become second nature to us, since a $15 cardboard version of VR helmets is already on sale for your own VR immersion experiences. So far the but what is it actually for? question remains only half answered.

Ashley and Carmen are firm about their aims to use it as a tool for enlightenment. We want to use it for narratives and no, we dont want to it to become exploited commercially, says Ashley, stressing that content from wider sources is desirable.

At the recent Gray Area conference they met Indian VR imagineers who use it for spiritual transitions. A trippy Asian entry altered humans for future needs it gave babies gills for swimming.

The New York Times has already used VR for features on Fallujah. Archaeologists are recreating Palmyras destroyed treasures with it. Alzheimers patients star in projects that aim to arouse empathy. Surgery performed by robots has worked in VR.

But gaming is the most successful use so far.

Whats that you say, porn movies? Well, theyve been tried but using your imagination is cheaper and easier.

And a future where kids in history lessons return to revolutionary France to meet Monsieur Guillotin is imminent.

Myself, Id like to use it in archaeology sites to watch Vikings carving antlers.

But still the big question mark: how VR pioneers can exploit this new artform? We compare it to how people thought of cinema a century ago, says Ashley.

Storytelling is what Ashley and fellow imagineers are drawn to all creative ventures. Like film a century ago, in the springtime of the film industry, when people were starting to figure it out.

Exactly a century ago, Chaplin was making his first Little Tramp silent movie near where I write, at Niles Essanay Studio. So VR is wide, wide open now, in the same way that Homer found things to sing? The bars still too high, sighs Carmen. Well, so the forms amazing, I said.

But whats the future of content? I dont know. But we soon will.

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Now look here An Irishwoman's Diary on virtual reality - Irish Times

This article originally appeared on The Motley Fool.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies have gotten a lot of attention within the past few years.Sony'sPlayStation VR headset is shining a spotlight onthe viability of VR gaming, whileAlphabet'sGoogle Cardboard and new Daydream View headsets are pushing mobile VR into the mainstream. The unexpected success ofPokemon Golast year showed that smartphone users are ready and willing to adopt augmented reality. AndMicrosoft'sdevelopment of its HoloLens goggles aims to prove that the virtual and augmented worlds will soon become a part of our reality.

Investors looking to benefit from these two intertwined markets should keep these five things in mind.

Much of the attention surrounding virtual reality right now has to do mainly with how it will be used for gaming, filmmaking, or other entertainment content. ButFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that VR could surpass all of these categories.

He said in a Bloomberginterviewlast year that VR is "a good candidate to be the next major computing platform." Zuckerberg thinks it'll take a while for us to get there (more on that later), but he's optimistic that VR could be a primary form of communication technology in the near future:

Photos are richer than text; video, much richer than photos. But that's not the end, right? I mean, it's like this indefinite continuum of getting closer and closer to being able to capture what a person's natural experience and thought is, and just being able to immediately capture that and design it however you want and share it with whomever you want.

VR is still in its very early stages, and it's likely that it will take many more years before it becomes mainstreamZuckerberg has put the time frame at five to 10 years.

Adding to the slow pace is the fact that some hyped technologies, like Magic Leap's AR headset, have recently been found to be behind schedule.The Informationreportedat the end of last year that Magic Leapwhich has raised $1.4 billion in funding in about three yearspivoted away from some of its earlier fiberoptic technologies and now trails the image quality of Microsoft's HoloLens.

And even the HoloLens, which currently costs $3,000 and is mainly for developers, has sold only thousands of units. Roger Walkden, Microsoft's HoloLens commercial lead,recently toldThe Inquirer:

We're not trying to sell hundreds of thousands or millions or anything, it's expensive, and it's not in huge numbers. So we're happy with the level of sales that we've gotI can't tell you anything about the numbers, but it's in thousands, not hundreds of thousands, and that's fine. That's all we need.

While Microsoft may be pleased with those numbers, it's still a clear indicator that VR and AR have a long way go before they become mainstream.

And then there's the recent news that Facebook's Oculus is shutting down 200 of its 500demo sites within Best Buy stores, reportedly due to thelack of public interest. The future may be virtual, but we're getting there slowly.

Jason Pontin, the editor of MIT'sTechnology Review,recentlyinterviewedJessica Brillhart, a filmmaker for virtual reality at Google, and talked with her about how VR is currently used and what it might become in the near future. When askedif people will eventually use VR to record home videos, Brillhart responded that we probably would but that it might not be a good thing:

Think of everything you forget about a birthday party when you're a kid. But now the rig would capture everything. You could watch someone you loved respond the way she used to, or eat cake a certain way. It is going to be interesting to see what happens when we aren't able to forget anything anymore.

The interview is a good reminder that VR is still in its early stages and it's still unclear how this platform will be used, and whether or not we'll like exactly how it turns out.

Right now, VR is limited to a user's visual and auditory senses, but in the future this will likely be enhanced. Thegeneral manager of Dell's gaming PC manufacturer Alienware,Frank Azor, saidinan interviewwith Timelast year, "Once you begin catering to the rest of the senses, like what we feel body-wise, temperature-wise, and smell, the reality factor of virtual reality [becomes] stronger and the virtual piece begins to fade."

Breaking the barrier between the virtual world and the physical world with high-end touch sensors could be the next step in virtual reality, and it won't be here for a while, but VR hardware and software makers are already thinking about how this technology can go from immersive to fully interactive.

The virtual reality market was worth about $1.9 billion in 2016, but that's expected to climb to $22.4 billion by 2020. Those numbers include both software and hardware sales. And when you factor in AR sales, the market skyrockets even higher. The combined AR and VR market will be worth $121 billion by 2021, according to Digi-Capital.

In that same year, IDC estimates more than 99 million AR and VR headsets will be shipped, up from just 10 million last year, which represents a 58 percent compound annual growth rate between 2016 and 2021.

The good news for investors is that companies are just getting started with AR and VR, which meansthe opportunities to benefit haven't passed. There are still plenty of unknowns, but as more companies rally around these new technologies and make the necessary investments to get them off of the ground, we're likely to see the future of AR and VR develop substantially over the next few years.

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What to Know About the Future of Virtual Reality - Newsweek - Newsweek

Green prince: Charles experiences virtual reality. Photograph: Tim Rooke/Rex/Shutterstock

I worry that humanity isnt getting enough direct contact with the wild and well all end up with Nature Deficit Disorder. Plus, how can you protect what you dont love and havent experienced?

Greenpeace has been encouraging us to bear witness for more than 40 years. In the past this meant telexes sent from the ship Rainbow Warrior; now it means virtual reality (VR).

A rainforest-themed headset (greenpeace.org/virtualexplorer, 6) arrived through my letterbox in a surprisingly low-key box. The cardboard innards popped up into a headset, then I downloaded the Greenpeace Virtual Explorer app (available for both Apple iOS and Android) and within minutes I was tramping across the Arctic viewing polar bears, then swinging across the canopy of the Brazilian rainforest.

There is something thrilling about looking a polar bear in the eye. It made me want to kick back extra hard against Russian plans to drill the eastern Arctic, to take that next step, sign the petition or help fund further action.

With Munduruku (Greenpeaces next VR film, out soon) the hope is to swell opposition to the Brazilian governments massive complex of hydro-electric dams, planned for the Tapajs basin, as we experience these ancestral lands through the eyes of the Munduruku people who will be flooded out.

Director Chris Milk is a VR pioneer. His films include Millions March, protesting against police brutality and Clouds over Sidra, which puts you next to a 12-year-old Syrian refugee. Milk says VR allows you to connect on a real human level, regardless of where you are in the world. Clouds over Sidra is credited with attracting an extra $1bn in funding. So beware: VR will find your empathy button.

The humble seed gets top billing as Taggart Siegel (no relation) and Jon Betzs documentary Seed: the Untold Story launches in the UK on 20 April. But then theres nothing humble about this epic good vs evil battle to defend humanitys 12,000-year food legacy, not least from the group of 10 corporations who now own more than two thirds of the global seed market (seedthemovie.com).

Scottish designer Faisal Mohammed has launched his first collection under the label Cloh. It represents his longstanding ambition to manufacture clothing from Scotlands rich textile industry using scraps.

Everything made at Cloh is necessarily limited edition because each piece is made from different scraps. Faisal says his mixed Scottish/ Pakistani heritage gave him his strong sense of using every inch of available fabric.

My mother was born and brought up in Pakistan, he explains. When I travelled there with her, I often saw the selvedge [the edge on fabric that prevents it unravelling] turned into a design feature on the hem, cuff or openings of the shirt.

This is usually the first thing discarded by western design houses, but not at Cloh where waste materials are given the full artisanal treatment.

Cloh garments from 200, cloh.co.uk (available from 10 April)

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The eco guide to virtual reality - The Guardian

A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on March 23, 2017.

Vincent Shen:A lot of the big players have been putting money into this, and also,people not typically into thevideo game industry. Sony(NYSE:SNE)has the PlayStation VR. This offering issupposed to be meeting management expectations. This is a headset, sells for about $400for most of the retailers that I checked before the show. It was released late last fall. So far, they've sold about 1 million units. Management seemsvery happy with the progress they've seen with this. What do you think?

McNew:I think they had a great advantage ofhaving the first console to make this a real part of the console. I think it works great. I love being able to play on it. And there's a lot of upsells they have with that, different kinds of controllers, the games that go along with it. It seems like it's agreat opportunity for them to continue getting revenueoff of that release. And obviously,other companies are following along.

Shen:Yeah. In terms of that dedicated headset, two other main competitors are the -- OK, thepronunciation on this, I've heard two differentthoughts --HTC(NASDAQOTH:HTCXF)Vive. I don't mind either one,we'll just call it HTC. Theirheadset is being compared a lot to the FacebookOculus Rift. These companies have not offered nearly that level of detail that Sony has in terms of their PlayStation VR, but some people say the VR is outselling the Rift three to one,in terms of some analyst estimates. But ultimately, bringing this back,what kind of impact is this going to have for these companies, their bottom lines, and their overall revenue? A research group called CCS Insight, they put virtual and augmented reality device sales at 11 million last year, which is actually way more than you would think. We talk about console sales. Nintendo, with the Switch, is hoping that,if they can hit 10 million,that's really a good threshold for them to attractdeveloper attention. They would be very happy with that. But, while that seems really great, and the forecasted device sales might top 60 million by 2020, there is a caveat to all of that:most of this volume comes from low-cost solutions, likeGoogle Cardboard.

McNew:Sure, or even ones like theGoogle Daydreamthat they released for the Pixel, that'ssomething like $80, but that has to be used with the phone. There'snot a lot of technology thereother than the screen that views the phone. Here, you'retalking about real headsets that have the technology to be a serious gaming solution. And you have the early adopters thathave used that so far. But,here in the next couple of years,you'll see the prices start to decrease a little bit,and they could be a little bit more mass market.

Shen:And that's the big challenge, I think, with this technology in general. A lot of people have said that 2016deflated a lot of expectations for virtual reality. Not that there isn't a lot of optimism behind it, but a reality check, in a sense. When it comes down to it, if you want something like what the Oculus Rift offers, you need not just the headset itself, which costs anywhere from $500, for Facebook's offering, to $800 for HTC's offering,at least according to Amazon. Inaddition to that, you need a PC with some really strong specs, and a high quality GPU video card to be able to even run these games. So, at the moment,like you mentioned, early adopters --although, you're going to get early adopters, but otherwise,people are going to be very reluctant to shell out over $1,000 for a dedicated system when the titles themselves arelimited in the virtual reality space.

McNew:Andas we talked about earlier in this podcast, that's going to be a holdback. When you have the content that makes people want to pay that much money, then people will. But, of course, the other thing about the virtual reality is that you're still waiting to see what other industries it can be used for. People arealready going to have one at home for gaming,and it also works for something else. Might be moreimpetus to buy something, if it works for something more than just the game.

Shen:Thevalue proposition,it's easier to shell out that kind of money. And the thing is, over time, likeanything with technology, it will get cheaper.Going back to that original number I mentioned, 11 millionvirtual and augmented reality devices sold in 2016. If yougo to those dedicated headsets, the ones that are hundreds of dollars, muchmore sophisticated than, for example, theGoogle Cardboard, sales at just over 1 million. Still really early, butdefinitely something that I personally am very excited personally to see develop. Anything else from you, Seth, in terms of takeaways forpeople who are thinking big picture about video games, be it eSports, virtual reality, digital downloads? Anything else?

McNew:Yeah,especially, we were talking about the chips that go in your computer that are going to power all this stuff,that leads into a whole other discussion of companies likeNVIDIA,for example, that's making that technology that'sdriving the technology behind the gaming industry. That's for a whole other podcast, but it's something to look at.

Seth McNew has no position in any stocks mentioned. Vincent Shen has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon, Facebook, and NVIDIA. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Understanding the Market for Virtual Reality Gaming - The Motley Fool - Motley Fool

Tyler Hays speaks about his company Evolvr Media, a virtual reality production company. Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel

Tyler Hays' company Evolvr Media specializes in implementing new, innovative technologies to create unique customer experiences while also solving practical business problems.(Photo: BRIANNA PACIORKA/NEWS SENTINEL)Buy Photo

New Business Spotlight focuses on local businesses that have existed for one to five years. This month's spotlight features Evolvr Media, which was founded by Tyler Hays and Chris Berrong.Hays discusses the company in Q&A format with reporter Cortney Roark.

Q:What is Evolvr Media, and how did the company start?

A:Evolvr Media specializes in implementing new, innovative technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to create unique customer experiences while solving practical business problems. For years, I've been helping companies create relevant digital video marketing content that amplifies their message with Vessul Creative, which I co-own with Alex Widmer,so great storytelling is always at the heart of what Evolvrdoes. We've built some great success and momentum with Vessul Creative, and even won an Emmy Award in the informational program category. However, when I first tried virtual reality back in 2014, I knew that it had the potential to completely change the way we approach storytelling, and I wanted to create a company that could almost specifically focus on creating a new level of customer interaction with VR content. Thus, Evolvr was founded and helped launch in the summer of 2014 through the Knoxville Media Works program as well as Chattanoogas Gigtank program. We learned a lot that summer, as it was our first exposure to the startup tech industry. I have an industrial engineering background, so I love the startup mentality and processes that we worked with over the course of that summer, such as the lean canvas and also having the mindset of failing fast.

Q:What has made Evolvr Media successful up to this point?

A:Hard to say. I guess it also depends on how you define success. Truthfully, I believe the project success we've had is mostly attributed to a little bit of luckand a lot of hustle. For a while, I felt like we were building something that no one was asking for. Which, at the time, was probably true. Fast forward a couple years until now, and everyone has probably heard of or seen VR through someone you know or a TV commercial. We could have given up, but we kept pushing because we believe in the power of it. The biggest brands in the world from Samsung to Google to Facebook have now launched VR platforms, and now we are the team to help companies use these VR platforms well. On a deeper level, if we as a company can stay true to who we are individually, maintain passion about our work, and keep perspective of what's really important in life, then that's true success in my book.

Q:What sets the company apart from others in your field?

A:Virtual Reality is not something that most people, even large companies, can do well at this point. The technology exists, but the hardware and knowledge base is trying feverishly to catch up. On a recent project for the Travel Channel, we had to design and 3D-print our own equipment because it doesnt even exist yet. So, not only do we bring the technical expertise for crafting the VR itself, but we also have the knowledge of how to tell a great story and create something that people will care about. Real, true VR is much more than just a 360-degree video or a panorama photo. VR can allow the user to actually move within a space as if they were actually there.

Q:Where do you see Evolvr Media in the future?

A:We are beginning to find areas where both Vessul Creative and Evolvr can combine their marketing and new technology skills to provide a very competitive service. One main area of focus in the near future will be new commercial condo developments. We plan to partner with property developers to create top-notch marketing collateral, which will include promo videos as well as real-time, photo-realistic VR environments that allow potential buyers to tour the space before it's even been built. Our team is ready, but we just need to find the right project to work on.

Q:What do you wish someone had told you as you began your business venture?

A:I wish someone had told me how much emotional energy it takes to run a company. If you're like me, your thoughts can run a mile a minute. You have to almost train your body to turn off "work mode" or else you'll never get rest or be present with other people outside of work. Another big piece of advice would be to not compare yourself to other people or companies. This is much easier said than done, especially in the days of social media, but I believe we all have a unique purpose, and that purpose has a better chance of being reached if we stop trying to be like someone else.

Last word:The founders of Evolvr all have roots here in Knoxville, and we hope to serve this city as a unique company that can offer unique services with a capability that even some larger markets dont have yet. We love this area, and want to be a part of continuing to make it better while creating some jobs along the way.

Website:Evolvr.Media and Vessul.co

Email:Tyler@Evolvr.Media

Type of business:Marketing agency

Year founded:2014

Owners:Tyler Hays, Chris Berrong, Alex Widmer

Address:P.O. Box 18392, Knoxville, TN 37928

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Evolvr Media makes virtual reality strides - Knoxville News Sentinel

Virtual reality is a term that youll see used frequently at Seeker in the coming year, so wed like to take this opportunity to break down some of the terminology. There are two primary types of Virtual Reality these days: cinematic 360 VR and interactive game-engine based VR.

Interactive VR Interactive game-engine based VR takes things one step further by allowing you to move around a computer generated world; picking up objects and moving through a fully interactive environment. Imagine your favorite video game;interactive VR allows you to become the main character of the game, moving through digitally generated worlds, transporting yourself through stories that require interaction to be told.

Interactive VR typically requires users to have some sort of controller or special remote that allows them to bring their hands into VR for full control.

Keep checking back in on our VR hub for more updates in both cinematic and interactive realms. We have lots of exciting projects in store and can't wait to create the future with you.

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360 vs Interactive Virtual Reality - Seeker

The 2017 Game Fest in the Skutt Student Center on Saturday attracted students for games, fun and the chance to try out the HTC Vive, a piece of modern virtual reality technology that immerses the gamer in a digitally-created and interactive experience.

The event was hosted by CU After Dark, an organizer of late-night campus activities, and the Division of Information Technology's RaDLab, an innovation-focused organization that provides in-house solutions for the myriad needs of professors, students and university infrastructure.

The mid-semester refresher Game Fest catered something for every avid game-player: top video games such as FIFA '17, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. and board games such as chess, Life and Monopoly.

"Games are a great way to engage like-minded students with new technology," Ryan Cameron, senior director of research and development, said while showing off his gaming skill at Game Fest. "It helps them to experience teamwork and see a glimpse of the technologies of the future."

Future technology made an appearance at Game Fest. Compared to the exuberant and exasperated yells from other game stations, the HTC Vive generated even more consistent noise. After strapping on the Vive headset, students were able to use the Vive's motion controllers to interact with a virtual reality realm where they could practice archery, view incredible vistas atop an Icelandic mountain path or even wield a lightsaber to fend off a platoon of Imperial Stormtroopers.

Many students who had a run in the Vive were impressed.

"It was unlike any other experience, said Heider College of Business junior James Delage. I was totally immersed; it felt so realistic."

Steve Maaske, a primary organizer of Game Fest and an innovation analyst at the Division of Information Technology explained that virtual reality has an important role at the RaDLab not simply for its entertainment use.

"Virtual reality is something we're investing time and effort into, for applications like 360-degree photos and virtualizing real environments," Maaske said.

The RaDLab is working to inject virtual reality into academics at Creighton, starting with the College of Nursing. By using images taken by 360 degree cameras, virtual reality can offer students first-person views of clinical and lab locations without requiring classes to relocate for such lessons. These 360-degree photos are capable of being visualized in a Google Cardboard, an inexpensive smartphone-powered virtual reality headset, so that students can spend time in digitally recreated versions of these real locations, even after hours or in their rooms.

For the RaDLab, Game Fest was a proof of conceptinnovation is centered on the engagement and promotion of developing new technologies, and the RaDLab invites students to expand their involvement with such technology after having experienced the programming at Game Fest.

"Game Fest provides a mechanism for bringing together students collaboratively within the context of a relevant technological reality," Cameron said.

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Gamers experience virtual reality - The Creightonian