Category Archives: Virtual Reality

OTTAWA, June 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global mixed reality in healthcare market size was valued at USD 60.35 Million in 2019. Mixed reality is an amalgam of both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) by mixing real-life environment and digital elements. Mixed reality is a developing technology that holds enormous potential within the healthcare industry during the upcoming years. The technology continues to manage various applications ranging from reducing the implementation of cadavers in training programs of medical students to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patient engagement therapy as well as pre-operative visualization of critical diseases such as brain tumors by studying scan h using augmented reality.

Further, the implementation of mixed reality technology in healthcare industry has enhanced the operational environment within the industry. MR technology applies AR for moving static images in order to improve the user experience along with VR that involves the viewer in a simulated three-dimensional environment. With the combination of IT solutions in healthcare industry has brought transformational changes in the point of view of healthcare providers especially for patients treatment along with the services provided by them.

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Growth Factors

Mixed reality technology is at its nascent stage and expected to upend the healthcare industry operations in the recent coming years. Presently, the technology is largely helpful to surgeons to execute a medical procedure such as surgery from longer distance. The mixed reality technology enables effective collaboration between digital and physical objects and has gained prominent importance in healthcare applications. In addition to this, the technology is greatly helpful in training and education programs to horn the skills of nurses and primary doctors by providing them virtual specific medical situations that are highly difficult to be arranged in a real clinical setting. For instance, Holo Anatomy introduced a software platform that is greatly helpful for students in the study of human anatomy by using mixed reality technology.

Besides this, high investment cost, initial development phase of technology that generates various types of technical issues, and less awareness related to benefits of the mixed reality in healthcare sector may hamper the growth of the market. However, rising technological advancements in the healthcare industry creates lucrative opportunity for the market growth in the forthcoming years.

Report Highlights

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Regional Snapshots

North America being a technology leader on a global scale leads the market for mixed reality in healthcare in 2019 and expected to show its dominance in the upcoming years. This is mainly attributed to the increasing cases of mental and neurological disorders in the people due to hectic and stressful lifestyle. However, the Asia Pacific expected to be the most lucrative region during the analysis period because of rising geriatric population and healthcare facilities in the region.

Key Players & Strategies

The mixed reality in healthcare industry is highly fragmented in nature and experiences moderate competition among the industry participants owing to presence of large number of players in the market. In order to strengthen their presence in the global market these market players are significantly investing in Research & Development (R&D) as well as are significantly involved in partnership, collaboration, and merger & acquisition activities with technology developers. For instance, in 2019, Osso VR entered into a partnership agreement with Sawbones, a developer of medical simulation models and training displays, for digitizing anatomical medical training by using its mixed reality platform. This agreement expected to helps Osso VR in uplifting its market position in the field of mixed reality.

Some of the key players operating in the market are Echopixel, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Firsthand Technology, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Surgical Theater, Inc., HTC Corporation, Atheer, Inc., Oculus VR, Osso VR, and Proximie among others.

Market Segmentation

By Component

By Application

By End-user

By Regional Outlook

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Mixed Reality in Healthcare Market Size to Hit USD 1.33 bn by 2027 - GlobeNewswire

SONY says it's working on a new virtual reality headset designed for the PlayStation 5 and it could be out as early as next year.

The Japanese tech titan has already teased some of the PSVR 2's specs and capabilities, but is keeping the exact release date a closely guarded secret.

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Following months of leaks and rumours, Sony confirmed it was working on the PSVR 2 in a blog post in February.

The company said that the device would not be launching in 2021, but stopped short of giving an expected release window.

In a recent report, Bloomberg claimed that the PSVR 2 will be released in late 2022.

Sources with inside knowledge of the project told the news site that Sony plans to use SamsungOLED panels in its high-tech headset.

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They said, should everything go to plan, the gadget will hit shelves "in the holiday period next year".

That means we're most likely looking at a release date of November or December 2022.

Plans could change between now and then, of course, so take that date with a pinch of salt until we hear something concrete from Sony.

Sony announced in February that it was working on a virtual reality headset designed for the PlayStation 5.

"Our next-generation VR system will be coming to PlayStation 5, enabling the ultimate entertainment experience," Sony's Hideaki Nishino wrote in a blog post.

"Players will feel an even greater sense of presence and become even more immersed in their game worlds once they put on the new headset."

Nishino revealed that Sony is also developing a new version of the PlayStation Move controller for the PSVR 2.

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The joypad will incorporate "some of the key features found in the DualSense wireless controller" packaged with the PS5, he said.

Nishino said that the new headset would connect to the PS5 via a single cable to simplify set-up and make the gear easeier to use.

The kit "enhances everything from resolution and field of view to tracking and input", he added.

The tech is still in development and wont be launching in 2021, according to Nishino.

However, the development community has already begun working on new virtual worlds for the system, he said.

Sony's original PSVR system hit shelves four years ago and is now the best-selling high-end VR headset ever.

The wearable gear, which also plugs into the PS5, lets players immerse themselves in virtual reality games processed through their console.

Virtual Reality v.s. Augmented Reality what's the difference?

Here's what you need to know

Starting at 260, players can bolster their set-up by paying for extra gear in the form of special VR controllers, which ship for 70 for a pair.

The high-tech system has proven to be a surprise success, with the company flogging more than 5million headsets to date.

Early reviews praised the tech's affordability over headsets produced by rivals HTC and Facebook-owned Oculus.

Most headsets require a high-end PC to function, whereas Sony's offering brings VR within reach of the millions of gamers who already own a PlayStation.

But while reviewers praised the system's accessibility, concerns were raised about the quality of experience.

PSVR headsets don't track motion as well as some of the pricier headsets on offer, and suffer from light leaking into the contraption during play.

Virtual reality games available on PlayStation includeAstro Bot: Rescue Mission, Tetris Effect, Moss, Beat Saber, and Resident Evil 7 biohazard.

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In other news, The Sun's favourite alternative to a games console is theOculus Quest 2VR headset.

Grab a VR headset and you'll be able to play the legendaryBeat Saber like Guitar Hero, but with lightsabers.

And Dell'sAlienware R10 Ryzen Editionis a gaming PC powerhouse that crushes the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk

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PSVR 2 release date leaks when is the new PS5 virtual reality headset out?... - The Sun

An attendee demos the Oculus Quest wireless virtual reality headset during Facebook Inc's F8 developers conference in San Jose, California, U.S., April 30, 2019. REUTERS/Stephen Lam

June 16 (Reuters) - Facebook Inc (FB.O) said Wednesday it will begin testing ads inside its virtual reality Oculus headsets in partnership with several game developers, including Resolution Games.

The small-scale test of VR ads are a bridge between the social media company's main revenue line of selling digital advertising and its growing investment to build virtual reality hardware as the next tech frontier after the smartphone.

Facebook said it will use the test to explore ways to help developers earn revenue on the Oculus platform.

Ads will begin to appear in Blaston, an action game developed by Resolution, and in other Oculus games over the coming weeks.

Facebook added that Oculus users will be able to hide individual ads or choose not to see ads from a certain advertiser.

Reporting by Sheila Dang, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Virtual reality ads make their way to Facebook's Oculus headsets - Reuters

Virtual reality arcade The Gaming Lab opened in Fort Gratiot Township's Birchwood Mall on June 18, 2021.(Photo: Liam Gobeyn)

Dads and kids looking for something to do for Fathers Day this weekendhavea new option for entertainment in Fort Gratiot.

The Gaming Lab, a virtual reality arcade, opened Friday morning inthe former Birchwood Mall Campus Den.

The Gaming Lab has10 play spaces and overall hasabout 5,000 feet of playable space. Theresa variety of games, including racing, rock climbing, putt-putt, action-adventureroleplaying andfirst-person shooters.

Im super excited to see all the emotion,saidFort Gratiot residentLiam Gobeyn,arcadeco-owner along with Kimball Township residentsJaycee and Sam Clawson.

Virtual reality arcade The Gaming Lab opened in Fort Gratiot Township's Birchwood Mall on June 18, 2021.(Photo: Liam Gobeyn)

The arcades hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Prices range from 33 cents to $1 per minute, depending on how much playing time is booked, Gobeyn said.

Virtual reality arcade The Gaming Lab opened in Fort Gratiot Township's Birchwood Mall on June 18, 2021.(Photo: Liam Gobeyn)

The co-owners started working on the idea about six months ago and startedworking on the Birchwood Mall spacein March.Theyhad hoped to open at the beginning of June, butthe arcadewas a little behind schedulewaiting on the last of the computers tobe delivered.

Opening the arcade was anabout a $60,000investment,Gobeynsaid.

With everything coming together,theco-ownersdecided to open on Friday and hopefor a busy weekend, give people the option to come in and play for Fathers Day, he said.

One person had booked space online as of Friday morning and the arcade was hoping for a decent amount of walk-ins.

Gobeyn thinks people are excited for the arcade and hes looking forward to getting people to come in and try VR for the first time.

Its an experiment with reality for sure, he said.

People can book appointments for the The Gaming Lab on its website and cancontact the arcadeat (810) 479-9916 and gaminglaboratory1.0@gmail.com.

Contact Bryce Airgood at (810) 989-6202 or bairgood@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @bairgood123.

Read or Share this story: https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2021/06/18/virtual-reality-arcade-opens-fort-gratiot-birchwood-mall/7744726002/

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Virtual reality arcade The Gaming Lab opens in Fort Gratiots Birchwood Mall - The Times Herald

June 16, 2021

Editor's note:This story is part of a series of profiles ofnotable spring 2021 graduates.

Did you know that the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse can grow to 7 to 9 inches long? Obermeit collaring an elk calf in the White Mountains of Arizona in May 2020. Download Full Image

ASU graduate and Phoenix native Tyler Obermeit does. Something else he knows about this small mouse is that it is, unfortunately, an endangered species. Shrinking habitat space has left these mice with few options for places they can call home.

Luckily though, for this species of mouse, Obermeit has recently been hired by Arizona Game and Fish to study them. Obermeits goal? To learn more about the mouse so that people can know what actions to take to keep it off the endangered species list.

It's a mouse that hibernates for nine months a year. So it has like three months to wake up, have babies and get enough food in that for the next winter. And they've been endangered pretty severely, Obermeit said.

During his time at ASU, spring 2021 graduate Obermeit studied natural resource ecology and wildlife tracking with a certificate in wildlife management.

Before coming to ASU, Obermeit served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman. He was deployed to Afghanistan for a year and struggled to adapt to life back at home after experiencing combat for so long.

After taking a few different jobs and facing some hardship, Obermeit decided that going back to school would be the best fit for him. He chose to study at ASU, where he also joined TRIO Veterans Upward Bound, a program designed to help veteran students adjust to life as college students.

His interest in the outdoors grew as he studied at ASU, and eventually he became interested in wildlife restoration. Obermeit also served as the president of ASUs Wildlife and Restoration Student Association.

We are the joint student chapters of the Wildlife Society, the American Fisheries Society and the Society for Range Land Management, Obermeit said.

The association's mission is to inspire, empower and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitats through science-based management and conservation.

What I've been trying to do for the past two years, as president of this club, is just to get students out there engaging hands-on with wildlife and wildlife professionals, Obermeit said.

Originally, Obermeit was a conservation biology and ecology major. After taking habitat management for a small wildlife class with Professor Stan Cunningham, he decided to pursue a certificate in wildlife management and joined the Wildlife and Restoration Student Association.

He was really instrumental and convinced me to move over to this side of things where it was much more wildlife technician based, much more hands-on, Obermeit said.

According to Obermeit, the student organization played a big role in how he got to where he is today.

The wildlife society has just been, you know, wonderful for me, he said.

As a first-generation student, Obermeit was aware of the importance of applying for scholarships. While at ASU he earned multiple scholarships, including from the national association of Veterans Upward Bound, Vietnam Veterans of America Mesa Chapter, Western Association of Education Opportunity Personnel and the New American University award.

Question: What was your aha moment when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

Answer: It was actually back when I was a conservation biology major. It was the first time I captured a black-footed ferret. And like having this thing in the cage, I'm like, "Oh my God, I'm holding an endangered species." And that was like what I do. Thats what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, is work with wildlife.

Q: Whats something you learned while at ASU in the classroom or otherwise that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: I was really intimidated when I first enrolled at ASU because, you know, I'm like 29 years old, I graduated in 2009, I joined the Army. I've been out of the classroom, I think, eight years. And so I was very intimidated, especially in a STEM field, freshman year, when youre taking these bio and chemistry courses that just wholesale fail out half the class, and I was terrified.

I'm thinking, "Holy crap, here's all these honors students who are failing out." And then I ended up with an A+ in the class. And I think that's when I realized it's not this whole thing of how smart you are, it's how hard you work and what you put into it. And what put me at an advantage versus those other students is that I had a work ethic that was instilled in me from the military and working, you know, blue-collar jobs and stuff like that. I guess the thing is, it's like, there's nothing that hard work and dedication cant accomplish.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I was looking at a list of majors of the three major schools and when I saw the conservation biology and ecology major, I thought I could be a game warden with that degree and be involved in law enforcement. Not that I enjoy law enforcement. It's just that that seemed like an easy transition from military life and everything I was doing. I got involved, and I'm like, "I don't want to do law enforcement, I want to do research." So something where I'm interfacing more with wildlife and people. You know, that was always really attractive to me.

Q: Whats the best piece of advice youd give to those still in school?

A: Well, there's a few things. One, if I would have gone to college when I was 18 years old, I would be on a completely different path. And I feel it's a little bit ridiculous to ask somebody at 18 years old what they want to do for the rest of their life, because I look back at an 18-year-old me and he was not very smart. One of the things is like, this isnt high school anymore. The main thing is for students to take it seriously, but at the same time also not over-stress. You have to find that good balance but also dedicate yourself as if it was a full-time job.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I've just been hired with Arizona Game and Fish to be an intern working with an endangered species of mouse called the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse.

And they've been endangered, pretty, pretty severely, and then they live in wetlands. And so what I do is I do track plating, I set up a box with some sticky paper and an ink pad and peanuts. And so the mouse comes in, eats the peanuts and leaves little red footprints. And then I go and I check the footprints and (with) trapping, you could potentially kill the animal if you lost that trap or they froze it out overnight. So this leaves footprints, and they have a very unique footprint. So I track mice, and I figure out where their habitat is. And it's in some of the most beautiful areas and remote areas of the White Mountains and these mountain meadows, and it's incredible.

And so what I'm going to be doing is actually, I found some consistencies in the data as far as plant identification. So Im going to help them draft a handbook on habitat management and plant identification in the White Mountains for this mouse.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I would pour that money probably into our forests. For example, the wildfires last year, that's not just a climate change thing, that is 100 years of bad forest policy of putting out every fire and ranching and all these other things. So I would put that military-level spending into maintaining our forests as to how they're supposed to exist in the natural state and ecological restoration in general.

Written by Madeleine Williamson, ASU Student Life

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'Godmother of virtual reality' joins ASU to build new L.A.-based program, center - ASU Now

TEHRAN - If the purpose of heritage museums is to build a bridge between the past and present, then virtual reality (VR) is undeniably one of the most innovative construction tools at their disposal.

In a recent agreement reached between Yazd Water Museum and two Iranian startups, the museum, which features a lesser-known world of qanats, underground aqueducts, and primitive irrigation systems in the oasis city, will be subject to a VR project.

Virtual reality is exactly as the name suggests a technology that audibly and visually transports people to another place or time. It is a powerful tool that has become commonplace in industries like video gaming over the last few years, but there are also a growing number of museums and heritage sites putting VR to good use, too.

In July 2017, the historical structure of the city of Yazd was named a UNESCO World Heritage. Wedged between the northern Dasht-e Kavir and the southern Dasht-e Lut on a flat plain, the oasis city enjoys a very harmonious public-religious architecture that dates from different eras.

Yazd is usually referred to as a delightful place to stay, or a don't miss destination by almost all of its visitors.

Water is brought to the city by the qanat system. Each district of the city is built on a qanat and has a communal center. The concept of Persian Qanat was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2016 as they provide exceptional testimony to cultural traditions and civilizations in desert areas with an arid climate.

The use of earth in buildings includes walls and roofs by the construction of vaults and domes. Houses are built with courtyards below ground level, serving underground areas. Wind-catchers, courtyards, and thick earthen walls create a pleasant microclimate.

Partially covered alleyways together with streets, public squares and courtyards contribute to a pleasant urban quality. The city escaped the modernization trends that destroyed many traditional earthen cities.

It survives today with its traditional districts, the qanat system, traditional houses, bazaars, hammams, water cisterns, mosques, synagogues, Zoroastrian temples, and the historic garden of Dolat-Abad. The city enjoys the peaceful coexistence of three religions: Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.

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Virtual reality to turn spotlight on water tourism in Yazd - Tehran Times

Extended reality (XR) technologies, like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), bring many benefits to us as consumers, and to the industries that adopt them. But we cant ignore the fact that there are many personal and societal risks that come with XR, particularly at the more immersive end of the spectrum (i.e. VR).

In this article, I address five of the biggest concerns around XR, and outline a safer, more ethical way forward for the technology.

5 Problems And Solutions Of Adopting Extended Reality Technologies Like VR And AR

1. Legal concerns

As with any technology that advances faster than legal systems can cope with, regulators and lawmakers are left playing catchup. XR is no exception. As a result, we dont have clear laws on whats acceptable and unacceptable in virtual environments or even which jurisdictions those environments come under.

One of the biggest unanswered questions for me is, can a virtual act be a crime? Say two people are immersed in a virtual environment, and one of them assaults the other in that virtual space. Is that a crime? If we consider video games where many people enjoy beating up or shooting our fellow gamers the question seems a bit ridiculous. But XR technologies create a much more immersive experience than the average video game. In our hypothetical virtual situation, the assault might seem very real to the victim. Is it a crime then? What if our two hypothetical people are wearing haptic suits, which allow users to feel realistic sensations that are generated in the virtual world? This could potentially make the assault genuinely traumatic.

2. Moral questions

This conundrum on what should and shouldnt be allowed in a virtual environment isnt just a legal question. Its a moral issue, too. The danger with immersive technologies is they can allow people to act out whatever they want, seemingly without any real-world consequences. Some might say this is fairly harmless, but this crossing of moral boundaries (boundaries that exist in the real world) certainly makes me uncomfortable.

Consider this example: with the way XR technology and accessories are advancing, it will be theoretically possible for someone to render a highly realistic avatar of their neighbor or colleague or friend and then have sex with them in a virtual setting. Should that be allowed? Its immoral, sure. But is it wrong to commit immoral acts purely in a virtual world? In my view, if something isnt allowed in the real world (like having sex with someone without their knowledge), it shouldnt be allowed in the virtual world.

3. Access for the few, not the many

Theres also the possibility that XR technologies will widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The cost of purchasing XR hardware will obviously exclude many people, potentially exacerbating existing social divisions. One of the things I talk about in my book is how XR has the potential to revolutionize learning and provide enriching educational experiences for children. But if these opportunities arent available to all, we risk creating even more elitist education systems.

4. Privacy and security

This is a huge and very complex concern, so Ill just give a quick summary here. Like most new technologies, XR brings with it some significant challenges related to personal data. Except, in this case, the data can be extremely personal and sensitive, potentially including our most intimate behaviors and thoughts.

Let's take eye-tracking technology which is already being incorporated into VR and AR headsets as an example. This brings many advantages in terms of the quality of the graphics and responsiveness. But eye-tracking also enables companies to collect highly personal data on your unconscious responses to visual cues (whether virtual, as in the case of VR, or real-world cues, as in the case of AR).

Patterns in our eye movements show what were focusing on at any given time, which gives an insight into our preferences and thoughts, rather like an unconscious like button. And that information could be mined by advertisers to serve up related ads. If that seems harmless, how about this: your eye movement data could give away your sexual orientation and, specifically, who youre attracted to.

5. Health concerns

Users who spend a lot of time in VR sometimes report nausea, dizziness and disorientation a "post-VR hangover," if you will. This is the result of the brain receiving mixed sensory signals (such as your eyes registering movement in the digital environment, while your inner ear knows youre standing still in the real world incidentally, mixed signals like this are why we experience motion sickness on boats and in cars). Some people dont experience these symptoms at all, while others find even a short VR experience triggers after effects. The effects can, in some cases, last up to a week.

Finding a safer, more ethical way forward

Let me stress that the benefits of XR far outweigh the potential downsides. But to fully realize those benefits, and overcome the pitfalls, we must embed notions like ethics, responsibility, safety, and trust in XR technologies. To do this, we need a global code of conduct for XR, like the codes of conduct that are emerging in the field of artificial intelligence.

In the future, I predict irresponsible XR practices will draw public and regulatory ire. So, from a business perspective, its vital organizations take proactive action now to ensure their XR experiences are responsible and ethical. This might include:

Ensuring any XR technology is as inclusive and affordable as possible especially if your offering is designed for educational or societal use.

Being open with users about what data youre gathering, and, where possible, giving them the opportunity to opt out. And where personal data is absolutely vital, youll need to take all the same data security measures as you would for any other business-critical process.

Read more about extended reality technologies including plenty of real-world examples in my new book, Extended Reality in Practice: 100+ Amazing Ways Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Are Changing Business and Society.

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5 Problems And Solutions Of Adopting Extended Reality Technologies Like VR And AR - Forbes

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VR can be used in the medical field to help patients manage pain, face fears, and can even help nurses practice skill tests. (submitted)

Most of us would likely associate virtual reality headsets with video games and accidentally crashing into our own coffee tables, but at the University of British Columbia researchers are exploring how VR can be used to manage chronic pain in cancer patients.

Dr. Bernie Garrett, associate director of infrastructure and technology at the UBC School of Nursing, is part of the team running the randomized control trial.

People [with chronic pain] end up resorting to very powerful drugs, such as opiates, to help manage their pain on a daily basis. And so, anything that gives them some sort of relief from this is potentially valuable, says Garrett.

The month-long VR trial is being conducted with the goal of studying 100 different cancer patients experiencing chronic pain, who are sent home with all the equipment they need.

Over the month, they monitor their pain levels before, during, and after their daily 30 to 40-minute sessions, among other factors like sleep and quality of life, says Garrett.

The four weeks of VR experiences are divided into two weeks of relaxing guided meditation sessions and two weeks of problem-solving activities like puzzles and games.

He says both types of experiences are designed to take patients minds away from their pain through a very powerful form of distraction.

Garrett, who has a background in technology, says he became interested in this work through his colleague Dr. Tanya Taverner, a pain researcher and assistant professor at the UBC School of Nursing, more than ten years ago.

But VR technology is being used for more than just pain management.

Through virtual reality exposure therapy people can work through their anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and phobias by encountering these scary situations in a virtual environment.

The goal of exposure therapy then is to help reduce a persons fear and anxiety, with the ultimate goal of eliminating avoidance behaviour and increasing quality of life, reads the Verywell Minds website.

VR is also being used to help people recover motor function after having a stroke.

Being able to amplify somebodys real-life movements in a virtual environment not only gives positive reinforcement to the person doing the rehabilitation, it can also accelerate healing and performance overall, Garrett says.

At UBC Garrett has also explored how VR can be used in educational contexts.

In healthcare, it is common to use a robotic patient simulator that can mimic pulse and blood pressure rates, but they can be very expensive and can only be practiced on in the lab that they stay in.

Garrett says that companies and manufacturers are working on building VR experiences that could replace these mannequins.

That will be particularly advantageous because people can experience clinical situations in a virtual reality context. They can do it anywhere. They could do it on their own time, he says.

There are many more applications that augmented reality can be used for in health. Garrett anticipates that it will become more popular as time goes on and further research is conducted.

Its beginning to become very mainstream, and its not just the geeks and the gamers who are going to be doing it. Its actually coming pretty fast into everyday life.

Read more:

UBC School of Nursing is exploring virtual reality uses in healthcare - The Runner

Enter for your chance to win now with custom fundraising company, Doditty.

Fans of Lainey Wilson, Kameron Marlow, Caylee Hammack and more have an exclusive opportunity to virtually chat with the rising stars through an exciting campaign with Nashville-based company, Doditty.

The innovative fundraising company offers virtual reality experiences through Music Venue Alliance Nashville (MVAN). For different tiered donations, fans will be entered into a drawing for a silver (2 winners) and grand prize (1 winner) including a meet and greet with the artist of their choice and an Oculus Quest 2 Headset.

Running through this Thursday, June 17th, the contest entries support over 15 different independent music venues throughout Nashville. Since 2017, the MVAN has striven to educate and fuel the independent music scene in the city.

The company teamed with artists to highlight the future of music in the virtual world. Each spoke to their experiences with the latest technology being used to bring music directly to fans. Check out Caylee Hammacks interview below and watch the rest under each artists profile in the link below.

VR for Venues Caylee Hammack at The Bluebird Cafe from Doditty on Vimeo.

I think that VR is opening up music and making it more accessible, Hammack shares. It has the ability to open up so many doors for people. Its so cool that on the other side of this camera youre in your comfort zone and you get to be a part of this magic even though we dont get to be in the same room. We still get to have magic together.

Entries for the MVAN Virtual Reality Sweepstakes close 6/17 at 12 pm CST. To learn more about the available prizes and how to enter visit https://campaigns.doditty.com.

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Virtual Reality Sweepstakes Offers Fans Exclusive Opportunity to Hangout with Rising Country Artists - Country Now

Japan Display Inc, once one of Apple Incs key suppliers, sees a new market for its liquid crystal displays after ceding the smartphones arena to rival OLED screens: the niche yet growing virtual reality business.

The Tokyo-based LCD specialist expects its favoured display technology to become the standard for VR because it can achieve higher resolution than OLED while keeping costs reasonable. That advantage is imperceptible in mobile devices but becomes critical in the more demanding VR scenario.

To date, VR headsets have largely been a disappointment, promising to open a whole new content platform and ecosystem yet never quite achieving it. But VR game producers said the situation started to improve with Facebook Incs Oculus Quest 2 release last year, which saw adoption tick up with many people stuck at home during the pandemic.

Many of the first wave of headsets released five years ago used OLED screens or organic light-emitting diodes, the same as used across most flagship phones today for their responsiveness to fast-moving action, a common feature of gaming experiences. But major players such as HTC Corp and Facebook have moved to LCDs for their latest products, betting on the more economical standard to improve the user experience and immersion. Industry researchers at Omdia saw LCD adoption rise in 2020 and forecast the technology will dominate the category over the next five years.

Its hard to find a VR headset maker who doesnt have a relationship with us, JDIs VR chief Takeshi Harayama said in an interview. At the companys last earnings call in May, chief executive officer Scott Callon said he expects revenue from gaming-oriented VR headsets to pick up from the second half of next fiscal year.

Part of the reason is that OLED makers just arent that interested in competing for a small market. Even popular headsets struggle to break past a few million sales, paling in comparison to smartphones where hundreds of millions of units are sold each year.

One important holdout remains: Sony Group Corp plans to use Samsung Display Co OLED panels in its next-generation PlayStation VR goggles, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Japanese console giant sold more than five million units of the original PS VR, launched in 2016, and is aiming to release the successor in the holiday period next year, the people said, asking not to be named discussing internal plans.

A Sony spokesperson and a Samsung Display representative declined to comment.

To grab a bigger share of the market, JDI is working to convince VR companies it can solve two of their biggest hurdles: display quality and cost. Because VR goggles place the screen so much closer to the human eye, they require higher resolution and clarity than mobile screens, achieved by packing pixels closer together. JDI is capable of producing displays with 1,200 pixels per inch, more than double the typical density of top-tier phone panels, according to its chief VR headset engineer, Yoshihiro Watanabe.

The threshold for a high-quality VR experience is to have a display with at least 1,000 pixels per inch, Watanabe said, adding that JDI is one of the few display makers if not the only that can mass-produce such panels at a reasonable production yield.

Im confident our technology on LCDs is at least two years ahead of others in the category, he said.

JDI was created in 2012 by the combination of the display-making units of Sony, Hitachi Ltd and Toshiba Corp, with much of its revenue since then coming from mobile handsets, especially iPhones. More than half of its total sales used to come from the Apple business, but the iPhone makers adoption of OLED technology left the company reeling.

Unable to develop its own OLED panels to a competitive level with leader Samsung Display, JDI has seen its revenue from phones drop from 838bil yen (RM31.33bil) in the year ended March 2016 to an expected 81bil yen (RM3.02bil) this fiscal year. The firm sold the factory it had used mainly to produce panels for Apple to Sharp Corp last year.

Major smartphone makers universally adopted OLED for their premium models in part because of the broader set of design options it offered. Flexible OLED panels could be curved, as with the banana-like LG G Flex, rolled or folded, as with the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X.

When it comes to VR, the quality of picture the panel produces will be the most important because the headset doesnt really need other features such as flexibility and energy efficiency, said Omdia research manager Hiroshi Hayase.

Its difficult to say that LCD is in all cases superior to OLED for VR, Hayase said, because OLED offers better contrast in addition to faster response times. The key for JDI will be to establish a solid footing in the industry by addressing customer needs that other suppliers would turn down owing to the small market size, he added. JDI has experience of doing that from its business supplying display panels for digital cameras.

While JDI doesnt disclose particular customers, the company expects revenue from non-mobile businesses, which includes VR headsets, to grow 25% to 70bil yen (RM2.61bil) in the current fiscal year.

I wouldnt say the market will be rosy in two to three years, but the growth rate is good enough for us to call it a big business for us, JDIs Watanabe said. Other makers may try to come in when the market is finally big enough, but by that time we expect to have built strong ties with customers and accumulated the technological know-how to hold our position. Bloomberg

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Fading iPhone LCD screen maker pivots to virtual reality - The Star Online