Category Archives: Virtual Reality

COLLEGE STATION, TX Bored with traditional slides, Jaskirat Batra found a more exciting way to view things in class.

Using a low-cost cardboard viewer and a smartphone, students in the engineering department are able to see 3-D models of things that they would not normally be able to view. The use of virtual reality in the classrooms can be transferred to other subjects as well.

"The concepts that we teach actually overlap with physics and I know there are some other applications where this is being used in veterinary medicine or in aerospace." shared Batra, doctoral candidate There's a lot of STEM disciplines where this could be used."

Batra has noticed an increase in student engagement since starting to use virtual reality goggles.

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Texas A&M using virtual reality to engage more students in the classroom - KXXV News Channel 25

Developer Flat Hill Games has announced that delicious virtual reality cooking game Clash of Chefs VR will exit Early Access and launch for the original Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 headsets this summer alongside other Steam VR-compatible devices including Oculus Rift, Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality. Clash of Chefs VR allows foodies to play with their meals like never before, challenging them to prepare American, Italian, and Japanese recipes as quickly as possible to defeat online or asynchronous multiplayer opponents and climb the leaderboard. In addition, fans can ripen their skills across 80 different single-player levels.

The final, complete version of the game will include content currently unavailable in the Early Access version, such as a new themed restaurant, achievements, customization features, and more.

Oculus Quests catalog is hyper-curated to ensure a high degree of player satisfaction and great return on investment for developers, says Adrian Djura, CEO and Founder of Flat Hill Games. Were proud that our virtual food frenzy, Clash of Chefs VR, will soon be featured among other quality titles on the headsets platform.

As players begin mastering the culinary arts, customers will demand increasingly complex dishes. Fans must carefully measure bacon on burgers, beans in burritos, shredded cheese in pasta bowls, and noodles in ramen if they hope to earn a top spot on the leaderboard and become one of the worlds best virtual chefs. Of course, players are welcome to smash plates over a waiters head or toss ingredients in their opponents face whenever they want to spice up the food fight.

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Clash of Chefs Game Moves to Virtual Reality Platform - Gameindustry.com - GameIndustry.com

In Virtual Reality News

May 11, 2021 War Remains, an immersive experience from MWM Interactive (MWMi) will this month debut at its new home, the National WWI Museum and Memorial located in Kansas City, US. Presented by Hardcore History podcaster Dan Carlin, War Remains is an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience that transports viewers to the Western Front of the First World War where they can witness history unfold from a soldiers point-of-view.

War Remains is a location-based experience (LBE) that places attendees in a 25ft x 25ft space and equips them with a VR headset. The space effectively acts as a physical set, thereby allowing viewers to interact with what they are witnessing virtually in the physical world, adding to the immersion of the experience. Although a relatively small space, according to Brandon Padveen, Associate Producer at MWM Interactive, the experience actually feels enormous due to the techniques that were used to create the experience and trick users into thinking they are in the vast trench networks on the frontlines of WWI.

The VR experience was produced by MWMi, directed by Brandon Oldenburg, and developed by Flight School Studio, with audio designed by Skywalker Sound. Throughout the experience, Dan Carlin leads audiences into the trenches as an active battle scene rages on around them. Through a combination of visual effects, sound engineering, and the guidance of Carlins voice, audiences get the opportunity to experience a moment in history.

Virtual Reality creates other dimensions. The medium allows the storyteller to engage the audience in a way that previous storytelling genres havent been able to tap into. The engagement level is so much higher because the audience is 100% involved. Its an active not passive experience, said Carlin.

As well as the digital animation and physical interaction aspects of the experience, another hugely important part is the sound. Ethan Stearns, Executive Vice President of Content at MWM Interactive, said that originally, the team wanted the experience to be so loud and uncomfortable that people wouldnt really want to be in a headset. Obviously, this wouldnt be something that viewers would reasonably want to experience, and understandably, MWMi couldnt really push things to a level that the real soldiers of WWI went through. Instead, the team had to look at how it could emulate how loud the trenches would have been in a different way. This emulation was achieved through clever sound design methods including the integration of speakers into the walls of the physical set, thanks to the work that Skywalker Sound carried out.

MWMi has gifted the War Remains LBE to the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Stearns added: We want War Remains to continue to be experienced, and there is no better permanent home than the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

We are extremely grateful to MWMi for the gift of War Remains. This experience is unlike anything that Kansas City has hosted before, said Matthew Naylor, President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. War Remains will allow the viewer to immerse themselves in the trenches of WWI and experience it with all of their senses, reaching them on both an educational and emotional level.

War Remains premiered to international acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019 and later opened for a limited run in Austin, Texas. It went on to win the Out-of-home VR Entertainment of the Year award at the VR Awards. The experience will be hosted in the National WWI Museum and Memorials Memory Hall and will be open to the public on May 27, 2021. Due to the graphic nature of the content, viewers must be at least 14 years of age.

For more information on the War Remains experience, click here.

Image / video credit: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org / MWM Interactive / YouTube

About the author

Sam Sprigg

Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he covers news articles on both the AR and VR industries. He also has an interest in human augmentation technology as a whole, and does not just limit his learning specifically to the visual experience side of things.

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Immersive LBE Virtual Reality experience 'War Remains' comes to National WWI Museum and Memorial this month - Auganix

Ballast, providers of virtual reality for waterparks, has introduced two brand-new attractions designed to create memorable experiences for guests and boost revenue for waterparks.

The virtual reality attractions are known as VRSlide and DIVR.

VRSlide is hailed as the first system in the world to add new visual dimensions to existing waterslides. The system is equipped with 25 virtual reality headsets. The Ballast team digitalises a waterparks slide path and create virtual reality worlds that are specifically tailored to a slide path. SplashSync Sensors are installed at points where riders experience different movement patterns on the slide.

DIVR is designed to enable waterparks to unlock new possibilities in their pool. DIVR VR Snorkelling is sold as a system of equipment to waterparks and resorts, without any requirements for permanent infrastructure changes to begin operation.

The DIVR content options allow guests to discover the sensation of flying, floating and swimming through enchanted virtual worlds.

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Ballast introduces two new virtual reality attractions for waterparks - InterPark

WEF data showed that nearly two-thirds of children now starting school will work in jobs that have not even been invented yet.

Klaus Vedfelt | DigitalVision | Getty Images

More than 100 million workers in 8 countries alone might need to switch jobs by 2030, according to a recent McKinsey report, which highlighted a number of jobs that could exist even further into the future.

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated technological transformation, so much so that 12% more people than anticipated pre-crisis might need to change jobs by the end of the decade. That's according to data from a report published in February by consultancy McKinsey on the future of work post-pandemic.

The data was cited in Bank of America's "Future of Work" report, published Wednesday, which looked even further ahead, considering the creation of new roles. It referred to World Economic Forum findings which showed that nearly two-thirds of children now starting school will work in jobs that have not even been invented yet.

The Bank of America strategists who authored the report pointed out that many next-generation technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, augmented and virtual reality, are still in their infancy.

However, they argued it would be key to anticipate the jobs needed to work in these areas of innovation so people can "adapt their skillset with the relevant education for the workplace of tomorrow."

Bank of America equity strategist Felix Tran, who was the lead author on the report, highlighted the following examples of possible jobs of the future, based on the insights in this report and previous thematic research carried out by the investment bank.

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Space tourist guides and leisure time planners: These are the jobs of the future - CNBC

Adding to its recent announcement on how it is honoring veterans throughout this Military Appreciation Month, T-Mobile has revealed its new collaboration with Healium. Through this partnership, T-Mobile can bring a virtual Honor Flight experience to veterans situated in small towns throughout the country. This way, they can get the experience of visiting Washington D.C. war memorials without having to leave their homes.

We are losing our World War II Veterans at a rate of hundreds a day, and sadly many may not live long enough to be able to see their memorials in person, said Healium CEO, Sarah Hill. This is such a powerful application that can help us reach Veterans, including those living in small towns and remote locations. While nothing is as good as a real, in-person Honor Flight trip, this is a beautiful way to take Veterans there if theyre not able to travel.

Of course, this is all thanks to T-Mobiles 5G network and the power of Virtual Reality. With this virtual experience, veterans can take a tour of the war memorials and pay tribute to their fallen comrades. These virtual tours give a look at the sights and sounds of the Rainbow Pool and experience the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. They even allow a visit to the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Not to forget, theres a virtual tour of the USS Nimitz, which is currently in the Pacific Ocean.

Through the collaboration with Healium, Honor Flight Network volunteers will be given VR headsets and Inseego 5G MiFi M2000 hotspots so they can participate in these virtual tours without having to put their health at risk. And thanks to T-Mobiles Extended Range 5G, volunteers can meet with veterans without the need to travel to remote locations.

Source: T-Mobile

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T-Mobile partners with Healium to bring Virtual Reality to Honor Flight volunteers - TmoNews

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Axon, the global leader in connected public safety technologies, today announced a partnership with the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the law enforcement community, to help with the design and development of the next generation Use of Force (UoF) training for law enforcement. With this partnership, Axon will leverage NTOA's training expertise to develop virtual reality content and reality-based scenarios for de-escalation training focused on empathy, critical thinking and threat mitigation for both in-person and VR training platforms.

In an effort to enhance community and police relations in a complex world, Axon will work closely with NTOA and MIRACLE (Mental Illness Response Alternative Center Law Enforcement) to obtain constructive feedback and have Axon's VR Training content, including VR Community Engagement and VR Simulator scenarios, and Axon Academy web-based trainings endorsed for meeting world-class standards.

Additionally, this week Axon launched its first wireless Virtual Reality (VR) Simulator Training to provide immersive virtual reality content that can help officers develop critical thinking, de-escalation and tactical skills. Designed to complement Axon's existing Community Engagement Training, the VR Simulator will enable officers toactually talk and walk through the scenario as they would in the field, with feedback from trainers and supervisors, allowing them to practice more and enhance their skills, better preparing them for the situations they encounter each day.

To read the full blog post visit: https://www.axon.com/news/ntoa-partnership

To learn more about the VR Simulator launch visit: https://www.axon.com/training/vr

SOURCE Axon

http://www.axon.com

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Axon Partners with NTOA to Design and Develop Next-Generation Use of Force Training - PRNewswire

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Last year,Spatial unveiled its social augmented reality workspace on mobile devices, enabling people to log into its 3D experience in a way that makes the virtual workplace more accessible. And now it is making its 3D collaborative space available via web browsers. The company is also showing off galleries where it can display art with nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

The New York company has created a virtual reality and augmented reality collaboration platform that lets people access a three-dimensional workspace from any device, whether its an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset or a smartphone or a computer with a web browser.

Today it is announced the beta launch of its new interactiveweb app that extends access for anyone to benefit from the full extent of immersive 3D computing, reaching beyond its traditional collaboration use cases.

And fans of NFTs, which use the secure and transparent digital ledger of the blockchain to authenticate digital items, are using the space to show off their 2D and 3D digital art work. They can do so by setting up virtual galleries within Spatial. Thats a big deal because NFT art has been selling for as much as $69 million. But there are very few ways to actually view NFT art.

Spatial has created a way for its creators to choose a gallery environment or custom build their own. With this new update, anyone across the web can instantly interact in virtual collaborative work rooms or explore these exhibitions in 3D, with just one click no installations required.

The company also announces a series of public exhibitions with key influencers within the NFT community who will showcase their art throughout May and June. These include NFT marketplaces OpenSea and SuperRare, contemporary artists and 3D designers Federico Clapis, Krista Kim and Jarlan Perez, 6 Agency who are building NFTs on the Solana blockchain, and Superchief Gallery, the worlds first physical dedicated NFT gallery space in NYC. A full calendar of events and partners is listed on Spatials website.

Above: Spatial lets you roam in a 3D space in AR, VR, mobile, or the web.

Image Credit: Spatial

Despite growing headset sales, accessibility has always been top of mind for Spatial, as it wants collaborative 3D spaces to be experienced by the masses. This offers the first time anyone across headset, mobile or desktop can walk around Spatials virtual rooms with full avatar functionality and controls to share, collaborate or view content with others.

CEO Anand Agarawala said in a statement that users have logged more than 10 million minutes in Spatial in the past year, with 50% of those being non-headset users.

NFTs are a type of digital certificate of authenticity that uses blockchain technology, creating a secure way to track who owns a digital asset. NFT popularity has recently spiked as cryptoenthusiasts around the world pay large sums for digital assets anything from art, music, sports trading cards, media and even real estate. Artists are finding their biggest audiences via NFT communities and selling art for record breaking amounts. Its leveling the playing field and eliminating traditional gatekeepers to make art and other creative assets more discoverable while rewarding artists for their work.

The Spatial gallery was designed in collaboration with former SOM architect, Sylvia Lee. It offers a high end, accessible and simple solution for both buyers and sellers of these NFT assets to display their collections. You enter via a web link, to discover and share digital assets with anyone no headset, pieces of virtual land or crypto wallet required. Its bringing a human and social element to these digital forms.

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Spatial unveils web browser collaboration in 3D workspace and NFT virtual galleries - VentureBeat

In his latest Aviation Week essay, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University President P. Barry Butler describes the value of extended reality technologies for workforce training and aviation safety. Research-based validation of XR training tools will be key to their advancement, he concludes in an essay published May 7, 2021. The piece on extended reality systems is Dr. Butlers fifth opinion essay in Aviation Week, on behalf of Embry-Riddle. Subscribers to Aviation Week can log on to access his latest essay online now. The article is also provided below.

By P. Barry Butler

The aviation industry faces multiple urgent safety challenges. As pilots furloughed during the pandemic return to flight decks, for example, how can we ensure that their skills remain fresh? What is the best way to teach technicians to identify damaged turbine blades? Is it possible to better prepare pilots for spatial disorientation in the air?

Extended reality or XR systems based on a mix of virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies suggest a way to address key safety and workforce-training challenges. Although XR systems will never replace highly skilled instructors, they have proven to be very effective teaching tools when used properly particularly for the next generation of pilots and technicians. The technology is available at a wide range of price points, too, depending on the nature of the training.

Ever since the first Link Trainers were used to prepare pilots for World War II, simulation has played an important role in aviation education. Nevertheless, there were undoubtedly those who believed a simulator could ever replace time in the air. Though sophisticated for its time, an ANT-18 Blue Box Link Trainer on display at Embry-Riddle now looks somewhat like a carnival ride parked beside a full motion flight simulator. The display is intended to show students how far weve come in advancing simulation technology.

Parked beside a full-motion flight simulator, an ANT-18 Blue Box Link Trainer built in 1943 illustrates the evolution of flight simulation training technologies. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/David Massey)

Simulation training tools became even more important in 2020, especially for aspiring aviation mechanics. Under heightened Covid-19 protocols, many FAA Part 147 universities received FAA approvals to offer online learning coupled with lab experiences. Being able to incorporate XR training into online technician training proved beneficial and we envision that the technology will either augment or replace some of the complex laboratory student projects we currently perform.The promise of simulating aircraft maintenance operations at the same level as pilots now seems within reach.

Recently, I had an opportunity to don virtual reality goggles in an XR lab so that I could see first-hand how students are touring a simulated turbine engine to check for defects in fan blades. In the same lab, using the exact same equipment, student pilots familiarize themselves with a pre-flight checklist by walking around a virtual Cessna 172 on a ramp that looks exactly like the real thing. Would-be astronauts in our Spaceflight Operations program can virtually explore and even perform repairs aboard a simulated International Space Station (ISS).

Researchers in the same building are meanwhile inventing a low-cost version of a spatial disorientation trainer, a high-end piece of equipment that may be prohibitively expensive for many flight-training programs. Combining motion simulation and virtual reality, the aviation illusion trainer now under development will subject student pilots to a deadly yet common scenario a sudden transition from visual to instrument meteorological conditions.

We are not leveraging these teaching tools simply because they are fun and todays students grew up playing video games. Research has shown that virtual, mixed, and extended reality training tools work well within the context of a holistic educational program, under the guidance of skilled instructors. In a 2018 study by Jennifer Lewis and Joyner Livingston of SAIC, for instance, immersive synthetic training environment simulators helped student pilots complete their first successful solo flight in roughly half the time. At my school, we are conducting rigorous pre- and post-assessments of XR training participants to gauge learning efficacy.

Evidence-based validation of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality training technologies including computer-based systems and haptic feedback devices will be an essential step in expanding their use.

We can get there. Simulation training tools are widely accepted in the medical and industrial fields. Healthcare workers are leveraging visualization training to better understand human anatomy and prepare for complex surgeries.

XR systems support the safe, efficient training of new talent for both flight and space travel.

For aviation maintenance professionals, XR minimizes expensive mistakes and allows students to perform invasive procedures without jeopardizing safety.For aspiring pilots, high-fidelity interactive XR environments make it possible to prepare for dangerous scenarios in the air. The technology also allows students to complete assignments remotely a major plus during a global pandemic at minimal cost.

Research-based validation of XR training tools will be key to their advancement.

P. Barry Butler is president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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Extended Reality Can Improve Safety and Workforce Training, Embry-Riddle President Writes in Aviation Week - ERAU News

Jaskirat Batras style of teaching using virtual reality might revolutionize how engineering courses are taught in classrooms.

Dharmesh Patel/Texas A&M Engineering

For Jaskirat Batra, the desire to pursue teaching was firmly cemented during childhood. As a child of career educators, he was often immersed in the world of classrooms, chalkboards and textbooks.

While deeply inspired by his parents, Batras desire was always to go beyond conventional pedagogy. As a graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, he has established a unique style of teaching that might revolutionize how engineering courses are taught in classrooms.

Batra moved to the United States for his bachelors degree in engineering and then went on to obtain a masters degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M. During this time, he was attracted to the materials science program at Texas A&M since it offered an opportunity to expand his academic training into the field of soft polymer material development. Although the transition would mean focusing on the basic science behind materials design, he was excited about adding skills to his academic tool kit.

I thought that it was the perfect place for me to combine my academic training in engineering science and electrical engineering with my research interests in micro and nanofabrication and soft polymers, Batra said. I couldnt wait to jump in and begin my own research project.

Batra began working on his research project, attending classes and taking exams. However, the turning point of his doctoral years came when he was recruited to teach an introductory engineering course to undergraduate students. During this time, he grew increasingly dissatisfied with the standard slides-based method, particularly because slides, which are 2D surfaces, were used to display complex 3D concepts.

I knew there has to be a better way to help students visualize in 3D, Batra said. I found myself digging deep to develop an instructional strategy that would really help my students to learn and enjoy the process while at it.

Batra had an out-of-the-box idea of incorporating virtual reality as a visualization tool for lecture materials. He started to use 3D carboard goggles to monitor student motivation when materials science concepts were being taught. The results of his study, recently published as a part of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Frontiers in Education Conference, uncovered that when a slides-based lecture was supplemented with virtual reality, the motivation increased in 77% of the students.

We think that virtual reality can play a more important role in classrooms and how we approach teaching STEM courses, he said. Moreover, low-cost, virtual reality cardboard viewers are a feasible and a scalable way to capture students attention.

While juggling teaching and research can be extremely daunting to most students in graduate school, Batra said he might have found himself an ideal solution that integrates these two worlds, and he is deeply committed to this project.

As an academic, I always remember what my parents taught me about the power of a pen in shaping the society, and the influence of a teacher on the future generations of teachers, scientists, engineers, thinkers and policy-makers, Batra said. In addition to being an educator, in the future I would love to have my own research laboratory where I can engage future generations of scientists in making discoveries and solving problems.

Batra has several recognitions to his credit. He has been awarded the Teaching-as-Research Fellowship of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning to conduct his research on the use of virtual reality in materials science education. Further, he has received the 2020 IEEE New Faculty Fellow award for this research.

He has also been awarded a $4,000 Diversity Matters research seed grant to investigate the social learning experiences of underrepresented and first-generation engineering students in online STEM courses. As a graduate student, he initiated the Aggies in Science, Technology and Engineering Policy organization, which offers students a taste of science policy, science communication and leadership.

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Turning Virtual Reality Into A Learning Tool - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today