Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality News & Discussions

[Yuli Ban]

As 2021 is coming to an end, rumors are focused on what Apple could introduce next in 2022. After more than half a decade since the company unveiled a brand new category of product with the Apple Watch, everything points that the next big launch will be an AR headset.

With that in mind, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman writes in his latest edition of the Power On newsletter that, indeed, Apple is planning a headset for 2022, but it doesn’t mean it will be that easy for customers to get their hands on one that soon.

According to the report, the same thing that happened with the original iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch could happen with this rumored headset. This means Apple could announce it but will take a while for the product to actually launch...

[Nanotechandmorefuture]

As 2021 is coming to an end, rumors are focused on what Apple could introduce next in 2022. After more than half a decade since the company unveiled a brand new category of product with the Apple Watch, everything points that the next big launch will be an AR headset.

With that in mind, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman writes in his latest edition of the Power On newsletter that, indeed, Apple is planning a headset for 2022, but it doesn’t mean it will be that easy for customers to get their hands on one that soon.

According to the report, the same thing that happened with the original iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch could happen with this rumored headset. This means Apple could announce it but will take a while for the product to actually launch...

Its nice that people will get used to Xtended Reality this way because it makes things so much more cool.

Edit: These are pretty cool because they look like the civilian version of the military combat visors you can wear in Cyberpunk 2077. A good one from Cyberpunk 2077 is called titanium solo techgogs with tactical software.

[weatheriscool]

Generating a realistic 3D world
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-12-rea ... world.html
by Lauren Hinkel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

While standing in a kitchen, you push some metal bowls across the counter into the sink with a clang, and drape a towel over the back of a chair. In another room, it sounds like some precariously stacked wooden blocks fell over, and there's an epic toy car crash. These interactions with our environment are just some of what humans experience on a daily basis at home, but while this world may seem real, it isn't.

A new study from researchers at MIT, the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, Harvard University, and Stanford University is enabling a rich virtual world, very much like stepping into "The Matrix." Their platform, called ThreeDWorld (TDW), simulates high-fidelity audio and visual environments, both indoor and outdoor, and allows users, objects, and mobile agents to interact like they would in real life and according to the laws of physics. Object orientations, physical characteristics, and velocities are calculated and executed for fluids, soft bodies, and rigid objects as interactions occur, producing accurate collisions and impact sounds.

TDW is unique in that it is designed to be flexible and generalizable, generating synthetic photo-realistic scenes and audio rendering in real time, which can be compiled into audio-visual datasets, modified through interactions within the scene, and adapted for human and neural network learning and prediction tests. Different types of robotic agents and avatars can also be spawned within the controlled simulation to perform, say, task planning and execution. And using virtual reality (VR), human attention and play behavior within the space can provide real-world data, for example.

"We are trying to build a general-purpose simulation platform that mimics the interactive richness of the real world for a variety of AI applications," says study lead author Chuang Gan, MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab research scientist.

[Yuli Ban]

New And Upcoming VR Headsets That Will Build The Metaverse

With the latest push to the Metaverse, many companies have revealed their plans to launch new VR headsets. Like Meta (formerly Facebook), many major VR companies like HTC and Valve have also jumped onto the Metaverse bandwagon, just like Meta (formerly Facebook). Fortunately, these companies have been teasing their new VR headsets such as Quest Pro, HTC Focus, and Valve Deckard for quite a while.

Many believe that with all this new hardware, we are jumping into the next era of VR. Of course, this is all part of the grander plan to build the Metaverse. Gamers and VR/AR enthusiasts alike can now look forward to the new and advanced features these headsets will provide.

[weatheriscool]

New haptic device communicates emotion with nearly 80% accuracy of human touch
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-12-hap ... human.html
by Amy Blumenthal, USC Viterbi School of Engineering

With the spread of the omicron variant, not everyone can or is eager to travel for the winter break. But what if virtual touch could bring you assurance that you were not alone?

At the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, computer scientist and roboticist Heather Culbertson has been exploring various methods to simulate touch. As part of a new study, Culbertson a senior author on this study, along with researchers at Stanford, her alma mater, wanted to see if two companions (platonic or romantic), could communicate and express care and emotion remotely. People perceive a partner's true intentions through in-person touch an estimated 57 percent of the time. When interacting with a device that simulated human touch, respondents were able to discern the touch's intention 45 percent of the time. Thus, devices in this study appear to perform with approximately 79 percent accuracy of perceived human touch.

Our sense of touch is unique. In fact, people have a "touch language" says Culbertson, the WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at USC. Thus, she says, creating virtual touch that people can direct towards their loved ones is quite complex—not only do we have differences in our comfort with social touch and levels of "touchiness" but we also may have a distinct way of communicating different emotions such sympathy, love or sadness. The challenge for the researchers was to create an algorithm that can be flexible enough to incorporate the many dimensions of touch.

Their study, which appears in pre-print in IEEE Transactions on Haptics was completed in two phases. First, a novel dataset was created about individuals' interactions through social touch, by capturing the location and pressure of touches applied while participants communicated different emotions through touch to their partners. Once this dataset was created, the researchers then classified these gestures as communicating attention, gratitude, happiness, calming, sadness, or love to create a library of pre-recorded signals.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

As rumors about Apple’s rumored AR headset only grow, the company is said to have hired Meta’s augmented reality communications lead. As reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, he was told that Apple hired Andrea Schubert, Meta’s communications and public relations head for its augmented reality efforts.

Ahead of that launch, Apple is starting to get its ducks in a row. I’m told the company has hired Andrea Schubert, Meta Platforms Inc.’s communications and public relations head for its augmented reality efforts.

So far Bloomberg has reported that Apple’s AR headset can show text, emails, maps, games, and other things through holographic displays built into the lens. Last year, Mark Gurman revealed that the company has two strategies for its augmented reality devices, one being the AR glasses and the other a more robust AR/VR headset.

The latest rumors suggest that the device will be targeted at advanced users as it will feature two 8K displays to show ultra-high resolution images. Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple’s AR/VR headset will be equipped with advanced 3D sensors capable of not only detecting objects in a scene but also identifying gestures made by the user’s hands.

While he first argued that “Apple Glasses” were expected to heavily rely on iPhone, the analyst now says that the device will have an advanced chip to operate without a phone nearby. Another report from Kuo claims that the headset will weigh about 350 grams.

[R8Z]

What games are you guys playing in VR?

I am currently mostly playing Onward on my Quest 2; quick game to jump in and have some fun. Here's the latest video highlighting the gameplay:

[Yuli Ban]

It is my great pleasure to start off 2022 with news on our next generation virtual reality system for the PS5 console, starting with the official name: PlayStation VR2, and our new VR controller, PlayStation VR2 Sense controller.

PlayStation VR2 takes VR gaming to a whole new level, enabling a greater sense of presence and allowing players to escape into game worlds like never before. With the headset on and controllers in hand, players will feel a heightened range of sensations unlike any other – thanks to the creativity of the game worlds being built by our world class developers, and the latest technology incorporated into the hardware.

Building upon our innovations from PS5, PlayStation VR2 adds a true next-gen experience with high-fidelity visuals, new sensory features, and enhanced tracking – along with a simplified single-cord setup.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

The number of virtual reality and augmented reality products released at CES this year indicate the trend will continue. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global virtual reality market could grow from $6 billion in 2021 to over $80 billion by 2028.

Other industry analysts project the mobile augmented reality sector will grow from roughly $12 billion in 2020 to nearly $200 billion by the end of the decade.

For decades, augmented and virtual reality languished as tech novelties, even at tech events like CES. Devices were often clumsy, with low fidelity screens and poor software. But this year's showcase suggest that VR and AR are the future of consumer technology.

"Consumers can expect software to deliver seamless experiences that make it feel like you're in the real-world," HTC's Shen Ye promised. "There will be no discernible latency, and the hardware will be so portable that you'll be able to access these immersive experiences anywhere."

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[Yuli Ban]

Recent rumors indicated that Microsoft’s next-generation Hololens 3 mixed reality headset could be dead, but now there’s a chance that might not be true at all. In a tweet, Alex Kipman, who invented HoloLens and is currently a technical fellow at Microsoft, seemed to indicate that the product could still be alive.

As a recap, the whole saga started after a Business Insider report revealed the state of internal disarray and uncertainty within the HoloLens Team. The report also indicated that Microsoft could be working with Samsung on a next-generation headset, and HoloLens 3 was canceled in the middle of last year when that project began. Kipman, though, says not to “believe what you read on the internet,” and that “HoloLens is doing great.”

[Yuli Ban]

Whether you’re a VR traditionalist, refusing to let go of the Oculus Quest 2, or a modernist readily embracing the newly dubbed Meta Quest 2, there’s no denying the device’s popularity. In fact, the latest monthly Steam hardware survey shows that nearly half of all VR users on Valve’s platform are using Meta’s headset to power the best VR games.

The Oculus Quest 2 boasts a staggering 46% market share, up by a strong 6% from last month’s survey. Looking back at January 2021 reveals a healthy year-on-year growth of 29%, with the headset accounting for just 17% of Steam’s user base at the time.

This is all the more impressive considering that its biggest competitor, the Valve Index, controls a noticeably smaller 14% of the Steam user base. As much as the Index is one of the best VR headsets you can pair with your gaming PC, it’s clear that the much lower cost of the Oculus Quest 2 has worked in Meta’s favour to establish market dominance.

[caltrek]

Treatment for Spatial Neglect Based on Immersive Virtual Reality Offers Advantages Over Traditional Therapies
February 11, 2022

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/943153

Introduction:

(Eureka Alert) East Hanover, NJ. February 11, 2022. Kessler Foundation experts in stroke rehabilitation proposed a new paradigm for improving treatment of spatial neglect, a disabling condition that hinders recovery for at least 30 percent of stroke survivors. They outlined their approach in their recent article, “Immersive virtual reality treatment for spatial neglect: An agile user-centered development process,” (DOI: 10.1016/j.rehab.2021.101592), published online on November 15, 2021, by the Annals of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation…

Spatial neglect impairs the neural networks supporting spatial attention and related cognitive and motor functions. People experience altered spatial orientation, which can cause problems with balance and navigation, as well as with memory, reading, and other cognitive processes. While progress has been made in detecting post-stroke spatial neglect, treatment strategies have lagged. To address the need for effective neurorehabilitation, the authors developed a treatment approach based on immersive virtual reality (VR), which allows standardized delivery of intensive, repetitive therapy in a flexible, engaging environment.

To develop the Kessler Foundation Spatial Re-Training Therapy (KF-SRT™), which employs a head-mounted display and hand-tracking technology, the Foundation team worked closely with Virtualware, an award-winning VR technology company based in Spain. “During user testing, we were able to communicate the need for revisions to Virtualware and adapt the software according to feedback from therapists and patients,” said Dr.(Peli) Chen (senior research scientist in the Center for Stroke Rehabilitation Research). “The resultant system has a user interface that accommodates creation of a patient profile, a calibration module, a choice of four game-like treatment modules, and a spreadsheet for data collection and export, enabling therapists to review progress across sessions.”

In the virtual treatment environments, patients wear a head-mounted display and hand-tracking technology to engage in a variety of challenging motor tasks. “The scoring algorithm rewards correct responses, with higher scores awarded for tasks completed successfully in the neglected space,” explained Dr. (Denise) Krch (senior research scientist in the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research).

The team reported that therapists were unanimously satisfied with the KF-SRT user interface, and patients preferred the VR experience to conventional therapy. “The next step is to conduct pilot studies of feasibility, limitations, and preliminary efficacy,” they concluded, “while continuing to update the system’s software and technology.”

[wjfox]

Rising popularity of VR headsets sparks 31% rise in insurance claims

Sat 12 Feb 2022 18.27 GMT

A man landing an upper-cut on the ceiling fan, a woman slamming into furniture, a guy smashing through a lighting fixture: gamers are learning, virtual reality headsets can often cause havoc at home.

The trend of crashing into furniture while in the metaverse provoked a 31% jump in home contents claims involving VR headsets last year, insurer Aviva said, marking a 68% overall increase since 2016.

“As new games and gadgets become popular, we often see this playing through in the claims made by our customers,” said Kelly Whittington, Aviva’s UK property claims director. “In the past we’ve seen similar trends involving consoles with handsets, fitness games and even the likes of rogue fidget spinners.”

Aviva said the average VR-related claim for accidental damage in 2021 was about £650, often from broken TVs smashed by overenthusiastic gamers.

[...]

The Reddit forum “VR to ER” features of videos of people using VR headsets falling over, bumping into furniture or accidentally punching loved ones.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... nce-claims

[Yuli Ban]

[wjfox]

[Yuli Ban]