#immersive tech

Touching friends, lovers and the dead with virtual reality

The area beneath the hotel is low-ceilinged, the air heavy with the smell of cheap coffee. After a struggle past the other conference attendees, past stalls and screens, I find myself standing in front of a mannequin, decked in a leather outfit, blindfolded by a virtual-reality headset. A sign reads: “Teslasuit. Experience Real Life”.

Fitted with 46 haptic sensors, 14 motion-capture sensors, and an onboard climate-control system, the 

Teslasuit is designed to be an all-body virtual-reality ensemble. Built with black rubber plates, it looks like something that sells with a ball gag. At the VRX Europe expo, attendees gather around it, eyelids akimbo.

The makers of the haptic suit claim, somewhat like a character in a Philip K Dick novel, that it will let you “enjoy incredible real world sensations as never before”. If there is a warm rain in your virtual world, for example, or a cold wind, the suit can apparently adjust its temperature (between 10 and 40°C). If an object hits you, the suit’s haptic points will mimic the impact. If someone touches you, the suit is supposed to stimulate your corresponding muscle groups.

“This device is one of the connecting links between digital media and the human body,” Denis Dybsky, marketing director for Teslasuit, later tells me. He explains that the suit was developed with “hardcore gamers” in mind, as the next logical step from virtual-reality headsets; where digital worlds aren’t just experienced, but inhabited. Is this something people want? Personally, no. It sounds like a nightmare. But Dybsky explains that Teslasuit’s aims extend far beyond gaming, into a world where social networks have fully embraced virtual reality.

“People will be more inclined to apply VR devices within social networks if interaction is close to the level of the real world,” he says. “Handshakes, hugs, the ability to touch objects, to feel their shape and mass, are the necessary attributes of interaction in virtual worlds. Almost all of this is impossible without a tactile component.”

Immersive technology has transformed a variety of industries, providing unique experiences, and changing the way we interact with digital media. From VR to mixed real-world (VR) to Augmented Reality (AR) and mixed-reality (MR), these technology options are incredibly exciting and transcend entertainment. In this piece we'll explore the benefits of this technology and how they can shape the future.

Six Advantages of Immersive Technology

Immersive technology relates to a set of technologies which creates a digital world that mimics real life or enriches the real world with digital elements. They allow people to immerse themselves in virtual and augmented environments in order to provide a fully immersive experience. Let's delve into the benefits of immersive technology.

Improve your training and learn more

Immersive technologies have revolutionized learning and education. Through AR and VR, learners can experience virtual reality and immersive settings which enhance retention and comprehension. Pilots and medical students can utilize simulations for practicing flight situations, while engineers are able to design and visualize structures before they are constructed. Immersive technologies can be an affordable and secure way to provide hands-on experience.

Involving Advertising and Marketing

The advent of immersive technology has provided opportunities for new ways to market and advertising. With AR businesses can design an interactive and enjoyable experience for their clients. Imagine trying the clothes in virtual reality or imagine furniture inside your home prior to making a purchase. Immersive technology lets brands connect with their customers on a deep individual level. This leads to increased revenue and loyalty to the brand.

Improved Healthcare and Therapy

The healthcare industry is embracing augmented reality, to improve the treatment process and outcomes for patients. Virtual reality has proven to be an effective tool for relieving pain, reducing anxiety as well as distracting patients from medical procedures. It also enables remote consultations as well as education for doctors. Immersive technology allows therapists create virtual worlds to treat anxiety, PTSD, and other mental conditions.

Improved Design and Visualization

Immersive technology has transformed the ways we design and visualize objects, structures and other surroundings. Designers and architects can use virtual walkthroughs which allow users to view their ideas in a realistic way before the building is built. This technology enables better communication and collaboration and reduces the chance of errors, while also saving time and money. Immersive technology allows stakeholders to make better decisions by using realistic visualizations.

Safety and efficiency in industrial settings

Immersive technology is an essential component of industrial safety. Workers can undergo virtual training to learn how to handle hazardous situations or operate complex machinery. In the process of simulating different scenarios, immersive technology minimizes hazards and improves ability to react. Remote support and collaboration is additionally possible, which decreases downtime while improving productivity.

Enhanced Entertainment and Gaming

The advent of immersive technology has transformed gaming and entertainment by providing realistic and immersive experiences. VR gaming takes players to new worlds and allows players to engage with virtual environments like never before. Theme parks and museums have incorporated augmented reality into their interactive and engaging attractions. Entertainment industry pushes the boundaries of immersive experiences and drawing attention from all over the world.

Summary

360 Video/Stills Experiments Begins

When I was looking at tech-upgrades, I remembered the Ricoh Theta 360 camera that I’d heard about way back in 2014 when a NASA Social buddy brought one to the launch of the Orion EFT-1. Here’s my first experiments with the camera. Interestingly, it seems to be easier to share the 360-video than the 360-image. Actually since the 2014…

New Post has been published on http://www.c60design.co.uk/architecture/using-virtual-reality-help-learning-disability/

Using Virtual Reality to help those with learning disability

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Belfast based C60 Architects have been appointed to help Mencap in the development of Virtual reality (VR) tools that replicate a real environment (or create an imaginary setting), and simulate the user’s physical presence in this environment. Through the project Mencap wants to explore how VR technology can be used to support the facilitation of Day Opportunities by replicating the environment, activity and processes involved. Individuals involved will be able to experience a particular scenario before taking part in it.

In its first stage the project aims to cover 5 scenes, but eventually it is hoped this can be expanded to provide a wide library of scenarios. Typical situations to be captured will include day to day activities like catching a bus, being in a work environment, accessing services or activities like buying a coffee.

Jan Tregelles, Mencap CEO trying out VR

This VR 360° experience of such everyday activities could be used to support someone who is very anxious of trying something new like taking the bus.  This experience could be viewed numerous times in the lead up to carrying out the activity to reduce uncertainty of an unfamiliar activity / environment.

It can also incorporate video footage or different tasks being carried out, to give the service user an idea of the work that is entailed in various jobs, to help them make an informed choice at vocational profiling stage, in advance of exploring these through work experience placements.

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The use of VR technology has the potential to become a key to unlocking someone’s inherent uncertainty with change, by making it a routine before they even step outside. The same principle can be used to help someone anxious about moving to a new location by creating the opportunity to explore a new location through a virtual reality interface.

The project is an evolution leading from Architectural projects that C60 Architects are already working on with Mencap and the specialist housing provider Golden Lane Housing. C60 Director Roger Perrott said, “We use VR in all our projects to help our clients visualise how a scheme will look and experience the spaces prior to construction. It has fundamentally changed how we work, with the design process becoming a more immersive experience. As Architects we design space; this applies equally to the virtual world just as much as the real world, so VR design is a natural evolution from traditional Architectural design.”

“When we saw first-hand how the design process with C60 Architects allowed us to experience a space or environment, we realised that there was huge potential to use the technology in other aspects of our work. The project in collaboration with C60 is an exciting evolution which uses skills and expertise from the construction sector to help address challenges faced by the people we care for.”

Barry McMenamin – Regional Operations Manager, Mencap

Anticipated benefits of the project include:

Reduce anxiety and fear surrounding visiting or trying something new and unfamiliar.

Use of commonly available tools like laptops or tablets to gain direct access to VR experiences

The cost effective process allows bespoke scenarios to be created for specific clients

The initial VR scenarios can be added to over time, creating a library style resource

Pots of Gold Along VR’s Long Road: Why you should be building for VR now and how to identify opportunities by examining “what won’t change”.

Over the last couple months, both Facebook and Google held their respective developer conferences and VR featured prominently in both. It is clear that both companies continue to invest heavily in immersive tech and view it as one of the next big computing platforms. In addition to demoing new tools and technology, both emphasized the long road ahead for VR.

“…I don’t think that there is really a strategy to pull [VR’s trajectory] in from ten years to five; I just think it’s going to be a 10 year thing.” - Mark Zuckerberg