When it comes to technological innovations, women have always been at the forefront. Ada Lovelace, the daughter of poet Lord Byron, is considered to be the world’s first computer programmer for recognizing that a computer could have applications past simple calculations back in the first part of the 19th century. During World War II, it was largely female engineers who pioneered … Read More
February AR/VR News #2: Virtual gathering, a ‘spider glove’ and the digital equivalent of duct tape
Images of Magic Leap’s anticipated portable augmented reality device were leaked to Business Insider last week. According to Business Insider, Magic Leap, a $45 billion Google-backed startup, was hastily finishing building the prototype, known as PEQ0, in preparation for a board meeting this week. In other Google news, it is pushing for VR with a new update of the mobile app for Chrome … Read More
February VR/AR News #1: Tech updates, mixed reality and how VR is changing the art/music industries
Featured Image: London-based startup Opto might be the first company to make quality mobile VR mainstream. According to Wareable, the company’s “Opto Air is made from a lightweight foam, offers built-in speakers plus a 100-degree field of view via double-aspheric lenses which Opto says are 25% bigger than rival mobile VR headsets.” Costing £98, the headset is a strong competitor for the Google Daydream … Read More
December VR/AR News #4: AR audio, post-VR sadness and music in VR
Around the world, more and more developer spaces are being devoted to VR and AR startups “to share resources, experiment, and network.” These include the Upload Collective in San Francisco and the Realities Centre, which opened earlier this month in London. Game designer Jack de Quidt talks with Jason Rubin, the head of content at Oculus, about how the technology company can embrace … Read More
December VR/AR News #3: new Samsung hardware, virtual world building and our bodies in VR
Samsung announced it is working on a successor to the Gear VR headset and a mixed reality device that The Verge compares to the Microsoft HoloLens or Magic Leap. Google has partnered with British startup Improbable, which according to Wired, “offers a new way of building virtual worlds, including not just immersive games à la Second Life or World of Warcraft, but … Read More
December VR/AR News #2: Oculus Touch, Vive Studios and VR trends in 2017
Storyboard VR is a new product from Artefact that according to Wired, makes creating VR experiences easier and accessible to a larger audience. “It doesn’t require any developer skills. The real pain point in the whole VR workflow is getting content positioned, spatialized, and sized correctly around you in multiple frames,” Paul Hoover, head of user experience design at Artefact, told … Read More
December VR/AR News #1: Gender and tech, murder in VR and dinosaurs
Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist, highlights five women in VR as part of the Women Startup Challenge, which is “showcasing and funding innovative, women-led startups focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) that are solving problems for people, businesses and the planet.” Newmark’s picks include Liv Erickson, a VR developer at Microsoft who was part … Read More
November VR/AR News #4: Project Alloy, social VR and the making of Pokemon Go
For fun: In an animated video, John Hanke, the CEO of Niantic, explores how the company made Pokemon Go and the future of AR. This holiday season could be what introduces virtual reality to a mainstream audience. According to The Washington Post, “Research firm IDC estimates that consumers — particularly gamers — will snap up 9.6 million virtual reality headsets by … Read More
November VR/AR News #3: NASA, chord-free headsets and a new way to experience Google Earth
For fun: Google Earth in VR. Listen to the product manager and engineering lead talk about the project. Apple is finally getting on the bandwagon and inserting augmented reality technology into the iPhone camera app, a source told Business Insider. According to Business Insider, “The effort, which involves teams from several acquired startups, reflects Apple’s near-term desire to put augmented reality technology … Read More
November VR/AR News #2: Google Daydream, Youtube in VR and a haptic chair
Update: We’ve partnered with Bananatic to feature their indispensable guide to Virtual Reality: check it out here. The Merge VR remote might be the new competition for Google’s Daydream controller, which only works with a limited number of Android devices. The Verge reports that the Merge VR remote can work with Merge VR headsets as well as other headsets and non-VR … Read More