The new Snapchat Spectacles uses an embedded camera with LED lights to record users’ experiences through their own eyes. According to UploadVR, Snapchat isn’t the first company to try to bring glasses of this kind to the market, but the Spectacles are unique for capturing circular video around a scene that can be sent directly to the phone app. Microsoft might … Read More
October VR/AR News #4: virtual harassment, preserving Harlem’s history and Microsoft’s HoloLens
One of the benefits of virtual reality is its ability to mimic the real world, but this also means that issues surrounding race and gender can cross over. Jordan Belamire describes being sexually harassed while playing a QuiVr game and feeling powerless. This is just one woman’s experience, but her piece ends by exploring how abuse like this should be handled. “As VR becomes … Read More
October VR/AR News #3: AR at work
Virtual reality provides an opportunity to recreate and explore the past, especially in areas where little is known about its history. The Plain of Jars, an ancient site littered with mysterious stone jars, is being replicated virtually by Australian archaeologists. Researchers from the Australian National University and Monash University are using a new mapping technology called Cave2 as part of the … Read More
October VR/AR News #1: Oculus Touch, Immigration, and Women in VR
In hardware news, Oculus revealed its new Touch at its third Connect conference on Thursday, Oct. 6. The $199 pair of hand grips brings Oculus on par or even past other motion controls released by Valve and HTC through its use of motion sensing and haptic feedback. At the conference, Mark Zuckerberg also demonstrated a new social VR experience that allows users to … Read More
Weekly news in 360 video and VR
The first U.S. Presidential Debate on Sept. 27 highlighted the current political polarization in the country, much of which plays out online on social media platforms like Twitter. But can communal VR spaces be a solution to promote productive political discussions? AltspaceVR thinks so. The company has spent a year building a VR community mostly to share collective entertainment experiences like virtual Dungeons & Dragons games. … Read More
This week in VR/AR: Dreaming, touching and education
This past week, there have been a series of tech developments in virtual and augmented reality. For one, Nikon took a step into the VR space with its new KeyMission series of cameras. In addition to the GoPro-like KeyMission 170 and KeyMission 80 chest camera, the KeyMission 360 is a strong new competitor for action. In addition to shooting 360 video … Read More
Last week in VR/AR: iPhone 7, Snapchat and a hedgehog
The biggest develops in VR/AR last week weren’t directly in the field, but in seemingly unrelated industries. Mostly importantly, the highly anticipated announcement of the iPhone 7 hints at a (near) future of mobile technology embracing new forms of reality. For uploadvr.com, Az Balabanian wrote, “…the micro-innovations in Apple’s optical technology, computer vision, machine learning, and wireless audio make iPhone 7 a device with all … Read More
Comparing virtual reality to 3D video
Soumen Ganguly, a management consultant with more than 14 years experience in the telecommunications, media and technology space, thinks there is a lot of potential for virtual reality (VR). Unlike 3D, which at a pointin the 2000s was seen as a game changer in media consumption, virtual reality is more widely applicable, leading to “diverse, high quality content.” In addition, it … Read More
Can VR induce empathy? Behind our work with the Tow Center at Columbia Journalism School
Can new technologies like virtual and augmented reality and 360 video induce empathy in users? That is what Empathetic Media founder Dan Archer is studying in collaboration with Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism. A first of its kind project, this research will result in an analysis of empathy and whether users can more closely relate to characters and situations in a VR … Read More
360 film highlights the beautiful effects of protecting ecosystems
While we previously wrote about how virtual reality (VR) is being used to shed light on parts of the world that are being negatively affected by climate change and human intervention, this recent piece for Conservation International proves that VR can also be used to show how people are working to rebuild ecosystems. The Bird’s Head Seascape surrounding Papua New Guinea in … Read More