Lifeboat Foundation

The realities of VR.

NEW YORK, March 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Horizon Media, the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world, announced today its most recent research on consumer interest in virtual reality devices. The research was fielded in Finger on the Pulse, the agency’s proprietary online research community comprised of 3,000 people reflective of the U.S. population, and with the social media expertise of Horizon’s Distillery social intelligence team. The research shows that despite extensive media coverage of Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard and other virtual reality devices, fully two thirds of consumers are unaware of the technology.

Virtual reality – often referred to as “VR” – has been readily embraced by the mainstream media as the shiny, new, technological advancement. Marketers are also understandably excited about the possibilities unleashed by VR technology. But while there is interest among consumers, the survey findings suggest that companies would be well served to walk before they run when incorporating virtual reality activations into marketing plans, at least until the technology reaches greater awareness and scale.

Continue reading “Horizon Media Study Finds Two Thirds of Americans Unaware of Virtual Reality Devices” »

You may have heard of Magic Leap, future purveyors of “cinematic reality” (augmented reality) headsets. This is a company without a single commercial product, and yet it’s worth $4.5 billion. Many are invigorated by the company’s potential, but a tour of its most recent, 160,000-word, 350-page patent application — especially with current events in mind — could suggest other, less exciting applications for the emerging technology.

No one really knows what to expect from the company: by design, it’s mysterious. (Out of silence comes allure.) We’ve seen two videos, we’ve investigated its job postings, and we know that wealthy organizations love throwing money its way. But we do have access to Magic Leap’s patent applications, and it published its most recent one in late January.

People are excited about VR and AR. With reason, too: the demos, previews, and new releases we get to watch are striking. The games we imagine playing in the future are enthralling. The mere idea of a virtual or augmented world, either distinct from or mixed with the actual (boring, depressing, what-have-you) world, is enough to invigorate all of our wayward souls.

Continue reading “Here’s Magic Leap’s Covert Vision for Its Augmented Reality Headsets” »

Virtual and augmented reality is taking giant leaps every day, both in the mainstream and in research labs. In a recent TechEmergence interview, Biomedical Engineer and Founder of g.tec Medical Engineering Christopher Guger said the next big steps will be in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and embodiment.

Image credit: HCI International

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, embodiment is the moment when a person truly “feels” at one with a device controlled by their thoughts, while sensing that device as a part of, or an extension, of themselves. While researchers are taking big strides toward that concept, Guger believes those are only baby steps toward what is to come.

While augmented or virtual reality can take us away for a brief period, Guger said true embodiment will require far more BCI development. There has been a lot of work recently in robotic embodiment using BCI.

Continue reading “When Will Virtual Embodiment Take Shape in Mainstream Society?” »

Amsterdam is now home to the world’s first VR cinema, and it’s just as strange as you expect it to be.

Personally, I cannot wait to visit historical sites where they are leveraging AR to bring history to life. Visiting Versailles or the Winter Palace in Russia and seeing historical figures acting out as they did then would be pretty amazing.

DALLAS, TX — (Marketwired) — 03/07/16 — Parks Associates today announced Glenn Hower, Research Analyst, will address the evolving virtual reality market at the Cablefax Multiscreen Summit this week in New York City.

“Virtual reality is still in its earliest days, though there are clear signs that VR is about to move from concept to market reality,” Hower said. “The big change for 2016 is the emergence of multiple players making VR headsets. The Oculus Rift is currently the most recognized brand, but HTC, Samsung, and Sony have all expanded the market with their own models, which could help move this market beyond gaming and into new use cases such as virtual field trips, training, and recreation of historical events.”

Continue reading “Parks Associates Analyst to Discuss Digital Content and Virtual Reality at Cablefax Multiscreen Summit” »

Wow; Six Flags new VR Roller coaster. My nephews are going to be excited.

Samsung is “Official Technology Partner” at Six Flags Theme Parks Nationwide.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX), and Samsung Electronics America, Inc., today announced a broad marketing partnership which appoints Samsung as the “Official Technology Partner” of the world’s largest regional theme park company. The partnership includes the debut of ground-breaking experiences coming to nine Six Flags parks — North America’s first Virtual Reality (VR) Roller Coasters, using Samsung Gear VR powered by Oculus.

Continue reading “Six Flags Entertainment : and Samsung Partner to Launch First Virtual Reality Roller Coasters in North America” »

VR latest experience in shopping.

Some beauty product retailers have turned to virtual reality technology to let customers try on products from their smartphones.

Many opportunities in the VR/ AR space for enterprise Apps, Platforms, and services. Over the years we all have seen many opportunities missed where companies did not do the proper value map assessment and apply their finding to their own prod roadmaps. I personally have created my own value map of VR & AR opportunities across various industries and their biz caps.; and hope that others have done the same around this technology.

But augmented reality might be the best stepping stone, Hardware, Gadgets, Developer, Internet of Things, Wearables, Google, HTC, Fujitsu, Epson.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=UjrjeamdZ5k

Sequenced is an upcoming animated series by Apelab for VR headsets that’s pioneering a new method of delivering episodic content, one that tailors itself to the individual viewer in the slightest way imaginable. And all that Sequenced wants from you, the passive observer, is your attention.

Enter Raven, a thirteen year old girl soon to become the ‘chosen one’ of a post apocalyptic society. The world, a bleak but hauntingly beautiful landscape, only has a single city left in existence, and it’s the last remaining seat of high technology.

Continue reading “VR Animated Series ‘Sequenced’ Creates Truly Reactive Storytelling in VR” »