When it comes to jobs in the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industries there’s one position you’ll see repeated over and over again, Engineer. There are a multitude of different engineering roles depending on your experience and what you enjoy and the availability of these vacancies is growing. As you’ll see from the jobs below.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
Covering the immersive Out-of-Home entertainment scene for VRFocus, in his latest Virtual Arena column, industry specialist Kevin Williams reports on the amusement industry’s latest trade extravaganza in London, and the new VR platforms revealed to invited trade buyers, with his exclusive coverage revealing these new category of systems for readers.
The amusement trade represents the pay-to-play sector and started the new decade off underlining how much virtual reality (VR) has influenced innovation in this business. The UK saw one of the largest exhibitions for the sector this month, and VR was front-and-centre. The Entertainment, Attractions and Gaming (EAG) International Expo 2020 – held in London at the beginning of the year for amusement trade professionals – has become a hotbed to demonstrate the latest VR applications in the European Enterprise entertainment sector.
The crowded hall of the ExCel exhibition center. Image credit: KWP.
The various categories of deployment in this market were on display. First was “Standalone VR Arcade” – these are VR systems applied along lines that conform to the needs for amusement deployment in leisure entertainment venues but also applying various levels of “self-service” VR deployment, looking to remove the need for an attendant to run these systems from the mix.
Many of these systems are represented by distributors, companies that place and service the hardware with venue operators for the manufacturer. On the Harry Levy Amusement booth, the VRsenal developed ‘Beat Saber Arcade’ system was presented, an upright kiosk with retractable HTC Vive headset and controllers, configured to as a standalone system running the popular music rhythm VR experience. The machine has become a popular platform with already some 100-units deployed in the Western market.
Beat Saber Arcade proving a big hit with the player-base at the show. Image credit: KWP
Taking on a more familiar amusement approach, UNIS presented on the Instance Automatics booth their ‘Ultra Moto VR’ – a two-player arcade-style ride-on motorcycle racing videogame, with its own motion platform. Players are able to experience the action on the big screen or immersed using the 3Glasses VR headset. The platform marketed to operators as “easy to manage” – offering a familiar package to the VR entertainment medium in amusement.
High-speed competition on the VR motorcycle game from UNIS. Image credit: KWP
Also, on the Harry Levy Amusement booth, was another top-selling VR product, LAI Games has seen great success with its ‘Virtual Rabbids: The Big Ride’ – with hundreds of sales of this two-seat motion ride platform already achieved. Developed in partnership with D-BOX and with content from Ubisoft, the VR ride-experience runs on HTC Vive. At the London show a new compact version of the platform was on display, (for cruise ships and smaller venues), also incorporating three new ride experiences, including a new interactive ride, with scoring elements.
Riding through the Rabbids universe in this eclectic experience from LAI Games. Image credit KWP
The division of the Japanese amusement developer, operator and manufacturer, Bandai Namco Amusement represented the latest entry into this genre with a new two-seat VR motion ride platform from Triotech. Launching their new ‘Storm’, the company has integrated many of the popular elements seen with other systems, using the HTC Vive Pro headset incorporating Ultraleap, to track the riders’ hands. This offering an interactive game element to the roller-coaster ride experience.
Players using their hands to capture the items during their ride on the TRIOTECH system. Image credit: KWP
Moving on from the standalone amusement deployment, also on show at EAG’20 was the “VR Enclosure” platforms that offer multiple-player VR experiences within an enclosure than as just individual machines. The market leader in this genre is HOLGATE, who came to the London show with its over 500-unit selling ‘HOLGATE Arena’. The latest version of the tethered platform offering a four-player plethora of different co-operative VR experiences, including titles licensed from Angry Birds, World of Tanks and other properties – running on the VR high-end Valve Index headset.
VR teamwork in the latest blaster from HOLOGATE. Image credit: KWP
The VR Enclosure approach can also be deployed for the larger game experiences – such as with “Arena-Scale VR” – using backpack PC’s to allow free-roaming for multiple players co-operating in immersive shooting and escape game experiences. EAG exhibitor VEX Solutions presented ‘VEX Adventure’ that takes the Arena-Scale system and places into a flexible platform for both LBE and enclosure deployment. The company showing its system at the show as a complete turnkey solution, with player registration tablets, the onboarding infrastructure – HP backpack PC’s and HTC Vive Pro headsets (incorporating Ultraleap units), and force-feedback weapons.
Backpack PC VR offering a free-roaming experience on the VEX booth. Image credit: KWP
A glimpse of the future of this application was seen at EAG with the latest example in “Arena-Scale VR – Standalone”, these platforms negate the need for a backpack PC and employed the all-in-one Standalone VR headsets, (a far-reaching feature on the emergence of this new aspect of the VR scene will be published soon in VRFocus). At EAG’20, the exhibitor Hero Zone demonstrated its version of this approach, with a four-player platform, employing Oculus Quest headsets, modified with the Modicap soundkit and battery extension. The pop-up enclosure running the new title ‘Dead Ahead’ – for some co-operative zombie blasting. The first installation of this platform is going live in February.
Team of players try out the new Hero Zone game and modified Oculus Quests’. Image credit: KWP
The final aspect of the diverse Out-of-Home entertainment deployment of this technology is the category of “Large VR Attractions” – turning VR tech into dedicated attractions for theme parks and LBE venues. One of the major developers in this field is Holovis, working on several attractions, but at EAG they revealed plans to develop smaller-scale applications that can suit amusement and FEC (Family Entertainment Center) deployment – offering big experiences in a small package.
Displayed for the first time, Holovis revealed their first title with ‘The Descent’, developed in partnership with D-BOX – the company created an intense alien blaster which uses the physicality of a special-effects mine-cage, descending virtually into the bowls of the Earth, battling waves of aliens on the way down. The system borrowing heavily from all the physical effects deployed in larger attractions, Holovis hoping to open a new sphere of the market with “Mid-Scale VR Attractions”, seeing their first orders at the show.
The brave player controls their descent into the nest of voracious aliens on the Holovis platform. Image credit: KWP
Along with the new hardware on display EAG 2020 held a seminar to present the opportunity of what immersive entertainment platforms offer the operators in this sector (ranging from seaside, leisure, amusement and FEC venues). Held in partnership with the show organizers, and industry consultancy KWP, the session brought together presenters from key executives in the field, including MeetSpace, operator of the Zero Latency arena in Wembley, the co-founder of HOLOGATE, SPREE Interactive, famous for its arena-scale family VR entertainment, and operating developer IMMOTION – who have championed a radical approach on getting “bums-on-seats” with the deployment of VR entertainment into the leisure sector. While later in the seminar the aspects of deploying VR in eSports experiences saw presentations from Virtuix and others.
The well-attended seminar session listens to the latest developments from HOLOGATE. Image credit: KWP
This gives a snapshot of what proved a fascinating and intense three-day convention, with many orders made for the latest VR hardware. This will hopefully mean that even more of the general public will be able to get their first taste of VR entertainment at one of the many hundred entertainment venues in the UK and across Europe.
The London show will be followed by a plethora of trade events to start the year, including events in Japan and North America. But also, interest in Enterprise VR will see launches of the latest eSports and even Edutainment deployments. Watch this space for our next coverage.
Last week proved to be very busy for VRFocus thanks to Europe’s largest videogame event, Gamescom 2019. Held in Cologne, Germany, the week-long show attracts developers, press, influencers and consumers alike, with the latest software and hardware on show. There was plenty of VR being demoed and with so many companies making immersive content there’s no shortage of industry jobs available.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
Now that Christmas is done and dusted tomorrow is the last day of 2018, and what a year it has been. If you’re looking for a change of pace and wish to enter the exciting worlds of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR), then take a closer look at these vacancies.
Don’t forget, if there wasn’t anything that took your fancy this week there’s always last week’s listings on The VR Job Hubto check as well.
If you are an employer looking for someone to fill an immersive technology related role – regardless of the industry – don’t forget you can send us the lowdown on the position and we’ll be sure to feature it in that following week’s feature. Details should be sent to Peter Graham (pgraham@vrfocus.com).
We’ll see you next week on VRFocus at the usual time of 3PM (UK) for another selection of jobs from around the world.
First demonstrated to theme park executives at the Asian Attractions Expo in Singapore last month, Holovis’ R3ex (Rideable Realtime Robot Experiences) project combines virtual reality with four/six-axis robot arm amusement rides. The technology claims to offer the rider genuine interactivity and ‘complete agency’ over the experience, including real-time control of the motion profile.
Theme parks have been eager to add virtual reality rides to their list of attractions, but the majority of experiences are repurposed existing roller coasters, essentially offering the same ride but with a virtual environment to look at. Some have begun to offer a degree of interactivity based on where you look, but there’s only so much you can achieve with a fixed track. Being able to influence the ride in a meaningful way sounds much more compelling, and that’s what Holovis hopes to deliver with R3ex.
The debut system in the video above uses a two-seat, six-axis robot arm from KUKA, one of the leading suppliers of industrial robots. This ‘new generation’ KUKA Coaster was revealed at the end of 2015, but KUKA has been active in the entertainment sector for well over a decade; their ‘robocoaster’ arms have been in service at Legoland parks since 2003. Holovis is keen to point out that this is more than repurposing an existing ride.
“Anyone could put a VR headset on the end of a robotic arm, but it is our proprietary Interact software that makes this experience successful”, says Stuart Hetherington, CEO of Holovis. “The real-time VR world needs to synchronise perfectly with the motion and gesture interactivity, so we’ve developed specialist software to achieve this. The movements that our solution can achieve coupled with the immersive VR world take experiences of this nature to a new dimension, previously only dreamed about in science fiction.”
image courtesy Holovis
The demonstration depicts a futuristic flying taxi ride through Singapore. Holovis’ press release describes some of its interactivity achieved via hand tracking – “riders could explore things in the cab, such as change the radio station, scroll through the news and pick up elements that fall from the glove box as it opens during the first inversion”. It seems that in this case, the interactivity was largely limited to ‘secondary’ cockpit controls, with the motion following a selection of scripted sequences based on decisions made by the riders, but Holovis assures me that “it is possible to have direct control of the motion profile of the robot”. I asked how this might work with multiple people, and the team explained that this depends on how the particular story works. “People can be given complete control of the robot but you might not want someone else controlling your whole motion experience for the whole (ride), so the control can be switched as part of the storyline between riders so you all got a turn”.
The final version, available from November, will seat four riders at once to cater for high-capacity throughput, so it will be interesting to see how the controls can be shared in a creative and entertaining way. Of course, the beauty of real-time VR rendering combined with a multi-axis robot arm means that its potential applications are almost endless and can be improved over time; initially designed for the attractions industry, the same software can be used to safely simulate high-risk scenarios for training purposes. Holovis is developing such a simulation with a partner in Malaysia to be revealed later this year “as part of a much larger immersive training and simulation facility”. The first entertainment installation is also expected at the end of the year in Dubai.
image courtesy Holovis
With real agency, potential skill elements, and the need to engage four riders, you’d expect a longer seat time than a typical blink-and-you-miss-it roller coaster. Holovis says that they’re aiming at a ride/game time of between 3 and 5 minutes, “depending on the design, IP and the required capacity throughput”. They’re also developing ‘R3ex Arena’ solutions with multiple robots, and thanks to the company’s expertise in mixed reality, are promising a “unique onboard and offboard solution that allows the guests in the queue to game using BYOD/smartphones and AR technology”.
Leap Motion units attached to the headsets perform hand tracking duties, which Holovis say is ‘very stable’ despite the wild ride – “we developed a specific software interface to handle the synchronisation of the Leap data with our motion positioning and control systems to ensure perfect real-time interaction with correct positional referencing of the hands”.
Combining motion technology, interactivity and high-quality visuals means greater performance requirements than the mobile VR solutions (regularly used on VR roller coasters) can handle – in the first demonstration R3ex is rendering on a PC using Oculus Rift headsets (without the IR cameras as players are tightly strapped in, meaning that positional tracking is unnecessary) – but Holovis say they are hardware agnostic and “can work with whichever platform is right for the application”.
The graphics, story integration to the motion profile and the gesture interactivity were all created in-house for their proprietary Interact system. Holovis have developed ‘all the elements’ in R3ex, with a team of over 100 people based in the UK, US and China, working closely with KUKA to ensure that both pre-programmed motion profiles as well as real-time guest controlled motion are delivered safely.
Promising “new levels of interactivity, graphical quality and sustained physical forces on the rider”, this type of ride has the potential to be a more suitable pairing (compared to a roller coaster) for VR at theme parks and other attractions.
The Kings Dominion theme park in Virginia has introduced a new augmented reality (AR) videogaming app that allows visitors to compete against each other to take control of the park by taking part in various activities, both in the app and in the park.
Titled The Battle of Kings Dominion, visitors can join a team themed after one of the park’s main roller coasters, such as Dominator, Avalanche or Flight of Fear then compete against other team by earning points, which can be acquired by playing games within the app, taking part in AR activities in the ride queues or simply riding the coasters.
“We are excited to introduce our guests to an entirely new digital layer of the park experience,” said Gary Chadwick, Kings Dominion’s Vice President and General Manager. “Being able to gamify the park through the Battle for Kings Dominion, from interactive queue lines and midways to the personification of rides, will make for an even more engaging day.”
“Extended Experiences are the future of entertainment,” explains Amy Steele, VP of Development at Holovis, the app developers. “This is where every element is connected together allowing guests to discover hidden narratives and gamify what are traditionally passive moments. They can even continue to customize their Coaster Alliance avatar from home as people prepare for their next visit.”
The Battle for Kings Dominion app was launched on 19th May 2017 and is available for both Apple and android devices. To allow for easier play, Kings Dominion has installed free wi-fi throughout the park. Further information can be found at the official Kings Dominion website. A video trailer for the app is available to view below.
VRFocus will continue to bring you news on innovative new uses of AR and VR technology.
