The VR Job Hub: Varjo, Moth+Flame & Immersive VR Education

VR Job Hub

Every weekend VRFocus gathers together vacancies from across the virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) industry, in locations around the globe to help make finding that ideal job easier. Below is a selection of roles that are currently accepting applications across a number of disciplines, all within departments and companies that focus on immersive entertainment.

LocationCompanyRoleLink
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoSenior 3D Graphics & Rendering DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoSenior Visual Pipeline EngineerClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoSenior C++/3D Graphics DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoUnreal Engine Relations EngineerClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoFull Stack DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoLead Full Stack DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoBackend DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoCloud Operations EngineerClick Here to Apply
Helsinki, FinlandVarjoSenior Cloud Automation EngineerClick Here to Apply
RemoteMoth+FlameUnity VR DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Brooklyn, New YorkMoth+FlameLogistics & Implementation Associate (Part Time)Click Here to Apply
RemoteMoth+FlameFederal Sales ManagerClick Here to Apply
Waterford, IrelandImmersive VR EducationHR ManagerClick Here to Apply
Waterford, IrelandImmersive VR EducationCharacter ArtistClick Here to Apply
Waterford, IrelandImmersive VR EducationSenior QA Automation EngineerClick Here to Apply
Waterford, IrelandImmersive VR EducationSenior Unity Game DeveloperClick Here to Apply
Waterford, IrelandImmersive VR EducationSenior Software Engineer (Node.js)Click Here to Apply

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 Hub to 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.

VR Education Platform ‘ENGAGE’ Raises $10.7M to Build ‘Oasis’ Metaverse for Business

VR Education Holdings, the company behind the social VR platform ENGAGE, announced it’s raised €9 million (~$10.7 million) which will help it expand beyond the realm of immersive education & training and into a new product called ENGAGE Oasis. It’s billing the upcoming social VR platform as an enterprise offering comparable to a “fully featured corporate metaverse.”

As reported by Forbes and Silicon Republic, the Waterford, Ireland-based company has secured its latest funding from a number of investors via share placing, which includes Octopus Investment LTD UK. The new shares generated from the deal are said to represent 20% of the company’s issued ordinary share capital prior to the placing. VR Education Holdings is listed on both Euronext Dublin and London Stock Exchange.

In May 2020, VR Education secured $3.3 million from HTC to expand Engage, the company’s platform which allows educators and enterprise customers to create bespoke VR experiences for both small and large format events across a variety of devices, including SteamVR headsets, Oculus Quest, Vive Focus Plus, and Pico headsets. Only two months before the deal went through, Engage played host to HTC’s Virtual Vive Ecosystem Conference—a direct response to the pandemic’s deleterious effect on in-person events.

As the name would suggest, Oasis is fairly ambitious in scope. Aiming for launch in H1 2022, Oasis was inspired by the eponymous metaverse featured in the novel and film Ready Player One, which was the de facto platform in VR where users meet, play and do business. Oasis said to be an “always-on, fully persistent virtual world, where ENGAGE clients can meet and sell products and services directly to each other,” and it targets business professionals, corporations, young professionals, and college students.

“Employees from the world’s largest corporations can connect with each other to generate new business ideas and deliver value to their respective organisations,” the company says in a press statement. “ENGAGE Oasis aims to be an opportunity for corporate users to expand their customer base and provide immersive services at a reasonable price.”

The studio says avatars and virtual locations will be “tailored for professional users,” which includes no limits when it comes to the storefronts and meeting places they want to build. There, the company envisions the platform as a new marketplace for corporations and digital artists to sell digital items and provide services using non-fungible tokens (NFTs), fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies.

The post VR Education Platform ‘ENGAGE’ Raises $10.7M to Build ‘Oasis’ Metaverse for Business appeared first on Road to VR.

Online Training Continues to Grow as TelecommuteX Offers VR Solution to Middle East-based Enterprises

telecommuteX

Several industries are witnessing a dynamic shift to various online platforms lately, owing to the current lockdown scenario. Copious organizations, schools and other educational institutions find the need to connect remotely, be it for meetings, lectures or even brainstorming sessions. As a result, there are enormous demands for web conferencing services, cross-platform messaging, file-sharing etc.

Munfarid

A Digital Shift Becomes Indispensable

The future is an unpredictable chapter of time. Unforeseeable situations like mandatory work from home policies make telecommuting or remote working indispensable. Thus, the dependence on web-conferencing apps has sky-rocketed.

An eye-opening survey talks about a whopping 70% of organizations having shifted to online methods of recruitment, demanding the processes to be undertaken through a digital lens.

Video conferencing is a pivotal aspect of remote work. However, it poses quite a few challenges:

Throwing Light on the 4 Critical Shortcomings  of Conventional Video Conferencing Applications

1.  Efficient Collaboration Goes for a Toss

Video conferencing is rather static and prevents effective brainstorming, strategizing and collaboration. Mundane screen sharing sessions aren’t going to suffice your complicated project requirements.

This is due to the absence of vital elements like having tea breaks with co-workers, face-to-face mentorship sessions, quick all-team meets and live presentations. As a result, your team is deprived of the entire feel of being present in a healthy, active environment with proactive co-workers.

2.  Boredom is Inevitable

Well, let’s face it: Web conferencing is very similar to watching a video, and boredom is bound to creep in. As a result, employees begin to swim in monotonicity, and the creative juices take a huge hit. Moreover, boredom is also a massive productivity killer.

3.  Motivation Levels Take a Massive Hit

Standard conferencing solutions foster a non-engaging work atmosphere which generally results in motivation dips. Therefore, employees lack the drive to go above and beyond to add significant value to your organization.

4.  The Dark Cloud of Loneliness

Perhaps the biggest con of video conferencing is a feeling of loneliness and being shut out. The social dimension is non-existent, and employees no longer have that unique connection with each other.

Think about it: how would your employees feel if they were to stare at a computer screen all day and indulge in no real instances of socializing?

Well, to maintain peak levels of productivity, there has got to be another more interactive and engaging solution to remote working.

Vive Ecosystem Conference

4 Ways Immersive Telecommuting Truly Transforms Remote Working

The action-packed sci-fi novel Ready Player One featured a VR game setting and took the technology world by storm. Fast forward to the present, and here we are: witnessing Virtual Reality taking shape, and this is something beyond just emails, or excel sheets! It’s about creating a virtual space altogether, with customized features tailored to cater to individual requirements of specific industries.

In essence, the central idea is to eliminate feelings of detachedness and foster positive emotions by transforming the mundane remote work atmosphere into a social experience.

1.  Powerful Virtual Capabilities Foster an Immersive Atmosphere

Topped with ultra-real avatars, immersive collaboration platforms impart a state-of-the-art immersive experience that makes employees feel they are “in” a conference room amidst “real” people.

The immersive near realistic environment essentially teleports you where you can present, chat, brainstorm and pitch great ideas. Participants feel immersed and witness an enthralling experience that fosters positive emotions like unity and peace.

For people who derive energy from everyday conversations and an interpersonal connect, an immersive remote work environment proves to be highly beneficial. It effectively mirrors an office setup, and thereby, corporates would witness an increase in productivity, creativity and inner peace.

2.  Ideal Platform for Real-Time & Efficient Collaboration

Ideally, immersive telecommuting is easy to set up as your employees can use simple computers and laptops with standard configurations to enter a virtual space where other real people can join. Here, they can now present or demonstrate ideas, and collaborate effectively.

Also, there’s a wide variety of tools that add more versatility to collaboration, instead of only relying on typical slides and emails.

3.  Vitalizes Productivity Levels

Socializing opportunities and enhanced collaboration lead to higher levels of productivity. As a result, despite mandatory remote working conditions, immersive telecommuting helps your employees maintain peak levels of performance and morale.

4.  Streamlines Operational Efficiency Everywhere

An immersive end to end virtual solution eliminates unnecessary recurring email chains and incomplete knowledge transfer loops. An immersive remote working platform helps your organization streamline project planning, and expedite other work processes. The result is generating better returns out of your most precious resource – time.

Moreover, immersive telecommuting also reduces your carbon footprint, thereby making your enterprise eco-friendly.

Throwing light on how an immersive platform is a game-changer for the entire remote working industry, here’s David Whelan, Founder, Immersive VR Education:

“The world has changed much faster than anyone has expected over the past 6 months. Companies, Schools, Colleges and Enterprises around the world have all been shut down and now have to find new ways to communicate and collaborate remotely. Many are now finding the limits of what video-based communications can offer and are seeking better alternatives. The ENGAGE platform brings remote communications and collaboration to the next level and we are delighted to be working with Dr. Sana and her team at TelecommuteX to deliver this service to customers in the middle east.”

Additionally, David also highlighted the impact that immersive telecommuting would have on organizations from a social interaction perspective:

“Using Immersive technologies is a game-changer for connecting people just as the telephone was over a hundred years ago. The telephone allowed you to talk to somebody on the other side of the world. VR/AR allows you to be with somebody from the other side of the world without the need to step outside your door. My development team has been under lockdown for the past 3 months and we hold all our daily standups and meetings inside ENGAGE virtually and it makes a world of difference for productivity replacing the need for endless video calls and emails. It is much easier to simply meet virtually, draw on a virtual whiteboard and present your ideas in a virtual meeting room.  Using immersive technologies will become second nature soon as people will be less inclined to travel so readily for business meetings as they get used to working from home in these challenging times.”

To summarize, immersive telecommuting makes remote collaborations and virtual meetings avenues of socializing amidst productivity. Consequently, it’s the perfect alternative to conventional video conferencing applications.

Therefore, an immersive virtual space is the futuristic core of the ideal remote working platform; such as TelecommuteX (created in collaboration between Munfarid and Engage) – seamlessly infusing the concept of immersive telecommuting into your business ecosystem.

Pondering on how immersive telecommuting will streamline the average remote worker’s routine, here’s Evan Kristel, renowned technology influencer and Chief Digital Evangelist at eViRa Health:

“Prolonged sessions of remote working definitely takes a toll on employees’ mental health. Immersive telecommuting introduces the much needed social sphere that fills up possible voids of loneliness and apathy in the lives of your workforce. As a result, the average remote worker’s day is much brighter and “normal” with an ample amount of socializing opportunities.”

Evan also had an interesting take on the rapidly evolving technological era we are witnessing:

“It’s amazing how technologies have drastically evolved to help us thrive and not just survive in challenging times. Revolutionary technologies plant seeds of hope and positivity for the future of humankind. It’s our duty to embrace these technologies and ensure their widespread adoption & usage.”

Virtual Conferences are Steadily Gaining Traction

As concern over COVID-19 sets in, in addition to telecommuting, virtual conferences have also gained momentum. Known to strengthen professional relationships in both academia and business, conferences have always proved to be a platform for the exchange of ideas, nurturing upcoming entrepreneurs, thereby working towards the greater good. One such example is the IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (IEEE VR) that announced an all-virtual venue change.

The Ultimate Solution is Virtual Immersive Collaboration

Striking a healthy balance between the positives of both work from home and working on-site, virtual immersive collaboration proves to be the future of connectivity. Sectors like Logistics, Information and Communication Technology, Education, Food supply and a lot more are adopting immersive telecommuting.

Vive XR Suite is HTC Vive’s New Cloud Solution for Remote Collaboration

Vive XR Suite

After launching a beta version of Vive Sync a couple of months ago HTC Vive has just announced a bundle of applications to further expand upon this initial premise, Vive XR Suite.

Vive XR Suite

Comprised of 5 applications (Vive Sync, Vive Sessions, Vive Campus, Vive Social, and Vive Museum), these have been created in collaboration with other companies (Immersive VR Education, VirBELA, VRChat, and Museum of Other Realities). For example Immersive VR Education’s Engage platform as the Vive Campus or Museum of Other Realities (MOR) for the Vive Museum.

Designed to meet the daily needs of those working, learning and living remotely, Vive XR Suite will be a one-stop-shop for all your remote collaboration needs, whether that’s in VR or not; the applications will work with existing PCs/laptops to ensure the platform is hardware agnostic.

“The world has irreversibly changed in the last 5 months taking us all on an accelerated path towards a digital-first future. This video-centric ‘New Normal’ we are living will rapidly transition to the XR first ‘Next Normal’ that awaits us,” says Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC in a statement. With our announcement today, HTC Vive is reaffirming our commitment to the XR industry and enabling the world with a suite of mission critical software applications that are intended to make all our lives richer and more productive.” 

Vive XR Suite

Supporting the Vive Wave SDK so that the suite will support current and future devices using the Vive Wave ecosystem, it’ll be available as a free lite-version and as a premium Pro subscription version. The latter will include enterprise/creator level capabilities and commercial use licenses, available through Viveport.

“By working together with so many leading companies, we are confident we will be able to make a real impact in accelerating VR adoption near term and ultimately enabling an XR-powered global workforce,” Graylin adds.

The Vive XR Suite is expected to launch in Q3 2020 starting in China, with further territories to follow. In the run-up to launch a beta version of the various applications will be rolled out for users to test. As further updates on the Vive XR Suite are released, VRFocus will let you know.

40+ Resources For Bringing AR/VR To The Classroom

VRFocus Creators

Do you work within or interested in the education industry and looking to bring VR/AR to the classroom? In this blog, you’ll find a collection of links to FREE apps plus much more! 

Want to download the whole list as a downloadable spreadsheet? CLICK HERE and get the resource for FREE.

Alchemy VR

Alchemy VR has partnered with Expeditions to produce experiences narrated by naturalist David Attenborough. They are creating immersive educational experiences on an impressive scale. It is an experimental virtual reality studio based in London, United Kingdom.

4D Anatomy

The subscription-based app allows students and teachers to explore the human anatomy. 4D Interactive Anatomy puts you in control of navigating and learning from real photographic anatomy on any screen.

Curiscope

Curiscope was founded at the start of 2016 with the belief that they could use AR & VR tech to change how kids engage and interact with Science. Take your lessons to a new dimension with the Augmented Reality Virtuali-Tee. Learn about the human body…on a human body.

Schell Games

Schell Games is the largest full-service education and entertainment game development company in the United States. Schell Games counts some of the world’s most respected brands as clients, including The Walt Disney Company, Yale University, SeaWorld Parks, Lionel, The Fred Rogers Company and Microsoft Corporation. 

Timelooper

Timelooper is a 360-degree virtual reality smartphone app that lets visitors re-live iconic moments from historical & cultural sites around the world. They are transforming the learning process from one that is inherently passive to active. They bring the classroom to life by empowering teachers to deliver highly interactive and historically and scientifically accurate content that will serve to inspire, emote, and inform students.

Unimersiv

Unimersiv is the largest platform for VR educational experiences. By downloading the app, you will have access to multiple experiences that will let you learn about history, space or human anatomy. Technology using virtual reality, however, has introduced new levels of experiential education. Virtual 3D worlds allow students and teachers to visit places otherwise impossible to visit without it. They can go to space, history places, deserts, or foreign countries without physically traveling there. Unimersiv’s VR app is available on the Samsung Gear VR and the Oculus Rift for now.

Quiver

Quiver Education content is designed around topics as diverse as biology, geometry, and the solar system. Quiver Education provides the same magical augmented reality colouring experience, but with a greater focus on educational content than the awesome Quiver App.

Wild Eyes

Wild Eyes use specially designed cameras to capture the natural world in 360-degrees. They are working with designers, educational organizations, and teachers to produce interactive lessons that allow the viewer to see a realistic depiction of the lessons they are learning including Biology, Physics, and Earth Sciences. They are using Virtual Reality to create an educational and immersive experience.

360cities

The world’s largest collection of stock 360° images and videos. The students/teachers can tour anyplace in the world with a 360-degree view for free. 360cities goal is to bring 360 VR photography to the mainstream and create new applications from this geographic data. We aim to cover hundreds of cities with tens of thousands of artistic, high-resolution, spherical panoramas.

CoSpaces Edu

CoSpaces Edu is an educational technology widely used in schools around the world and letting anyone easily create their own virtual content. With CoSpaces Edu, students can create virtually anything in the classroom!

Immersive VR Education

Immersive VR Education is a virtual/augmented reality company dedicated to transforming how educational content is delivered and consumed globally by providing educators and corporate trainers the tools they need to create their own content using virtual classrooms or virtual training environments.

Google Expeditions AR Pioneer Program

With the Expeditions app, through the use of VR and AR, teachers are no longer limited by the space of the classroom. VR lets you explore the world virtually while AR brings abstract concepts to life—allowing teachers to guide students through collections of 360° scenes and 3D objects, pointing out interesting sites and artifacts along the way. Introduce your students to a new way of learning with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Nearpod

Nearpod strives to empower educators to create learning experiences that engage and inspire millions of students around the world. Nearpod is an all-in-one solution for the synchronized use of iPads in the classroom that makes lectures more engaging through interactive multimedia presentations.

ThingLink

ThingLink gives images a new role in online communication and learning. It allows teachers to create interactive images and videos. It is the easiest way to save and share notes and observations about real-world spaces, situations, and artifacts.

Boulevard (Previously WoofbertVR)

Boulevard creates immersive, user-controlled experiences and enriched art education content unlike any other in virtual, augmented and mixed reality. Boulevard Arts partners with the world’s leading museums and cultural sites to share their collections through virtual, augmented and mixed reality technology.

ISTE Librarian’s Network Webinar

Elissa Malespina, author of Augmented Reality in Education: Bringing Interactivity to Libraries and Classrooms has created a webinar about using AR and VR in the classroom. She talks about ways to incorporate AR into your schools.

zSpace

zSpace is an interactive, immersive virtual reality desktop platform. The system is focused on the learning market, specifically STEM education, medical instruction, corporate training, research, and design. zSpace applications engage students in standards-based learning experiences that align with the curriculum. Students construct knowledge and understanding of concepts across multiple curriculum areas with a strong focus on STEM subjects.

EON Reality (EON Reality Education)

EON Reality founded EON Reality Education, a non-profit focused on advancing the cause of Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR) education and research. EON Reality Education will also guide and commission research and development projects with partner institutions to better understand the cognitive benefits of AVR.

Mattel View-Master Virtual Reality Viewer

Enter the world of virtual reality with the View-Master Virtual Reality Starter Pack. This kid-friendly device will surround you with stunning 360-degree environments so you feel as if you are really there. Immerse yourself in 360-degree interactive environments and explore these amazing virtual worlds.

ClassVR

ClassVR is a groundbreaking new technology designed to help raise engagement and increase knowledge retention for students of all ages. It is the world’s first affordable VR/AR solution designed to give schools everything they need to deliver an exciting, engaging and truly immersive learning experience, whilst ensuring it is fully managed and controlled within the classroom.

ENGAGE

ENGAGE is an advanced virtual reality training and education platform that makes it easy to collaborate, create and learn in virtual reality. The tools are very easy to use and require no technical expertise. The platform allows educators and corporate trainers to share their own content in a virtual setting, inspiring students whether in a classroom, lecture theatre, or operating theatre.

Titans of Space

Titans of Space is a densely educational guided tour of the Solar System, designed first for virtual reality. Multiple versions are available for mobile and PC platforms, for VR and otherwise.

VirtualSpeech VR

VirtualSpeech provides a training platform for people to practice soft skills in VR. Combining VR with e-learning or in-person training gives participants a chance to practice what they have learned in realistic environments, helping develop essential soft skills more effectively. Founded by Dom Barnard and Sophie Thompson in early 2016.

Veative

Veative is bringing VR in education that improves learning outcomes and increases engagement. Veative has launched its Awareness drive for Virtual Reality (VR) in Education. They develop immersive technology solutions that have shown an incredible ability to educate, train, and solve real-world problems.

Arch Virtual

Arch Virtual creates VR medical training experiences that help students practice surgical operations. They practice medical procedures in virtual reality environments before conducting them for real. They create real-time 3D environments for visualization, simulation and marketing using gaming and VR technologies like Unity3D and Oculus Rift.

Gamar

Gamar is an award-winning platform that enables anyone to easily map spaces and create augmented reality games or tours. Within the app, there are many kid-friendly activities available to keep the whole family entertained. Gamar allows museums and local attractions to easily create engaging tours with augmented reality to engage visitors.

InMind 2 VR (Cardboard)

InMind VR is an adventure game about a scientific journey inside the emotional chemistry of the human brain. It allows the students to experience the journey into the patient’s brains in search of the neurons that cause mental disorders. The game places emphasis on the chemistry behind human emotion, greatly inspired by the Pixar/Disney movie “Inside Out” and (more scientifically) Lövheim’s theory of emotions.

VR Space

VR Space is one of the VR apps available to learn about space. It is an immersive virtual reality tour of Sun Star and planet systems. Kids will learn all about the different planets in our Solar System and can guess some of space’s greatest facts.

Mission: ISS

Mission: ISS is to date the most detailed and elaborate space-oriented educational app for virtual reality. Take a trip into orbit and experience life onboard the International Space Station!

MEL Chemistry VR

One of the best educational VR apps on the subject of chemistry. MEL Chemistry VR lessons are aligned with the school chemistry curriculum, covering all of its main topics.

Universe Sandbox ²

Universe Sandbox ² is a physics-based space simulator that allows you to create, destroy, and interact on an unimaginable scale.

The VR Museum of Fine Art

A must-download VR education app. Explore the Second Floor of the Museum! Explore a virtual museum in room-scale VR: see famous sculptures in full, 1:1 scale and see famous paintings without the limitations of glass and security guards.

VictoryXR

VictoryXR is a world leader in virtual reality and augmented reality educational product development. VictoryXR gamified learning for middle school and high school science while keeping all units tied to the Next Gen Science Standards. In addition to gamification, there are 48 virtual field trips around the world.

AR Flashcards-Alphabet & More

Made for younger students, AR Flashcards make learning fun with the technology of Augmented Reality! With AR Flashcards, learning is fun! When you point your device at the printed flashcard a beautifully rendered 3D animal will pop up on the screen. Tap the animal to hear the letter and animal name.

Anatomyou VR

Anatomyou VR is an educational mobile application that presents human anatomy to the user from a different perspective. Anatomyou can be used in two different modes: Virtual Reality and Full Screen.

ImmerseMe

ImmerseMe aims to be the world’s best academic language tool. ImmerseMe uses virtual reality (VR) to simulate everyday conversations in foreign languages. You can choose from over 3,000 interactive scenarios across 9 languages: German, Spanish, French, English, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Greek and Indonesian.

TheBodyVR

The Body VR: Journey Inside a Cell is an award-winning educational virtual reality experience that takes the user inside a human cell.

FotonVR

FotonVR is the first virtual reality in education provider company, that provides complete solution of VR classroom set up, hardware supply, complete content for school syllabus and training to teacher. It has the largest library of science activities for school science subjects. It is an app specially designed for school to teach science subjects. It has more than 480 immersive VR activities that cover biology, physics, and chemistry topics.

Axon Park

Axon Park is an education technology company focused on democratizing access to education through XR and AI.

BRIOVR

Create an immersive learning environment for your classroom with virtual reality. BRIOVR is helping teachers bring VR into their classrooms by offering free sign-ups, storage and sharing to all students. BRIOVR has made it easy for users to build, create and share virtual reality content. Simply register with an email and your classroom has access to the latest VR technology. No coding or downloading required. Built for beginners.

Want to download the whole list as a downloadable spreadsheet? CLICK HERE and get the resource for FREE.

‘Apollo 11 VR’ Studio Secures $3.3M Funding from HTC for VR Education Platform ‘Engage’

Immersive VR Education, the studio behind Apollo 11 VR, Titanic VR, and social VR education platform ENGAGE, today announced that it’s secured a €3 million (~$3.3 million) investment from HTC.

The investment follows a recent HTC Vive Ecosystem Conference held in Engage back in March, which would have otherwise been held in Shenzhen, China were it not for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Immersive VR Education says in a press statement that the investment will be used to further develop and enhance Engage, build its sales and marketing capability, and fund the production of additional showcase experiences for Engage. The company’s platform allows educators to create bespoke VR experiences for both small and large format viewing, supporting up to 50 contemporaneous users on a variety of devices, including SteamVR headsets, Oculus Quest, Vive Focus Plus, and Pico headsets.

SEE ALSO
HTC Unveils 'Vive Sync' Social VR Platform for Companies Looking to Go Virtual

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is set to catalyse long-term changes in working practices, VRE and HTC’s combined offering provides a complete end-to-end service to alleviate the challenges posed by reduced travel due to health and climate change concerns,” said Immersive VR Education CEO David Whelan. “We look forward to this next stage of our development and continuing to work alongside HTC as a strategic partner and shareholder to provide these solutions for customers.”

HTC recently unveiled its own social VR platform Vive Sync, which focuses on enterprise users and businesses looking for a virtual meeting place.

As part of this agreement, HTC will appoint one non-executive director to the VRE board, the studio says. It’s not clear to what extent the studios will collaborate however, as both companies now appear to have similar products with admittedly divergent target markets.

The post ‘Apollo 11 VR’ Studio Secures $3.3M Funding from HTC for VR Education Platform ‘Engage’ appeared first on Road to VR.

‘Apollo 11 VR’ Studio to Launch ‘Shuttle Commander’ Next Week on PSVR

Immersive VR Education, the studio behind VR experiences Apollo 11 VR (2016) and Titanic VR (2018), is set to launch its next mission into space on PSVR soon, this time taking you to the Hubble Space Telescope to go hands-on with an accurate recreation of the mission, shuttle cockpit, and space telescope itself.

Called Shuttle Commander, the experience is already live on the European PlayStation Store, and is slated to arrive to PSVR users in North America on December 11th, 2019.

Here’s how Immersive VR Education describes it:

Celebrate the discoveries and experience how this remarkable apparatus changed our understanding of the universe around us through science visualization segments which are based on actual data discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope over the past 3 decades.

Fly the space shuttle in an accurate physics based landing simulation and take control of the Canada Arm in space as you witness the Earth pass below during a full day / night cycle.

Shuttle Commander is also supposed to arrive on SteamVR headsets at some point, however the studio hasn’t mentioned when we should expect it to land.

The post ‘Apollo 11 VR’ Studio to Launch ‘Shuttle Commander’ Next Week on PSVR appeared first on Road to VR.

The VR Job Hub: XR Games, VividQ, Immersive VR Education & More

Whether you’re an experienced designer, programmer, engineer, or maybe you’ve just been inspired after reading VRFocus’ articles – either way, you have stumbled across the weekly VR Job Hub. The vacancies listed here are usually located worldwide (although not this week), from major companies to humble indie developers – the one thing they all have in common is that they are all looking for new staff.

Location Company Role Link
Leeds, UK XR Games Senior Unity Developer Click Here to Apply
Leeds, UK XR Games Experienced Unity Developer Click Here to Apply
Leeds, UK XR Games Senior Game Designer Click Here to Apply
Leeds, UK XR Games Art Director Click Here to Apply
Leeds, UK XR Games Producer Click Here to Apply
London, UK VividQ Account Management Executive Click Here to Apply
Cambridge, UK VividQ Software Developer C/C++ Click Here to Apply
Waterford, Ireland Immersive VR Education Node.js Developer Click Here to Apply
Waterford, Ireland Immersive VR Education Unity Game Developers Click Here to Apply
Brighton and Hove, UK Make Real Senior Unity Developer Click Here to Apply

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 Hub to 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.

CrashCourse Uses VR To Teach High School Students About Concussions

crashcourse rift concussions vr education

According to The Journal of the American Medical Association in a 2017 report, it was found that 1 in 5 high school athletes (20%) will get a concussion. That’s a staggering statistic. Often referred to as an “invisible injury,” concussions are one of the most prevalent sports injuries out there.

A big part of the issue is not just a lack of awareness, but a lack of education about how to spot a concussion and how to treat it. That’s where CrashCourse comes in.

For those unaware, a concussion is, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons:

“an injury to the brain that results in temporary loss of normal brain function. It usually is caused by a blow to the head. In many cases, there are no external signs of head trauma. Many people assume that concussions involve a loss of consciousness, but that is not true. In many cases, a person with a concussion never loses consciousness.”

CrashCourse is split into four parts for students:

  1. An interactive film that puts the viewer in the shoes of a football player using a camera installed in a helmet as it’s being worn to record the scenes,
  2. Then a symptoms simulator will attempt to let you (harmlessly) experience what it feels like to have a concussion so you know what to look for in the future,
  3. After that is a brain fly-through that lets the viewer get up close and see how the brain operates,
  4. Finally, training secrets from sports heroes and respected athletes will help solidify the learnings.

The program seems surprisingly thorough and you can see in the video above that they’re using both Oculus Rift + Touch and Google Daydream devices. The amount of the program that’s actually in VR is a bit unclear, but it seems to be leveraging the technology in a really positive way, which is great.

CrashCourse is created by TeachAids, a nonprofit backed by Stanford University research that’s focused on public health education. Arkansas is the first state in the US that’s been confirmed to start implementing CrashCourse into their curriculum, reportedly in every high school across the state as mandated by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

For more details on CrashCourse you can visit the official website here. Let us know what you think down in the comments below!

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The VR Job Hub: VR Education, Improbable, Vertigo Games

Do you work up to 80 soul-crushing hours a week? Wonder what your wife/husband, kids, friends, family, even the dog looks like? Well, it doesn’t have to be like that, jobs can be enjoyable and fun when you find the right one. That’s why every Sunday VRFocus publishes its weekly VR Job Hub to help you on that journey.

Location Company Role Link
Waterford, Ireland VR Education Holdings Full Stack Web Developer (PHP & JavaScript) Click Here to Apply
Waterford, Ireland VR Education Holdings Character Artist Click Here to Apply
Waterford, Ireland VR Education Holdings Senior Environment Artist Click Here to Apply
Various Locations Worldwide Improbable Gaming and Production Click Here to Apply
Various Locations Worldwide Improbable Marketing Click Here to Apply
Various Locations Worldwide Improbable Engineering Click Here to Apply
London, UK Improbable Grad & Intern Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Senior Gameplay Engineer Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Gameplay Engineer Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Graphics Engineer Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Audio Engineer Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Networking Engineer Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Internation PR Manager Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Game Designer Click Here to Apply
Rotterdam, The Netherlands Vertigo Games Level Designer Click Here to Apply

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 Hub to 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.