Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) can be used for so much more than videogames and industrial applications – you can make your own presentations and creations utilising the new technologies, to turn your presentations into the most memorable presentations your clients and business partners are likely to see. That’s the thinking behind AfterNow Prez, the new software tool that will make it easy to create memorable, powerful and impactful presentations using Microsoft HoloLens.
Designed for sales demos, marketing engagements, hands on tutorials and more, users can simply upload 3D models, images and videos, and then physically place in the real world with the HoloLens technology. Users can sequence scenes in their presenations and apply transitions, and viewers can watch the presentations unfold in their real world environment through the AR technology.
Philippe Lewicki is the captain at AfterNow, and he shares his enthusiasm for their latest software; “We were building augmented reality presentations for Fortune 500 companies and seeing how effective AR presentations were; we decided to reduce the complexity and cost of creating engaging and immersive augmented reality experiences. That’s when we started AfterNow Prez.”
There are three primary use cases that AfterNow Prez is designed for which are;
Sales, meetings or pitches
Tradeshows and demonstrations
Exhibits and showrooms with tour guides
The founder of INSCALE and INSCALE Interactive has also chimed in, sharing his high opinion of AfterNow Prez; “AfterNow Prez is a great opportunity to present in a whole new way. Very intuitive and easy to use! it’s all I ever wanted digital presenting to be!“
Anyone that has ever worked in an office environment or regularly hosts business meetings can already imagine the implications the software has. Business partners can be hard to impress, and fellow employees can sometimes find it difficult to follow long, drawn out presentations. With the new technology, it’ll be easier than ever to create memorable experiences that’ll capture those you’re presenting to. As long as the technology is on hand, in the right hands it can change careers. Should VR or AR technology be modernising any other technology we use every day, you’ll read about it on VRFocus.
Anyone who’s worked in a busy creative or industrial environment will know that communication with your team is essential. Who’s tackling which tasks, how far each is to completion and so many more smaller aspects of projects that require micromanagement and excellent communication, and it can be difficult when you’re wrapped up in your projects. Of course, that’s exactly where companies such as Atheer get involved, because they can introduce new augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies in order to streamline and revolutionise our busy work flows.
Case in point; Atheer have partnered with Design Interactive to release a new program, Augmentor, which should help speed up and modernise work flows for companies around the world, using Microsoft Hololens head-mounted displays (HMDs) and Atheer’s award winning AiR Enterprise technology.
The new Augmentor program will help employees troubleshoot in AR, and use smart glasses to connect your physical and digital workspaces. A web console can be used to update team on tasks and progression, where the cloud based storage will allow other employees to easily access and view the same information.
Users of the technology can even livestream what they see to fellow employees or an expert, so they can be given hands on advice as they go. This speeds up the amount of troubleshooting time any one employee should have to go through to complete their tasks.
The mix of Design Interactive’s software and Atheer’s AiR Enterprise technology allows procedures to be created on the fly while in the field, or at home using Atheer’s web portal.
Soulaiman Itani is the chief executive officer and founder of Atheer, and he says; “Design Interactive is really forward looking. It has been focused on solving problems in some of the most challenging industries – such as heavy trucking and the military. It is Design Interactive’s insight from these applications that makes this relationship so promising.”
Design Interactive’s CEO Kay Stanney also has good things to say, saying; “We are excited about the partnership Atheer affords. What makes Atheer so appealing is not just their software, but their hardware experience. Most competitors make software. But in Atheer, we found a partner that has developed AR hardware and truly understands the entire AR ecosystem that brings value to a client. That is simply unmatched in the marketplace.”
The product will be launched at the Truck Maintenance Council trade show and exhibition in Atlanta, GA, on March 5th. Let us know what you think of the new technology in the comments below, and stay on VRFocus for all of the latest AR news.
VRFocus has long reported on the benefits of using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in the healthcare sector. From helping patients deal with mental illness, or recover from surgery, to teaching students about procedures, there’s almost unlimited applications to be had. The latest comes from General Electric (GE), with a team using Microsoft HoloLens to help train ultrasound sonologist students.
The project came about due to the lack of trained ultrasound sonologists in developing countries, meaning that mistakes are made and the wrong organ is scanned leading to patients having to return for further scans.
So GE Global Research has utilised the interactive capabilities of Microsoft HoloLens and created a programme to allow the headset to work in conjunction with a scanner. When a student wears the headset they’ll be able to see via a dummy where the organs are located and what they look like. These details are shown as the student moves the sonogram wand over the body, with the app teaching directions to specific organs and how to properly complete a full scan.
“We position virtual organs in the field of view of the operator, overlaid on top of the mannequin,” said Ratnadeep Paul, lead engineer for augmented and virtual reality at GE Global Research, in a GE Reports blog post. “This allows the technician to position the probe on top of the correct organ. The placement of the virtual organs will be done by live tracking of the patient’s body and using our own proprietary artificial intelligence algorithms.”
Still in the development phase, the team eventually plan to send ultrasound machines and AR headsets to hospitals, medical and nursing schools, in both developing and developed countries. “We are currently testing out the feasibility of integrating AR, AI and probe tracking in a single unified system and understanding how or if it can improve the efficiency of the ultrasound technician (especially for less skilled technicians) and reduce the errors in ultrasound imaging,” adds Paul.
Paul also mentions that GE Global Research is looking into teaching how to spot problems in pregnancy ultrasounds, creating an AR app for technicians to train on pregnant dummies. As medical advancements in VR and AR continue, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Following on from previous coverage of the Enterprise approach for VR, and VRFocus columnist Kevin Williams, looks at the latest deployment of VR into the classroom and education structure revealed during the largest education and training event in Europe.
Many of my regular followers will be familiar with the coverage I gave last year of The British Educational Training and Technology Show (BETT). So, it was with much interest that a returned to BETT 2018 to see how this initial interest in virtual reality (VR) technology was impacting the scene.
The BETT event filled London’s ExCel exhibition and convention centre, with a multitude of the latest technology learning and teaching aids – ranging from electronic whiteboards, smart teaching tablets, new 3D printing platforms, and the latest in machine learning applications to track pupil and student advancement.
Regarding VR in the classroom, the deployment of the immersive technology was still trying to define its offering – but was a force for good. The biggest presence on the mammoth show floor was from AVANTIS, building on last year’s presence, promoting their ClassVR platform. ClassVR offers a tough, self-contained head mounted display (HMD) designed for education. The unique headset featuring a see-through camera, and the ability to wireless communicate.
The company’s large booth saw a lot of interest, with AVANTIS running a special enclosure that represented a World War I trench. An illustration of how the VR platform can be used as a learning experience that fits into the national syllabus. The ClassVR system offered in a multiple eight-unit case for class teaching.
Another exhibitor that demonstrated their classroom ready VR platform was Redbox VR – offering their own ruggedly designed headsets, but in this case favouring a smart phone, rather than self-contained approach. The company having partnered to support the Google Cardboard standard for teaching (Google Expeditions). This partnership has resulted in a robust offering, with learning supported by a large content library.
Google’s educational aspirations (Google for Education) were on display, with the company coming to BETT 2018 with a big booth promoting more their educational support content and smart apps than their hardware. But that was also looking at their curriculum and classroom advantage. The company did not have many Cardboard HMDs on their own booth, but were promoting their latest augmented reality (AR) tools, and how their Google Maps application married to class-based learning – Google Expeditions comprising some 700 experiences.
One of the largest of the exhibitors on the show floor with a strong VR presence was Microsoft Worldwide Education, heavily promoting their Windows Mixed Reality offering in this sector of education. A wide selection of Windows Mixed Reality partners supported the booth with their headsets, including the HP VR1000, Acer AH101 and Dell Visor. Microsoft also promoted their Hololens AR solution, offering a comprehensive immersive platform solution, supported by a class-based VR and AR curriculum.
The Dell Visor in use at BETT 2018.People were also able to get hands-on with Acer’s HMD.The Dell Visor
These headsets were seen across the BETT 2018 show floor – a concentrated effort by the manufacturers to support a Enterprise approach to VR, rather than focusing, as other headset developers, on a mainly VR gaming-related business approach.
On the Acer booth the company presented several of their educational endeavours, along with putting the Acer AH101 VR headset through its paces with a number of experiences.
Asus was also at the event, partnering up with Intel showed their Asus HC120 VR headset, tied into their virtual classroom demonstration, allowing for the immersive environment to be displayed in real-time to other classmates.
Dell Technologies (also in partnership with Intel and Microsoft) had a comprehensive education presentation across their product range, promoted as part of their “Virtual Futures” initiative. Their Dell Visor VR headset in its educational colours, going through its paces as a teaching tool allowing pupils to “delve” inside their subjects, with VR-based learning.
Another of the supporters of the Windows Mixed Reality standard, Lenovo (once again in partnership with Intel) demonstrated their commitment to the VR learning opportunity, showing their Lenovo Explorer headset. But pride of place was also given to the new Lenovo Mirage Solo – freshly launched at CES that month, the Mirage supports the Google Daydream initiative.
The Lenovo Mirage SoloThe Lenovo Explorer
The brand-new Lenovo Mirage Solo integrates Google’s WorldSense 6DOF positional tracking, as well as supporting a controller. Feeling more like a self-contained mobile VR application. It could be seen that Google’s Daydream has been slow out the blocks, though Lenovo were not shy in promoting their association.
Another of those supporting multiple approaches to offering a complimentary immersive solution to the educational sphere was HP. Along with their Windows Mixed Reality support, seen on the Microsoft booth, HP presented a selection of other VR solutions including an HTC Vive Backpack VR offering.
Along with HP, many other exhibitors during BETT 2018 had HTC Vive room-scale setups on their booth demonstrating the application and opportunities that this approach had to offer. With regards Oculus VR, they were only seen on two booths, such as presented by Sensory Guru, who presented their Sensory VR – offering a wide variety of the latest VR platforms for deployment in special needs and educational services for inclusive classroom engagement.
Another exhibitor that has placed a considerable global effort into the promotion of a virtual classroom experience was VEATIVE Labs – the Singapore based operation presented a classroom application using their VEATIVE All-in-One headset, as well as a wide curriculum of specially created immersive content for students with teacher control built in. The company is also able to support other headsets, but with the VEATIVE solution is able to quickly adapt schools to the learning process.
It is the creation of this immersive content to best illustrate the power of VR learning that was also on display at this year’s BETT, with exhibitor HumanEyes Technologies demonstrating the VUZE VR camera, able to offer VR video and VR photo creation, perfect to be displayed in an educational approach.
While ClickView, provider of an online platform of curriculum-mapped videos for students, was branching beyond their conventional video content to specially created 360’ experiences building on the interactive education roots – with the ability for the teacher to build into the content questions and help shape the immersive learning approach.
The appearance of HMDs in the educational landscape seemed to have stabilized at BETT 2018. With more practical solutions being promoted, rather than a feeling of just riding on the popularity of the tech trend. A novel approach seen at BETT was from exhibitors Rapid Electronics – along with their self-assembly programable robots and drones, the company also promoted their Airgineers VR googles, offering first-person view from their camera on their drone. The special wireless single offering a unique perspective, and is being employed in drone racing competitions. More an immersive display than true VR, it still offers a compelling experience – like the Live-Drive RC system reported in our IAAPA 2017 coverage.
And in conclusion it is the constant hunt for the next leading immersive technology trend that will shape the market that drives our attendance at the Enterprise industries events. BETT 2018 may have given a tantalising glimpse of the next trend on the horizon. Seen on a number of booths, the latest in projection systems – such as from Immersive Interactive, who presented a platform that can offer a immersive projected environment that is also interactive.
Projection based immersive experiences obviously benefit from the ability to have multiple users immersed in the same experience, and does without the need for cumbersome HMDs and restrictive motion tracking. Though only now gathering momentum it is an interesting technology to keep in sight.
That is the conclusion of our coverage of BETT 2018 – we saw a lot of promise for VR, but also saw a powerplay by Windows Mixed Reality towards being able to control the high-ground of VR application, while developers such as AVANTIS start to see their VR platforms deployed into real-world locations. Next Years’ education event will prove to be where the reality of this tech’s benefit for immersive learning will be revealed.
There will be more from Kevin Williams and The Virtual Arena very soon, here on VRFocus.
We’ve seen virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) infiltrate and advance a number of industries, and it seems like the automative industry are adapting to the technology quickly. We’ve seen other automative companies get involved and adapt, but now Ford Motor Company are the next to modernise their workflow, with help from Microsoft partner, Vectorform.
Vectorform are working closely with Microsoft to revolutionise the prototyping phase for vehicle design in the automative industry using the HoloLens head-mounted display (HMD). Ford Motor Company’s designers and engineers used the technology to view 3D holographic versions of exterior car parts such as side mirrors. These were overlaid on real vehicle prototypes so they view what their designs will look like in person, in real time.
Usually it would take weeks to create visible prototypes made of clay, but with the HoloLens it takes just minutes. Once the prototype 3D assets are created, they can be viewed instantly. Multiple team members will be able to view the same design variations simultaneously, too, so teams won’t have to share a headset to understand view their work.
Jason Vazzano, CEO of Vectorform, wants to bring even more practical MR technology to the market; “The ability to help Microsoft and its automotive clients see the potential impact of mixed reality in its design process is a huge win for Vectorform. As we continue to work with Microsoft and HoloLens, we can’t wait to see what other industry-transforming mixed reality solutions we will bring to market.”
Vectorform working closely with Microsoft’s HoloLens Showcase team for three months in order to develop the technology. They spent time optimising and building user experience flows, system requirements, user interfaces, 3D assets and even the final engineering builds.
The future seems bright for MR and VR in the automative industry, and we can’t wait to see more productive results from using the technologies in practical, productive spaces where it can revolutionise traditional work flows. For all of the latest, make sure to keep reading VRFocus.
Das japanische Unterhaltungszentrum NamjaTown in Tokioveröffentlichte ihr jüngstes Arcade-Projekt, das Retroklassikern dank MR-Technologie neues Leben einhauchen möchte. Unter dem Namen Namjatown x MR Project werden im Herzen der bunten Spaßfabrik klassische Arcade-Hallen mit einer Microsoft HoloLens neu interpretiert. Die erste Veröffentlichung Pac-In-Town ist dem gelben Vielfraß Pac-Man gewidmet, welche die Betreiber in einem ersten Video auf Twitter vorstellen.
Pac-Man in Mixed Reality in japanischer Arcade-Halle
Arcade-Hallen erfreuen sich im Land der aufgehenden Sonne größter Beliebtheit und besitzen im Gegensatz zu Europa einen völlig anderen Stellenwert. Sie bieten Heimat für diverse Unterhaltungseinrichtungen und VR-Projekte, beispielsweise für das populäre Mario Kart VR.
Im japanischen Arcade-Zentrum NamjaTown erhalten Retroklassiker zukünftig einen neuen immersiven Anstrich dank MR-Technologie. Das Projekt Namjatown x MR Project sorgt für die Vorstellung alter Arcade-Klassiker in einem völlig neuen Umfeld. Die Besucher dürfen die Neuinterpretationen der ehemaligen Arcade-Titel vor Ort mit einer Microsoft HoloLens erforschen und sich auf jede Menge Spielspaß freuen.
Den Anfang macht das Arcade-Spiel Pac-In-Town, das den kugelförmigen Pac-Man aus seiner zweidimensionalen Welt befreit und in eine reale Umgebung überträgt. Das Spielprinzip bleibt ungefähr dasselbe. Die Spieler manövrieren sich durch ein lebensgroßes Labyrinth und versuchen, den bunten Geistern auszuweichen, die euch auf Schritt und Tritt verfolgen. Statt polygonförmigen weißen Kugeln gilt es riesige Kekse innerhalb eines Zeitlimits zu futtern. Dabei scheinen verschiedene Spieler in einem Multiplayer-Modus gemeinsam anzutreten und sich eventuell sogar per Voice-Chat zu unterhalten. Genauere Informationen die Verantwortlichen bisher noch nicht veröffentlicht.
Pac-In-Town ist vom 15. Januar – 18. Februar 2018 in NamjaTown in Tokio zugänglich. Wer zufällig vor Ort ist, kann Tickets sowie weitere Informationen auf der offiziellen Webseite der Betreiber erhalten.
Wir sind gespannt, welche weiteren Retroklassiker im Rahmen des Projekts vorgestellt werden und was uns zukünftig im Arcade-Bereich noch erwartet.
DAQRI, the Los Angeles-based AR headset company, is now shipping its Daqri Smart Glasses to professionals.
Much like Microsoft’s HoloLens, Daqri’s Smart Glasses are targeting professionals in industries like manufacturing, field services, maintenance and repair, inspections, construction, etc.
Selling for $5000 (the same as HoloLens Commercial Suite), Daqri’s Smart Glasses boast a lightweight set of glasses that connect to a discrete body-worn compute pack, a miniature computer containing a 6th generation Intel Core m7 Processor. The headset, which features a 44° field of view, contains a suite of sensors to correctly position you in your environment.
image courtesy Daqri
Daqri previously launched its Smart Helmet last year, a safety helmet-based AR headset which was unveiled at CES 2016 as part of Intel’s keynote. We got a hands-on with the prototype version of the Smart Helmet back at Daqri’s own 4D Expo in 2015, noting that the headset’s thermal imaging (unique to Smart Helmet) seemed surprisingly useful, although it was clear the AR interactions didn’t have the glitz and glamour of more consumer-focused headsets.
Now with its second product heading out the door, the company cites its ability to bring professional-grade AR to scale thanks to a few strategic partnerships, namely Flex and Dell.
The company has partnered with ‘Sketch-to-Scale’ solutions provider Flex, which Daqri says will “provide global reach and allow DAQRI to meet the needs of each customer’s workforce.” Sketch-to-Scale is noted for helping its customers build and scale products in the global marketplace.
For distribution, Daqri has also partnered with Dell to accelerate and improve communication, collaboration, design “and then help drive product lifecycles through build, maintenance, and operations in the field.”
Daqri is also partnered with Autodesk, IBM, Oracle, Siemens, Emerson and others to provide software integration of their respective products.
Microsoft announced at their at Future Decoded conference in London that HoloLens, the company’s augmented reality headset, will be expanding its international availability to include all of the European Union in December. HoloLens is currently only officially available in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Starting December 1st, HoloLens will be available in the following countries: Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Luxembourg, Poland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Estonia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary, Portugal, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, and Slovenia.
image courtesy Microsoft
If you’re in one of those countries, you can either wait for local availability, or alternatively contact Microsoft here via e-mail to begin the ordering process now. Microsoft says it won’t be stocking HoloLens in stores, making it only available through your local version of the online Microsoft Store.
At a base price of €3.300 for the HoloLens Development Edition and €5.490 for the HoloLens Commercial Suite, the headset mostly appeals to enterprise users, with Microsoft providing industrial and information workers Universal Windows apps focused on tasks like remote assistance, training, design, real-time collaboration, virtual meetings, and data and analytics processing. Microsoft says the HoloLens Commercial Suite is “[i]deal for organizations,” and includes the Development Edition hardware, plus a warranty and enterprise features “for added security and device management.”
Currently HoloLens only supports English, something that will hopefully change in the near future despite EU-based professionals almost universally relying on English for both extra-EU as well as inter-EU dealings.
Das Unternehmen Apelab entwickelte im Kollaboration mit Technicolor das Tool SpatialStories für interessierte VR-Enthusiasten, die ohne Vorkenntnisse im Coding Inhalte für die VR erstellen möchten. Dieses ermöglicht die Erstellung und Anpassung von AR- und VR-Apps für Laien und Fortgeschrittene.
Mit SpatialStories ist es möglich, auf einfache Weise AR- und VR-Projekte zu erstellen und zu bearbeiten. Dadurch sollen ambitionierte Entwickler und interessierte VR-Enthusiasten dank einem Unity-Addon interaktive Erfahrungen erstellen können.
Die entsprechenden Schritte haben die Entwickler zugänglich und intuitiv gestaltet. Der Anwender kann beispielsweise ein Objekt oder einen Charakter auswählen und diesen vorbestimmte Spezifikationen zuweisen. Dabei sind alle genutzten Objekte miteinander verbunden, wodurch Designer in der Lage sind, Sequenzen ablaufen zu lassen oder schnell Interaktionen testen können. Auch Apelabs nächstes Videospielprojekt Break a Leg entstand innerhalb weniger Monate mit dem Toolkit.
Der CTO und Co-Gründer von Apelab, Michael Martin, sagte dazu: „Unser Ziel war es, ein flexibles und intuitives Tool für Leute ohne Coding-Kenntnisse zu entwickeln, das schnell und einfach zu erlernen ist. Wenn wir für unser Videospielprojekt Break a Leg neue Funktionen benötigten, so entwarfen wir diese innerhalb des Tools. Schließlich testeten Personen, die nichts mit der Entwicklung zu tun hatten, unser Toolkit, um festzustellen, ob der Prozess auch wirklich einfach und unproblematisch funktioniert. Das traf vollkommen zu.“
Doch auch für Entwickler ist die Plattform sinnvoll, denn Programmierer können darin ihre eigenen Codes einbetten, während Designer diese für ihre Arbeit nutzen können. Zukünftig sollen weitere Funktionen hinzu kommen, wie beispielsweise eine AI, Spracherkennung und vieles mehr.
Zu Beginn des Jahres 2018 möchte Apelab zudem eine eigenständige Software namens SpatialStories Studio veröffentlichen. Mit dieser wird es Designern ermöglicht, interaktive Inhalte direkt innerhalb der AR- und VR-Umgebung zu erstellen.
Microsoft today announced that 343 Industries, the studio tasked with overseeing the Halo franchise, will be creating Halo-themed experiences for the company’s lineup of VR headsets.
The information, revealed by HoloLens’ chief inventor and ‘Mixed Reality’ project lead Alex Kipman, comes alongside the news that Microsoft’s VR headsets and controller bundles will be launching this holiday season for $399.
“…it’s my pleasure to let you know that we are working with 343 Industries to bring future Halo experiences into mixed reality. We are not providing specifics right now, but it is going to be a lot of fun to work with them,” said Kipman.
Alex Kipman, image courtesy Microsoft
It’s uncertain at this time whether the Halo-themed VR experiences will be necessarily tied to the Windows Store, making them defacto exclusive to the Windows Mixed Reality platform. The company’s VR headsets will however have access to content published on Steam, allowing owners to download all supported VR titles, which thanks to the fairly standard button layout of the Windows VR motion controller may mean the full catalog of Vive/Rift games and experiences.
Many of my regular followers will be familiar with the coverage I gave last year of 
The company’s large booth saw a lot of interest, with AVANTIS running a special enclosure that represented a World War I trench. An illustration of how the VR platform can be used as a learning experience that fits into the national syllabus. The ClassVR system offered in a multiple eight-unit case for class teaching.
Projection based immersive experiences obviously benefit from the ability to have multiple users immersed in the same experience, and does without the need for cumbersome HMDs and restrictive motion tracking. Though only now gathering momentum it is an interesting technology to keep in sight.
