vr investment – Page 11 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

December 22, 2017

Go Touch VR Raises $1 Million for Haptic VR Tech, Shows off DK1 Design

Go Touch VR, which is developing a simple haptic device that’s surprisingly effective, has raised €837,000 (approx. $1 million) in venture capital for ongoing development. The company has offered a look at the latest version of the VRTouch DK1 dev kit, which has come quite far from the 3D printed prototype we saw earlier this year.

Back in March I first saw Go Touch VR’s VRTouch haptic device, a small module designed to attach to the ends of your fingers which presses against your fingertips when your virtual hand comes in contact with objects in the virtual world. It’s a simple but smart approach that’s surprisingly effective for touching and holding small virtual objects—when I tried the prototype earlier this year I found that having something that’s not part of your body ‘pushing back’ against your fingers offers a convincing sensation of poking and grabbing that rumble just can’t provide.

Go Touch VR has announced nearly $1 million in venture funding, and is now showing off their VRTouch DK1 dev kit, which is being sold on a select basis through an application process.

Pimax Completes $15M Series A Funding Round

Pimax, the Shanghai-based VR headset manufacturer known for their upcoming wide field of view headset Pimax ‘8K’, have raised nearly $15 million in their first post-Kickstarter investment round.

According to China-based tech publication YiVian, Pimax announced on December 19th that it had closed a near ￥100 million RMB round of Series A funding co-led by China-based firms O-Film and Tianma Bearing Group Co (TMB).

Back when the company’s Kickstarter campaign hit the $2.45 million mark, or just over that of Oculus’ Kickstarter, it was clear Pimax had passed an important litmus test regarding public interest of high-FOV, higher resolution VR headsets.

Pimax CEO Robin Weng at the mic, image courtesy Pimax VR

Garnering from its backers over $4.2 million USD by the campaign’s conclusion, and becoming the most well-funded VR project on Kickstarter, Pimax’s trajectory looks more promising than ever thanks to its first private investment.

To keep things in context: after Oculus’ successful Kickstarter, it gave the company momentum to raise a $16 million Series A in 2013 and a $75 million Series B later that year, which was then followed by their $2 billion Facebook buyout in 2014. Needless to say, we’ll be watching with bated breath as Pimax moves forward.

Pimax’s ‘5K’ and ‘8K’ VR headsets are still slated to release to early backers starting in January 2018, although it’s unclear if the company will make hardware revisions now that it has some fresh funding underfoot. We’ll have our eye on Pimax as it heads into the new year.

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November 30, 2017

Varjo Secures $6.7M Investment, First Batch of “Human Eye-Resolution” VR Prototypes Shipping to Partners Soon

At Slush 2017, Helsinki-based Varjo Technologies today announced an additional investment of $6.7 million from the Finnish business development group Tekes to continue development on their “human eye-resolution” display for VR headsets. The company also announced they’ll be shipping their first Alpha Prototype to a number of development partners before the end of year.

Update (11/30/17): It was stated in a previous version of this article that the Varjo Bionic display was composed of a 1920×1080 display per eye when in fact there are two displays per eye – a single 1080×1200 ‘context’ display that sits in the background and a much smaller 1920×1080 microdisplay that is tracked to your eye. We’ve corrected the article to reflect this.

The $6.7 million from Tekes adds to their recent $8.2m Series A round led by EQT Ventures Fund, announced back in September.

Varjo’s newly announced development partners include 20th Century Fox, Airbus, Audi, BMW and Technicolor, and will help the company optimize their “human eye-resolution” display for further development. The company says its Beta Prototypes will be shipping to new and existing partners during Q1 2018.

Urho Konttori, CEO and founder of Varjo Technologies says the company plans on launching “a profoundly revolutionary VR/XR headset by the end of 2018.”

The announcement coincides with the company’s first public technology demonstration which happened this week at Slush 2017, the annual Helsinki-based startup conference. Notably, Varjo’s booth got an important visitor as well; Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

What makes the company’s ‘Bionic’ display so special is a unique implementation of two displays per eye; a 1080×1200 resolution ‘context’ display that sits in the background, and a much smaller 1920×1080 resolution microdisplay. Since the headset features eye-tracking, the image from smaller display is designed to move in tandem with the eyes natural saccades. This, in effect, makes the perceived resolution much higher than a standard fixed display like those found in Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.

As for positional tracking, Varjo’s Alpha Prototype is tracked by the SteamVR Lighthouse tracking standard.

Varjo is working closely with NVIDIA and AMD “to provide the best possible VR/XR experience for its partners.” Varjo prototypes are also being shipped with both Unreal and Unity plugins to enable content creation.

“I’m incredibly proud of the team that took a proof of concept into a custom-built technology prototype in just a few short months,” said Konttor. “Together with our world-leading partners, we are now perfecting the technology and plan to launch a profoundly revolutionary VR/XR headset by the end of 2018.”

We’ll be following Varjo as it makes inroads to the enterprise sector with its VR headset.

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November 29, 2017

Williams-Sonoma Acquires Outward for $112 Million to Expand 3D, AR, and VR Retail Visualization

Williams-Sonoma Inc has announced that an agreement has been reached to acquire Outward Inc for an all cash consideration of $112 million. Williams-Sonoma Inc is a US-based high-end retailer of home furnishings and kitchenware, associated with stores such as Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, PBteen, West Elm, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham. Outward, founded in 2012, is a 3D imaging and augmented reality technology company focused on applying this technology to the home furnishings and decor industry. Outward provides visual merchandising to make shopping experiences more interactive and engaging.

Following the completion of the acquisition and melding of the two companies, expected prior to year’s end, Outward will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma. The headquarters will remain in San Jose, CA (Williams-Sonoma is headquartered in San Francisco, CA), and will be managed by Outward’s current leadership team.

Both companies expressed positive enthusiasm with regards to the acquisition. Williams-Sonoma stated that it is looking to implement and further develop Outward’s technology to create applications for product visualization, digital room design, and use of augmented and virtual reality for retail. Outward commented that due to the various channels available to Williams-Sonoma it will allow for many opportunities in creation of their design experiences and they will be able to apply those to their existing customer base.

Statements from the companies suggest that Williams-Sonoma is looking to add experiences similar to those being developed by IKEA, Target, Wayfair, and Amazon to their apps through their different brands. These apps use AR technology to allow users to place virtual representations of items in their homes to see if they match the decor or fit in a specific location thus, expediting the time between consideration and purchase (no need to visit a store for confirmation). Walmart also has shown interest in how AR and VR might improve shopping experiences, though they have not rolled out such a feature to their applications just yet.

Williams-Sonoma Acquires Outward for $112 Million to Expand 3D, AR, and VR Retail Visualization

HTC Invests in 26 More AR/VR Startups in Vive X Accelerator

HTC today announced its third batch of AR/VR startups backed by the company’s Vive X accelerator program. A total of 26 new companies from across the world have been selected to participate in the program with the goal of “building and advancing the global VR/AR ecosystem.”

Started last year, Vive X is a $100 million fund for AR/VR companies that, according to HTC, provides “unparalleled access to expertise, resources, planning and an extensive network throughout the AR/VR industry.” The accelerator has already backed 66 companies over the course of its two batches.

Here’s the new batch, connecting with companies across Vive X’s operating territories including San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and a newly announced fifth location in Tel Aviv:

San Francisco

Apelab seeks to democratize content creation for VR/AR. Its software toolkit Spatial Stories allows developers, designers or anyone without coding knowledge to build fully interactive XR content quickly and efficiently within an immersive environment, then export it to various platforms.
CALA offers a full-stack software solution that empowers fashion designers to turn ideas into garments faster – from first sketch to production and everything in between. Its 3D scanning technology allows consumers to easily take body measurements with smartphone photos and AR technology, then receive their orders with perfect fit.
Cloudgate Studio is an acclaimed game development studio behind hit VR titles Brookhaven Experiment and Island 359. A brilliant team of industry veterans, Cloudgate is on a strategic path to build game tech modules that will culminate in the first hit title for VR eSports. Virtual Self as an example allows users to see their body in VR and stream their gameplay without expensive setups.
eLoupes provides a real-time surgical imaging system for the operating room. Combining light field rendering and head mounted displays, hospitals can bring surgeons a solution that is superior to traditional imaging systems like microscopes while saving costs and improving patient outcomes.
Nanome seeks to democratize science and engineering using VR and Blockchain technology. Today’s legacy systems are outdated and create enormous inefficiency in the innovation process. With an intuitive and distributed platform to interact with scientific data, Nanome will help accelerate scientific innovation like never before.
Neurable develops brain-computer interface for VR control. The result of innovations in neuroscience and machine learning, Neurable interprets electroencephalography (EEG) signals for real-time interaction input. Think, “mind-controlled” experiences.
Quantum Capture is building the behavioral engine that will power the world’s AI-assisted virtual agents. Combining photo-real 3D characters, procedural animation systems and support for cognitive AI, Quantum Capture aims to equip developers with the necessary tools to create amazing, virtual human- based applications, while substantially reducing costs and compressing production timelines.
QuarkVR is the next-generation compression and streaming technology for untethered VR and AR experiences. It is a hardware agnostic software solution that supports 4K per eye resolution and is capable of streaming to a dozen simultaneous users in the same environment with minimal latency.

Beijing

Future Tech is a Chengdu, China- based studio that creates quality games and VR content for users around the world. The team is founded by industry veterans with deep experience from global content powerhouses like Ubisoft, Gameloft, PDE, and Virtuos. Their current project “Mars Alive” has won numerous industry awards globally.
Genhaosan (GHS) is the first-ever available VR entertainment solution for karaoke. The GHS VRK systems installed in karaoke rooms allow users to enjoy immersive experiences like singing like a rock star on stage, interacting with their audience and sharing their performance on social media.
JuDaoEdu is dedicated to the research and development of VR labs for K-12 students. The product is applicable for Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Science education and the company’s vision is to provide students with authentic and safe VR lab environment.
Lenqiy is a leading VR content developer providing innovation and creativity education to teenagers. Their current product portfolio includes science, engineering, technology, art and mathematics VR tools. By bringing creativity into product design, Lenqiy wants to make learning an enjoyable journey of exploration for teenagers.
PanguVR is an AI-driven VR technology company with a focus on advanced computer vision. Its core engine, powered and refined by deep learning and processing thousands of terabytes of data, allows users to create 6DoF VR environments in minutes simply by uploading 3D assets or even 2D pictures. The process is fast and produces stunning quality output at only a fraction of the cost associated with manual process.
Pillow’s Willow VR Studios creates fairytale games for both 3DoF and 6DoF VR, excelling with its high-quality visuals while maintaining maximum performance. Their non-violent casual VR games featuring curious, likeable characters, are fun, easy to play and suitable for all ages.
Yue Cheng Tech aims to become the Netflix in VR. The company has selected more than 300 top-quality VR contents from 50+ partners in 15 countries, introduced them to China, and created world’s first professional VR cinema. YCT also produce world-class contents with the world’s top talents in visual effects and movie industry.

Shenzhen

Antilatency specializes in positional tracking solutions for VR/AR that enable multiplayer VR experiences within the tracking area without scale limits, using mobile or tethered VR headsets.
Configreality understands deeply how human spatial perception works across physical and virtual space simultaneously. With its proprietary spatial compression algorithm, users can feel as if they are walking in an infinitely large space even when the physical space is limited.
Super Node is a visual intelligence company with full-stack solutions that enables machines to learn its surrounding environments. The solution brings low-cost, high-accuracy obstacle avoidance, 6DoF tracking and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) capabilities to VR, AR and robotics.
VRWaibao offers a multiplayer collaboration platform in VR, while also creating a wide range of enterprise VR applications for customers in banking, manufacturing, real estate, healthcare, military and more.
Wewod is focused on delivering high-quality, location-based entertainment and educational VR content. The team has deep experience delivering 3D production work for renowned clients like Disney, Bandai Namco, and Nintendo.

Taipei

COVER provides a virtual livestreaming platform which users can perform with their avatars for audience to watch via mobile devices. It also offers live shows featuring their own virtual celebrities.
Looxid Labs has developed an emotional analytics platform optimized for VR using bio-sensors that measure users’ eyes and brain activities. Its machine learning algorithm is capable of accurately analyzing users’ emotional state, providing valuable data that can be leveraged to make a real impact in users’ VR experiences.
Red Pill Lab applies deep learning algorithms to optimize the workflow of real- time character animation. Its voice-to-facial engine and full body IK-solver work together to add a new level of realism to virtual characters in VR games.
VRCollab takes BIM (Building Information Modelling) to the next level, enabling architects, engineers, planners and consultants to collaborate seamlessly on construction projects. It is a software solution that instantly converts BIM models for use in design reviews, building requirement approval and construction coordination, as well as automated document generation.

Tel Aviv

Astral Vision turns existing amusement park rides into VR attractions, offering a compelling and refreshing customer experience without engaging in capital-intensive upgrades.
REMMERSIVE is founded by award-winning technologists and race driving champions, and creates a new breed of fully immersive driving simulators with technology, providing a far more engaging and true-to-life experience.

Check out the first two batches here: first & second.

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November 20, 2017

Pixvana Raises $14M Series A Investment for Cloud-based VR Video Platform

Pixvana, a Seattle-based startup creating a cloud-based processing and delivery platform for VR video, today announced a $14 million Series A funding round led by Vulcan Capital with participation from Raine Ventures, Microsoft Ventures, Cisco Investments and Hearst Ventures, and existing investor Madrona Venture Group.

The company exited stealth when they announced their initial seed round back in December 2015. The Series A brings their overall investment to $20 million. Now, Pixvana hopes to “enable anyone to create and distribute next-generation video experiences” using its main service SPIN Studio.

SPIN Studio is an end-to-end solution for authoring and delivering virtual, augmented, and mixed reality video content, otherwise encapsulated in the term ‘XR video’ by the company. Both playback and direct-to-store publishing functions are already available to beta testers looking to deliver up to 8K video without the supposed caveat of questionable streaming quality and stuttery playback for their users—a feat accomplished in part by the company’s Field of View Adaptive Streaming (FOVAS) technology that optimizes playback resolution by delivering video in discrete sections and rendering that video only where you’re actively looking. FOVAS is supported on Gear VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows VR headsets and Daydream currently.

According to a company blog post announcing the investment, SPIN Studio takes care stitching, editing, publishing, and playback for a single “seamless workflow.”

Pixvana Spin Play. image courtesy Pixvana

“We are thrilled to work with this amazing group of investors backing us, to realize our vision of XR storytelling,” said Forest Key, Pixvana CEO. “Faster iteration and blending of video and 3D content will allow creatives, brands and media companies to create amazing XR experiences. More announcements like the recent devices for Windows MR and Oculus Go will create a rapidly expanding market for XR video experiences.”

To seal the investment, Key and his team created a 360 pitch video entitled Sofia, named after the famous director Sofia Coppola. Below you can get a taste of the 15 minute video, albeit edited for public viewing. While the video is available on YouTube, you won’t get the benefits of FOVAS unless you view through the Spin Play app on Steam, the company’s own showcase of videos possible with its cloud-streaming and adaptive playback capabilities.

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November 9, 2017

HTC Announces Multi-million Dollar Vive Art Initiative, Bringing VR to Museums Worldwide

HTC announced a new multi-million dollar VR initiative aiming to support content, creators and institutions that embrace VR not only as an artistic medium itself, but as a way to better immerse users in all forms of art. The company aptly calls the program VIVE Arts.

HTC says in a blogpost announcing the program, that Vive Arts was created to help cultural institutions fund and develop VR installations that furthers education of the arts across the globe. As a happy side effect, some of that content will also be made available on Viveport, Vive’s digital marketplace.

HTC has a history of partnering with museums worldwide since the launch of Vive in 2016, helping to engage the public in VR-accessible art and immersing them in the artists’ world through unique experiences. Vive headsets have made their way to exhibitions at museums including London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Taipei’s National Palace Museum, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, Washington D.C.’s Newseum, and St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum.

Now the company is facilitating its next project in London for Tate Modern’s major upcoming exhibition, Modigliani, opening on November 23rd. The VR portion of the exhibition draws on extensive archival material and new research surrounding painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani, and tells his story in a way a simple audio guide and informational placard never could; from the heart of early 20th century Paris. Called The Ochre Atelier: Modigliani VR Experience, ticketed museum-goers can go through the experience for free, although Tate Modern says there’s limited capacity, so free tickets must be collected on the day of your visit on a first come, first-serve basis. You can book tickets here.

“With the launch of Vive Arts, we are driving Virtual Reality’s influence in art and providing access to our world’s cultural heritage. We are empowering artists to create, and consumers to experience and interpret, art and culture in new ways,” said Joel Breton, vice president, VIVE Studios. “We are thrilled for the next Vive Arts’ project with Tate Modern, and support their mission to increase the public’s enjoyment and understanding of international modern and contemporary art.”

You can check out upcoming Vive Art installations here.

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September 30, 2017

World’s Largest Cinema Chain, AMC, Leads $30M Investment to Bring VR to Movie Theaters

AMC Theaters, the largest cinema chain worldwide, and largest in the United States, has announced a strategic investment in Dreamscape Immersive, a firm developing multi-user out-of-home VR attractions. AMC is leading a $20 million investment in the company—aimed at rolling out a number of VR attractions both inside and outside of AMC theaters—and is committing $10 million to a fund to generate bespoke VR content for the facilities.

Dreamscape Immersive is creating VR attraction facilities which leverage full body tracking technology provided by Switzerland-based Artanim. A VR headset attached to a backpack computer offers untethered movement around a large physical space for up to six players simultaneously. The tracking system supports shared interactions like handshaking, and prop handling. A video from Artanim gives an idea of how the technology works together to create interactive multi-user VR experiences with physical locomotion:

AMC, the world’s largest cinema chain, is leading a $20 million Series B investment in Dreamscape Immersive. AMC says the money will “rapidly scale the development and expansion of Dreamscape Immersive.” Specifically the companies plan to open six Dreamscape VR centers in the next 18 months, some of which will be located inside of AMC theaters. Additionally, Dreamscape also plans to open a flagship location at Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles in Q1 of 2018.

AMC says it’s funding 50% of the of the $20 million Series B. AMC is additionally investing $10 million into a content fund to begin creating bespoke immersive experiences for the Dreamscape VR attraction centers. Dreamscape says it’s in talks with major studios and IP-holders; naturally the companies hope to make recognizable film franchises part of the immersive content offering, something AMC seems likely to be able to help with.

“In many cases, we have surplus space, and we think Dreamscape will add energy and excitement to our theaters, especially during the week,” Adam Aron, CEO of AMC, told the New York Times. “But this isn’t a replacement for movies. It’s a complement.”

Dreamscape’s momentum is impressive, as is its roster of investors and advisors. The company completed its Series A funding just nine months ago, with backers including Bold Capital Partners, Warner Bros., 21st Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), IMAX Corporation, Westfield Corporation, and Steven Spielberg. The New York Times reports that company’s Series B brings Dreamscape’s financing to some $40 million.

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Dreamscape Immersive isn’t without competition. Notable rivals in the world of multi-user out-of-home VR attractions include The VOID, which recently signed with Disney to produce a multi-user VR Star Wars experience. Then there’s Zero Latency, which already has installations in Australia, Japan, and its latest location inside the MGM Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

IMAX is similarly getting in on the VR attraction game, though their first stab, the IMAX VR Experience Centre in Los Angeles, is positioned more as a VR arcade, offering experiences closer to the sort that users can get in their homes with consumer VR equipment. IMAX was an investor in Dreamscape’s Series A (and may have followed on the Series B), so it’s possible that we’ll see some cross-pollination between the differing approaches.

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September 22, 2017

HTC Leads $4M Series A Investment in Social VR Platform ‘VRChat’

VRChat, one of the earliest social VR apps, announced that they’ve completed a $4 million Series A investment round lead by HTC’s Vive group. Joining HTC are venture capital firms Brightstone VC, GVR Fund and Rothenberg Ventures.

The Series A funding round comes one year after the company’s initial seed round of $1.2 million, also raised by the previously mentioned firms. VRChat says HTC is both a key investor and strategic partner now.

“Our goal is to enable anybody to create their own social VR experiences,” said VRChat CEO Graham Gaylor. “Partnering with HTC gets us that much closer to achieving that, and driving social experiences for VR forward.”

Because the team behind VRChat is entirely remote, they actually use the power of their own social VR platform as they expand it, calling the virtual spaces created within ‘their office’.

“For many of us, the first time meeting each other was at a real world event despite years working together in VR. To create the best Social VR experience, you have to be immersed in it, and that’s what we do at VRChat.”

You’d be mistaken if you thought VRChat was all business though. As a community-built space, touted as one of the first real stabs at making the sort of metaverse seen in popular fiction, VRChat is constantly evolving to include community-built rooms like The Great Pug, a popular pub and gathering point for the platform’s users. If you’re handy with the Unity game engine though, you can even design your own detailed spaces and full-body avatars, and import them for others to enjoy.

VRChat regularly hosts events, including trivia game shows ‘Nautilus’ and ‘What’s in the Box’, and also one of the longest-running VR panel shows, Gunter’s Universe. Keep an eye on the full calendar of events to see what’s coming up next.

VRChat supports SteamVR-capable headsets including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and OSVR, downloadable via Steam and Viveport.

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