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The launch of Pokémon Go this summer was a huge success—both for the gaming industry and for Augmented Reality (AR). After launching in July 2016, the game hit its peak in August of almost 45 million users. Despite the fact that Niantic, the American software development company that developed Pokémon Go, has failed to maintain high levels of engagement on the game (its current user base is now 30 million users), the phenomenon demonstrated AR’s potential to be adopted by mainstream culture.
In a previous piece I discussed why some AR apps are destined to be forgotten as gimmicks, and what mistakes marketers should avoid when trying to deploy them. But it is just as important to ask: What has contributed to AR’s increasing success?
Aside from complex technological advances (e.g., mobile devices are now powerful enough to handle AR software and tracking systems), three other elements have enabled the mass adoption of AR apps: 1) meaningful content, 2) convincing and realistic interaction of the virtual with the physical environment, and 3) unique value that goes beyond what other technologies deliver.
Pokémon Go hits all of these targets, and it offers useful direction for designing future AR games. But it also has implications for areas outside of entertainment, such as marketing, fashion, tourism, and retail, where commercial AR apps have already been increasing in numbers and popularity. This growing presence of AR results from a long trajectory of development that has been full of hits and misses. Understanding this timeline is crucial, as it highlights the value that AR can offer in various contexts.
Phase 1: Attention-grabbing early efforts The first AR technology was developed in 1968 at Harvard when computer scientist Ivan Sutherland (named the “father of computer graphics”) created an AR head-mounted display system. In the following decades, lab universities, companies, and national agencies further advanced AR for wearables and digital displays. These early systems superimposed virtual information on the physical environment (e.g., overlaying a terrain with geolocal information), and allowed simulations that were used for aviation, military and industrial purposes.
The first commercial AR application appeared in 2008. It was developed for advertising purposes by German agencies in Munich. They designed a printed magazine ad of a model BMW Mini, which, when held in front of a computer’s camera, also appeared on the screen. Because the virtual model was connected to markers on the physical ad, a user was able to control the car on the screen and move it around to view different angles, simply by manipulating the piece of paper. The application was one of the first marketing campaigns that allowed interaction with a digital model in real time.
Other brands started adopting this idea of situating content on a screen and having consumers interact with it through physical tracking markers. We start seeing more advanced versions by brands such as National Geographic in 2011, which showed rare or extinct animal species as if they were walking through a shopping mall; Coca-Cola in 2013, which also simulated environmental problems, such as ice melting right beside you in a shopping mall; and Disney in 2011, which showed cartoon characters on a large screen in Times Square interacting with people on the street.
In each of these examples, the AR technology was used to engage customers at events or in public spaces. These types of displays aren’t always scalable, as they require considerable investment—but we still see them today. For instance, Skoda ran a campaign in 2015, placing an AR mirror in a Victoria railway station in London, so that people passing by could customize a car and then see themselves driving it on a large screen.
Phase 2: Trying on products at home Simulating digital products, so that they interact with movements in the real world in real time (usually through paper printouts), was a popular approach to AR in the early 2010s, especially for watches and jewelry. This technology let people virtually “try on” a product. Even the Apple watch was available for a similar virtual try-on. However, the task of printing out and cutting a special paper model so that it could fit one’s finger or wrist has always been somewhat clunky, and it requires some effort from the consumer.
Much more successful apps are those that can offer a more seamless experience. Trying on products virtually, by instant face recognition, has been one of the most successful uses of AR in the commercial context so far, and make-up companies have been leading this use. Predecessors of this technology were websites that overlayed make-up on an uploaded photo or avatar. But AR mirrors, developed by agencies like Holition, ModiFace and Total Immersion, have allowed customers to overlay make-up on themselves in real-time. The technology behind this is highly sophisticated, as it requires adapting virtual make-up to an individual’s actual face. In order to create this personalization of virtual content—and make it seem real—the software uses 2D modeling technology and advanced face-tracking techniques. The effect delivers a highly perceived value: seeing one’s face augmented with make-up not only offers a more convenient and playful way to try it on, but also allows consumers to assess looks that they would not have been able to create themselves or to try on combinations that they would not have thought of. That can’t be delivered by simply uploading a photo to an app.
And this type of technology continues to advance. London-based AR agency Holition and agency Coty recently launched an AR app for the make-up company Rimmel, which lets a consumer scan the make-up of another person or an image and then immediately try that same look on his or her face. It takes the experience of look creation to a whole new level. Not surprisingly, the fashion industry has touted the technology, already picking up on its practicality, and consumer ratings for this type of AR apps keep increasing.
Phase 3: A broader range of uses Aside from try-ons, a rich body of research also shows that AR can be incredibly valuable for exploring various cultural, historical, and geographic aspects of an environment. This type of app typically operates on the basis of a user pointing his mobile device towards an object or a site, in order to see superimposed content on the screen.
Apps developed for tourism purposes started appearing in the 2000s, but initially they were predominantly created in university labs. They’ve only started to become more widely used in recent years, thanks to technological advancement and a better understanding of the consumer experience. For example, the Museum of London has an app that shows you how the particular London street you’re standing in used to look in the past—you just have to point your phone camera at it for the augmented version to appear on your screen. Similarly, apps designed for museum contexts let visitors get more information about famous paintings by overlaying a description over it on smartphone screens in real time. Then there’s also Google Translate, an app that lets you instantly translate a text, whether it’s on a sign or elsewhere, into a language you can read. And Google Sky Map can help you identify stars and planets if you just point your phone camera view toward the sky.
Research I conducted with Professor Yvonne Rogers and Dr. Ana Moutinho from University College London and with the English National Opera, suggests that AR apps could offer innovative support to cultural institutions as well. We observed how opera singers and theatrical make-up artists would take to virtual try-on apps: the AR mirror assisted singers as they were getting into character and building their roles; and make-up artists used it as a helpful tool for developing the artistic looks for each character. Visitors also interacted with the mirror to see what they’d look like as one of the operatic characters.
Each of these examples demonstrate how AR has distinctly evolved to complement and transform the way users experience products and their surroundings. And it will continue to advance as people come to expect more from it. Recent research I conducted with Dr. Chris Brauer of Goldsmiths, University of London, explored how this new generation of digital technologies are changing consumer experiences. Wearables and the Internet of Things have made consumers expect highly customized solutions and instant access to detailed personal data. And AR is reinforcing consumers’ appetite for compelling and creative visualizations of content.
However, our research has also shown that despite the increased use of such technologies, consumers are not yearning for the robotic digitization of their everyday lives. Rather, they want technologies that weave themselves seamlessly into their activities. Consumers expect their digital experience to be more human and empathic, to be filled with emotional content, to surprise them with serendipitous occurrences, to allow for reciprocity and interactivity, and to offer the option of personalized adaptations. As designers and marketers continue to craft AR experiences, it will become crucial to acquire better understanding which areas of human lives can be visually enhanced.
L’amministratore delegato di Apple, Tim Cook, nel corso del weekend ha preso parte ad un evento con la comunità tecnologica in Utah, ed ha fornito non poche indicazioni sui progetti futuri della società da lui diretta, in particolare su tutto ciò che riguarda la realtà virtuale ed aumentata.
Secondo Cook, proprio la realtà aumentata, o mista, decollerà e diventerà una parte fondamentale della società del futuro. Il CEO però sembra aver mostrato meno entusiasmo nei confronti di quella virtuale, che “sarà ancora importante, ma non quanto quella mista che diventerà diffusa come tre pasti al giorno”.
L’amministratore delegato però non ha condiviso alcuna notizia specifica sulla visione che ha Apple di queste nuove tecnologia, ma ha comunque dato delle indicazioni del modo attraverso cui la tecnologia dovrà presentarsi.
In primo luogo, dovrà essere integrata bene nei sistemi operativi, in quanto il supporto è cruciale. Dopo di che si dovrà lavorare sulla diffusione, dal momento che secondo lo stesso avrà lo stesso impatto dei primi smartphone, ed in futuro non potremo più vivere senza.
Non è la prima volta che Cook parla della realtà virtuale ed aumentata, già in passato aveva discusso dei piani della Mela a riguardo, ma anche allora non aveva fornito nessuna indicazione sui dispositivi. L’intervista integrale è disponibile in calce alla notizia.
L’americana Lowe’s ha costruito un impero su negozi dedicati alla ristrutturazione e l’arredamento di casa. Nonostante un ambito così tradizionale la catena non rinuncia all’innovazione come dimostra la recente collaborazione con Microsoft, incentrata su HoloLens. La catena per il fai-da-te e l’arredamento porterà così in alcuni dei suoi negozi fisici degli HoloLens con cui i clienti potranno dare un’occhiata in realtà aumentata a quella che sarà la loro prossima cucina. Pensili, piani di cottura, piastrelle e lavelli; il cliente potrà scegliere quello che più gli aggrada per poi eventualmente condividere il risultato online. Si tratta di una dimostrazione iniziale, limitata in alcune zone degli Stati Unit. Ma Microsoft spiega che questo esercizio tecnico non è solo un modo per attirare nuova clientela nei punti di vendita Lowe’s. Secondo il colosso di Redmond utilizzare HoloLens per pianificare l’arredamento di casa diventerà una cosa “normale quanto stendere strisce di scotch carta in terra”.
Insomma il futuro dell’arredamento e del design degli interni potrebbe essere in realtà aumentata e non è da escludere che a scegliere i mobili della vostra prossima casa sarà proprio un visore di Microsoft.
Other options superior for quality control, hazardous environments
A report from independent research and advisory firm Lux Research Inc. has identified Google Glass coming up short in many usage cases, with smart glasses like Sony’s SmartEyeglass and Osterhout Design Group’s R-7 better suited for the needs of industrial workers, customer service reps and quality control agents.
The report categorized more than 70 enterprise deployments of smart glasses, focusing on three aspects of core criteria – access to information, real-time communication, and documentation.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
“Google Glass is in the game only for real-time communication,” the report concludes. “Google Glass is a truly viable option only in real-time communication applications such as online sales support. Even there it faces competitors like Vuzix, which is the best fit in this segment -- light enough to be worn all day and meeting the need for live video streaming.”
We agree with the Lux Research report on a number of counts. Back in summer 2013, we were fortunate enough to be invited into Google’s Glass Explorer program, where we received a first-generation Glass unit with 1GB of RAM and running XE1 firmware. We tried out the device for the next couple months, working all the way up to the XE5 firmware, and couldn’t help but conclude that development progress for many critical features was taking way too long. Core functionality was also very “experimental” to say the least. In one example, sending a text message or tweet using voice recognition was risky because the API would not always predict correctly and there is no “backspace” button, thus requiring several voice attempts to finally send a correct message.
Before ending its Explorer Program in January 2015, the company ended its consumer development with XE22 firmware (released October 2014). Nearly twenty-two updates later, the latest release finally allowed Android users see their notifications on the Glass interface.
"As next-generation glasses such as Epson's Moverio BT-2000 and Meta Pro emerge, the field will become even more competitive, ending a period of high premiums for hardware. Software and service will become the primary way to maintain margins," said Tony Sun, Lux Research Analyst and lead author of the report titled, "Better Than Google Glass: Finding the Right Smart Glasses for Enterprise." the inevitability of augmented reality slide
While most of the 70 smart glasses evaluated by Lux Research are still in pilot programs, many of them are expected to be deployed for the needs of factory workers, distribution centers, oil fields, field services, aerospace, construction, healthcare, and other industries. In fact, Garner estimates that smart glasses may begin to save the field service industry $1 billion per year in 2017.
During its CES 2016 keynote, Intel unveiled a pair of smart glasses that can help wearers see inside objects, for example. The X-ray like glasses were co-developed by virtual reality firm Daqri and aim to increase safety, productivity and well-being of workers in a variety of industrial settings.
"Smartglasses with augmented reality (AR) and head-mounted cameras can increase the efficiency of technicians, engineers and other workers in field service, maintenance, healthcare and manufacturing roles," said Angela McIntyre, research director at Gartner. "In the next three to five years, the industry that is likely to experience the greatest benefit from smartglasses is field service, potentially increasing profits by $1 billion annually. The greatest savings in field service will come from diagnosing and fixing problems more quickly and without needing to bring additional experts to remote sites." Other examples of smart glasses for enterprise use include video collaboration with experts in remote locations for faster repairs. Gartner says employees at remote sites can communicate and share video with experienced workers to obtain advice on diagnosing and fixing local problems. In healthcare industries, the glasses can be used for telemedicine and expert consultations with doctors in remote areas for guidance on how to perform medical procedures.
Lux’s analysis concludes that ODG’s R-7 is the “best all-around device” because it is only one of few on the market that does not need a wired controller and meets industrial standards for hazardous environments. The report also concludes that Sony’s SmartEyeglass “stands out for customer service and quality control” because it is light, small and competitively priced. The device also comes in a close second place behind the Meta-1 for warehousing, assembly and installation work.
La societa di Mountain View è sempre alla ricerca di nuove soluzioni per rendere più facile la nostra vita. Un nuovo brevetto è stato depositato da Google, si tratta di un dispositivo “indossabile” stile Google Glass di cui circolavano da tempo voci di una nuova versione, ma con un disegno diverso dai precedenti occhiali destinato a coprire un solo occhio e orecchio.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
A big “G” è stato concesso un brevetto per un indossabile che potrebbero essere una versione 2.0 dei Google Glass.
Per chi non conoscesse Alphabet inc. è una holding di proprietà di Google dedita alla ricerca e sviluppo, investimento, in settori ben diversi dal core business di big “G”: il web. In questa azienda confluiscono vari progetti e aziende acquisite col tempo: dall'azienda di termostati Nest acquisita l’anno scorso, al progetto Calico che ha come obiettivo quello di migliorare la nostra salute, la start-up Sidewalk Labs con cui Google mira a ridisegnare e a migliorare la vita urbana tramite le ultime tecnologie, ai laboratori Google X in cui si cerca di realizzare importanti innovazioni tecnologiche per il prossimo futuro, il progetto Fiber che mira ad un ambizioso obiettivo, sviluppare una connessione ultra veloce per arrivare infine alle società di investimento Google Ventures e Google Capital.
Verso una seconda generazione di Google Glass ?
Le diverse voci in merito ad un presunto ritorno sul mercato degli occhiali a realtà aumentata di Google, sembrano ora essere confermate da quest'ultimo brevetto depositato presso l'Ufficio Brevetti degli Stati Uniti: US Patent. No. 9.195.067 B1 sotto il nome di “Wearale Device with input and output structures”.
Come si può vedere nei disegni che accompagnano questo brevetto sembra che la nuova idea della società di Mountain View per il suo Glass 2 conserva parte della filosofia del progetto precedente, con la differenza che questa volta il dispositivo possiede un solo monitor per la realtà aumentata indossabile su un unico occhio che è posto sul lato sinistro della faccia, sorretto dall'orecchio tramite un perno situato sulla nuca e lo blocca per evitare che il dispositivo cada. La cintura è regolabile, in modo che possa essere configurato dall'utente in tre punti o posizioni differenti: vicino alla tempia, lungo l'asta e lungo la parte posteriore della testa, a quanto scritto sui documenti del brevetto.
Non si sa con certezza se Google rilascerà mai questo wearable. Non ci sono piani di rilascio o di presentazione di questo nuovo modello di Glass nel medio periodo. Dispositivo che utilizza la stessa tecnologia della precedente versione, senza stravolgere completamente il progetto e la sua filosofia di sviluppo. Questa volta mette da parte il concetto di occhiali e sperimenta un nuovo design che dite avrà successo?
Developers of Augmented Reality experiences select tools and technology for a project to match use case requirements. If the use case involves a page in a book or the side of a package, then in these cases 3D tracking is overkill. If the project accesses records in a company’s ERP, there must be plug-ins or a customization. If the customer needs reports (e.g., number of objects recognized, interaction of the user, etc.), then the platform needs to support their production. If the target is a movie poster, the security considerations are entirely different than if the target involves a proprietary industrial process.
After five years of Metaio’s dominance of the AR software provider landscape, developers’ options are changing dramatically. This post reviews the recent changes in this provider landscape, how these impact developers and suggests that those who license and purchase development tools could use this period of research and evaluation as an opportunity to communicate more clearly about their project requirements to all the tool and technology vendors.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
A Rapidly Changing Provider Landscape
In early 2015, Metaio’s ecosystem ranged from dedicated individuals producing one or two experiences, to Fortune 100 companies. Some were researchers designing prototypes; others were automotive industry giants like BMW and Audi who used Metaio’s robust tracking algorithms for precision engineering and design.
Then, in mid-May 2015, a message appeared on Metaio’s website saying that it would stop selling licenses immediately, and that support for its Augmented Reality services and software technologies would end on December 15 of the same year. The mysterious announcement took the company’s global developer ecosystem by surprise.
Many, if not most, of those developers’ authoring experiences for enterprise and industrial projects were using Metaio’s software tools. Metaio’s change in direction put developers in an uncomfortable position. Many were furious. Others expressed frustration. To this day there remain many questions about the circumstances that led to the announcement. Regardless of the changes to a company that the developer ecosystem had grown to trust, serious business issues remain:
What will happen to the channels published in a platform operated by Metaio?What will developers use in the place of Metaio’s tools?
Many developers are now doing what more could have done consistently over the previous years: investing their resources to evaluate other potential tools and technologies. The best developers will resume proposing projects to their customers once they have thoroughly tested the alternatives.
Gaps for Enterprise Augmented Reality
While there are alternate enterprise Augmented Reality technology providers with solutions and services worthy of evaluation (see table below), none offer the breadth and maturity, the professional documentation and support that Metaio provided for its SDK, Creator, Suite, Cloud and Continuous Visual Search matching system.
Metaio’s dominance wasn’t limited to breadth of offering and AR developer mind share. Among its peers, it probably also generated the greatest revenue from licensing its software tools and providing services. To deliver value to customers and drive development of its technology suite, Metaio employed over 75 of the world’s most qualified and experienced enterprise AR engineers.Table 1. Enterprise AR authoring providers and their products
Those that can have been furiously hiring engineers to write code and build out their teams and offerings but breadth and depth like what Metaio offered doesn’t happen in a matter of months.
Vuforia’s Focus on Consumer Use Cases
No one knows precisely how much of the Metaio developer ecosystem overlapped that of Qualcomm Vuforia, but anecdotal evidence suggests that developers who had use for both, leveraged their qualities for entirely different projects.
Vuforia is strongly optimized for delivery to consumers on smartphones: entertainment, cultural heritage, education and marketing use cases. For this reason, developers who explored its use for their enterprise or industrial projects did not place Vuforia’s current offerings at the top of their list of preferred enterprise-ready AR tools.
In an October 12 press release, PTC, a global provider of enterprise platforms and solutions for creating, operating, and servicing connected objects, announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire the Vuforia technology, and its developer ecosystem, from Qualcomm Connected Experiences, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated.
The acquisition of Vuforia by PTC suggests that while Metaio technology is probably being integrated into a platform and tools for consumer-facing solutions, the tools most popular for consumer-facing AR experiences (i.e., the Vuforia SDK) will evolve to better meet the needs of developers seeking to address enterprise use cases.
The Landscape Continues to Evolve
The reversal of relative positions of the two popular Augmented Reality SDKs with respect to their target markets and one another is one of several trends.
First, the list of developer options is expanding. Firms that were previously quiet have the opportunity to engage with developers who are more interested in learning of their offers. Google is getting closer to its Glass at Work 2.0 release. Microsoft is showing HoloLens and the tools it has designed for authoring (aka “Holo Lens Studio”) to more developers.
Some firms with significant experience and investments in enterprise Augmented Reality are becoming more attractive, or at least more visible. For example, Diotasoft, a French technology provider with loyal enterprise customers including Renault, PSA Peugot Citroen, Total and Dassault Aviation announced a rebranding (the company is now called “Diota”) and launched a new platform for enterprise Augmented Reality.
Another trend is a shift in positioning. PTC and Vuforia’s statements in their October 12 press release emphasize where they see the greatest potential for impact. They draw a line between Augmented Reality and the need for people to visualize data stored in and managed by PTC’s Internet of Things-oriented systems. This echoes the suggestion made by Gerry Kim, professor at Korea University, in a meeting of the AR Community on October 6: Augmented Reality is the human interface for IoT.
As the number of options increases, so does the potential cost of integration. In a highly fragmented market one large enterprise could easily end up with solutions addressing different use cases based on multiple different and incompatible SDKs.
An Opportunity to Mandate Open Solutions
A unique opportunity lies in the middle of the increasing fragmentation and investment in new technology providers.
What if, instead of accepting the status quo of many competing and incompatible AR platforms, large enterprise customers and their developers were to clearly demonstrate their need for open systems?
Developers can seize the next few weeks and months to prepare a campaign describing new or existing systems with which they would prefer to create and manage enterprise content. They can document the barriers to interoperability and mount pressure on enabling technology providers. What if, prior to a purchase or licensing decision, the provider of an AR authoring platform were required to demonstrate interoperability with content generated from Metaio’s SDK?
Openness does not mean Open Source. Openness is a condition that is based on explicit or implied agreements between vendors. Providers of technologies must agree upon common data formats, and provide interfaces and APIs that are well documented and designed for interoperability with solutions of potential competitors.
Without issuing a clear mandate for AR technology providers to support a greater level of integration and interoperability with enterprise IT systems, developers should not be surprised if their options remain highly rigid and difficult to integrate. Unless some forward thinking people don’t take action, developers and their large enterprise customers must be prepared to face many more years investing in brittle transcoding systems or other approaches to “work around” the lack of openness and interoperability.
How are you going to respond to this rapidly shifting AR technology provider landscape? Are you taking this opportunity to share your requirements with new vendors?
Il CEO di Microsoft Satya Nadella ha affermato ieri che HoloLens, il visore per la realtà aumentata che permette di vedere ologrammi inseriti negli ambienti quotidiani, si è imbarcato in “un viaggio di cinque anni”. Questo significa che, nonostante l’arrivo della versione per sviluppatori e aziende sia sempre previsto entro il 2016, quella consumer, ovviamente la più attesa, si farà attendere ancora per qualche tempo.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
Microsoft, HoloLens non arriva prima di 5 anni
Alla base di questa scelta sembrerebbe esserci la volontà di Microsoft di non commettere gli stessi errori di Google con i Glass: meglio aspettare e consegnare al pubblico un prodotto ultimato e definitivo, che continuare a lanciare versioni ancora da perfezionare. E sembra che a Redmond possano permettersi tali tempistiche, dato che non sembrano sentire il fiato della concorrenza sul collo: Magic Leap dell’omonima startup nata in Florida e entrata nell’orbita di Google, non debutterà comunque prima del 2017.
Che il progetto Google Glass non sia evoluto esattamente nella direzione auspicata dal motore di ricerca non è un segreto. La guida assegnata a Tony Fadell di Nest e il cambio di strategia invocato dal gruppo di Mountain View ne sono la testimonianza concreta. L’idea di commercializzare il dispositivo non è però stata abbandonata e la nuova versione, anticipata dal partner italiano Luxottica, potrebbe essere ormai vicina al debutto.
A svelarlo è la documentazione comparsa nel database della FCC (Federal Communications Commission), identificata con il nome in codice A4R-GG1: una sigla contenente quello che può essere interpretato come un chiaro riferimento sia a Google Glass (GG) che alla realtà aumentata (A4R). I dettagli riportati sono pochi, ma citano la presenza di una batteria non removibile, di un modulo Bluetooth LE e di quello WiFi dual band dedicato alla connettività. Tutti indizi che sembrano puntare a un dispositivo indossabile. Ancora, l’etichetta della FCC non sarà stampata sul device (presumibilmente a causa del poco spazio a disposizione), ma inclusa sotto forma di e-label.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
Dopo una lunga e intensa fase di test che ha coinvolto migliaia di sviluppatori con il programma Explorer, gli occhiali di bigG - google glass - per la realtà aumentata potrebbero finalmente essere più vicini al mercato.
Un’ipotesi formulata anche il mese scorso, quando Google ha pubblicato un annuncio di lavoro alla ricerca di un Advanced Technology Manufacturing Engineer che possa occuparsi della fase FATP (Final Assembly, Test and Pack). In altre parole, un ingegnere in grado di fornire il proprio contributo per quanto riguarda assemblaggio, test e confezionamento di un prodotto al momento non meglio specificato.
La nuova edizione degli occhiali, oltre ad offrire funzionalità AR, potrebbe essere in qualche modo ispirata alla tecnologia inclusa da Microsoft in HoloLens, visore che proietta ologrammi interattivi nel campo visivo dell’utente.
The augmented reality future is now for workers using 3D smart glasses in healthcare, warehousing, construction, and oil and gas industries, notes Atheer Labs CEO Alberto Torres.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
"Augmented reality... will transform the global enterprise and the way work is done in the future, in nearly every imaginable way," said Atheer Labs CEO Alberto Torres in a recent email interview. "From the warehouse floor to the operating room," augmented reality "will unlock human productivity and enable faster, safer, and smarter workflows for everyone."
Augmented reality is a direct or indirect view of a physical environment whose elements are "augmented" or enhanced by computer-generated input such as audio, video, graphics, or locational data.
In the near future, added Torres, "users in the industrial workforce will leverage powerful technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT (Internet of Things), and the Physical Web to enhance their capabilities well beyond those of an unconnected worker or a standalone machine."
The adoption of smart glasses is expected to increase significantly among enterprises and individual consumers for various applications in healthcare, industrial use, and logistics, among others.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
This report covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the Global Smart Glasses market for Augmented Reality for the period 20152019. The report covers the overall ecosystem of the Global Smart Glasses market for Augmented Reality which includes engine providers, software application developers, and smart glasses OEMs.
Nasa has recently teamed up with the San Francisco-based company Osterhout Design Group to develop such computerised glasses.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
According to the US space agency, it was planning to develop a virtual reality glass that can project specific how-to guidelines that will then be followed by the astronauts, according to a Venture Beat report.
Presently, astronauts on space missions solely rely on printed instruction manuals.If they are doing repairs in outer space they use index cards, held together by metal rings, in order to give them information on how to fix the problem.
Nasa’s engineering department is on busy developing a system that will integrate the organisations software into the glasses.
Intel is joining the hordes of tech companies hopping on the augmented reality bandwagon by snapping up a 30% stake in the smart-glasses manufacturer Vuzix.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
The U.S.-based chip-builder has shelled out $24.8 million in an attempt to position itself on the cutting edge of the wearables industry.
The cash injection was announced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Vuzix is exhibiting new products, including a pair of video glasses designed to ship with the Nvidia Shield handheld gaming device.
In addition to stock in the company, Intel’s investment allows it to appoint two added members to the company’s board of five directors. According to Vuzix, the money will allow it to "accelerate the introduction of next generation fashion-based wearable display products into the consumer market."
Intel has been interested in wearables for a while. In addition to incorporating its processors into Google Glass, and partnering with Luxottica to build high-tech glasses, this 30% stake in Vuzix gives Intel an added foothold in the nascent—but very exciting—smart-glasses industry.
SoftKinetic, which specializes in gesture recognition technology, has made the leap to mobile and robotics markets with its latest technology announcements. The company revealed its 3D Vision technology for augmented reality mobile platforms and robotics at the 2015 International CES, the big tech trade show in Las Vegas this week. The tech will test how useful gesture technologies will be for controlling devices in the mobile world.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
SoftKinetic makes hardware and software for DepthSense cameras, which can detect gestures that you make within a three-dimensional space. It has worked on the technology for years in the computer and home set-top box markets. But now it is taking the wraps off its short-range and long-range tech for mobile.
The Brussels, Belgium-based company will show its SoftKinetic’s DepthSense 3D Time of Flight (ToF) camera using the Qualcomm Vuforia mobile vision platform at CES. It will also show its DepthSense camera working with robots powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor.
“Augmented reality and robotics are such exciting arenas, with more and more technologies coming to market that support truly sophisticated capabilities for users to engage with the world around them in fun and beneficial ways,” said Michel Tombroff, CEO of SoftKinetic, in a statement.
“Qualcomm’s Vuforia is a perfect example of a platform that allows our DepthSense technology to deliver at its fullest capacity, creating the most robust mobile AR experience available to anyone, anywhere.”
SoftKinetic said it will show a dense 3D reconstruction of a room-sized environment running entirely on a Snapdragon-powered device with the aid of a depth-sensing camera. This technology allows users to perform a wide variety of natural and photorealistic AR experiences, such as placing virtual furniture into the open space of an existing room to see exactly how it would function, or customizing toys and play within an augmented environment.
“Depth sensing technology is critical for us to enable the next generation of augmented reality experiences with Vuforia,” said Jay Wright, vice president of product management for Qualcomm Vuforia, in a statement. “Once integrated in devices, SoftKinetic’s DepthSense technology will enhance Vuforia Smart Terrain™ to provide experiences with much greater immersion and increased ease of use.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook continues to talk about augmented reality like it's the next major computing platform after the smartphone.
During a talk with Republican Senator Orrin Hatch over the weekend in Utah, Cook gave his most detailed answer yet about how Apple is approaching the technology, which uses computer glasses to superimpose computerized images on the world around the user, kind of like Google Glass does.
Cook thinks AR will "take a while" to reach mass adoption because of difficult technical challenges.
But it will get there. "It will happen in a big way, and we will wonder when it does, kind of how we wonder how we live without our phone today," Cook said.
His discussion of the topic, which visibly excited him, provides the skeleton of what to expect as the augmented reality industry develops.
Eventually, Cook thinks that AR could become so essential that it will be as much a part of a user's day as "eating three meals a day."
Here were his complete comments:
"I think there’s two kind of different questions there. It will be enabled in the operating systems first, because it’s a precursor for that to happen for there to be mass adoption of it. I’d look for that to happen in the not-too-distant future. In terms of it becoming a mass adoption [phenomenon], so that, say, everyone in here would have an AR experience, the reality to do that, it has to be something that everyone in here views to be an 'acceptable thing.'"
"And nobody in here, few people in here, think it’s acceptable to be tethered to a computer walking in here and sitting down, few people are going to view that it’s acceptable to be enclosed in something, because we’re all social people at heart. Even introverts are social people, we like people and we want to interact. It has to be that it’s likely that AR, of the two, is the one the largest number of people will engage with.
"I do think that a significant portion of the population of developed countries, and eventually all countries, will have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day, it will become that much a part of you, a lot of us live on our smartphones, the iPhone, I hope, is very important for everyone, so AR will become really big. VR I think is not going to be that big, compared to AR. I’m not saying it’s not important, it is important.
"I’m excited about VR from an education point of view, I think it can be really big for education, I think it can be very big for games. But I can’t imagine everyone in here getting in an enclosed VR experience while you’re sitting in here with me. But I could imagine everyone in here in an AR experience right now, if the technology was there, which it’s not today. How long will it take?
"AR is going to take a while, because there are some really hard technology challenges there. But it will happen, it will happen in a big way, and we will wonder when it does, how we ever lived without it. Like we wonder how we lived without our phone today."
Microsoft HoloLens, il dispositivo per la realtà aumentata è stato rilasciato da Microsoft diverso tempo fa e sembra che le novità a riguardo non siano certo terminate, anzi si potrebbe dire che siano appena iniziate. Da Microsoft Studios arrivano novità riguardo una delle prime applicazioni per Microsoft HoloLens, che ormai da molto tempo è stata annunciata: Galaxy Explorer.
Proprio oggi, il team di Microsoft ha rilasciato il sesto episodio della “serie” riguardante le novità su Galaxy Explorer, l’applicazione per HoloLens che dovrebbe permettere di esplorare l’universo, osservando dalle angolazioni che preferite il sistema solare, tantissime stelle e tanto altro, tutto in realtà aumentata.
Il mese scorso, Microsoft ha chiesto alla comunità di condividere idee su come il calcolo olografico potrà cambiare il mondo. Oltre 5000 idee sono state condivise da persone in tutto il mondo. Il team di sviluppo di Microsoft Studios ha analizzato le idee di maggior successo e vitali e si è offerta di costruirne una. Dopo un sondaggio di 24 ore su Twitter, il team di sviluppo HoloLens di designer, artisti e sviluppatori ha deciso di costruire l’app “Galaxy-Explorer”. Microsoft condividerà il progetto aggiornato ogni settimana e una volta finito, la fonte verrà rilasciata in maniera gratuita in modo che la comunità HoloLens possa iniziare a costruire da esso.
Dopo la bufera per il prezzo di lancio di Oculus Rift, qualche considerazione a freddo sulle esperienze virtuali disponibili oggi. E su quelle che ci aspettano
Tanto tuonò che piovve. Virtualmente, sia chiaro. Mentre rimane difficile sapere se sarà Oculus Rift a traghettarci in massa verso lidi immersivi a 360 gradi, è il prezzo dell’headset virtuale di Facebook – 599 dollari per gli States, 742 euro tasse e spedizione incluse dalle nostre parti – a produrre la prima rivoluzione fra il pubblico, in subbuglio dopo l’annuncio: un costo non alla portata di ogni tasca, cui va sommato quello di un computer dai requisiti minimi non proprio minimali, quantificabili fra i 1000 e i 1500 euro aggiuntivi.
Per farla breve, oggi il biglietto per immergersi nel futuro sintetico costa quasi 2mila euro. Confort di alta gamma non compresi nel prezzo.
Eppure, nonostante anche le impressioni di Wired non siano univoche – si passa dall’ottimismo dell’edizione americana ai nostri toni più prudenti – pare che tutti concordino sul fatto che liquidare il Rift spacciandolo per l’ennesima chimera del virtuale sia una bocciatura quantomeno frettolosa.
E non tanto perché sulle superbe potenzialità economiche dell’infante, analisti e attori in gioco convengano (Cta e Gfk prevedono che, nel solo 2016, il fatturato globale della VR toccherà i 540 milioni di euro, una crescita del 440% anno su anno); piuttosto perché a prescindere dal Rift, dal Vive Pre (in uscita ad aprile e con un prezzo che le ipotesi vorrebbero sui 1500 euro), da PlayStation VR (800 euro secondo un leak di Amazon Canada, smentito da Sony), ebbene a prescindere da qualsiasi visore magari ancora da progettare, una e una sola cosa è certa: il nostro domani sarà virtuale. E almeno aumentato.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
La quotidianità sarà sempre più pervasa da contenuti alternativi o integrati di qualsiasi tipo, ma comunque immateriali. Si tratti di un altrove – VR –, o di qualcosa sovrapposto al circostante – AR -, pensare a un mondo in cui materico e digitale siano separati sarà retaggio d’altri tempi. Non è un caso aumentino gli psicologi che, come Matteo Lancini nel suo Adolescenti navigati (Erickson), fanno notare quanto i più giovani percepiscano le propaggini digitali come un continuum con la propria identità, meglio un evidente “prolungamento del sé”.
Lungi dalle premonizioni, la cosa appare una logica conseguenza di quanto testato negli ultimi 2 anni. E soprattutto di quanto fatto intravedere da aggeggi ancora acerbi e dall’appeal massivo tutto da dimostrare.
Vero, Oculus potrebbe non essere il nostro Virgilio fra le lande virtuali, ma Caronte lo è di sicuro. Senza gli occhialoni concepiti dal 23enne in infradito di Long Beach, lungi dal tornare fra i trend tecnologici più chiacchierati del mondo, realtà virtuale e aumentata sarebbero rimaste quella chimera pseudo-scientifica di mezzo secolo fa, tradotta in hardware da esperimenti grotteschi. O un’oscura tecnologia maneggiata tuttalpiù dall’esercito e, ça va sans dire, dall’industria del porno.
Ecco perché qui di seguito raggruppiamo le 5 esperienze virtuali più interessanti al momento. Non tanto le più belle e meglio realizzate, sia chiaro: piuttosto, quelle che anche in fieri dimostrano come potranno trasformarsi alcune nostre certezze.
Che i videogiochi predicano il futuro si è ribadito più volte. È dunque opportuno partire da loro per immaginare l’impatto delle nuove tecnologie visive, soprattutto perché proprio dall’ambito ludico queste hanno mosso i loro nuovi passi verso la conquista del mondo. Nondimeno, perché proprio a una frazione di giocatori Luckey si è detto interessato almeno nella prima fase di diffusione dei suoi occhiali.
Se e quando quella porzione possa diventare la totalità per poi estendersi a tutti è il dilemma dell’industria. E i pareri sono antitetici, come dimostrano da un lato gli entusiasmi di Sony, Valve, Microsoft e pure Google, e di contro la reticenza di colossi come Electronic Arts, che per almeno 2 anni, ha dichiarato, non crederà ad alcun miraggio virtuale.
Tant’è, già oggi titoli come l’italiano Assetto corsa, o la simulazione spaziale di Frontier Developments, Elite: Dangerous – attualmente la miglior esperienza fruibile via Oculus –, sono la prova di come generi classici possano rinascere grazie a un visore VR, e offrire esperienze senza precedenti né paragoni in quanto a immersività, divertimento e percezione.
Sembra allora già doveroso criticizzare l’impatto percettivo di “videogame a 360 gradi”, soprattutto se – come per esempio dimostrato da Star Citizen – i giochi promettono di riscrivere le dinamiche di community online, o di generare transazioni reali e mercati grigi mai così verosimili, insomma di avere conseguenze più umane dell’umano: a un anno dalla sua pubblicazione, l’universo spaziale creato da Cloud Imperium già alimenta compravendite di mezzi digitali a tiratura limitata, contrattazioni su servizi in game, o forme di associazionismo sintetico “in anticipo”, delineando orizzonti relazionali tutti da scoprire. E di cui sarà necessario valutare l’impatto soprattutto sul pubblico più giovane.
Che cosa accomuna i Dallas Cowboys, i San Jose Sharks e un pilota di mech corazzati? Tutti e tre rivelano quanto domani sport e universi sintetici saranno non solo contigui, ma sempre più sovrapposti. Talvolta indistinguibili.
L’anno scorso, i mastini di Dallas sono stati la prima squadra professionistica a utilizzare caschetti virtuali per allenarsi. Merito di StriVRLabs, compagnia fondata dagli ex giocatori Nlf Derek Belch e Trent Edwards insieme con Jeremy Bailenson, attuale direttore del Virtual Human Interaction Lab della Stanford University, con lo scopo di affinare la pratica sportiva tutelando l’incolumità degli atleti. In altri termini permettendo il perfezionamento degli schemi di gioco senza che i campioni ci rimettano l’osso del collo.
Di più hanno fatto Otoy, New Deal Studios e Immersive Media, che ad aprile 2014 avevano permesso per la prima volta ai possessori di Oculus o Gear VR di vedere in diretta i San Jose Sharks contro i Los Angeles Kings da qualsiasi posto in arena preferissero, linea di porta e panchina delle riserve comprese. Il tutto rimanendo comodamente seduti in poltrona, a casa propria. Un’anteprima di come, presto, anche il ruolo dello spettatore potrebbe rinnovarsi.
A tal proposito, Rigs – Mechanized Combat League promette di essere la sintesi fra nuovi modi di praticare lo sport e tifarlo. Il tripla A in produzione per Guerrilla Cambridge non solo consentirà di vivere in prima persona e attraverso PlayStation VR una nuova disciplina in grado di mescolare calcio, pallacanestro e tiro al bersaglio corazzato – i giocatori competono pilotando robot di 3 metri super armati; a detta del suo game director, Piers Jackson, sarà uno spettacolo coinvolgente come pochi, qualcosa di divertente anche solo da guardare. Come i migliori sport “tradizionali”. Un cocktail futuribile – e buonissimo – di agonismo, tecnologia e spettacolo. La fusione definitiva di eSport ed esperienza in prima persona, si sia atleti in campo o tifosi sul divano.
Per non dire dell’intrattenimento audiovisivo
Non che per cinema o musica la voglia di essere dentro l’esperienza sia da meno. Lo suggeriscono gli accordi di Facebook con 20th Century Fox, che al lancio del visore renderanno disponibile su Oculus Store un centinaio di titoli della major (fra cui Alien, Die Hard o Cast Away), così come la volontà di produrre – si vedano il recente The Walk di Robert Zemeckis, ma anche un progetto simile dedicato a The Martian di Ridley Scott – intere sequenze fruibili a 360 gradi.
In ambito musicale, le riprese dei concerti di Paul McCartney o dei Coldplay realizzate da JauntVr o NextVr sono il corrispettivo della pulsione al protagonismo celebrata da Guitar Hero Live, ultimo nato in casa FreeStyleGames. Il titolo rinvigorisce la serie di Harmonix Music Systems titillando, attraverso l’esperienza in soggettiva e la condivisione in rete, le più intime fantasie da rockstar dell’utente. Non è un caso se lo sviluppatore si sia detto molto interessato ai futuri orizzonti della realtà virtuale.
Non solo; progetti come The Nepal Quake Project, una testimonianza da dentro la tragedia commentata da Susan Sarandon e realizzata dalla media company Ryot, dimostrano come anche il giornalismo potrebbe ricalibrarsi sul desiderio condiviso di vivere i fatti più che di sentirseli raccontare. Il “New York Times” ha già spedito ai suoi lettori un Google Card Board.
A scuola, dal medico al museo. Non che sia obbligatorio divertirsi
L’intrattenimento, in effetti, sembra solo un ambito di un futuro fatto di virtualità stereoscopica. E, a dirla tutta, nemmeno quello principale. Lo scorso settembre nientemeno che la Sorbonne ha ospitato il gotha mondiale della realtà aumentata e virtuale: studiosi, filosofi, sviluppatori, inventori. La quattro giorni, ribattezzata Immersion 2015, itinerante e da anni organizzata dal movimento internazionale immersiveeducation.org, è l’apice di una sensibilità sempre più spiccata nei confronti di quanto ar, vr, intelligenza artificiale e robotica possano produrre se integrate.
Senza toccare vette accademiche, progetti come Relive – Future of Health Award 2012, oggi gratuito su Steam -, The Apollo 11 Experience, ma anche la collaborazione fra il duo di artisti digitali Streamcolors e il museo milanese Poldi Pezzoli – che inventa un nuovo modo di visitare spazi e collezioni e che ha a che fare con la virtualità tridimensionale solo in nuce – lo ribadiscono: lungi dal farci giocare a Farmville o Minecraft in 3d, o dal trasformarci in piloti galattici con Eve: Valkyrie – il gioco compreso bel bundle iniziale di Oculus -, ci ritroveremo realtà virtuale e aumentata in ogni ambito del nostro tran tran quotidiano.
Dalla guerra al porno: con tutta la tua vita in mezzo.
E a chi, ancora scettico, non credesse allo Smart Helmet per operai del futuro presentato due settimane fa al CES da Daqri – 9 telecamere incorporate e un chip Intel per elaborare informazioni sovrapposte alla realtà lavorativa di ogni giorno – non rimarrebbe che consigliare una panoramica sulle due industrie più all’avanguardia di tutte: quella militare e il porno.
Circa la prima si rimanda a un reportage che ben più di anno fa raccontava novità da lasciare attoniti. Ai profeti del porno di certo sarà dedicata più di qualche riga prossimamente.
Apple has been granted a patent for a projector that uses augmented reality technology, Patently Apple reports.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
Apple's augmented reality projector includes two key pieces of technology. First of all, it has a camera that scans an environment like a room or an office. It builds a digital model of that space, and detects which surfaces it can project images onto.
The second part of the AR projector would be, well, the projector, which changes what the user sees. This isn't Apple's first patent for an augmented reality projector. Patently Apple points out that Apple already gained a patent for a similar projector in October.
The new patent filing from Apple shows a system that brings digital content such as eBooks and movies into the real world by projecting them onto surfaces. That could make people more likely to shell out for purchases if they appear to be physical.
It's important to note the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality. Virtual reality (often abbreviated as "VR") creates an entirely new world for people to explore. But augmented reality (abbreviated as "AR") takes an existing environment and changes it.
Just because Apple filed a patent for an augmented reality projector doesn't mean that it's going to release one. The company files lots of patents, in part to protect its ideas, but also as a marketing tool. In the past the company has patented outlandish projects like a digital screen that can be rolled up like a newspaper.
È una casa che si adatta completamente alle nostre esigenze e che ci aiuta a essere più produttivi in ogni nostra attività la casa del futuro. Parola di Fabio Santini, direttore della divisione Developer Experience di Microsoft Italia, quella che ha l’obiettivo di guidare i giovani, gli sviluppatori e i professionisti dell’Innovative technology affinché trasformino in realtà le loro idee. Insomma uno per il quale il futuro è già presente. Meglio, è già realtà, possibilmente “aumentata”.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
Una delle invenzioni che stanno già modificando il nostro mondo, infatti, è quella della “realtà aumentata”: in breve, l’arricchimento della percezione umana mediante l’utilizzo di informazioni manipolate e convogliate su smartphone, pc o altri supporti video. Microsoft, in questo senso, ha già sviluppato un dispositivo che fa ricorso all’impiego degli ologrammi, cioè a immagini tridimensionali proiettate a distanza.
«Si chiama Hololens – spiega Santini (direttore della divisione Developer Experience di Microsoft Italia) – ed è un visore senza cavi che si indossa come fossero occhiali e che permette di vivere la realtà in maniera, appunto, aumentata. Tramite immagini tridimensionali, visualizzate attraverso le lenti dell’occhiale-display, possiamo metterci in rapporto con l’ambiente circostante, alla realtà, con il supporto di infinite informazioni aggiuntive tramite video, proiezioni 3d, videochiamate, creando una realtà, appunto, aumentata». Il tutto dovrebbe servire a essere più produttivi in ogni momento della giornata, in ogni nostra azione, anche in quelle all’interno della casa.
Come si fa a essere più produttivi in casa?
«Un esempio: siamo in cucina e vogliamo fare una torta o prepararci una buona cena. Indossiamo Hololens e abbiamo accesso a infinite possibilità di ricette spiegate in tempo reale, mentre cuciniamo, direttamente sul visore che montiamo sugli occhiali. Stiamo facendo una cosa reale, aumentando la nostra realtà. Stiamo, quindi, diventando più produttivi. Oppure prendiamo uno dei giochi più diffusi al mondo, i Lego. Con la realtà aumentata i nostri figli possono utilizzare mattoncini infiniti. Fare costruzioni 3d sempre nuove».
È questo il futuro?
«Certo. La realtà aumentata ha dei margini di sviluppo incredibili. Ma è già realtà. Hololens esiste. Oggi gran parte degli oggetti che possediamo sono in grado di connettersi tra loro e con noi. Per capirci: esiste già la tecnologia per sapere quali vestiti abbiamo nell’armadio e che ci permetterebbe di “sfogliare” il guardaroba durante la colazione, servendoci dello smartphone.
Come esistono i programmi che ci dicono quale clima c’è fuori. Il problema è che ancora i vari oggetti non vengono prodotti per “parlarsi” automaticamente tra loro e poi che alcune tecnologie sono ancora costose. Ma sono due condizioni destinate a cambiare».
Mi affresca, allora, la casa del domani?
«La casa del futuro sarà costruita intorno a noi. Ci conoscerà talmente bene da adattarsi alle nostre esigenze, addirittura al nostro umore. Le pareti saranno loro stesse dei proiettori, degli schermi, e per vivere la realtà aumentata non avremo più bisogno di supporti. Sarà la realtà stessa ad aumentare.
E così i muri cambieranno colore quando vorremo, magari anche in base al nostro umore. Potranno essere abbelliti con quadri di qualsiasi autore proiettati a scelta. Gli armadi ci diranno quali vestiti sono lavati e stirati e quali no e quali sono i migliori abbinamenti per la giornata. Una stessa camera con l’ingresso di una persona diversa cambierà. Si setterà sul suo profilo».
Fantascienza?
«Futuro. E nemmeno troppo lontano. Le grandi aziende che producono tecnologie ed elettrodomestici stanno già andando in questa direzione. Poi, sia chiaro, il forno resterà il forno perché il cibo dovrà sempre essere cotto. Ma grazie alla realtà aumentata l’unico limite che avremo sarà quello della fantasia».
2014 has certainly been the year for augmented reality. On September 8, exactly eight months after its launch, the augmented reality community met at the NUMA offices in Paris, to work together on approved priorities for action.
Since January 8, the members of this community have further developed the Plan for a New Industrial France by setting the priorities for action and defining the innovative applications associated with augmented reality. “The roadmap set out by the government at the beginning of 2014 was approved on June 4 by the steering committee chaired by the Minister,” says Vincent Marcatté, Director of Open Innovation at Orange Labs, chair of the Images & Networks cluster and lead on the augmented reality plan.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
At the meeting held on September 8, Vincent Marcatté outlined the main features of the current French landscape into which augmented reality is emerging: “there are clearly opportunities on the world market,” he explained. “But to make them happen, we need to facilitate meetings between the stakeholders who are experts in the technology and applications, and all the market sectors that will use augmented reality to boost their competitiveness. Augmented reality will feed into every sector of the economy.”
Laure Duchaussoy, from the DGE (The French Directorate General for Enterprise), emphasized: “Augmented reality will have a significant impact on practices in the cultural, industrial and health sectors, in e-education, digital content, online commerce, video games, etc., all of which are promising avenues for development. We need to build partnerships to make these initiatives a reality, and this is why we have recommended launching a call for expression of interest in setting up these new projects.”
Vincent Marcatté added: “It is also an issue of data sovereignty and it is essential that we are able to play a key role along the whole of the augmented reality value chain, from creating content, through mediation, to installing applications on new terminals. We need to pool our efforts to be more competitive, to speed up the technological switchover, to make more widespread use of augmented reality and to communicate our expertise and successes.” “This is what will kickstart this sector,” he concludes.
Dopo la loro presentazione ufficiale avvenuta alcuni anni fa e l'entusiasmo iniziale dei consumatori che pensavano di trovarsi di fronte a qualcosa di eccezionale, si è assistito nel corso degli anni ad un interesse sempre inferiore nei confronti dei Google Glass da parte dei consumatori, che ha portato il colosso di Mountain View a chiudere il programma Explorer e ripensare dal principio il progetto rispetto agli obiettivi iniziali.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
I nuovi Google Glass sono quindi in lavorazione presso un team dedicato nei laboratori Google X, guidato da Tony Fadell. E in attesa di conferme ufficiali, alcune interessanti indiscrezioni sembrano confermare dettagli sul futuro del progetto che avrebbe preso una strada diversa.
Le indiscrezioni arrivano da un documento che mostrerebbe un prodotto misterioso, identificato con il codice FCC ID A4R-GG1, presentato da Google alla Federal Communications Commission, che identificherebbe proprio il prossimo modello di Google Glass.
Tra le caratteristiche citate il supporto alle reti Wi-fi, Bluetooth Le, presa USB, batteria ricaricabile e supporto allo streaming video.
In tal senso, la Enterprise Edition dei Google Glass, potrebbe riferirsi ad un modello degli occhiali destinato al mercato aziendale, confermando quindi le voci che vedrebbero Google impegnata a realizzare un prodotto non più pensato per il mercato di massa, ma esclusivamente per aziende e professionisti.
Non è una possibilità remota se si considera che i risultati migliori ottenuti dai Google Glass nel corso del programma Explorer sono arrivati proprio dall'adozione nel settore medico, ad esempio durante operazioni chirurgiche e non solo.
Non solo soldati robot. Nelle guerre del futuro, le nuove armi saranno gli occhiali 3D e le lenti a contatto con la realtà virtuale, in stile Minority Report. Cambia radicalmente il modo in cui le battaglie sono combattute.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
I generali saranno in grado di seguire le battaglie ed esplorare zone del disastro in tempo reale virtualmente. Potranno anche vedere la loro immagine in 3D sugli schermi virtuali, che mostrano le riprese dal vivo effettuate dai droni sui campi di battaglia.
È quanto potrebbe accadere entro i prossimi 5 anni visto che sono già pronti i prototipi di questa tecnologia. Non si sa molto in merito, ma al centro di tutto c'è la realtà virtuale. Il sistema utilizza Oculus Rift, sviluppato per l'industria dei videogiochi e fornisce agli utenti anche dei guanti interattivi simili a quelli di Minority Report.
Nel film, il protagonista Tom Cruise muoveva le mani per interagire con i video davanti a uno schermo trasparente. Farebbero più o meno la stessa cosa i generali militari.
Si auspica inoltre che la tecnologia potrebbe essere utilizzata per affrontare disordini e contrastare gli attacchi terroristici.
Nick Colosimo, futurista di BAE Systems, ha spiegato: “Stiamo già vedendo che la realtà virtuale e quella aumentata stanno diventando più comuni nei prodotti di consumo, e le possibilità che offrono alle forze armate sono molto interessanti”.
“Il nostro approccio unico identificherà l'equilibrio ottimale tra il mondo reale e virtuale, migliorando la conoscenza della situazione all'utente e fornendo strumenti e analisi non solo vincenti ma anche 'salvavita'.”
Gli auricolari potrebbero essere sostituiti entro 20 anni da lenti a contatto che proiettano le immagini 3D e gli schermi informativi direttamente davanti agli occhi.
La stessa tecnologia è stata utilizzata anche per creare una 'cabina di pilotaggio da indossare' destinata agli aerei da combattimento, in uso entro un decennio.
Secondo il professor Bob Stone, dell'Università di Birmingham, “essere in grado di manipolare fisicamente gli oggetti virtuali nel mondo reale da 40 anni è una sfida gli scienziati”.
Oggi, spiega, siamo in grado di interagire con oggetti virtuali complessi, integrati live con gli scenari del mondo reale.
At the NeuroGaming Conference, an expert panel was there to discuss the future of augmented reality. There were a lot of discussions regarding how augmented reality technology could grow and affect our social lives. In a world where people are almost always connected to their smartphones, socializing has stopped. Our lives now revolve around our phones and we interact with others mainly through these devices. Even our postures are getting affected with this constant interaction. Let us have a look at what some of the panelists had to say about augmented reality potential.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
Brian Selzer, Daqri VP of business development, said in the conference “I think it’s a natural evolution that we will all be wearing some lightweight, head-mounted display in the far future.”
This inevitable future was also supported by majority of the panelists. Virtual reality involves strapping a pair of goggles to our head and getting completely immersed in the virtual world. But augmented reality shows both the virtual and the real world to the users with devices like Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens, etc.
This makes it tough for developing augmented reality experience for the consumers as the technology is not limited to a controlled, virtual environment.
Selzer said “A lot of the use cases [today] usually have an understanding of the environment beforehand. You’re in a classroom, you’re on a factory floor, you know what the lights are like, and you can design and craft the environment to support that experience. If you’re out in the real world, that’s where it gets challenging: Day, night, lots of trees, reflective glass, all that kind of stuff.”
Augmented Reality will Continue to Develop
Despite the difficulty, augmented reality will continue to develop. In fact Digi-Capital had recently predicted that by 2020, AR could be four times bigger than VR as it aligns with the developing mobile ecosystem. Rony Abovitz, the CEO of Magic Leap thinks that AR glasses could even replace all computing devices, including smartphones one day.
Many panelists believe that augmented reality could help us get past the phone-addicted slouching phase and overcome the social limitations.
Conor Russomanno, the CEO of OpenBCI said he saw a distinctive change in the behavior of his fellow subway riders when he rode New York’s M Train from Manhattan into Brooklyn the first time. This change in behavior was seen when the train moved above ground.
He said “Most of the time on the subway, it’s the only time you’re walking around in public and looking at people’s faces. But the M Train, you’re going over the bridge, and everyone’s down, staring at their phones.”
Dave Chavez, the CTO of ZSpace said “I think the Apple Watch is like that, in a way, where you’re not stuck looking at [your phone],” Chavez said. “I think we want to look at each other and interact with each other because that’s how we’ve evolved for however long it’s been. That’s too much of a barrier, to be looking at your phone while you’re at dinner.”
So, we can hope a future where we are not slouched and busy typing away on our smartphones. With immersive augmented reality our postures and our social lives could be fixed.
Magic Leap, the augmented reality company, is making news ever since Google invested in it. Last month, Rachel Metz, a senior editor for mobile at MIT Technology Review, tested out one of the AR systems of the company and shared about the AR product in a blog post. After this reveal, Magic Leap CEO, Rony Abovitz, was supposed to talk about their mysterious product at the TED. However, that was cancelled for unknown reasons. Now, the company has released a video that was planned to be shown at the talk. The video shows what the Magic Leap team is playing in the office right now.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
Augmented Reality Shooter Game
The game shown in the video has the branding of Dr. Grordbort, a line of comics, guns and other products. An artist at the Weta Workshop created Dr. Grordbort.
The workshop is a partner of the AR company. The video also has Weta’s branding. The game is actually a robot-shooting AR game, where real decorative guns transform into virtual weapons and the physical world is filled with virtual enemies.
The video also shows the interface of Magic Leap, which is full of floating Gmail icons and YouTube video. There is even a virtual carousel which contains software.
EON Reality to Showcase Augmented Reality App on Epson Moverio™ BT-200 Smart Glasses at 2015 International CES Conference.
EON Experience VR App Enables Access to Company’s Entire AR Content Catalog for Industry, Education and Edutainment.
2015 International CES, Sands Expo Booth #74728 – January 6, 2015 – EON Reality today announced it will demonstrate its EON Experience VR app on the Epson Moverio™ BT-200 smart glasses at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas at the Epson America booth #74728 in the Sands Convention Center.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
EON’s team at CES in Las Vegas presenting EON Experience VR applications on the Epson Moverio™ BT-200 smart glasses, see the Moverio BT-200 in action https://www.youtube.com/moverio.
EON Experience VR is focused on education and training using augmented reality, immersive virtual reality, and interactive experiences. Through EON Experience VR’s K-12, higher education, vocational training, and edutainment experiences, students and trainees learn by doing and visualizing complex concepts.
These experiences are split into three major subject areas: industry (e.g. engine maintenance, oil field services), education (e.g. the human eye, solar system), and edutainment (e.g. “Play with Dolphins” and “Nefertiti”).
“By bringing EON Experience VR to the Moverio BT-200, we wanted to create a mobile experience that accelerated knowledge transfer and truly immersed our users,” said Dan Lejerskar, chairman of EON Reality. “Virtual reality is much more compelling when it becomes a seamless experience and augmented reality comes into its own when you’re presenting the user real-time contextual information.”
“We’re honored to be working with EON Reality, a veteran in the field of AR and VR solutions, who will be providing more than 100 mixed reality experiences to the Moverio Apps Market,” said Anna Jen, director, New Ventures/New Products for Epson America. “The Moverio BT-200 smart glasses provide developers the opportunity to create exciting consumer and enterprise Android-based applications that take advantage of the Moverio platform’s unique ‘look-through’ transparent display capabilities.”
Leveraging Epson’s patented core technologies, the Moverio BT-200 offers an unparalleled binocular smart glasses experience optimized for augmented reality applications.
Micro projectors located on each side of the lens project transparent overlays of digital content directly in the user’s field of view over the real-world environment.
In addition to the Moverio BT-200’s sensors for head-motion tracking and hands-free navigation, the smart glasses include a front-facing camera for video as well as image capture that detects real-world markers for augmented reality (AR) applications.
Augmented reality (AR) pioneer Seebright, Inc. (http://www.seebright.com) has unveiled the Seebright Wave(TM) HMD (head-mounted display) system at the Consumer Electronics Show with a unique optical design supporting a new generation of mixed media applications on iOS and Android smartphones. The Seebright Wave system will be coming to Kickstarter with its companion 9-axis, 3D visually tracked motion controller, a native navigator for consumers to explore applications, the Seebright application suite and software sharing platform. Developers will be able to create completely new visual experiences borrowing from AR and VR (virtual reality) for casual gamers and consumers.
Mirko Compagno's insight:
“Our breakthrough multi-mirror optics deliver a stunning, high quality visual overlay for 3D stereoscopic smartphone driven projection,” said Dirk Kanngiesser, Seebright CEO. “With the Seebright Wave HMD system, users can see one another and the real world while experiencing a new generation of mobile AR and VR games and applications.”
Seebright is exhibiting in Eureka Park on the second level of the Sands Expo Center in booth 75480 at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show January 6th-9th and then at the Upload World Tour Kickoff in San Francisco on January 16th. Press and business inquiries will be promptly answered at info(AT)seebright.com by email.
“We have figured out how to turn your smartphone into a true see-through augmented reality display with the widest field-of-view of any see-through display out there and we will deliver it on Kickstarter with our motion controller for less than $150,” said John Murray, Seebright Co-Founder and CTO.
“The Seebright Wave HMD system is a significant refinement of prior designs and uses a revolutionary curved multi-mirror optical design resulting in low optical distortion. It projects high resolution images from a smartphone for both high quality AR and VR experiences.”
“Seebright is introducing a unique combination of advanced optics, specialized software and open standards support that demonstrate our holistic approach to solving the technology and adoption challenges that have faced augmented reality,” said Dr. Robert A. Young, who joins the Board of Directors of Seebright having recently served as the CEO of Tessera Technologies and had previously served on the Board of Directors of ATI Technologies and SanDisk.
At CES, Seebright is showing new software experiences built using the Seebright SDK with WebGL and Unity3D to demonstrate an easy, smartphone agnostic, cross-platform development environment. To encourage diversity in initial application development, Seebright will operate a cloud portal for developers to share code, assets and applications.
The Seebright Wave HMD system is coming to Kickstarter in February 2015. With its Kickstarter campaign, Seebright will fund the production of the multi-mirror HMD and the 9-axis motion controller for developers and pioneering users.
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