extended reality

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Immersive Inspiration: Why Extended Reality Learning Holds Multi-Sector Potential

education, Education & Training, extended reality, featured, Guest Post, learning / /

The vast potential of extended reality cannot be underestimated. Used as something of an umbrella term to encompass “all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions,” XR has become a buzzword that’s closely associated with other popular terms like virtual reality, augmented reality, spatial computing, ubiquitous computing, and the metaverse – and deep into this litany of jargon lies the next frontier for digital learning.

Although the edtech sector has grown significantly in voracity since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s extended reality that holds the key to unprecedented levels of immersiveness.

Extended Reality XR Market - Growth Rate by Region 2022-2027 - Mordor Intelligence

Furthermore, Mordor Intelligence data suggests that the XR market is growing globally, and experiencing particularly high levels of growth in Asia and Oceania. With both Europe and North America also experiencing notable XR growth, it’s likely that XR learning platforms and initiatives will gather momentum at a significant rate over the coming years.

With this in mind, let’s take a deeper look at why extended reality holds such vast potential for the future of learning across the world of education and many other sectors.

Unprecedented Immersion

When it comes to education, the challenge of delivering an immersive learning experience to all students and pupils can be a profoundly difficult one.

According to a Udemy survey, 74% of Millennials and Gen-Z claimed that they would become easily distracted in the workplace. This means that educators must find new ways to keep modern students engaged for as long as possible.

Through embracing extended reality, we’re already seeing more immersive experiences delivered to students, and platforms like GigXR can help users to engage in real-time with digitally rendered content.

Such platforms are excellent for learning via accurately rendered 3D graphics for topics like human anatomy and medicine–carrying its functionality beyond classrooms and into medical training for industry professionals.

Although embracing XR can seem like a daunting prospect, its potential applications within the world of learning are vast, including:

  • Refreshing the range of learning techniques available to students in order to deliver foundational learning;
  • Delivering more customized and personalized learning experience for students exploring complex topics;
  • Better defining competencies and assessment criteria for student experiences;
  • Offering data that can be utilized to deliver more focused interactive lessons for students that can incorporate better collaboration as well as engagement.

While this can go some way in showing the potential possibilities of XR, these applications also have the power to fundamentally change education over the course of the decade. As a future within the age of Web3 and the metaverse continues to redefine how far reality technology can evolve, the prospective applications for the future of learning appear to be endless.

Inspiring Curiosity

Crucially, a recent survey conducted by the XR Association in collaboration with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) found that many current educators are optimistic about the prospect of a future built on extended reality learning experiences.

Of 1,400 high school teachers surveyed, some 82% of respondents stated that they believed the quality of AR/VR learning activities has improved in recent years–with 70% expressing their hope that XR tools can become more commonplace in schools moving forward. In total, 94% of respondents were happy to highlight the importance of aligning XR-driven curricula to academic standards.

The study also found that 77% of those surveyed believed that XR technology “inspires curiosity,” and that the tools can help to address issues in maintaining student motivation and well-being which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To get a good sense of XR’s potential in schools, you have to ask the teachers and staff who will be administering this technology. The survey’s results suggest that VR, AR and MR technology is well positioned to become an essential teaching tool in school classrooms across the country,” explained Stephanie Montgomery, VP of Research at the XR Association.

Extending XR Into the Workplace

Beyond the traditional education sector, XR-based learning can also pay dividends when it comes to workplace training and recruitment.

The potential of VR onboarding is vast across a number of industries, and it can be an essential tool when it comes to upskilling and combatting turnover challenges among existing workforces.

Through the potential of extended reality, trainees and candidates alike can collaborate with human resource departments to undertake virtual interviews–which can provide real-time metrics and behavioral analysis for more accurate and unbiased assessments of competencies.

By combining XR technology with artificial intelligence, companies can actively spot knowledge gaps among existing employees and automatically enroll them in new tailor-suited courses to enhance their skill sets.

Extended reality can also help in a number of practical training scenarios. In practice, this is best illustrated within the healthcare industry, where The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has become one of many providers to implement comprehensive VR training programs ranging from doctoral to prelicensure nursing.

Delivering experiences via Meta Quest headsets and an Alienware computer, Johns Hopkins has managed to deliver multiplayer VR learning experiences that can render practice scenarios capable of accommodating up to 100 learners.

“We make decisions based on what’s going on — time-critical decisions,” said Kristen Brown, Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Simulation Strategic Projects Lead at the Johns Hopkins Medicine Simulation Center. “So one of the important components was that there was some sort of AI that’s really adapting to what we’re doing.”

The beauty of extended reality in terms of training, is that it can provide a platform for learners to build their competencies in high-risk or highly sensitive areas without having to worry about high margins for errors to take place.

In surgery scenarios, for instance, XR experiences can place students into a virtual operating theater with a 3D subject to deliver a true-to-life simulation of an operation. Similar experiences have been continually growing in quality within industries like aviation.

Achieving Immersive Learning Within the Decade

The rapid growth of the extended reality market means that we’re likely to see comprehensive learning technologies become commonplace sooner rather than later. This will undoubtedly delight the 70% of teachers surveyed in the aforementioned XR Association’s survey, but it has the potential to resonate across multiple sectors.

From providing more immersive and comprehensive learning to students, to helping employees to gain a better quality of work experience during their onboarding and training processes, the arrival of XR learning can bring profound improvements to countless lives.

Better onboarding programs can help to improve job satisfaction and to lower turnover rates, while competencies will improve immeasurably as more impactful learning experiences emerge. With this in mind, extended reality is well placed to improve the lives of learners of all ages, and across a number of industries.

Guest Post

About the Guest Author(s)

Dmytro Spilka

Dmytro Spilka

Dmytro is a tech and finance writer based in London. Founder of Solvid and Pridicto. His work has been published in Nasdaq, Kiplinger, VentureBeat, Financial Express, and The Diplomat.

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PINKO Experience Powered by Emperia Amid Funding Announcement

Beauty & Fashion, e-commerce, extended reality, fashion, featured, Retail / /

Virtual store builder Emperia recently announced a new funding round, as well as hints at how that funding round will impact their roadmap going forward. In the meantime, PINKO is joining the list of retailers showing us what Emperia is already capable of.

PINKO’s Virtual Store From Emperia

Emperia isn’t a Harry Potter spell, it’s a tech company that “marries the reach and accessibility of e-commerce with the impact of physical customer service shopping experience.” ARPost first met Emperia about a year ago when the company launched “Artemis”, its software-as-a-service solution for virtual storefronts.

“With the realization that clients will be using these spaces in the long term, and the need to constantly change/update the virtual store the same way they would change their physical space, Emperia created a platform that enables full customization of product displays as well as decor, allowing brands full creative control,” Emperia co-founder and CEO Olga Dogadkina said last year.

Emperia PINKO virtual store

PINKO, the other name in our story, might be less familiar to ARPost readers. The Italian womens fashion brand is using Emperia to open its first virtual storefront and explore virtual sale items. The opening of their first virtual store coincides with the opening of a new brick-and-mortar boutique location in Milan, according to a release shared with ARPost.

“Opening in such a prestigious and internationally established location, we decided as a mission statement to give global resonance to our new and unique store,” said PINKO CEO and founder Pietro Negra. “The virtual shop is the most innovative environment that can guarantee us the possibility of expanding our vision of engagement for our consumers everywhere.”

A Look at the Virtual Store

To be clear, PINKO isn’t a stranger to e-commerce generally. The company’s online purchasing infrastructure is already robust. However, there’s a big difference between experiencing the PINKO shopping experience online and the PINKO shopping experience in one of their stores. Their virtual store from Emperia is partially intended to help bridge that gap.

PINKO virtual store Emperia - handbags

Further, PINKO’s one-room virtual storefront in the clouds isn’t only for physical goods. Interactive 3D models of PINKO’s recognizable handbags help users understand the physical bags that they can purchase through the experience. Some of the 3D models also represent “Meta Love Bags” – an exclusive line of NFTs.

PINKO x Experia virtual store handbags

“Our 3D technology ensures a high merchandise-viewing quality, which complements its real-life twin product, to the smallest detail, allowing PINKO to present and directly-sell its exclusive capsule collection in a way that simulates a realistic shopping experience,” Dogadkina said in the release.

$10M Can Do a Lot for a Good Roadmap

Of course, there’s also big news for Emperia. The company recently announced a $10M series A funding round led by Base10 but including a number of other funders including the Sony Innovation Fund.

“I’m confident that the pool of participating investors in this round, from both the U.S and Europe, will make for a great network of advisors as Emperia continues its global expansion, pioneering e-commerce’s next generation,” said Dogadkina “I’m looking forward to delivering an even more impactful experience for our brand partners.”

The release also included some insights into what the company plans to do with the funding round. Goals include growing the team, improving Artemis, developing its customer data suite, and increasing the platform’s market presence. The release also expresses the intent to work with more partners in the space, which is always exciting for the product and the general field.

Speaking of the general field, the comments provided by investors help to speak to Emperia’s exact position within the emerging technology ecosystem. Base10 partner Luci Fonseca described Emperia as a “Web 2.5” solution.

“It is a device-agnostic bridge for brands to engage with a new generation of consumers while driving real commerce,” Fonseca said in the release. “Emperia is pioneering the development of virtual store creation and maintenance, and we’re excited to be partnering with a team that is truly building for the future of e-commerce.”

InfiniteWorld CEO Brad Allen used “Web 2.5” to describe his company “building a bridge to Web3” in an October interview with ARPost. The term is gaining traction in the industry to describe experiences that utilize and explore emerging trends like immersive tech or blockchain without relying on them completely as a business model.

More Coming Soon

It’s naturally exciting to see a company in the space clear funding rounds, particularly with prodigious investors like those backing Emperia. It’s even more exciting to see the sorts of plans that the company has for that money. Checking in with companies like PINKO to see how these movements are affecting their business models also sounds like a promising discussion.

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The Future Is Now: 2023 Metaverse and XR Predictions Worth Looking Into

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Recent technological advancements have pushed the envelope of what modern technologies are capable of. Furthermore, these innovations have greatly changed the way users interact with such technologies. Given that our technological advancements, consumer behavior, and tech trends continue to evolve at breakneck speed, being aware of metaverse and XR predictions can help you better prepare for the future.

Dispelling Common VR Myths and Misconceptions

Despite the relatively widespread acceptance and use of virtual reality technology, there are still some myths and misconceptions that surround it. Unfortunately, such beliefs stem from a misunderstanding of the technology and how it works. Some of the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding VR include the following: it always causes motion sickness and  virtual reality is solely applicable to games.

We talked with The Park Playground CEO Peter Vindevogel, who shared his thoughts on these myths and misconceptions, shedding light on virtual reality technology.

“Virtual reality is often perceived as being limited to the world of gaming. Although gaming is certainly a great use case and example of what immersive VR experiences can deliver, the possibilities are endless,” said Vindevogel.

He gave examples of some applications of VR that have nothing to do with gaming, such as house tours, and meetings.

“Virtual reality is transforming industries and has so much to offer in terms of exposing people to new experiences they otherwise wouldn’t be able to enjoy. Gaming is just one aspect of VR and tends to be individuals’ first tangible insight into the possibilities of the metaverse,” he adds.

According to Vindevogel, one of the most common misconceptions surrounding VR is that it causes motion sickness, which can prevent people from trying out new experiences. He adds that one of the main causes of motion sickness in VR experiences is poor latency.

“When a delay in latency occurs, your real and virtual movements no longer match, knocking the equilibrium out of balance and causing ‘cybersickness.’ The problem stems from, and is also alleviated by, the equipment being used to deploy the virtual reality experience and how those experiences are designed. It is very easy to induce motion sickness if you are not carefully taking this into consideration,” Vindevogel explained.

The good news is that with the wealth of knowledge and experiences available today, VR experiences are becoming increasingly inclusive. Furthermore, developments in the VR industry are improving existing technology. Thus, in the future, VR users are less likely to encounter such issues.

2023 Metaverse and XR Predictions That Could Shape the Future of Tech

1. More Widespread Use of VR for Location-Based Entertainment

According to Vindevogel, VR technology will continue to evolve and become more widely adopted. Thus, it’s likely that we will increasingly see the technology being used for location-based entertainment (LBE) in the coming years. That’s because VR is capable of creating such immersive, interactive, and social experiences.

“Overall, the future looks bright for VR as a technology that will continue to redefine entertainment and other industries. As VR technology improves and becomes more accessible, more brands and creators will explore and experiment with the potential of VR,” said Vindevogel. He pointed out that the location-based entertainment industry had seen steady and promising growth, and was expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% until 2028. 

Vindevogel adds that the growth of VR in the context of LBE is due in part to how VR and AR are capable of providing users with more exciting ways to bring their vision to life, making the technology suitable for visitor attractions. “It provides lifelines for theme parks and museums by reinvigorating the experience and eliminating potentially negative factors such as queues and crowds,” said The Park Playground CEO.

2. The Use of VR in the Field of Education

Vindevogel goes on to say that VR will be a useful tool in the field of education. According to him, the technology can be used for training and delivering first-hand experiences to learners.

“This is the first time in history where we are not only able to build muscle memory for these high-skilled and high-risk situations from anywhere in the world without much-specialized equipment but immersive experiences could offer a better way for students to retain and be excited learning about any subject,” he said.

3. More Accessible Developer Tools

VR solutions are becoming more popular in commercial settings and it’s expected that developing such solutions will become simpler in the coming years.

As pointed out in one of the Unity Developers’ blog posts, aside from the exponential rise of development businesses, we’re also seeing more developer tools, such as the Unity and Unreal engines, becoming more accessible. An iteration of Unreal Engine (Unreal Engine 5) is already being used to develop applications for a range of VR devices.

4. Growing Use of XR Devices in Enterprise Settings

It’s likely that we’ll see more XR devices being used in enterprise settings. This is already one of the metaverse and XR predictions that’s slowly becoming a reality. Thus, it’s probable that in 2023, we’ll be seeing more XR devices being used as workstations in the office.

And while they won’t be seen as replacements for your laptops, PCs, or even smartphones, these XR devices can augment their functionality, particularly for users who regularly engage in XR environments.

5. More XR Consumers and More XR Content

In an interview with Circuit Stream’s Dejan Gajsek, he shared that we’ve seen several major investments in immersive tech, particularly Meta. These investments are seen as foundations for future content and hardware, and with consumers purchasing more immersive tech hardware, it’s likely that we’ll be seeing more VR and AR content.

He goes on to share that the success of the Quest 2 will fuel interest in the new Quest 3, which should will be released in 2023.

According to Gajsek, “Anyone that decided to buy from the Oculus store or use Meta’s products essentially becomes a ’subscriber‘ in Meta’s user base. Once the base becomes big enough, the platform becomes extremely interesting for marketers and advertisers.” He expects Meta to continue pushing the narrative for VR.

Gajsek also believes that the gaming aspect of VR should expand. According to him, the launch of the VR add-on for the PlayStation VR 2 will likely expand the use of the PS5 console in the context of VR games. This, he thinks, will prompt the growth of the number of VR consumers.

6. Metaverse Tech Will Be Built and Used by a More Diverse Group of People

John Payne, CEO of Croquet, believes that metaverse technologies will be built and utilized by more diverse groups.

“Given the potential reach of metaverse technologies, it’s imperative that these technologies be built for people with a wide range of backgrounds and abilities,” he told us. “As solutions for identity in the metaverse become more varied, people will be able to express themselves safely in the way that feels most comfortable for them. Safety and anti-harassment tools will be built into platforms as they become more decentralized.”

He goes on to say that these metaverse platforms will become open to asynchronous content, as not all users can be found online at the same time. This could indicate that in the future, we will see the evolution of ghost avatars, rich notes, and other time-independent interactive content.

Payne also believes that metaverse will happen much faster than everyone thinks, by gaining traction via 3D worlds in traditional websites. “Millions of virtual 3D spaces and worlds embedded in the web interoperably with existing sites will collectively form a significant portion of the larger interoperable metaverse,” he said. “The metaverse is an evolution… the next generation of the Web… not a revolution.”

7. More Collaborations Among Key Metaverse Players

In the near future, it’s highly likely to see more big names in the tech industry coming together to create new solutions. These collaborations are also a result of the need to create an open and interoperable metaverse.

We’re already seeing key metaverse players coming together in the collaboration between Meta and Microsoft. To continue providing users with seamless software experiences and improved productivity and collaboration capabilities, Microsoft and Meta have teamed up to bring Mesh for Teams to Meta Quest headsets. Moreover, the two companies are looking at ways to incorporate Xbox Cloud Gaming into the Meta Quest Store. This is predicted to change the way gamers stream and interact with games across a variety of devices, including smartphones and the Meta Quest platform.

8. AR Apps to Increasingly Leverage AI Tech

To create more immersive virtual environments, AR applications must be able to collect a wealth of information about the user’s surroundings. Through the use of artificial intelligence, app developers can streamline how their program processes algorithms and data. Moreover, they can leverage AI to come up with more accurate results. Thus, it’s likely that we’ll see more AR apps making use of AI tech in the future.

“I believe the biggest breakthrough will come in e-commerce and merging technology with AI. There are Shopify widgets where you can ‘try’ a new pattern in your living room, or virtually place a piece of furniture,” shares Gajsek. “Consumers only have to click on buy, and the product is going to be delivered to their homes. AR will decrease the amount of friction when it comes to the buyer’s process and drive impulsive buys.”

Furthermore, Croquet’s Payne believes that AI will help speed up content creation. Tools like DALL-E and ChatGPT are becoming more widely available to more people. Furthermore, people are becoming more receptive to their use. Given that creating high-quality content can be a time-consuming endeavor, these AI tools will enable users to access a more cost-effective and faster way to create content.

9. Companies Will Offer More Immersive Experiences for Their Workforce

One of the significant metaverse and XR predictions will most likely impact the workplace. Aside from the increased use of XR devices in enterprise settings, it’s likely that we’ll see more companies offering immersive experiences to their employees.

According to a PwC report, businesses are likely to become “metaverse power users.” This is supported by a 2022 PwC survey, which shows that 42% of business leaders are planning to use the metaverse to provide onboarding and training for their employees. This is followed by 36% who shared that they’re planning to use the metaverse for interactions with colleagues, as well as for creating virtual content for their audience.

We’re already starting to see companies trying to recreate real-world activities in virtual worlds, including shared virtual workspaces and having access to collaboration and productivity tools. It’s also likely that businesses will expand their use of XR tech and the metaverse. For example, we may see more metaverse-specific interactions for customer service or digital recreations of physical establishments.

While nothing is set in stone yet, it’s probable that businesses that are unable to adapt to emerging tech trends may lose not only their competitive edge but also access to growth opportunities.

10. VR Will Become a Larger Part of Our Lives

According to Mesmerise CEO and co-founder Andrew Hawken, VR will play a larger and more sustained role in our lives, as other major tech companies are poised to introduce new wearable tech.

“Now that the rush of VR interest spurred by the pandemic has passed, we’ll enter a new era of sustained development and investment in the space. Just as the invention of the browser played a key role in the development of the internet, we expect a similar outcome as we embrace the metaverse’s role in operating as the interface of Web3,” Hawken told ARPost.“In 2023, we’ll see the fall of walled gardens as other players like Apple, Sony, and Magic Leap bring to market new headset iterations that advance spatial computing as a whole, and as a result, a slow upward trajectory of an optimized virtual reality experience.”

The Park Playground’s Vindevogel adds that virtual reality will increasingly grow to become a part of our daily lives.

“As the line between the digital and real world becomes increasingly blurred, virtual reality won’t just be simply putting on a headset to game with your friends – it will become a part of everyday life,” he said. “However, the level of immersion – whether it’s augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) or completely virtual – will depend on the situation.”

He cites some examples of how VR and AR can be used in our daily lives, such as when someone is trying on makeup to see how it suits them or when a homeowner takes a virtual tour of their future property, instead of just looking at pictures on a website.

“And while the metaverse presents itself as cartoonish and obviously augmented, we’re approaching a reality in which wearable headsets will replace screens, and video conferences will become much closer to  real-life situations,” said Vindevogel. Augmented, virtual, and mixed realities bring extra layers to the reality we’re already familiar with, so as time goes on, the digital world will blend more and more into our everyday lives.”

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CES 2023 Highlights Featuring News and Innovations From Canon, MICLEDI, and NVIDIA

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CES is considered the world’s tech event, showcasing groundbreaking technologies and innovations from some of the world’s biggest brands, developers, manufacturers, and suppliers of consumer technology. At CES 2023, attendees saw the unveiling of the latest developments from over 3,200 exhibitors, including technology companies Canon, MICLEDI, and NVIDIA.

Canon Immersive Movie Experience and Immersive Calling Experience

Canon USA has partnered with filmmaker and director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, The Village, and Signs) to create an immersive movie experience for CES 2023 attendees. Featuring M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming film Knock at the Cabin (which will be in theaters February 3), Canon unveiled Kokomo, an immersive virtual reality software that leverages VR to give users an immersive calling experience.

Canon Kokomo - CES 2023
Kokomo

With Kokomo, users can now connect with their friends and family as if they’re there in person by using a compatible VR headset and smartphone. In a 3D call, Kokomo will emulate a photo-real environment and mirror the physical appearance of the user. CES 2023 participants were able to witness Kokomo in action at the Canon booth, where they were able to have a one-on-one Kokomo conversation with select characters from the movie Knock at the Cabin.

Aside from Kokomo, Canon also unveiled its Free Viewpoint Video System, which creates point-cloud-based 3D models for more immersive viewing experiences in larger areas like arenas and stadiums. At CES 2023, attendees were able to experience the Free Viewpoint System, which allowed them to watch an action scene from Knock at the Cabin from multiple viewpoints.

CES 2023 attendees also had the opportunity to see Canon’s mixed reality system MREAL in action, by experiencing a scene from Knock at the Cabin as if they were a character in the movie.

Canon MREAL X1 headset
MREAL X1

MICLEDI Demonstrates New Red µLEDs at CES 2023

MICLEDI Microdisplays, a technology company developing the microLED displays for the augmented reality market, also showcased its advancements in microLED display tech for AR glasses at CES 2023.

At the event, the company demonstrated its new red microLEDs on AllnGaP starting material. This development is in line with MICLEDI’s aim to create high-performance individual color-performing microLEDs that can be combined with the company’s full-color microLED display module.

Through MICLEDI’s innovations in microLED technology, users can begin to experience clearer and more precise digital images via AR glasses that are more portable and lightweight. The red AllnGaP microLEDs, along with MICLEDI’s three-panel full-color microLED display module, are poised to raise the standards of AR glasses in the coming years.

MICLEDI - Red GaN and Red AlInGaP microLED displays - CES 2023

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for AR glasses,” said MICLEDI CEO, Sean Lord. “This achievement, with our previously announced blue, green, and red GaN µLEDs, opens the door to a broader offering of display module performance parameters which enables MICLEDI to serve customers developing AR glasses from medium to high resolution and medium to high brightness.”

Demonstration units of both Red GaN and Red AlInGaP were shown at the company’s booth at CES 2023.

NVIDIA Announces New Products and Innovations at CES 2023

NVIDIA announced new developments and NVIDIA Omniverse capabilities at CES 2023. The tech company, which is known for designing and building GPUs, unveiled its new GeForce RTX GPUs, which come with a host of new features that can be found in NVIDIA’s new studio laptops and GeForce RTX 4070 Ti graphics cards. This new series of portable laptops gives artists, creators, and gamers access to more powerful solutions and AI tools that will help them create 2D and 3D content faster.

NVIDIA also shared new developments to its Omniverse, including AI add-ons for Blender, access to new and free USD assets, and an update on the NVIDIA Canvas, which will be available for download in the future.

Aside from these updates, the company also released a major update to its Omniverse Enterprise, which enables users to access enhancements that will let them develop and operate more accurate virtual worlds. This major update is also set to expand the Omniverse’s capabilities through features such as new connectors, Omniverse Cloud, and Omniverse DeepSearch. More new partners are planning to use NVIDIA Omniverse to streamline their workflows and operations. These include Dentsu International, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Mercedes Benz.

NVIDIA Omniverse ACE - CES 2023
NVIDIA Omniverse ACE

Moreover, this January, NVIDIA opened its early-access program for NVIDIA Omniverse Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE), allowing developers and teams to build interactive avatars and virtual assistants at scale.

Demos of VITURE One XR Glasses and Mobile Dock

Aside from these established tech companies, VITURE, a new XR startup that received accolades from CES, TIME, and the Fast Company for its flagship product, the VITURE One XR glasses, also prepared something interesting for the CES 2023 attendees.

VITURE One XR glasses and Mobile Dock
VITURE One XR glasses and Mobile Dock

The company made both their VITURE One XR glasses, compatible with Steam Deck, laptops, and PCs, and their Mobile Dock, which introduces co-op play and Nintendo Switch compatibility, available for testing.

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New HoloSuite Feature Enables Users to Seamlessly Blend Volumetric Video Clips

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Arcturus, volumetric video editing and streaming tools provider, has been at the forefront of virtual production, revolutionizing immersive content experiences across a vast range of verticals.

As part of its efforts to bring volumetric video to a wider audience, it prioritizes research and development of new tools that allow creators to fully harness the power of volumetric video. One of its latest releases is an innovative tool that aims to transform virtual production, XR storytelling, and metaverse experiences on HoloSuite.

Blend: Connecting Volumetric Video Clips With Seamless Transitions

Arcturus recently unveiled a new beta tool that further amplifies the capabilities of HoloSuite, its flagship platform for volumetric video. The “Blend” tool, a product of years of research and development by the Arcturus team, gives users a unique way to explore new forms of digital storytelling, build immersive experiences, develop metaverse content, and more.

Arcturus - Beta feature Blend volumetric video

With Blend, users can connect volumetric video clips and blend them seamlessly. Creators can now take live-action clips, use volumetric video characters to populate virtual backgrounds, and build branching narratives with imperceptible transitions between tracks.

With the new tool, creators of metaverse experiences can use people instead of computer-generated avatars in their content. They can insert blended volumetric video clips of live-action 3D performances into digital environments without having to create digidoubles. Blend also allows users to blend and loop multiple recordings of a photorealistic subject.

“Volumetric video isn’t just offering content creators new ways to do old things better; with the right tools, it offers possibilities that simply weren’t there before,” said CEO of Arcturus, Kamal Mistry, in a press release shared with ARPost. “Our new tools will open up a huge range of potential uses across multiple industries, and soon we will begin to see content unlike anything that’s ever been seen before.”

The Arcturus team designed and developed the Blend tool to meet the emerging demands of volumetric video users. While still in beta, all current HoloSuite users have access to the tool and can provide their feedback to help improve its capabilities.

With the beta testing running over the next few months, the team can fine-tune functionalities and ensure compatibility and stability before the tool becomes a standard feature on the platform.

More HoloSuite Updates From Arcturus

The Blend tool is just one of the several updates released for HoloSuite last month. Along with it, Arcturus also released a host of quality-of-life improvements and upgrades that open a wider range of potential uses for HoloSuite across multiple industries.

Unity users can now enjoy improved OMS playback with their HoloSuite plugins. This provides them with better viewing controls for volumetric video files within Unity. Support for upgrades for OMS playback on Unreal Engine 5 is expected to roll out soon.

Game engine users can now also use “Generate Normals” to smoothen noise for better relighting on volumetric subjects. For more dynamic viewing, HoloSuite added new lighting preferences that include adding environmental lighting directly within HoloEdit. The new native 4DS file support also allows users to import data directly from 4DViews.

New feature Arcturus HoloSuite 4DS import

Framing the Future of Video

Arcturus is committed to giving content creators the tools they need to create authentic digital human representations and immersive experiences. To further advance technology in this field, it has announced a new $11 million round of Series A funding in November 2022.  The funding, led by CloudTree Ventures with substantial investments from Epic Games and Autodesk, signifies confidence in the vast potential of volumetric video.

The new funding will help Arcturus grow its infrastructure and continue developing the HoloSuite platform. It will help expand research into new tools that further the use of AI in volumetric video production, improve 3D data capture, and enhance live streaming on digital platforms among many others.

Just like the Blend tool, more tools and techniques are bound to revolutionize the way users create and interact with digital content. As it unlocks new possibilities for virtual production through state-of-the-art 3D creation tools, Arcturus is framing the future of video.

New HoloSuite Feature Enables Users to Seamlessly Blend Volumetric Video Clips Read More »

xra-survey:-teachers-pin-hopes-on-xr-for-better-classroom-engagement

XRA Survey: Teachers Pin Hopes on XR for Better Classroom Engagement

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Incorporating XR—the umbrella term for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality—in classroom education can make learning more fun. It can also motivate students to take their studies more seriously.  A recent survey by XR Association (XRA) and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) presented this conclusion based on a poll of over 1,400 high school teachers across 50 US states. Let’s look at the survey results.

Optimism High for XR’s Classroom Use

Foremost of the highlights in the nationwide poll was the finding that 77% of educators believe in the power of extended reality to ignite curiosity and engagement in class. This is especially important given that student motivation and morale are reported to have dropped in the 2020-2021 school year.

As Sean Wybrant, a computer science teacher at Colorado Spring’s William J. Palmer High School, put it: “Imagine how much better a student will understand what happens in Othello if they could actually step into the play and see it. Imagine how much better we could tell historical narratives if we could put people in recreations of famous situations based on documentation of those time periods.”

Secondly, XR doesn’t only make students eager to learn. Seventy-seven percent of teachers also see its potential in spurring interaction and building empathy among classmates. XRA says in its report that creating immersive worlds allows students to exchange ideas and understand each other in new ways.

Thirdly, 67% of respondents agree with XRA’s advocacy to incorporate extended reality technology into the curricula. Educators teaching the following subjects believe that course-specific XR experiences would be beneficial for students:

  • Earth sciences (94%)
  • Physics and space science (91%)
  • Math (89%)
  • English language (86%)
  • World languages (87%)
  • History and social studies (90%)
  • Social sciences (91%)
  • Computer science (91%)
  • Visual and performing arts (91%)
  • Physical education (88%)
  • Career and technical education (91%)

“To get a good sense of XR’s potential in schools, you have to ask the teachers and staff who will be administering this technology,” said Stephanie Montgomery, the XRA Vice President of Research and Best Practices. “The survey’s results suggest that VR, AR, and MR technology is well-positioned to become an essential teaching tool in school classrooms across the country.”

At the same time, 58% of the survey respondents said that teachers should get training for XR classroom use. Moreover, 62% believe in developing XR standards before integrating the technologies into regular curricula.

XR Association CEO Elizabeth Hyman believes in the extensive ripple effect that will result from making educators XR-ready. “If teachers understand XR technology and are empowered to contribute to the way in which it is incorporated into the curriculum, everyone—students, their guardians, and the surrounding community—will be able to take advantage of its benefits,” she said.

However, despite the positive outlook, 57% of teachers recognize the costs of using AR and VR devices and admit that access to funds will determine access to such technology. Nevertheless, poll participants believe XR’s benefits will extend beyond the classroom. Seventy-seven percent of teachers said the technology helps equip students with skills they can apply in their chosen careers, especially since, according to forecasts, jobs in extended reality may reach 23 million by 2030.

Myths About XR Classroom Use Debunked

The XRA-ISTE survey dispelled several myths about extended reality’s acceptance in education. One of these misconceptions is that XR is only for gaming. The poll results and teachers’ comments reveal that they are aware of the usefulness of this technology in geography, math, history, and other subjects.

Moreover, the survey response from educators refutes the popular notion that XR technology would not be the “best fit” for the classroom. Seventy-eight percent of respondents believe in the benefits of extended reality technologies in class.

Finally, the belief that XR will distract students from learning only got a 15% vote among the survey participants. The majority support the opportunities that come with extended reality when incorporated into lessons.

Teens Excited About XR 

Earlier last year, XRA also conducted a separate survey that sought teens’ views on current use cases for XR and their expectations for this technology. The results released in May 2022 revealed that 40% of teens have used either AR or VR in school and 50% describe their experience with these technologies as positive. Thirty-eight percent would like to own a headset in the future.

Even though there are potential concerns around immersive technologies, which teens are aware of, they are still excited about using XR in education, in a responsible way. Almost 4 in 5 teens think extended reality can impact lives positively. They believe that XR can improve their lives in the areas of fun (67%), creativity (61%), and learning (48%). Moreover, 52% of respondents expressed interest in taking a college course with extended reality integrated into its curriculum.

Read the Latest Addition to the XRA Developers’ Guide

XRA is proactively advancing XR application in classroom learning. It recently launched a new chapter in its Developers Guide on designing immersive lessons for high schoolers. The fresh chapter discusses current classroom needs, successful use cases, and industry-backed best practices for promoting safe and inclusive classroom learning through extended reality that addresses parent, teacher, and student concerns.

XRA Survey: Teachers Pin Hopes on XR for Better Classroom Engagement Read More »

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ARPost’s 22 Most-Read XR and Metaverse Articles of 2022

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From top XR trends and must-have skills for an AR/VR career, to XR hardware reviews, to the potential of the metaverse in various industries, to discussing why we’re not all wearing AR/VR headsets, these are the 22 stories ARPost readers clicked on the most this year.

Hands-On Review of Cupixel22

Hands-On Review: AI and AR Art Instruction App Cupixel

ARPost demoed Cupixel, a new app that uses AR and AI to help anyone realize their artistic potential. In this article, we introduce you to Cupixel, show you how it works, and share what we think about it.

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Hands-On Review of VR Wave Prescription Lenses for Quest 2

A hands-on review and a cost analysis of the VR Wave prescription lens inserts with optional blue light and glare protection for Meta Quest 2.

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KKCOBVR Quest 2 Strap and Battery Pack: Hands-On Hardware Review

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Will Magic Leap 2 AR Glasses Lead the Way to the Metaverse?

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Top 5 AR SDKs for Building Augmented Reality Mobile Apps

An AR SDK is a key to AR app development. In this guest post, Gourav Sharma from Arka Softwares lists some popular software development tools used for AR app development.

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industrial metaverse concept13

Industrial Metaverse: The Factory of the Future

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Dive Into a Hyper-Realistic Metaverse Built on Unreal Engine

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“Shopify of the Metaverse,” ByondXR, has teamed up with luxury brands L’Oreal Luxe for Armani Beauty and YSL Beauty Thailand to enhance the e-commerce experience with virtual stores.

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Lowe’s Opens 3D Product Library to Metaverse Developers

Metaverse developers now have free access to Lowe’s Open Builder. This grants them permission to use 3D digital assets from the product library for free in their metaverse projects.

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VR in education provides the optimal compromise between students and educators, making learning relevant, interesting, and interactive. In this article, we take a look at the future of this technology in the educational field.

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Waves organic forms VR and AR headset07

The Most Innovative AR and VR Companies in 2021

This article presents some of the most innovative AR and VR companies in 2021 and the impact they had on the way the average person experiences immersive games and apps.

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Top AR/VR Trends for 2022

We cover some of the most important AR/VR trends for 2022 and their impact on the way we live, work, shop, and discover entertainment opportunities.

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Spatial computing enthusiasts said we’d all be in the metaverse by now. Why is it not so? Why aren’t we all equipped with a headset?

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AWE 2022 Day One: An AR-Heavy Day Focusing on Presence

ARPost covered the AWE USA 2022 event, which took place in June. Day one saw major announcements from Qualcomm, ThinkReality, and the CyberXR Coalition, Ori Inbar’s AWE opener, and insights from Unity, Blippar, XRA, and others.

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7 Benefits of AR and VR for People With Disability

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7 Must-Have Skills in an AR/VR Career

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ARPost’s 22 Most-Read XR and Metaverse Articles of 2022 Read More »

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Perkins Coie Releases 6th Annual Industry Report on Immersive Technology

extended reality, featured, Immersive Technology, Industry Reports, metaverse, trending, Web3 / /

The sixth annual Perkins Coie XR Report is out. The theme: “The Rise of Web3 Technologies to Accelerate XR.” While some people are skeptical of some of the goings-on in Web3, new ideas about connecting people are putting immersive technology into a context that highlights its value.

Is Web3 the Same as the Metaverse?

So far, ARPost has been largely silent on the idea of “Web3” because it brings in a lot of ideas that aren’t really central to immersive technology while not necessarily bringing in the immersive technology itself. For a quick and dirty shortcut, some people define the metaverse as “the next generation of the internet” and that’s exactly what Web3 means.

However, the metaverse movement is more focused on spatial computing while the Web3 movement is more focused on the mechanics of publication and ownership. So, the two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, but they are also not exactly the same thing. This issue was addressed in the report’s executive statement both as it benefits and potentially harms XR:

“Accelerated by . . . the emergence of NextGen technologies like Web3 and the metaverse, XR has hit the mainstream. Yet, new audiences, technologies, and products bring new challenges. When we add in the economic volatility that has at least temporarily affected many in the tech industry, the question becomes: What does the future have in store for XR?”

Overall, almost all of the respondents (significantly more than last year) expect to see growth in the immersive technology market, but the growth that they expect to see is more modest. Just under half of all respondents expect widespread adoption of the metaverse and Web3 in the next five years.

Insights on Investment

More people talking at a more reasonable volume was a trend in this year’s report. For example, 70% of respondents said that they would increase spending on XR for remote collaboration and training “to a moderate extent.” Last year, 51% said that they would increase this category of spending “to a large extent.”

Another 36% of respondents said that they expected the pace of investment to be “slightly higher” this year, while 32% percent expected that it would stay the same. This is significantly lower than the numbers for a similar question in last year’s survey.

Given otherwise growing positive sentiment, this might be less a reflection on immersive technology and more a reflection on the current state of the economy. Not only is the enterprise world increasingly returning to something like normal in terms of how internal communication happens, but rising costs in other sectors may lead to decreasing experimental budgets.

There are also remaining barriers to adoption of immersive technology.

Barriers to Adopting Immersive Technology

“Roughly half of respondents named user experience (e.g. bulky headwear and technical glitches) and content offering (e.g. lack of quality content) as barriers to mass adoption,” says the report. “Respondents expressed less concern on these fronts than they did in 2021, indicating that they perceive that the industry is making substantial progress.”

Respondents also said that improving data security, improving infrastructure, and improving affordability could all help to attract more consumers. Respondents also revisited one of the most interesting portions of last year’s report: the question of whether consumers or developers have a better understanding of compelling content when it comes to immersive technology.

This year, 43% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that developers “do not yet understand what makes compelling content from a consumer standpoint” while 46% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that consumers don’t understand where or how to find compelling content. Both of these numbers are down from last year.

“Respondents’ top recommendations [for improving immersive technology content] were the same as in 2021: Produce more interactive and immersive content (52%), as well as content that is compatible across platforms (49%).”

Who Benefits (Really)?

One of the biggest questions around emerging technology is who stands to benefit the most. At least right now, when we’re still early and a lot of buy-in is relatively high, it stands to reason that “high-income individuals” are most likely to benefit. This was the top answer (58%) when respondents were polled about who benefits the most from XR and NextGen technology.

While a handful of tech companies are wooing consumers, a great deal of the energy in the space is directed toward enterprise. Desk workers are having meetings in VR, deskless workers are benefiting from AR-enabled remote assistance. So, it may not be surprising that half of the respondents listed working professionals as among those most likely to benefit.

So, we have an understanding of who is benefiting. But, who is really benefiting? Many in the emerging technology space are concerned that the market may be perpetuating some classic workplace problems, like the exclusion of women and marginalized racial or ethnic groups. Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

Just over half of the 150 respondents identified as being from minority/female-owned organizations. Of those respondents, nearly 80% agreed or strongly agreed that “funding for such founders is proportional to their white male peers.”

More People Talking

For much of XR’s history, a lot of the most meaningful sentiment has come from a fairly small number of people with particularly strong feelings.

One of the key takeaways of this report was that, while the immersive technology space still has its zealots, more people are warming up to the technology. This is potentially a huge sign of market maturity, even if it’s not the most exciting headline.

Perkins Coie Releases 6th Annual Industry Report on Immersive Technology Read More »

how-different-xr-companies-approach-cloud-services

How Different XR Companies Approach Cloud Services

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XR hardware is on the move. But, software is important too. The bigger your XR needs are, the larger your software needs are. So, more and more XR providers are providing cloud services in addition to their hardware and platform offerings. But, what is the cloud anyway?

Generally, “the cloud” refers to remote servers that do work off of a device. This allows devices to become smaller while running more robust software. For example, some of the cloud services that we’ll look at are cloud storage solutions. Cloud storage is increasingly important because 3D assets can take up a lot of space. Others run computations on the cloud.

Other solutions make up “local clouds.” These are networks of devices managed from a central portal all on location. This kind of solution is usually used by organizations managing a large number of devices from one central computer.

Varjo’s Reality Cloud

“Cloud” takes on yet another meaning for Varjo. For Varjo clients, a lot of the management and IT solutions that make up cloud services for other developers are handled through software subscriptions bundled with almost all Varjo hardware. Varjo’s “Reality Cloud” allows users to join XR meetings including remotely present coworkers and virtual assets.

Varjo Reality Cloud - XR cloud services

“Varjo Reality Cloud is our platform that will allow the ultimate science fiction dream – photo-realistic teleportation – to come true,” CTO Urho Konttori said in a launch event last summer. “What this means, in practice, is true virtual teleportation – sharing your reality, your environment, with other people in real time so that others can experience your world.”

At the beginning of this year, Varjo announced that XR content will soon stream through Reality Cloud services as well. Just like streaming other forms of media, XR streaming aims to provide more content to smaller devices by hosting that content remotely and serving it to users on demand.

“These scalability opportunities that the cloud provides are significantly meaningful when we talk about XR deployment in the corporate world,” Konttori told ARPost in January. “We are now at the level that we are super happy with the latency and deployments.”

In a recent funding announcement, Varjo announced the most recent development in their cloud services. Patrick Wyatt, a C-suite veteran, has been appointed the company’s new CPO and “will be the primary lead for Varjo’s software and cloud development initiatives.” As this article was being written, Varjo further expanded its cloud with Unreal and Unity engine integrations.

CloudXR From NVIDIA

XR streaming is already a reality on other cloud platforms. NVIDIA offers CloudXR that streams XR content to Android and Windows devices. (Remember that Android isn’t a hardware manufacturer, but an operating system. While almost all non-Apple mobile devices run Android, it is also the backbone of many XR headsets.)

NVIDIA CloudXR - XR cloud services

According to NVIDIA, “CloudXR lets you leverage NVIDIA RTX-powered servers with GPU virtualization software to stream stunning augmented and virtual reality experiences from any OpenVR application. This means you can run the most complex VR and AR experiences from a remote server across 5G and Wi-Fi networks to any device, while embracing the freedom to move—no wires, no limits.”

This can be a “pure” cloud application, but it can also be an “edge” application that does some lifting on the device and some remotely. While NVIDIA promotes their cloud services for use cases like location-based experiences and virtual production, edge computing is being embraced by enterprises who may want to keep sensitive content offline.

RealWear’s New Cloud Services

Enterprise XR hardware manufacturer RealWear recently launched their own cloud. This is of the last kind of cloud discussed above. The solution allows IT specialists to “easily control and manage their entire RealWear device fleet from one easy-to-use interface.” That includes content, but it also includes managing updates.

If you own one headset, you know that installing software and updates can be a chore. Now, imagine owning a dozen headsets, or even a hundred or more. Putting on each headset individually to add content and install updates quickly becomes unscalable. The RealWear Cloud also allows real-time tech support, which wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

RealWear Cloud

The RealWear Cloud also allows data analysis across headsets. This is vital in enterprise applications which may be tracking items as they move through a supply chain or tracking employees as they move through tasks or training modules. Handling this data for an individual on an individual headset is possible but, again, becomes unbearable at scale sans cloud.

Cloud Storage in Lens Studio

As for cloud storage, Snapchat recently announced a solution in a Lens Studio update that gives creators up to 25MB of remote storage. While the file size is still capped per asset (you can’t have one 25MB asset), it drastically increases the abilities of Lens Creators working with large or complex models.

Snap Lens Cloud

“Prior to the launch of Remote Assets, if a project was over the Lens size limit, you only had two options: either remove the asset if it wasn’t critical to the experience or resize the image to lower its RAM usage and re-submit,” reads the release. “Now you can utilize our Lens Cloud service to host assets of larger sizes outside of the Lens, and then load them in at run time.”

This is significant because Snap Lenses run on mobile devices that not only have limited space but also share that computing power with a slew of non-XR applications. At least, until Snapchat makes a consumer version of Spectacles.

“At first, we were just building for the phone and porting to the glasses,” Lens Creator Alex Bradt told me when I got to demo Snap’s Spectacles at AWE. “Now we’re like, ‘what can we actually do with these that will solve problems for people that they didn’t know they had?’”

Parents and Partners

Not all XR companies offer their own cloud services. For example, Magic Leap has had a partnership with Google Cloud for the past year now. Likewise, AutoDesk offers its XR cloud services through a partnership with Amazon.

Similarly, ThinkReality cloud services are offered through parent company Lenovo. A similar relationship exists between Azure and Microsoft’s MR hardware.

Partnerships like these help each company get the most out of their existing offerings without needing to build services from the ground up. As enterprises explore entering XR, these offerings also help them integrate into cloud services offered by suppliers that they may already be working with, like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, or Lenovo.

Your Forecast: Cloudy

Right now, a lot of cloud services serve industry – where it is doing very impactful things for industry. That doesn’t mean that people with just one headset (or a phone) shouldn’t be taking note. Developments in XR cloud development (for enterprise or for consumer applications) are making smoother, faster, lighter-weight, and more robust XR applications possible for everyone.

How Different XR Companies Approach Cloud Services Read More »

with-music-in-new-realities,-we-can-go-deeper-together

With Music In New Realities, We Can Go Deeper Together

augmented reality, extended reality, featured, Guest Post, music, virtual reality / /

 

A look around the media landscape will make it clear that virtual reality has become a major player in the music industry and virtual concerts are on the rise with performances by mainstream artists in popular games and other platforms.

Yet, with all the hope promised by the “metaverse,” not only do these events fail to optimally leverage the innovation of VR, but they also fall short in using music to help create immersive social spaces for people to gather virtually where they feel connected to each other and their humanity.

Today, music-related virtual reality and augmented reality content falls into 3 major categories:

  1. Virtual concerts and music videos by mainstream, popular artists represented by their avatar likeness;
  2. “Rhythm games” and music-making apps focused on popular music;
  3. Music visualizers.

Audiences and Artists Still Adjusting

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, many artists are including virtual and hybrid events as part of their tour schedules.

Last year, United Talent Agency (UTA) polls indicated that three out of four people attended online events during the pandemic and, of those, 88% planned to continue even when in-person events came back.

Given the investment in this virtual space by companies including Meta, HTC, ByteDance’s Pico, and soon… Apple with their anticipated headset likely to be announced in 2023, the AR/VR market is a major player in the music industry, even spawning the “Best Metaverse Performance” category in the 2022 MTV VMAs.

With virtual concerts on the rise, major artists like Eminem and Snoop Dogg, Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, and BTS are presenting in-game music events—albeit with mixed results.

Some of these events are being called nothing more than a “kiddie cash grab,” leaving audiences wanting more out of the virtual experience that will truly make use of VR as a medium and a new form of expression.

Possibility for a New Mode of Discovery

There are, however, burgeoning examples of innovative and thoughtful approaches to VR/AR music experiences. The 2018 Sigur Rós and Magic Leap collaboration, Tónandi, demonstrated what can be possible with an immersive and interactive AR music experience, though not currently available on all platforms. This ambitious project featured the Icelandic pop-rock band in a music experience for a high-end AR device that brought music, visuals, and interaction together equally to create a synesthetic experience.

Tónandi - an interactive audio-visual exploration
An interactive audio-visual exploration Tónandi

One of the promises of the metaverse is to bring people together virtually. Traditionally, live music events have been a place where people could gather for a communal experience. This is the missing piece to current VR music events, which have yet to find an organic way for audience members to interact both with the artist and with each other.

Then, there is the possibility of bringing composed scores into virtual spaces, to connect with people’s psyches and emotions as music has done in concert halls, films, and television shows for a long time.

Music and… Miniature Golf?

While not a music-centered app, Mighty Coconut’s Walkabout Mini Golf – a virtual reality game for which I compose the original scores – gives an example of how VR/AR can become a gathering space for people to experience visuals and music while exploring the virtual world or just hanging out together.

VR and music - game Walkabout Mini Golf
VR game Walkabout Mini Golf

Each course presents a captivating world with a distinct mood, created by the music, visuals, and course design that present an alternative to typical VR/AR games and music experiences. Players consider it a place as much as a game, and their connection to the soundtrack has led them to stream it on various services just to bring them back to that sense of place.

VR Music Experience Is Here to Stay

Virtual reality music experiences are here to stay. While VR/AR is currently most strongly associated with games and major companies, there is much to hope for with content put out by independent studios and artists, who are able to be more flexible in adapting to changes in technology and audience demographics. This virtual space will offer new and exciting possibilities for musicians and audiences.

Anyone invested in music going forward—artists, academia, fans, bookers, labels, music supervisors, and even advertisers—would be well advised to keep an eye on VR/AR and to start learning what’s happening in this space.

Like music albums and films, these tools are just another mode of expression for artists to connect to audiences and, hopefully, encourage people to connect with each other.

Guest Post

With Music In New Realities, We Can Go Deeper Together Read More »