WALKING, EXERCISING & DECORATING IN AR & VR
At Catalyst we partner with Marketing and Advertising Creatives to deliver immersive technology ideas and solutions. These are just some of the stories that have caught our eye this month. They might not all become game changers in marketing and advertising but they might help you crack that creative brief or unlock a new idea for a campaign you are working on. If nothing else, it should save you the time reading all the SDK release notes and developer forums that we do...
Interactive Virtual Reality
Could we walk normally while in VR?
Two researchers have been experimenting with exploiting 'saccadic suppression' to allow us to avoid obstacles while in VR. It is all very technical but basically rather than transitioning smoothly, our eyes tend to jump very quickly to the next location that we want to see. During this millisecond 'jump,' we are temporarily blind. This can be exploited in VR applications by very slightly shifting the users perspective in their headset during this momentary blindness.
We can use this technology to create VR experiences in smaller activation spaces where the user feels as though they are walking normally but in reality walk in circles. Therefore, they don't end up head-butting the wall. Everyone wins!
Augmented Reality
Sotheby's develop AR interior decorator app.
Sotheby's International Realty has developed an AR app that allows prospective home buyers to virtually furnish empty homes with curated custom furniture. The furniture has been measured to precisely fit the measurements of the room. This allows customers to picture how the property would look if they did make the purchase and has proven to be an extremely effective sales tool.
https://venturebeat.com/2018/
Augmented Reality
3D scanning and photogrammetry used to preserve historic sites
Google is using a combination of Lidar scans, photogrammetry, and drone capture to create high-resolution digital scans of historic locations.
They are releasing this data to be freely used for VR and AR applications with an educational or scientific outcome.
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-43797836/google-s-3d-scans-aim-to-preserve-historical-sites
Virtual Reality
The unexpected perks of VR gaming!
A keen gamer has lost 10 pounds (4.5kg) in one week playing the newly released Skyrim VR. Skyrim is a popular fantasy game that takes place over a sprawling open world. The gamer showed some admirable commitment, setting rules that required him to run on the spot whenever his character moved. While not exactly a high-tech solution this could change once portable VR treadmills become affordable for consumers. The stereotype of gamers being couch potatoes could be a thing of the past...
https://uploadvr.com/this-man-