16 Oct 2020 | AWE Team
Weekly Spatial Oct 16, 2020
Augmented Reality Virtual Reality AR/VR Weekly


 

Highlights

  • The Oculus Quest 2 Ships

    The highly anticipated Oculus Quest 2 shipped on Tuesday. The new headset reportedly fixes several of the big issues with its predecessor, including higher screen resolution, longer lasting controller battery life, and a $100 drop in price from the original. The greatest criticism of the Oculus Quest 2 is that it will require users to log in with their Facebook accounts, a highly criticised move. Find more articles on the Oculus Quest 2 below. (TheVerge)

  • The iPhone 12 Pro 
    Also on Tuesday, Apple released the iPhone 12 Pro. The new phone is 5G capable, and features LiDAR scanners similar to those in the iPad Pro shipped earlier this year. These LiDARr scanners time how long it takes light to reflect off of surfaces, and will allow for detailed 3D scans. Because of these LiDAR scanners, the iPhone 12 Pro will have fast and highly specific AR axperiences. Read more on the iPhone 12 Pro and the LiDAR it makes use of below. (UploadVR)
  • Sony's Spatial Reality Display
    Sony has announced the ELF-SR1, or the Spatial Reality Display, a 2D screen which will use eye tracking and micro lenses to produce 3D images without the need for glasses or a headset. The display's 4K resolution will be split into two 2K pixel arrays, one for each eye. The eye tracking means that these 3D images will travel with you as you move your head and eyes, for a computer-generated hologram-like effect. (VentureBeat)

The XR Market

Oxford VR Raises $12.5M
Oxford VR has raised a record $12.5M in investments in Series A funding to go toward developing VR mental health treatments. (Forbes)


Michael Bower on AR for Business
Michael Bower, CEO of ecommerce solutions company Sellry, discusses AR as the future of consumer-facing business. (Entrepeneur)


IMMY Files for Foreclosure
IMMY, a company seeking to eliminate VR motion sickness through using mirrors instead of lenses in their headsets, has filed for Article 9 Foreclosure. (ARPost) 

Why AR Advertising?
AR Insider takes a look into what is driving AR Advertising, the most profitable AR subector, expected to reach $1.4B this year. (ARInsider) 


AR Industry Standards
Digital Sector Lead of the British Standards Institution (BSI) Tim McGarr speaks with AREA about the process of creating industry standards for AR. (AREA)

 

Launches & Announcements

  • Google released a first look at Google Meet for Glass Enterprise Edition 2, which will allow on-site workers to stay connected while remaining hands-free. (GoogleCloud)
  • Mitchell has announced the release of Mitchell Intelligent Technologies, a hands-free XR application that will aid in automotive collision repair. (Mitchell)
  • Researchers have created the first scaling law for touch sensitivity, and are using this theory to create touch-based XR technology (Phys.org)
  • Companies like Tribute explore the market for purely virtual fashion (Vogue)

  • Amazon's new eco-friendly boxes feature a jack-o'-lantern AR experience just in time for Halloween. (Mashable)

  • This VR Art Exhibit features the work of Black artists and explores themes of Black culture, identity, and life. (HuffPost).
  • A camera designed to film a VR spacewalk arrived at the International Space Station. (Time)
  • Disney has filed a patent for VR technology that calibrates your VR experience to the motion of real-world objects around you. (VRRoom)
  • Jodi Whittaker and David Tennant will star in the upcoming VR game Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality. (Comicbook.com)
  • FOVE launched its eye-tracking VR headset, which bears implications for medical tests and unbiased response-tracking. (VRFocus)
  • A look at Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, the new AR game that allows you to race your favorite mustachioed plumber through obstacles in your own home. (LATImes)

Deep Dive

LiDAR on the iPhone 12 Pro

The XR world is abuzz with the recent announcement of the iPhone 12 Pro - in particular the phone's LiDAR sensors. But what is LiDAR, and why is it important for XR? Learn more about LiDAR and what it means for the XR community here (TechRadar).

 

Snapchat will be among the first apps to make use of the iPhone 12's LiDAR capabilities with new, 3D filters. (TechCrunch)

 

What else is exciting in the iPhone 12 Pro? Read more on the iPhone 12 lineup here (CNet).

AWE Throwback:

In 2015, Johnny Lee, Lead of Google Project Tango, spoke at the AWE 2015 Conference about Mobile 3D Tracking - the precursor to today's iPhone 12 LiDAR.


Podcast of the Week

Babbage: The Metaverse is Coming

Check out this week's Babbage from Economist Radio, which discusses computer generated worlds and the potential of a future Metaverse. Hosted by Alok Jha and featuring author Neal Stephenson, VR pioneer Jaron Lanier and the VFX team behind The Mandalorian. (Economist)

Upcoming Events

EWTS Everywhere 2020: October 20 – 23 (Online)

AWE Nite NYC meetup- iPhone 12 Special Event: October 27 (Online)

Nordic VR Forum:October 28 – 30th 2020 (Online)

Tech Tour Venture Forum XR 2020: December 16 – 17 (Online)

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