Ago 4, 2014 | News on Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality
New AirVenture exhibitor Aero Glass (Hangar A, Booth 1110) is developing an augmented reality environment that will allow pilots to “see” terrain, navigation, ADS-B traffic, weather and airspace constraints on wearable devices such as Google Glass, Epson Moverio and other head-mounted type displays. The company is seeking beta testers to help refine the software’s features. The first 200 to sign up will receive a lifetime license for the Aero Glass program; the company also is offering special discounts on the devices during the show. According to the signup webpage for the beta test program, cost for the device and software will be less than $1,000.
Source: www.ainonline.com
Scheduled for release in the third quarter of this year, Aero Glass offers much more than a replication of typical aviation data on an eye-level display. Unlike a fixed-mount head-up display (HUD), which is oriented toward the front of the aircraft, Aero Glass is more like a military helmet-mounted display that works no matter where the pilot is looking. Aero Glass also can display any kind of data, including elements that are dependent on where the pilot is looking.
For example, inside the cockpit the pilot can complete checklists while looking through Aero Glass. The Aero Glass display can paint a colored circle around switches or instruments that need to be checked or selected. It also can replicate a synthetic-vision display, but this display could show the outside world as viewed at any angle, say, down through the bottom of the aircraft, much like one of the very expensive features on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s helmet display. Traffic display is more realistic and shows other aircraft in a more natural framework rather than as target diamonds on a panel display or tablet computer screen.
One of the neatest Aero Glass features is its airspace presentation. What looks like a restricted area appears in the display as an impenetrable red wall, and it’s easy to see the boundaries as they relate to the terrain. Terrain display is also compelling, but what is unusual about Aero Glass is not having to look at the instrument panel or at a tablet, it’s all right there in front of the pilot’s eyes.
Portable AHRS manufacturer Levil Technology is a technology partner on the Aero Glass program.
“The fact that this information is now available in the pilots’ line of sight is simply breathtaking,” said Levil general manager Ananda Leon. “Aero Glass unlocks unexplored opportunities in head-up technology for GA and takes your flying experience to the next level.”
Aero Glass vice president of business development Cameron Clarke said, “Our community of Pioneer Program beta testers will work together through an online forum to create the final product, which will provide feedback and special features of interest as part of this program, leading to safer skies for all aviators as they navigate the skies easily in any visibility.”
See on Scoop.it – augmented world
Ago 4, 2014 | News on Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality
SamMobile pubblica le schermate dell’app Gear VR Manager che servirà per gestire il visore di realtà virtuale Gear VR. Confermato il fatto che il telefono si installerà direttamente nel visore.
Source: www.dday.it
A poco più di un mese dall’IFA di Berlino, le notizie relative a Samsung si moltiplicano: qualche settimana fa, dagli USA è trapelata la notizia secondo cui il colosso coreano presenterà a Berlino non solo il Note 4, ma anche la sua versione di Oculus Rift, ovvero l’headset pensato per la realtà virtuale a 360° (Gear VR), visore che, considerando i ritardi di Oculus e di Sony, potrebbe essere il primo prodotto commerciale del suo genere.
Larga parte della stampa dava per certo l’arrivo di Gear VR già da qualche settimana, ma solo oggi possiamo averne certezza al 100%: non sono comparse foto dell’apparecchio bensì le schermate dell’app di configurazione (Gear VT Manager), che tra l’altro ci dà alcune indicazioni interessanti sulle potenzialità dell’apparecchio.
Confermato il fatto che avrà bisogno di uno smartphone (ora come ora non si sa quali saranno compatibili, ma di sicuro i Galaxy) che potrà essere installato direttamente all’interno dell’headset grazie alla connettività USB 3.0: sostanzialmente lo smartphone fungerà da "motore" di Gear VR e, una volta collegato, disattiverà in automatico il proprio touch per permettere il pieno controllo del dispositivo tramite i touchpad laterali del visore. Le schermate qui sotto sono eloquenti in merito.
Ci saranno molte opzioni di sicurezza, tra cui un Alert che avviserà l’utente della sua permanenza nel mondo virtuale 1 volta all’ora; i controlli touch sul dispositivo permetteranno la navigazione diretta tra le opzioni, mentre per passare da mondo virtuale a quello reale bisogna tener premuto il tasto back sul telefono. Il Gear VR Manager avvia lo scaricamento di 2 app, ovvero VR Panorama e VR Cinema, che scopriremo solo quando il dispositivo sarà disponibile.
See on Scoop.it – augmented world
Ago 4, 2014 | News on Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality
A new iPad app from online artwork marketplace Pixels.com allows consumers to visualize artwork on their walls before purchasing. Push notifications keep consumers up to date with favorite artists.
When Sean Broihier, the founder and CEO of online artwork marketplace Pixels.com thought about launching an app, he didn’t want to just recreate the content on the marketplace’s web site. After all, Broihier—who does all the programming for the company’s web sites and apps—had just launched a responsive design web site a year ago.
Source: www.internetretailer.com
That web site allows consumers to browse and shop the pieces from artists and photographers in Pixels.com’s catalog. But an app should offer something more, Broihier says. It’s a big leap to expect that a consumer will go out and find a brand’s app, download that app and then shop in the exact same way she can on a web site. “You really have to offer consumers something that’s truly unique in the app,” he says.
And what’s the unique thing in Pixels.com’s app? It’s an augmented reality component called “View On Your Wall” that leverages the iPad’s camera to allow consumers to visualize a specific piece of artwork on their wall before purchasing.
A consumer prints a target and attaches that to her wall where she wants to visualize the artwork. Using the iPad app, she holds the iPad facing the wall, selects a piece of artwork, and the artwork will appear on the wall within the iPad’s screen. If she tilts the iPad, the artwork visualization will tilt with her.
She can try out different sizes, framing options and a variety of art. Once the artwork looks exactly the way she wants it, she presses the Buy button, which locks in the changes and selections she made while visualizing the art on her wall.
The app also includes a social media component that allows consumers to follow their favorite artists, photographers, artwork and photographs and share them with their friends—all within the app. If consumers sign up for push notifications—alerts that pop up regardless of whether an app is open or closed or whether a smartphone or tablet is on or sleeping—they receive a notification when a favorite artist or photographer uploads new work.
Artists and photographers upload artwork to Pixels.com and decide what prices they want to charge for specific sizes. For example, if a photographer uploads an image of a skyline and sets the price for an 8×10 at $10, Pixels.com will give the photographer $10 for each 8×10 sold. Pixels.com marks up the price to the consumer. The cost of frames and matting is added on as well. For example, if an artist wants to receive $500 for an 8×10 artwork, and a customer adds matting that costs $20, Pixels.com might sell the artwork to the consumer for $600.
Graphic wall design e-retailer Fathead debuted a similar mobile app last year. Dubbed Big Shot, the iPhone and Android app was built with Detroit Labs, a sister firm under an umbrella company owned by Quicken Loans creator Dan Gilbert.
A consumer prints off a target and tapes it to her wall in her home, then opens the app, selects the Fathead graphic she wants to see on her wall, then snaps a picture of the target from eight to 10 feet away.
The target is needed so the app can properly scale the large graphic to the wall. She then has a picture of the graphic in her home that she can share with friends and family via Facebook.
Pixels.com has gone many steps further, enabling consumers to add frames and other customizations and then lock in a selection and make a purchase in the app.
See on Scoop.it – augmented world
Ago 4, 2014 | News on Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality
Look, there’s nothing to be ashamed of if you’ve been plowing through James Joyce’sUlysses for the past, oh, decade. It’s such a challenging read, that a developer thought it best to create some sort of a virtual reality world based on the piece that can be accessed through an Oculus Rift headset. Irish filmmaker Eoghan Kidney has launched a crowdfunding campaign in hopes of raising €4,000 ($5,400) for the project.
Source: www.engadget.com
The idea is to provide accompanying visuals as a narrator reads the story, which (to us, anyway) sounds it could help readers reach the final pages. Sadly, the campaign only deals with a single chapter called Proteus, but Kidney says it’s just a prototype for a larger project that tackles other parts of the book. If you want to put yourself in Stephen Dedalus’ shoes and walk along Sandymount Strip, head after the break to watch the video.
See on Scoop.it – augmented world
Ago 4, 2014 | News on Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality
Earlier this month we got a peek at what may be the Samsung Gear VR, a virtual reality headset that uses a Galaxy smartphone to track head motion and offer an immersive experience. Samsung hasn’t said anything official regarding the device, but today a new leak has surfaced that gives more support to the Gear VR’s existence.
Source: www.phonedog.com
SamMobile has posted several screenshots of the Samsung Gear VR Manager app, which will help a user get prepared to use the Gear VR headset. While it’s not possible to use some of the base Gear VR apps like VR Panorama and VR Cinema, the app does give us a preview of the Gear VR and its features.
The Gear VR Manager app shows that the Gear VR unit will indeed look like the device that leaked out earlier this month, complete with a black piece that covers the users eyes, a strap around back and a touch pad on its side. We can also see that the Galaxy smartphone will dock in the front of the Gear VR headset and that the unit supports S Voice and allows users to easily jump out of the “VR world” and see what’s actually going on in front of them by long-pressing the unit’s back button.
It’s said that Samsung is collaborating with Oculus VR on the Gear VR and that an official announcement for the device could come at IFA in early September. There’s no word yet on how much the Gear VR might cost, but because it relies on a Galaxy device for its screen and immersion, hopefully the device will be fairly easy on the wallet.
See on Scoop.it – augmented world
