Technology Reseller v11

01732 759725 VIRTUAL REALITY 42 A world of possibility May 22-23 saw the third annual staging of VR World at Olympia, London. With over 140 speakers, thought-provoking panel discussions and an exhibition, it is Europe’s largest event to focus on the business applications of virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. Here are seven innovations that caught the eye of Tayla Ansell Explore other dimensions with OverIT and Space1 Space 1 brings virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality into business processes through a flexible, multi-platform applications suite. Compatible with most smartphones, tablets, head-mounted displays and headsets, the suite includes: n Space 1 Maintenance – cut learning times and reduce human error by providing engineers with AR support and guidance when carrying out technical tasks; n Space 1 Virtual Collaboration – enhance training and support by sharing a user’s field of vision with others in real time; n Space 1 Sales – increase sales and aid decision-making by enabling customers to interact with a product catalogue through the virtual display and manipulation of items; and n Space 1 GIS – visualise spatial data through a combination of AR and GIS data, for example by using a virtual overlay to show a field engineer the location of underground pipelines. Default templates in all applications can be customised to meet the requirements of individual businesses. Space1 is available from OverIT. www.space1.it/en/ 5K headset VRgineers was giving demonstrations of its VRHero 5K Plus headset for engineering and design professionals. Designed to provide detail, realism and a smooth VR experience, the headset features two Quad HD OLED displays, offering crisp, 5K resolution, full 24bit RGB colours and a 170-degree field-of-vision. The display of true-to-life images makes the VRHero 5K Plus particularly suitable for professional designers, engineers, medical/surgical practices, motion picture set designers and architects. https://vrgineers.com Sensory reality Sensiks invited visitors to step inside its Sensory Reality Pod (SRP), a multi-sensory experience platform that gives users a remarkably life-like experience by synchronising audio-visual material with scent, temperature, air flow, tremble, taste and light frequencies. The pod comes with a platform for the development of experiences like the one Thomas Cook is trialling to ‘transport’ potential customers to a holiday destination so that they can get a real feel for it before booking. www.sensiks.com Understand dementia Alzheimers Research UK was at the event, demonstrating how it is utilising VR to help people understand dementia. The Google Cardboard app, A Walk Through Dementia , puts the user in the shoes of someone living with dementia. It features three everyday situations and demonstrates scenarios that present challenges to people with dementia. http://www.awalkthroughdementia.org/ Mobile 3D scanning Astrivis showcased an app that turns any smartphone into a mobile 3D scanner. The solution runs on standard smartphones and tablets without the need for additional hardware, making 3D scanning as easy as recording video. The user simply moves the mobile device around the object of interest and, after a few motions, a 3D model appears on the screen. The resulting 3D model can be used for VR/AR applications or 3D printing. www.astrivis.com Accelerate skill building SkillReal presented a number of VR, AR and Virtual Humans technologies designed to help businesses boost workforce performance. The SkillReal Virtual Reality Acceleration Platform provides employees with an immersive learning experience, with guided missions to test their knowledge and capabilities in realistic scenarios. It is particularly suitable for simulating costly or dangerous environments and situations, such as oil rigs and critical incidents. The SkillReal Performance Enhancement Augmented Reality app delivers knowledge to employees as they need it. It enables employees to follow step-by-step work instructions and find relevant information on tablet and smartphone devices by displaying interactive content on top of physical objects. SkillReal Virtual Humans allows teams to interact with photo-realistic avatars. Virtual Human technology can also be used to create digital videos with expert characters and interactions with smart chatbots. www.skillreal.com Let there be Holo-Light Holo-Light, a developer of mixed reality (MR) solutions, showcased a range of software, hardware and solutions for design, manufacturing and industrial applications: n The Holo-View app for Microsoft HoloLens visualises CAD models as a 3D hologram, enabling users to load holograms of prototypes, interact with them and scale, move and rotate components. With Multi-User-Mode, users can share work with customers and collaborate with colleagues; n The Holo-Expo service creates an MR experience for trade shows and events, so brands can provide virtual demonstrations of products that are impractical to ship or difficult to explain; and n The Holo-Stylus MR input device provides precise tracking movements in MR environments. Compatible with all head-mounted displays, the pen facilitates interactions with holograms; accurate design in a 3D space; and virtual crafting, such as the simulation of welding or soldering. https://holo-light.com