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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Soldiers and Marines have been putting the first militarized prototype of the US <keyword id="15350" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Army">Army</keyword>'s new Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) to the test at Fort Pickett in Virginia.</li><li>The evaluations, part of the third of four Soldier Touch Point events, are a big step forward as the Army pushes to begin fielding this <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> later next year.</li><li>The headsets offer soldiers a number of valuable digital tools, as well as improved night vision and target acquisition capabilities, among other things.</li></ul>The US Army just took a big step toward fielding a futuristic <keyword id="3270263" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="augmented-reality-headset">augmented reality headset</keyword> that the service hopes will give soldiers the edge on battlefields that are "<a href="https://www.army.mil/article/230034/soldiers_test_new_ivas_technology_capabilities_with_hand_on_exercises">increasingly urban, congested, dark and unpredictable.</a>"Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne and Marines recently put ruggedized versions of the Army's new Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) to the test at Fort Pickett in Virginia during a Soldier Touch Points (STPs) held by Army Futures Command's Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team.<div type="image" title="Army soldiers wearing the first militarized prototype of the service's new IVAS heads-up display" height="2766" width="4013" msid="79100826" hostid="261"></div>The first STP event in early 2019 involved commercial HoloLens headsets from Microsoft. During the second STP last fall, troops tested modified commercial Microsoft's headsets that offered a lot of capability but would not survive infantry combat. That version did not even work in the rain, <a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2020/10/from-frankengoggle-to-battle-ready-army-ivas/">Breaking Defense reported</a>.<div type="image" title="Soldiers testing an earlier version of the IVAS headset during STP 2" height="1333" width="2000" msid="79100829" hostid="261"></div>During the latest STP, which was held in October, soldiers and Marines tested the first militarized IVAS headset, using it for land navigation, live fire, mission planning, rapid target acquisition, trench clearing, and after action review, Army Futures Command explained in a press statement.There's still a little more work to be done on IVAS before soldiers take it into battle. Following a fourth and final evaluation event, the Army is expected to begin fielding a combat-ready IVAS in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021.<div type="image" title="Another shot of soldiers using the IVAS headset" height="3041" width="4303" msid="79100833" hostid="261"></div>In line with the 2018 National Defense Strategy's emphasis on great power competition and the threat posed by near-peer rivals like China and Russia, the Army is undergoing a massive modernization effort. The Army is hopeful that systems like IVAS will allow the US to maintain its combat edge.IVAS <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-army-mixed-reality-headsets-like-something-from-iron-man-2019-11">offers soldiers immediate access to dozens of valuable combat tools in a digital space</a>, such as mapping, orienteering, target tracking, battle management, facial recognition, and text translation.With integrated tools like the target tracking feature, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-hud-to-give-soldiers-better-situational-awareness-in-vehicles-2019-11">troops can hop out of any vehicle with increased situational awareness</a>, knowing not only where their team is but also where the enemy is. And that is only a small part of what this system, which Insider had the opportunity to experience firsthand, can do.Brig. Gen. David Hodne, head of Army Future's Command's Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team, said recently that while the US military has traditionally "owned the night," advances by US rivals and adversaries have caused that advantage to erode."In an environment where we share the night, the folks who can move faster, decide faster and think faster are the ones who have the advantage on today and tomorrow's battlefield," Hodne said, according to the Army.The new heads-up display also provides improved night vision with the help of digital thermal and low-light sensors built into the headset. Not only does this allow soldiers to fight better at night and in the dark, but it also allows troops to battle through smoke and other obscurants.For added combat capability, IVAS can be connected to the Family of Weapon Sights - Individual attached to a soldier's rifle, allowing them to see what the weapon is pointing at in their heads-up display. Soldiers can rapidly acquire targets, effectively shoot from the hip, and accurately fire around corners without exposing themselves to the enemy.The heads-up display can also connect with other combat assets, such as reconnaissance drones.The Army has also been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-army-mixed-reality-training-simulator-like-nothing-seen-before-2019-11">experimenting with using IVAS for simulated combat training</a> by allowing soldiers to wage war against <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> enemies in a digital space where data can be collected and returned as feedback in an after action review."There are a lot of features on it that are pretty futuristic," an Army platoon leader from the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment who took part in the most recent STP, said in an Army statement. "I can see how this is going to make a great impact on the way we fight."

The futuristic US Army goggles built to make soldiers unstoppable in the dark are almost ready for troops to take into combat

Augmented Reality Applications

<ul><li><keyword id="6369782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="augmented-reality" source="Orion">Augmented Reality</keyword> (AR), which is most popularly known for its use in gaming, is a technology that places a virtual 3D image into the real world.</li><li>India’s augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market stood at $1.83 billion in FY2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 38.29% until FY2027, according to a report by TechSci Research.</li><li>The report also highlights that India’s AR &amp; VR market is expected to witness robust growth in the next five years.</li></ul>Augmented Reality (AR), which is most popularly known for its use in gaming, is a technology that places a virtual 3D image into the real world. This gives the users an appearance of a virtual object to co-exist in the real world. Other than gaming apps, distinct implementations of AR are nowadays also used in many sectors like manufacturing, insurance, education and more. Apps like Snapchat, Pokemon Go, shopping apps like Nykka are some common examples that use AR in some way. India’s augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) market stood at $1.83 billion in FY2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 38.29% until FY2027, according to a <a href="https://www.techsciresearch.com/report/india-augmented-reality-and-virtual-reality-market/7632.html">report</a> by TechSci Research, a global market research and management consulting firm based in Noida. The report also highlights that India’s AR &amp; VR market is expected to witness robust growth in the next five years owing to rising adoption of technology in diverse portfolio sectors including content generation, engineering and technology, and development of virtual applications for electronic devices to create customizable content. One can build a career in this fast-growing industry, starting with some online courses which can give you an insight into the market or introduce you to the basics, at least. These are some free online courses for starters who wish to dip their toe in the world of AR — 1. Introduction to Augmented Reality and ARCore by Coursera This is a four-week course that will teach the basic fundamentals of AR and how to build an AR experience using ARCore. This course will break down complex AR concepts which can make them easy to understand. The course is great for beginners who are just getting started with AR or ARCore. 2.Work with augmented reality (AR) and the web by edX The course will teach you how to build AR apps with Xcode and look at the different ways to integrate web content into your iOS apps. To complete the course, you will need access to an Apple Mac computer or laptop with macOS10.15 and Xcode 12 support. 3. Augmented Reality 101 — AR foundation basics by Udemy This course will help you create a simple object spawning application that allows users to place virtual objects based on their physical environment using their android or iOS device’s camera. After doing this course, you will be able to create more robust augmented reality apps and games and join a growing, in-demand industry of developers. 4. AR development techniques 01: Basic concepts by Linkedin Learning This course, which is the first in a four-part series, will teach you about the basic techniques of AR application development using Unity and AR Foundation. It will also talk about the difference between AR, virtual reality and mixed reality. 5. Augmented Reality Basics: How to make AR drawing? This course is ideal for AR designers, this will tell you how to turn a sketch on paper into an interactive art piece using Unity, Augmented Reality, and Vuforia. The course primarily focuses on designing and its techniques, tools and methods used by professional designers. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/this-hcl-career-program-can-help-engineering-freshers-to-get-a-job-with-a-minimum-package-of-2-75-lakh/articleshow/86474888.cms">This HCL career program can help engineering freshers to get a job with a minimum package of ₹2.75 lakh</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-diwali-sale-starts-from-october-4/articleshow/86475984.cms">Amazon Great Indian Festival: month-long festive sale kicks off from October 4 onwards</a>

Here's a list of courses to kick start your career in the fast-growing augmented reality industry

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A.J. Peper, the founder of the small <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> company Command Sight, has invented an animal-wearable head-mounted display designed to allow handlers to better communicate with military working dogs — high-performing canines that track narcotics, hunt explosives, and even engage enemies.</li><li>Visual cues can be placed in a digital overlay of the real world to direct and guide the dog in ways that physical and voice commands and lasers do not permit.</li><li>Senior Army Research Lab scientist Stephen Lee told Insider that this device could "help revolutionize how we use military working dogs off leash."</li></ul>Thinking about new ways to talk to his dog, A.J. Peper, the founder of Command Sight, came up with an idea that the US Army says could revolutionize the way special operations forces direct military working dogs on the battlefield.It's <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> for canines, and it works.Over the past few years, the Army has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-army-mixed-reality-headsets-like-something-from-iron-man-2019-11">developing a mixed-reality heads-up display</a> for its soldiers based on Microsoft's HoloLens technology.Considering the potential applications of augmented reality headsets, Peper, who started a small technology company striving to bridge communication gaps between humans and canines, took a very different approach. "Why not put a HoloLens on a dog?" he thought.Taking a regular pair of Rex Specs <keyword id="84195" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Goggles">goggles</keyword>, already used for canine eye protection by the military, Peper added an optoelectronic component, creating a heads-up display where visual cues can be placed in a digital overlay of the real world to direct and guide the animals.Working with handlers, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-war-dogs-saving-lives-on-the-front-lines-2020-5">military working dogs track down narcotics, find explosives, and even engage enemy combatants</a>. A Special Forces dog named Conan, for example, helped take down ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last fall and was awarded a medal by the president.<div type="image" title="A view of the animal-wearable head-mounted display (AW-HMD) from the patent filing" height="497" width="773" msid="78464267" hostid="261"></div>The augmented reality goggles that Peper invented are connected to a command interface that the handler can use to not only see what the dog sees but also communicate with the animal in real time, making their interaction more effective.Using a chest- or wrist-mounted display or a laptop, Peper explained, "the handler could see the dog's environment and click anywhere or on any object in that environment to which they wanted to draw the dog's attention."The Army, which has been supporting the project through the Army Research Office and its Small Business Innovation Research program, is very interested in the goggles.Stephen Lee, a senior Army Research Lab scientist with a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry, told Insider that "if we can, in a canine's augmented reality, place a point, like a laser point, to guide the dog when it's going around a turn or into a building to a specific spot and we can see what the dog sees at the same time, that will help revolutionize how we use military working dogs off leash."<div type="image" title="A.J. Peper and his dog, Mater" height="906" width="1145" msid="78464269" hostid="261"></div><h2>'A better way to talk to my dog'</h2>Before he became an inventor, Peper was on a path towards a career in education, but after getting his Ph.D. in educational leadership, he decided to leave academia and instead become a consultant for emerging technology projects.Throughout these endeavors, Peper, a "big dog lover" who has been very passionate about their training since he was a kid, was also involved in Shutzhund, a kind of advanced dog training focused on protection.The idea that led Peper to launch his own company — developing a mixed-reality headset for canines — came in early 2017, when Peper asked himself, "How can I merge the fun and interesting parts of technology with the passion I have for dogs and training?"That got him thinking about human-canine communication. "I wish there was a better way to talk to my dog," he thought. And, that's when it hit him.With help from various partners, he quickly put together a working prototype, and with a functional prototype, he was able to start testing with his dog, Mater — the mascot for his company, Command Sight.Augmented reality for dogs is cool, but the big question was whether or not the animal can actually do anything with the information that is delivered to them. "The resounding answer from the tests that I've run is yes," Peper said.The testing, which was conducted safely and humanely and was not at all invasive, involved putting the goggles on Mater and then using the command interface to place an augmented reality indicator in Mater's field of view to identify an object of interest. Peper's dog would then energetically run to that object."You can imagine my jubilation when I put the system on my dog, fired it up, and he reacted to the indicator. Up until that point, it had all been theory," Peper told Insider. "I was jumping up and down and beside myself. It was a really amazing moment."As Mater had never worn goggles, it took him about a week to get used to them. It took another two weeks to train him to respond to a physical laser, a common tool used by the military and law enforcement to direct some working dogs. It then took another week after that for him to make the transition from the physical laser to the augmented reality indicator.The next step in the development process for the canine <keyword id="3270263" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="augmented-reality-headset">augmented reality headset</keyword> is to miniaturize and ruggedize the system, as well as make it completely wireless, for rigorous field testing with special operations military working dogs, high-performing animals expected to quickly adapt to the new technology.<div type="image" title="A canine wearing the AW-HMD." height="648" width="873" msid="78464270" hostid="261"></div><h2>Solving 'fundamental challenges that operators have'</h2>Handlers typically use physical and voice commands to give military working dogs basic directions and lasers to provide more specific guidance, such as identifying a specific target or object of interest.The effectiveness of physical and voice commands is limited when the dog is off leash and operating away from the handler, and there are serious concerns about the use of a light source that could be visible to the enemy.If a working dog had augmented reality goggles though, a handler could provide directions to the dog as it rounded a corner, went over a hill, or entered a building, and they could do so from a safe position without alerting the enemy to the team's presence or the dog's intended target.Once this technology is operational, "a handler could sit a mile away in a bunker, completely safe, and they can send the dog out and send these very specific directional cues to the dog," Peper explained.And, the dog would move and act with confidence even without the handler at their side."In terms of the system being of value and being more than just cool, it really does solve for some real fundamental challenges that operators have," Peper said.That includes the need for a reliable animal-mounted camera.Lee told Insider that once Peper's goggles are operational, "it'll be one of the best camera systems period, even without the augmented reality. We're seeing what the dog can see.""When it's mounted on the back, you see where the dog's torso is pointed," he said, explaining that having a camera inside the goggles will "be a breakthrough in itself."He said that in ten years of researching and working with military working dogs, he had never seen anything like Peper's canine augmented reality system, which has him "super excited."Lee said he expects this innovative technology to lead to more interesting possibilities. "I think that what [Peper] is going to do is open up amazing new opportunities we don't even recognize yet."

The US Army thinks these new mixed-reality 'doggles' can make special operations canines better than ever in battle

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Apple bought a company called Metaio that makes augmented reality technologies, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/05/28/apple-metaio/">according to TechCrunch</a>.Augmented reality, or AR, is the concept that allows developers to overlay digital information on top of the real world. Many companies are working on AR including Microsoft with its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-glass-hands-on-2015-4">HoloLens project</a> and Google through its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/magic-leap-google-investment-2014-10">major investment in the secretive startup Magic Leap</a>.Metaio licensed its AR technology to several companies, and TechCrunch reports several of them were frustrated when Metaio suddenly went dark.Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Here's a video TechCrunch found that shows how Metaio's AR technology works:<div><div></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/googles-cardboard-oculist-rift-headset-2014-9">We Built A Knockoff Of Oculus Rift For $25</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="50dHhhcDpHWH6T8wDwF1J9vwbqrYtzrP" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Apple bought an augmented reality company

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image">Youtube</div></div><keyword id="6371031" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ikea">Ikea</keyword> is trying to take some of the guesswork out of buying new <keyword id="6354386" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Furniture">furniture</keyword>, and the company has turned to <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> for the solution.
Say you're browsing Ikea's 2014 catalog.
Once customers find a piece of furniture that interests them, all they have to do is open up the Ikea <keyword id="235499" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="APP">app</keyword>, point their smartphone camera at the physical catalog for a quick size calibration, and they're ready to go.
The augmented reality technology allows for color accurate and size accurate pieces of virtual furniture to placed around the house. The app works by overlaying digital models of Ikea's furniture over real-time video of your house interior. By gazing at a smartphone or tablet screen, customers can see how each piece of furniture fits their home decor.
It's like a virtual test drive for furniture, and Ikea hopes the app will cut down on purchases returned due to faulty room dimension estimates.
The Ikea augmented reality app will be available August 25th, for both Android and iOS, but you can check out a video of the app below.

Ikea's Augmented Reality Catalog Lets You Virtually Demo Its Furniture In Your Living Room

The latest <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> craze is <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> (AR) campaigns, so we're always on the lookout for a cool new use of the medium.
<keyword id="6358540" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sony">Sony</keyword> and Naked Communications had a <a href="http://www.sony.jp/headphone/special/park/special/hmf/">creative approach to sell headphones in Tokyo.</a>
Check out how the "Headphone Music Festival" works:

This is just one of many cool AR campaigns. Check out our list of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/augmented-reality-campaigns-2013-2">15 companies who had cool AR campaigns,</a> including National Geographic, for bringing dinosaurs to life, and Airwalk, for creating an invisible store.

Sony Made A Cool New Augmented Reality Campaign

<keyword id="28168" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Smartphone">Smartphone</keyword>s have become a permanent fixture in our daily life and offer near-universal access to information power, allowing each one of us to get literally and figuratively glued on to these interesting gadgets and devices all day long. Phones were created as social tools. And smartphones are especially good at being social, integrating text, voice, video and images in an endless number of apps that can serve a user’s needs, and all without the need for a Web-based social network. It is like a powerhouse of information in our hands. That is because a smartphone is possibly more capable than an average human being! Users are able to communicate with anybody in their address book, anywhere in the world, with almost any content mix and at any time. This has been compelling to users and has driven the growth of apps. 
 
Smartphones get their appeal from the User Interface (UI) that resides on the device and developers bank on the best smartphone UI to bring life to their app ideas. Over the past few years, user interfaces on smartphones have undergone a sort of renaissance. What was once a stylus-driven experience, reminiscent of a desktop PC, has now become a finger-friendly endeavour that offers new design paradigms. A smartphone can be easy to use with a capacitive touchscreen. 
 
The big players in this space are all working to provide the best user interface in their own way. Earlier, smartphones felt like using small, sluggish PCs and most methods of interaction relied on having a stylus. The UI elements were often small and tucked in the corners of the screen. A stylus is actually a very precise method of interaction, when paired with a resistive screen. One thing that these earlier smartphones understood is the idea of having easy access to information. The development and use of finger-friendly capacitive touch has enabled the use of interface elements like multi-touch. Moving ahead, user interface is now looking at a quantum leap – from multi-touch to being touch free – a scenario where mere gesturing would suffice. 
 
Companies today are working on gesture-based UI technology and believe that gestures represent the next significant evolution in computing interfaces. 
 
As technology captures human movements and gestures, it allows smartphones to do some pretty cool things these days. Smartphones are becoming more like, and in some cases even smarter than, human beings. Smartphones know everything about you. With the rise of Location-based Services (LBS), smartphones now have the ability to pinpoint your exact location. Based on your mobile searches, the phone can easily make recommendations, gather coupons and direct you to places of interest. Your smartphone will know who you are by recognising your facial features. And it will help you shop; QR codes and Near Field Communications (NFC) are ensuring that. 
 An increasing number of smartphones can now connect to the Cloud. Cloud computing is where the digital world is heading and being able to access all your files from your smartphone will make people more productive, more mobile and more efficient. Then there is <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword>, a geographically tethered image superimposed on the canvas of reality, which is now being adapted for smartphones to overlay text on the view through its camera. These instruments can also help diagnose diseases, troubleshoot machinery and launch classrooms. The possibilities are simply endless. 
 
With every advancement in technology, user interfaces are getting smarter and thus helping phones to become more human, to match our instincts, our moves and our needs. 
 
About the author: Annie Mathew is director-alliance at <keyword id="6354356" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="BlackBerry">BlackBerry</keyword> India. 
Image: ThinkStock

Smartphones: The Right Ingredients Are Here To Make Them A Success

<div type="image" title="Blood Speaks_ Maya - The Birth of a Superhero" height="675" width="900" msid="79825463" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Developers are using <keyword id="6369781" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="virtual-reality">virtual reality</keyword> to recreate both historic and everyday events, and allow users to hear and experience different perspectives.</li><li>Some experiences are designed to encourage people to look at their own behavior, while others tell lesser-heard stories. </li><li>One takes users back to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, while another documents the discrimination experienced by a Black male during throughout his life.</li></ul>As demand for virtual reality and <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> continues to grow, people are increasingly using it to learn about <keyword id="44060" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Racism">racism</keyword> or hear more stories from people of color.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-augmented-reality#:~:text=Augmented%20reality%20(AR)%20is%20an,world%20with%20computer%2Dgenerated%20elements.&amp;text=Here's%20an%20introduction%20to%20AR,Reference%20library%20for%20more%20stories.ies.">W</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-augmented-reality#:~:text=Augmented%20reality%20(AR)%20is%20an,world%20with%20computer%2Dgenerated%20elements.&amp;text=Here's%20an%20introduction%20to%20AR,Reference%20library%20for%20more%20stories.ies.">h</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-augmented-reality#:~:text=Augmented%20reality%20(AR)%20is%20an,world%20with%20computer%2Dgenerated%20elements.&amp;text=Here's%20an%20introduction%20to%20AR,Reference%20library%20for%20more%20stories.ies.">at </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-augmented-reality#:~:text=Augmented%20reality%20(AR)%20is%20an,world%20with%20computer%2Dgenerated%20elements.&amp;text=Here's%20an%20introduction%20to%20AR,Reference%20library%20for%20more%20stories.ies.">is </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-augmented-reality#:~:text=Augmented%20reality%20(AR)%20is%20an,world%20with%20computer%2Dgenerated%20elements.&amp;text=Here's%20an%20introduction%20to%20AR,Reference%20library%20for%20more%20stories.ies.">augmented reality?</a>In some cases, developers are using the <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> to recreate historic events and instances of racism in the hope it will make people address their own misconceptions, <a href="https://www.axios.com/virtual-reality-racism-education-187cad47-ed6b-43ba-9a5a-cc3071587d31.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&amp;stream=topp;stream=top">Axios</a> reported. In other cases, projects led by people of color are creating highly inventive experiences that entertain as much as they educate. Demand for virtual reality is set to boom over the coming years. Shipments of VR headsets are expected to grow 48% annually over the next four years, according to estimates from the<a href="https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS46860320#:~:text=16%20Sep%202020-,VR%20Headset%20Market%20Expected%20to%20Grow%20Despite,Term%20Decline%2C%20According%20to%20IDC&amp;text=However%2C%20IDC%20expects%20shipments%20of,to%20invest%20in%20the%20technology.ogy."> International Data Corporation.</a>The technology is allowing developers to create interactive documentaries, likened to "living museums."As part of this, people are using the technology to encourage empathy with marginalized groups. VR simulations show people what it's like to be homeless, pregnant, in a wheelchair, autistic, or a different race, <a href="https://www.scu.edu/ethics-spotlight/ethics-and-systemic-racism/can-technology-help-us-be-more-empathetic-racism-empathy-and-virtual-reality/">according to Erick Jose Ramirez</a>, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at Santa Clara University."The idea is that technology might help us better understand what it's like to be someone on the receiving end of racist violence [which] can help us understand the roots of our own racism and then combat it," Ramirez wrote.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-are-demanding-changes-after-exit-of-ai-researcher-2020-12?r=gd-sub">Google employees sent a letter demanding leadership changes and a stronger commitment to 'academic integrity,' as tensions over AI ethicist's exit continue to rise</a><a href="http://www.neurociencies.ub.edu/virtual-reality-racial-bias-2/">Studies</a> have previously suggested that adopting a different race during a VR experience can affect people's unconscious behaviors during gameplay.<h2>'I Am A Man' takes users back to the civil rights movement of the 1960s</h2><a href="http://iamamanvr.logicgrip.com/">"I Am A Man,"</a> made by independent VR developer Derek Ham, takes users back to the key events of the US civil rights movement leading up to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., including the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Worker's Strike.It combines historical film and photographs with voice narrations from actual civil rights participants, and worked alongside the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis to ensure its accuracy.<a href="https://vimeo.com/251514352">I Am A Man VR Experience</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/voyagercreative"></a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>."The vision is to give people an experience of history in a way that provides a more personal understanding of the struggles of these marginalized people," Ham said on the website."The VR experience allows one to literally walk in the shoes of people who fought for freedom and <keyword id="6378681" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="equality">equality</keyword> during the civil rights era. Most importantly, this project gives users a deeper awareness of their struggle."The project, which has won awards, including at the Cleveland and Nashville film festivals, can be downloaded from the <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1558748774146820/">Oculus Store</a> but is also available for web, mobile, and screen immersive viewing.<h2>Everyday racism</h2>But not all these VR projects focus on historical events. Some, such as <a href="https://vhil.stanford.edu/1000cut/">"1,000 Cut Journey,"</a> look at the everyday life of Black people to show how they face racism on a daily basis.In the VR <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/how-might-virtual-reality-address-the-problem-of-global-racism-1028286179">developed by Stanford and Columbia Universities</a>, an assistant professor at Columbia's School of Social Work, users witness the discrimination experienced by a Black male during both his childhood and adult life in the classroom, the workplace, and by police. This is all condensed into 12 minutes.And <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/1994117610669719/?locale=en_US">"Traveling While Black,"</a> produced by Academy Award winner Roger Ross Williams and Emmy Award-winning Felix &amp; Paul Studios, takes users to Ben's Chili Bowl, a diner in Washington DC that was used by many Black people as a space safe during the Jim Crow laws.During the experience, users converse with diners who discuss their experiences of restricted movement and race relations as a Black person in the US. The experience aims to confront the way people both understand and talk about race."If you're not African American, you get to go into a space and be part of a conversation that you probably normally would not be privy to," Williams told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/sep/02/traveling-while-black-behind-the-eye-opening-vr-documentary-on-racism-in-america">The Guardian</a>. "If you are Black, you get to delve deep into that inner trauma that we all carry with us in America as Black people."I think that's really powerful in the way that 2D storytelling can't provide."<h2>VR is a vehicle for companies to teach staff about <keyword id="9392712" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="implicit-bias">implicit bias</keyword></h2>These VR projects aren't just for personal use. Some are being launched on a corporate scale, too, as an innovative way to provide workplace equality, diversity, and inclusion training. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-biracial-female-founder-vantage-point-diversity-training-virtual-reality-2020-6">Vantage Point</a>, for example, uses VR to teach both Fortune 500 companies and schools about racial discrimination and gender inequality. Vantage Point works alongside companies in the US, UK, Ireland, and France. During the pandemic, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanderark/2020/06/26/startup-tackling-systemic-racism-with-virtual-reality-training/?sh=15bddb0146d8">it has been shipping headsets to clients</a>.PwC and <keyword id="6358815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">tech</keyword> startup Talespin have launched <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/using-virtual-reality-for-diversity-and-inclusion-trainings-2020-7">similar VR implicit bias training</a>, which immerses participants in scenarios where they learn to make inclusive hiring decisions and point out instances of discrimination.Training programs like these could become more common in the future.US companies <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-dismantle-systemic-racism-in-american-office-life-2020-6">spend $8 billion annually on diversity and inclusion initiatives</a>, yet research shows that they're actually <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-dismantle-systemic-racism-in-american-office-life-2020-6">more segregated now than they were 40 years ago</a>.VR could be an option for companies to ramp up their implicit bias training - and a PwC study found that it's actually <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/using-virtual-reality-for-diversity-and-inclusion-trainings-2020-7">more cost-effective that classroom-based training</a>. Participants learn quicker and stay more focused, too.<h2>Beyond borders</h2>In the UK, immersive technology is also being used to highlight the experiences of people from all backgrounds and ensure their voices are being heard. One timely example of this is <a href="https://creativexr.co.uk/">The CreativeXR program</a>, which is run by <a href="https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/">Digital Catapult</a> and <a href="https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/">Arts Council England</a>, and features a varied range of VR and AR-based stories, many of which have been created by people of color.Blood Speaks: Maya - The Birth of a Superhero, Munkination, SONG, and A Place to Be are among these inventive offerings. Some can be accessed using VR headsets such as Oculus Quest; others via a mobile phone. In Blood Speaks, an ordinary 21st-century girl transforms into a superhero whose powers derive from the process of menstruation. The unflinching story is moving and thought-provoking in equal measure.The project, which was developed specifically for Oculus Quest using Quill and Unity, is inspired by the stories of women in Nepal who are forced into exile because their menstrual blood is considered impure, according to creator Poulomi Basu.In a statement, Basu said: "The first phase has seen massive impact and helped activate policy change in Nepal. With a little brown girl magic, we are looking to forge new audiences through this female-led narrative that features voices that reconfigure audience perceptions of BAME [black and minority ethnic] characters and, through their interaction with Maya, we want to inspire our audience to find the magic within themselves."Musical projects lend themselves particularly well to immersive mediums as <a href="https://www.munkination.com/">Munkination</a> - a hip-hop opera with a futuristic story about climate change at its heart - demonstrates.Its creator, HAM The Illustrator, said in a statement: "I created this experience because I want to engage my community. There aren't many stories by and for people like me, and I want to tell a story that puts us at the forefront; our heritage, our perspective, and that history of living in equilibrium with nature, because we don't have much time left, and we all need to be involved."Equally, SONG, an immersive 360° performance based on the K-Pop phenomenon, also uses music to tell a powerful story. The action takes place inside a "planetarium" installation and features simultaneous live streams in VR and 2D environments.According to creator Sammy Lee, the project emerged out of a deep commitment to the future of the performing arts, driven by the energy of pop music as military technology. <div type="image" title="A scene from A Place To Be" height="675" width="900" msid="79825464" hostid="261"></div>Finally, A Place to Be, by The Independent Film Trust, explores the black British experience beyond the constraints of the present day. The 360˚ VR experience is set in a south London shebeen and uncovers the untold histories of Black Britons. Set in 1981, days before the Brixton uprising, the experience transports viewers to one of the unlicensed clubs that offered a safe space to the African-Caribbean community away from systemic racism. Fans of immersive technology should expect to see many more similar inventive AR and VR experiences from a range of providers in 2021, as demand for diversity and culture-based projects continues to align with the need for creative ways to stay connected.

Virtual reality is offering timely narratives on race, diversity and culture by centering the perspectives of people of color

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6354427" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="apple">Apple</keyword> has acquired VR startup <keyword id="6735899" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Spaces">Spaces</keyword>, <a href="https://www.protocol.com/apple-vr-ar-spaces-acquisition">Protocol</a> reported Monday.</li><li>Spaces, which creates themed virtual environments, had raised nearly $10 milion, according to PitchBook, but Protocol reported that the company has been struggling during the pandemic.</li><li>Apple has made at least seven acquisitions already this year, including another <keyword id="6369781" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="virtual-reality">virtual reality</keyword> startup, NextVR, as it invests further in the emerging technology.</li></ul>Apple is continuing its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nextvr-reportedly-acquired-by-apple-in-buying-spree-2020-4">buying spree</a> with its <keyword id="30334" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="acquisition">acquisition</keyword> of the virtual reality startup Spaces, <a href="https://www.protocol.com/apple-vr-ar-spaces-acquisition">Protocol</a> reported on Monday.Accotding to Protocol, Spaces announced last week that it was "heading in a new direction," adding: "Thank you to our users and partners who participated in our awesome VR video conferencing product and the many people who enjoyed our VR location-based entertainment attractions found at theme parks, theaters, and more."Apple and Spaces could not be reached for comment.Spaces built themed and location-based virtual environments and experiences, and its founders launched the company in 2016 after leaving DreamWorks Animation. The company had raised $9.5 million from investors, according to data from PitchBook.But the pandemic forced Spaces to shutter its in-person VR centers, lay off workers, and eventually take a PPP loan as the industry more broadly has suffered, Protocol reported.Apple, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.nl/apple-leads-other-tech-giants-in-ai-purchases-analysis-finds-2020-7/">has not lost steam</a>, recently hitting a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/apple-stock-price-market-cap-valuation-hits-2-trillion-milestone-2020-8-1029517431">$2 trillion valuation</a> as it continues to buy up startups. Spaces would be at least the company's eighth purchase on the year.Apple has been particularly interested in virtual reality startups, most recently acquiring NextVR, a company that creates virtual experiences for live events and sports, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-nextvr-acquisition-creates-opportunities-ar-vr-ecosystem-2020-5">reportedly for around $100 million</a>. Apple also scooped up <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> glasses maker <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-buys-akonia-holographics-next-big-product-will-be-smartglasses-2018-8">Akonia Holographics</a> in 2018 and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-buys-vrvana-totem-mixed-reality-headset-2017-11">Vrvana</a>, which made headsets that can do both virtual and augmented reality and was run by several Apple alumni, in 2017.Apple has long been rumored to be working on a combined AR-VR headset that could launch as soon as 2021, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-11/apple-s-ar-push-will-start-with-ipad-and-culminate-with-glasses?utm_source=Triggermail&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20bii-connectivity-and-tech:%20Apple%20buys%20into%20XR%20%7C%20Nvidia%20leaps%20into%20smart%20health%20%7C%20Facebook%27s%20challenger%20goes%20global&amp;utm_term=BII%20List%20Connectivity%20ALLtivity%20ALL">Bloomberg</a>, and the company has ambitions to become a major player in the "crossover reality" ecosystem, as well as a dominant force in the entertainment industry.

Apple reportedly acquired VR startup Spaces as it continues its buying spree and foray into virtual and augmented reality

‘Print is dead, TV is dying’, we get that a lot. Let’s not jump to conclusions, as print magazines are making themselves savvier in ways you never imagined. Try looking at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=The+New+Yorker&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">The New Yorker</a>’s latest cover through the lens of a tablet or smartphone, and you’ll know. 
 <keyword id="279589" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="The-New-Yorker">The New Yorker</keyword>’s yearly Innovators edition is out, and its original cover is a black and yellow image of a woman stepping through the doors of a subway car. The <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> content was created by artist <keyword id="1326078" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Christoph-Niemann">Christoph Niemann</keyword>, and is called ‘On the Go’. The magazine's art editor Françoise Mouly also lent a hand. Look at the same cover using a smartphone or tablet and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=The+New+Yorker&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">The New Yorker</a>‘s <keyword id="3360338" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Uncovr-app">Uncovr app</keyword> that can be downloaded from the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/uncovr/id1100816082?mt=8" target="_blank">App Store</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.newyorker.Uncovr" target="_blank">Google Play</a>, and both the front and back side become animated. 
 
“The idea of an augmented or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=virtual+reality&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">virtual reality</a> is inherent in any drawing—it’s almost the definition of a drawing,” the artist said <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cover-story-2016-05-16">here</a>. “If you create a world on paper, you create a window. Usually, you just break the surface with your mind, but you always have the feeling of: What if you could step into that world or if something could come out of it?” 
 
“In a drawing, the barrier between the real world and the made-up world is the surface, so at the very beginning I thought of an elevator with its doors closing,” he adds. 
 
Niemann later zeroed in on the subway, because it takes us places. 
 
“The closing doors are a flat surface that separates two worlds, and so are the covers of a magazine—separating before you read it and after you read it, what you know and don’t know, how your views change. So between the front and the back cover, and the experience created by the app, I like that we could show essentially two different angles on the same world. Like stepping through a mirror”, he says. 
 
See this through a smartphone or tablet, and a three-dimensional city shows up. One can move the camera around, and the view changes accordingly. 
 
Watch in action here! 
 


	<a href="https://thescene.com/watch/thenewyorker/introducing-christoph-niemann-augmented-reality-covers" target="_blank" title="TheScene.com">Watch this on The Scene.</a>
 
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cover-story-2016-05-16"> Image Source</a>

The New Yorker’s latest
cover has some crazy augmented reality stuff going on

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6355629" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="google">Google</keyword> is acquiring smart glasses maker <keyword id="6364823" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="north">North</keyword>, the companies have confirmed.</li><li>The price of the deal is unknown, although a previous report claimed Google was buying the company for $180 million</li><li>"North's technical expertise will help as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts and ambient computing future," said Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Smart glasses maker North announced it is being acquired by Google, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alphabet-in-talks-to-buy-smart-glasses-maker-north-2020-6">confirming previous rumors</a>.North's co-founders reported the deal in a post on the company's website. Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh also announced the news in a <a href="https://blog.google/products/hardware/focus-helpful-devices-google-acquires-north">Google blog post</a>.North's team will join Google in Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario – where North is based now – and work with Google's hardware team. "North's technical expertise will help as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts and ambient computing future," wrote Osterloh.North also confirmed it would not move ahead with its planned second-generation smart glasses, which the company had already been demoing behind closed doors.More annoying for users of the Focals 1.0 glasses, <a href="https://support.bynorth.com/hc/en-us/articles/360045128691">the company said</a> it will stop supporting the glasses at the end of July. However, the company said it will issue full refunds "for all paid Focals orders" starting June 30.The exact price of the deal is unknown, but an earlier report from <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-a-vision-fades-alphabet-buying-canadian-smart-glasses-pioneer-north/">the Globe and Mail</a> claimed the amount was around $180 million. The report also said North would be "stripped for parts" in the deal.And while it's not completely clear what North will be doing at Google, the fact it will be joining the hardware division is notable and further hints at Google's ambitions in the <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> space.Not only that, but Google is making a big push in wearables right now. The company is in the middle of trying to acquire Fitbit, and while its smartwatch efforts have been much slower to gain traction than Apple's, <a href="https://www.qualcomm.com/news/media-center/press-kits/snapdragon-wear-4100-plus-press-kit">Qualcomm just announced a new chipset</a> that could give the company's Wear OS smartwatches a shot in the arm."Over the last while, it became clear that aligning with Google would significantly advance our shared vision," wrote the North co-founders in the post announcing the acquisition."This acquisition is a terrific fit for North and, importantly, we're staying here in Kitchener-Waterloo. We're proud to have grown our company in the Kitchener-Waterloo region and are thankful for the tremendous support we've received from the community. We are looking forward to remaining in the region with Google."

Google confirms it will buy smart glasses maker North, in a move that hints at higher ambition in augmented reality tech

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">Matt WeinbergerThe HoloLens headset.</div></div></div>Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality headset is going to space thanks to a deal with NASA, <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/astronauts-are-getting-a-holographic-instruction-manual">according to Motherboard</a>. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) will get a "Holographic Instruction Manual" courtesy of HoloLens, which has not yet been released to the public. The headset will also allow engineers on the ground to annotate what the astronauts are seeing. Microsoft previously tried to send the headset to space in June but failed when the SpaceX shuttle that was carrying it blew up shortly after take off. HoloLens works as a "mixed reality" device which adds holograms to real-life situations. For example, a Skype window can be attached to a wall. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">MicrosoftProject OnSight would let scientists study Mars more easily.</div></div></div>Sending HoloLens to ISS may just be the first step into space. Microsoft has <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4451">developed Project OnSight</a> which could help those on Mars understand the planet better using the augmented reality applications of the headset. Whereas Mars has traditionally been looked at a screen, HoloLens could enable scientists to study the Red Planet just as geologists study Earth. NASA is planning to launch the headsets - along with other cargo - into space later on this week. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/easy-ways-mac-run-faster-tips-computers-2015-11">Easy ways to make your Mac run faster</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="V4dXF0eDp4l1t_Y4QB44wgJIZjYDBHJP" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "augmented reality" and got 13 results

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