VR/AR

VR World 2018, European augmented, mixed and Virtual Reality (VR) conference and exhibition, returns to Olympia London on the 22nd-23rd of May to once again showcase the most cutting-edge innovations in one of the most exciting and fastest growing technologies on the planet.

Brits have long been celebrated as the inventors of modern day football, although some would argue that its origins can be traced as far back as ancient China. Regardless, it’s fair to say that football has travelled bounds ever since the early days of a ball and a group of players on a field. By: Spencer Buchan, Managing Director of AVC Immedia.

The world of video games provided the impetus to virtual reality in the 80s and increasingly more sectors are now using this technology, such as the automotive industry. It is safe to say 3D has revolutionised the way to create and develop cars in recent decades, but how are these new tools applied to car manufacturing?

It’s appropriate that during Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a team of Rice University seniors will show how augmented reality may help patients with the disease. Six Rice engineering students have designed an iPhone app to help patients overcome a symptom known as “freezing,” in which the legs temporarily refuse to follow the brain’s command to lift and move forward.

The release of Ready Player One this past weekend is a significant moment for the Virtual Reality industry. Ernest Cline's bestselling science fiction adventure will achieve a Spielberg-fueled launch to new heights of popular culture fame. It describes a world where living in the virtual reality of the OASIS becomes preferable to living within a dystopian future society riddled by war and energy crises.

Since its inception in 1957, VR has been used for a multitude of purposes, from computer gaming and music videos to training simulations and product prototyping. Manufacturing is the latest industry to take the plunge as it incorporates virtual worlds into building information modelling (BIM). Glyn Shawcross, Group Design Manager at Boulting Group, explains the practicalities and benefits of VR and BIM.

  In recent years, VR has become increasingly popular in automotive, aerospace, and built environment sectors. ebb3 is utilising Citrix technology to offer new VR technology solutions for designers in these industries. Thanks to its ability to help users visualise the projects they are developing, and to enable non-technical clients to engage in the design process. 

At electronica China in Shanghai, Bosch Sensortec has launched the BMI085, a high-performance 6-axis IMU. The BMI085 integrates a 3-axis, 16-bit MEMS acceleration sensor and a 3-axis, 16-bit MEMS gyroscope in a single compact package. This powerful IMU is ideally suited for demanding VR and AR applications as well as other applications, such as navigation, body/human motion tracking and high-end gaming.

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed a visual communication system for hearing-impaired employees in logistics. Data glasses display information relevant to the work process in the employee's field of view. AR, which unites the real and virtual worlds, has long been a research focus area at the TUM Chair for Materials Handling, Material Flow, Logistics, says Prof. Willibald Günthner.

Helped by EU funding, Ultrahaptics is the first and only company in the world to develop a device which allows users to feel sensations with their bare hands while interacting in mid-air with a touchless sensing system. This frontier heralds a fundamentally new relationship with technology. The EU-funded UTOUCH project has enabled the development of ultrasonic speakers which project Invisible forces into the air, capable of being felt on hum...