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There’s a lot going on when it comes to Apple’s rumored mixed reality headset, which is expected to combine both AR and VR technologies into a single device. However, at the same time, the company has also been working on new AR glasses. According to Haitong Intl Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu, Apple’s AR glasses will be announced in late 2024.

In a note seen by 9to5Mac, Pu mentions that Luxshare will remain as one of Apple’s main suppliers for devices to come between late 2022 and 2024. Among all devices, the analyst highlights products such as Apple Watch Series 8, iPhone 14, and Apple’s AR/VR headset. But more than that, Pu believes that Apple plans to introduce new AR glasses in the second half of 2024.

At this point, details about Apple’s AR glasses are unknown. What we do know so far is that, unlike Apple’s AR/VR headset, the new AR glasses will be highly dependent on the iPhone due to design limitations. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in 2019 that the rumored “Apple Glasses” will act more like a display for the iPhone, similar to the first generation Apple Watch.

Researchers at Meta Reality Labs are reporting that their work on Codec Avatars 2.0 has reached a level where the avatars are approaching complete realism. The researchers created a prototype Virtual Reality headset that has a custom-built accelerator chip specifically designed to manage the AI processing capable of rendering Meta’s photorealistic Codec Avatars on standalone virtual reality headsets.

The prototype Virtual Reality avatars use very advanced machine learning techniques.

Continue reading “Meta Reality Labs Research: Codec Avatars 2.0 Approaching Complete Realism with Custom Chip” »

Remotely operated, non-lethal drones key in long-term plan to detect and stop mass shootings in less than 60 seconds

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. 0, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Axon (NASDAQ: AXON), the global leader in connected public safety technologies, today announced it has formally begun development of a non-lethal, remotely-operated TASER drone system as part of a long-term plan to stop mass shootings, and reaffirmed it is committed to public engagement and dialogue during the development process. This includes accelerating detection and improving real-time situational awareness of active shooter events, enhancing first responder effectiveness through VR training, and deploying remotely operated non-lethal drones capable of incapacitating an active shooter in less than 60 seconds.

Predicting it now. 2030s there will be Tons of this, and not just chat bots of dead people, but making them seem alive, 24/7 in VR world meta whatever. There will probably be shops that cater to this and try and make it as close and realistic as possible, will probably mostly be underground.

The recent case of a man making a chatbot based on his deceased fiancée raises ethical questions: Is this something we want? property= description.

In the not-too-distant future, many of us may routinely use 3D headsets to interact in the metaverse with virtual iterations of companies, friends, and life-like company assistants. These may include Lily from AT&T, Flo from Progressive, Jake from State Farm, and the Swami from CarShield. We’ll also be interacting with new friends like Nestlé‘s Cookie Coach, Ruth, the World Health Organization’s Digital Health worker Florence, and many others.

Creating digital characters for virtual reality apps and in ecommerce is a fast-rising new segment of IT. San Francisco-based Soul Machines, a company that is rooted in both the animation and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors, is jumping at the opportunity to create animated digital avatars to bolster interactions in the metaverse. Customers are much more likely to buy something when a familiar face — digital or human — is involved.

Investors, understandably, are hot on the idea. This week, the 6-year-old company revealed an infusion of series B financing ($70 million) led by new investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2, bringing the company’s total funding to $135 million to date.

Project Cambria is coming out Later This year, The Next generation Standalone Mixed Reality Headset.
“This demo was created using Presence Platform, which we built to help developers build mixed reality experiences that blend physical and virtual worlds. The demo, called “The World Beyond,” will be available on App Lab soon. It’s even better with full color passthrough and the other advanced technologies we’re adding to Project Cambria. More details soon.“
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Continue reading “Project CAMBRIA VR Headset — The First Live Demonstration!” »

You don’t even have to cover your mouth. Virtual reality has come a long way in recent years, creating unreal environments and unprecedented tactile experiences. However, researchers have struggled to recreate an adequate simulation of our most precious senses of touch, like kissing.

You would be forgiven if you thought that the current wave of virtual reality headsets was a modern phenomenon. There were obviously some awkward—and failed—attempts to capitalize on the virtual reality craze of the early 1990s and for most people, this is as far back as virtual reality goes. The truth is that virtual reality is much, much older.

Continue reading “The History and Science of Virtual Reality Headsets” »

The West Japan Rail Company (or JR West) unveiled its Gundam-style heavy equipment robot for carrying out repairs.

The robot takes on the appearance of a humanoid upper body mounted on the end of a hydraulic crane arm, which rides around on the rail system atop a specially braced rail car. The rail car can deploy stabilizing legs when it arrives at its destination along the line, allowing the robot to manipulate heavy equipment around the rail system instead of workers “to improve productivity and safety.”

The West Japan Rail Company has released video of its new humanoid heavy equipment robot. Mounted on the end of a crane, this gundam-style robot torso mimics the arm and head motions of a human pilot, who sees through the robot’s eyes via VR goggles.

The key objectives here, according to the company, are “to improve productivity and safety,” enabling workers to lift and naturally manipulate heavy equipment around the rail system without exposing them to the risk of electric shocks or falling.

The robot’s large torso is mounted to a hydraulic crane arm, which rides around the rail system on a specially braced rail car, putting down stabilizing legs when it’s time to get to work.