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The present and future of virtual reality news and technology
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1. Fordham University students are using VR to build real-world professional skills. Students at the institution's “Exploring Entrepreneurship” class are engaging in simulations that teach them how to network among groups of strangers, lead negotiations at high-stakes business meetings, or give presentations in front of colleagues. Washington Post reporter Peter Holley visited the class and observed that while a handful of students were immersed in a simulation, their avatars were broadcast on a projector for the rest of the class to watch and critique their performance in real-time. “Your brain actually assumes you’ve experienced the simulated environment, and it brings educational concepts to life for students,” says Lyron Bentovim, the professor leading the class who is also chief executive of the Glimpse Group, the New York-based AR/VR company behind the technology. “When they leave class, they don’t say, ‘We learned about negotiating today’; they say, ‘I negotiated today,’ or, ‘I led a business meeting today.’ The company is also testing an immersive educational broadcast tool called "Project Chimera" which mixes virtual reality with 180-degree video and real life. It allows students to sit in on a virtual class as if they were physically present, and interact with one another and the teacher through a custom avatar. Bentovim predicts that VR will become, over time, a feature in classrooms at every level of education. – WASHINGTON POST
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3. Throwback Thursday: Painted Panoramas
An early ancestor of the motion picture, panorama paintings enveloped spectators within an atmosphere that simulated a continuous surrounding landscape, sometimes accompanied by sound stimulation and three-dimensional elements. In Victorian times, panoramas were widely accessible and extremely popular, but declined in popularity following the spread of cinema, especially in the U.S.
If you're in Los Angeles, however, you can still get a taste of this very early form of Virtual Reality by visiting the Velaslavasay Panorama – the only one painted since the 19th century – which is on view from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Previous exhibits have included "Effulgence of the North" (2007-2017) which was the first panorama on view at the Union Theatre - a 360-degree painted panorama that explores the limitless horizon beyond a frigid terrain, illuminated by the Aurora Borealis. The current installation is a painting depicting the city of Shengjing, China from 1910-1930 featuring a miniature 3D terrain, a living garden, a theater, and additional auxiliary exhibits. The Shengjing Panorama depicts an urban Chinese landscape during the years 1910 to 1930 - an era of great technological change, global exchange, and diversity in architecture, religions, and culture.
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5. In Virtual Reality, too much realism can be a barrier to enjoyment. In this opinion piece, Stephen Gibson from RainSoft Games explores how in the design process, too much realism can turn users off from trying a VR experience. "Perhaps what people want is a little more 'Virtual' and a little less 'Reality,' he speculates, adding that beyond well-known issues such as motion sickness, the intensity of VR can often prove jarring or frustrating if not managed. "Adjustable comfort levels are key," explains Rainsoft developer Jim Brodbeck, adding that in developing the company's latest extreme winter sports simulation game, they had to make adjustments to tone down the realism of the experience. "If every bump on the slope causes you to crash as it would in real life, it’s just not enjoyable. As you grow more comfortable you can increase how responsive the game becomes to your movements and the environment," he says.– TECH TRENDS
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This newsletter was written and curated by Alice Bonasio, a journalist and consultant obsessed with the immersive technology space, including AR/VR/MR/XR and any other acronyms that fit into the realities spectrum. Over the past 15 years, Alice has advised a wide range of start-ups and corporations on digital transformation and communication strategy and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Tech Trends. She also regularly contributes to publications such as Quartz, Fast Company, Wired, Playboy, The Next Web, Ars Technica, VRScout and many others. Follow her on Twitter @alicebonasio
Edited by Inside Dev and Inside Deals editor Sheena Vasani.
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