New Experiences Emerge From the World of Technology
Emerging Tech Roundup — August 21
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: Apple Glass gets a new patent and new capabilities, Facebook rolls out new VR experiences, AI helps bring Roman emperors back to life, Palantir could go public despite losing revenue, Verizon 5G brings a new NASCAR experience to fans, AI helps track emissions to bring accountability to companies’ environmental efforts.
Apple Glass Could Communicate With Other Devices for Accurate AR Mapping
(Apple Insider, August 18)
Rumor has it that the new Apple Glass could manipulate data from other units to accurately map out an area. With head mounted displays, it captures data from an environment and shares it for a better AR experience. Earlier this week, a patent was granted to Apple titled “Multiple user simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).” With this, Apple conveys that using multiple devices to share mapping information could be very beneficial by providing more accurate mapping for users. This would allow for better placements of virtual markers in a world, making digital objects and scenes appear in the same real-world location from multiple headsets or devices.
Facebook Rolling Out ‘Venues’ Beta on Oculus Quest, New Lobby and Social Features
(VRScout, August 14)
Facebook has begun to release early access to its updated Oculus app. The latest Oculus app includes updates that introduce new social features to Venues and Facebook Horizon-like avatars. Venues is the latest spot for entertainment, including things such as live music, comedy, and sports. With Venus, users will enter a new lobby location, which will allow them to stroll and experience a variety of different events. Users eligible for beta can now download the update to receive early access.
How a Designer Used AI and Photoshop to Bring Ancient Roman Emperors Back to Life
(The Verge, August 21)
In the past, art was being renovated to bring color back to faded painting, or to modernize old black and white films. Now, Artificial Intelligence is being used in the art world to go a step further. Designer, Daniel Voshart, is using this technology to create realistic images based on statues. Using Photoshop and the online program, ArtBreeder, he creates a digital image from statues, paintings, old coins, and then he makes adjustments based on historical accounts. From there, he’s able to fine tune the images until they have a photorealistic look to them.
Palantir, Tech’s Next Big I.P.O., Lost $580 Million in 2019
(NY Times, August 21)
Tech company, Palantir, is eyeing a public offering, despite losing $580 million last year. In total, the company has raised over $3 Billion in funding and has a current valuation of about $20 billion. The company has achieved such a high valuation because of its two pieces of software, Gotham and Foundry, which offer cloud-computing services with in-person support. The software is designed to assist with complex data analysis, and it’s being used by government agencies to help with supply chains and to track potential terrorist threats. This could be the next in a long line of Silicon Valley tech companies that goes public before ever turning a profit.
Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband Network Brings Unique Experience to Indy 500 Fans at Home
(Verizon, August 21)
Once again, NASCAR is making the most of technology in order to digitally bring their fans to races. For the upcoming Indianapolis 500 race, NASCAR is implementing Verizon’s 5G technology to create a unique viewing experience for fans. Using 360-degree cameras and the high speed 5G network, as well as an AR portal on mobile devices, select fans will be able to experience the race as if they are actually there. In addition, there will be a pre-race event for virtual fans to interact with the drivers. Finally, a 5G-connected broadcast camera will be streaming the race for the live broadcast on NBC Sports.
CarbonChain’s AI Tracks Emissions of World’s Biggest Polluters
(Interesting Engineering, August 21)
Tech company, CarbonChain, plans to use AI to help companies track their emissions. CEO, Adam Hearne, is hoping his company’s technology will give the world a clearer picture of how much pollution is coming from businesses worldwide, allowing organizations to observe the effectiveness of environmental regulations. He says he was pushed to take this action after his home country of Australia experienced wildfires earlier this year. He thinks the world needs to improve on their efforts to fight climate change, and he stated, “The world needs hard accounting and hard numbers of what commodities companies are producing.”
