Redefining Reality
Emerging Tech Roundup — December 18
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: VR fights racism, VR shines a light on agriculture, lucid dreaming and its link with VR, women impact the AI industry, a new VR camera is in production, AI enables virtual concerts, and the AR industry approaches a bright future.
Recreating Racism in VR to Fight Real Racism
(Axios, December 14)
VR is being used to help users experience the effects of racism. Developers hope that having a racist experience from the first person perspective will shed more light on the struggles that people of color face. Experience what it was like during the Jim Crowe era, during the times leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, and more by downloading or watching different projects on both VR headsets and 360 video.
The Farm Goes VR: John Deere’s Pitch for CES 2021 Puts You in the Tractor’s Seat
(CNET, December 14)
Farm equipment maker, John Deere, plans to make a mark in the VR world with a new tractor demo at CES 2021. CES is the world’s largest consumer electronics shows, and next year the entire show will be virtual. Deere’s demo and VR system will transport reporters and other users to a farm so they can see how agricultural products are used during planting season. The goal is to offer a different perspective of farming, its processes, and the technology involved.
How Virtual Reality Can Unlock an Elusive Dream State
(Inverse, December 14)
A new study found that people who took part in VR training experienced lucid dreams more than those who did not. The study divided 39 participants into three groups. One group went through VR training, the second group took a traditional lucid-dream training, and the last group had zero training. The results suggest that VR could be a resource used to train our brains to access this dream state, becoming more aware of this consciousness while dreaming.
8 Leading Women in the Field of AI
(Forbes, December 13)
The field of artificial intelligence is shaping our world everyday as we transition more into a virtual lifestyle. Globally, the industry is male-dominated, with only about 12% of AI researchers being female. In the article, Forbes highlights the backgrounds and careers of the top 8 females within the AI field.
FXG Announces the Next Big Step for VR Cameras
(VRScout, December 13)
FXG CEO, Nikk Mitchell, recorded himself using FXG’s 360-degree camera, “Seize,” and VR to express how he felt taking his first steps outside after being in quarantine. Now, FXG and Mi7 are creating a new, powerful 3D VR camera called the FM360 Duo. The camera looks like a pair of binoculars, but it offers high-resolution zooming. It uses two 3D lenses, providing more natural, human-eye-like IPD, which is good for both indoor and outdoor shooting.
Sensorium and Mubert Develop AI-Driven DJs for Virtual Reality Concerts
(Venture Beat, December 10)
Sensorium is working on virtual, AI-driven DJs that will perform at VR concerts. Partnering with AI streaming app, Mubert, the DJs will utilize a database of samples to create artificially-generated music. For 2021, the company will be launching “Galaxy,” which is a multiplayer VR experience for concerts with real artists, dancing, and other social interaction features.
Enterprise AR Will Follow These 3 Paths in 2021
(Venture Beat, December 9)
COVID-19 caused a big shift in our lives, forcing us to adjust to working and interacting virtually. This new lifestyle heavily impacted the AR industry, encouraging companies to develop AR technology to help us live “normally” in a virtual setting. Venture Beat predicts the outcome of the AR industry for 2021 by reflecting on this year’s industry leaders and AR concepts. They also highlighted the adjustment of companies converting physical assets to digital, as well as improvements that need to be made to the commonly used AR hardware.
