Tech Leaders Explore New AR/VR Tools and Their Effect on People
Emerging Tech Roundup — August 19
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: ATI furthers the production of ‘a-books’, researchers look into the variation of cybersickness across people, patients’ mental health is monitored using AI, Elon Musk explores brain-to-computer connections, NASA invests $50 Million in enhanced space exploration, TikTok increases compatibility with Meta via its new feature and VR-tracking shoes are on the horizon.
‘Magic Bookmark’ Revealed as Key to Augmented Reality Books
(The Guardian, August 8)
Researchers at the Advanced Technology Institute are exploring the production of ‘a-books’, which readers are able to interact with at the swipe of a finger. Readers could swipe over a perplexing line of text in a book and have additional background information presented on their phone, for instance. The newest feature of the a-book is a magic bookmark, activated with the help of embedded “ultra-thin” solar panels in between two sides of a sheet of paper.
Researchers Explore How People Adapt to Cybersickness from Virtual Reality
(Iowa State University, August 15)
Researchers at Iowa State University are exploring cybersickness in VR users and how it varies across people. Initially, they found that people who get seasick or carsick are more likely to experience cybersickness as well. Researchers also found that women reported more severe cybersickness than men did throughout the four VR-play sessions. In the long run, the team hopes to use the data found to form a pre-VR training that can help users better acclimate to cybersickness.
Ellipsis and Ceras Health Partner to Monitor Patients’ Mental Health Using AI
(Fierce Biotech, August 15)
Ellipsis Health, a San Francisco-based startup is creating a system that uses deep learning AI to analyze a voice sample. The AI models listen to both semantic and acoustic patterns — that is, what a person says and how they say it — to determine the severity of an individual’s stress, anxiety and depression. The collaboration will embed Ellipsis’ AI into Ceras Health’s continuous clinical monitoring platform, which primarily targets vulnerable patient populations in the U.S., including those on Medicare. Throwing Ellipsis’ voice analysis AI into the mix will allow healthcare providers to monitor real-time changes in their patients’ mental health boosting overall outcomes.
Elon Musk Wants to Hook Your Brain Directly up to Computers Starting next Year
(NBCNews, July 17)
The Tesla and SpaceX founder announced a goal of implanting chips into human brains starting next year to create direct connections from humans to computers. Testing on animals is already underway as “a monkey has been able to control the computer with his brain,” and the first prototype could be implanted in a person by the end of next year, Musk stated. Musk founded Neuralink Corp. in 2016 to create “ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers.” The company said in 2017 that its initial goal was to devise brain interfaces to alleviate the symptoms of chronic medical conditions.
NASA Spends $50 Million to Develop Next-Gen Processor for Space Exploration
(PCMag, August 17)
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has selected Microchip Technology Inc. to design and develop a new High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) processor for future lunar and planetary exploration missions. The $50 million contract with Microchip will allow them to architect, design, and deliver the new processor over the next three years. The goal is to produce a chip with 100x the computational capacity of the spaceflight computers NASA relies on today, while at the same time offering big improvements in reliability and fault tolerance.
New TikTok Feature Lets Creators Share TikTok Stories to Facebook and Instagram
(TechCrunch, August 17)
A new feature rolling out now from TikTok will see the short-form video app’s content showing up in more places across Meta’s social networking platforms. TikTok confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s launching a new sharing feature that will allow users to publish their TikTok Stories to both Facebook and Instagram. Meta advised its creators that it would prioritize original content on Reels across Instagram and Facebook, noting its algorithms would be on the lookout for watermarks — such as the one TikTok includes on its videos, for example.
Full-Body VR Tracking Shoes Coming Soon To Kickstarter
(VRScout, August 15)
VR specialty device company Surplex unveiled a pair of futuristic sneakers that allow you to interact more realistically with VR experiences with comfortable full-body immersion. Each shoe features 240 flexible pressure sensors and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) capable of tracking angles in real time. When used with the company’s deep learning algorithm, the shoes are able to accurately track your movement and translate it to VR. The company says that the shoes will be compatible with various games and apps and promises six hours of battery life on a single charge with an easy set-up process.
