In hardware news, Oculus revealed its new Touch at its third Connect conference on Thursday, Oct. 6. The $199 pair of hand grips brings Oculus on par or even past other motion controls released by Valve and HTC through its use of motion sensing and haptic feedback. At the conference, Mark Zuckerberg also demonstrated a new social VR experience that allows users to … Read More
Weekly news in 360 video and VR
The first U.S. Presidential Debate on Sept. 27 highlighted the current political polarization in the country, much of which plays out online on social media platforms like Twitter. But can communal VR spaces be a solution to promote productive political discussions? AltspaceVR thinks so. The company has spent a year building a VR community mostly to share collective entertainment experiences like virtual Dungeons & Dragons games. … Read More
This week in VR/AR: Dreaming, touching and education
This past week, there have been a series of tech developments in virtual and augmented reality. For one, Nikon took a step into the VR space with its new KeyMission series of cameras. In addition to the GoPro-like KeyMission 170 and KeyMission 80 chest camera, the KeyMission 360 is a strong new competitor for action. In addition to shooting 360 video … Read More
Last week in VR/AR: iPhone 7, Snapchat and a hedgehog
The biggest develops in VR/AR last week weren’t directly in the field, but in seemingly unrelated industries. Mostly importantly, the highly anticipated announcement of the iPhone 7 hints at a (near) future of mobile technology embracing new forms of reality. For uploadvr.com, Az Balabanian wrote, “…the micro-innovations in Apple’s optical technology, computer vision, machine learning, and wireless audio make iPhone 7 a device with all … Read More
Comparing virtual reality to 3D video
Soumen Ganguly, a management consultant with more than 14 years experience in the telecommunications, media and technology space, thinks there is a lot of potential for virtual reality (VR). Unlike 3D, which at a pointin the 2000s was seen as a game changer in media consumption, virtual reality is more widely applicable, leading to “diverse, high quality content.” In addition, it … Read More
Featured in Journalism.co.uk
Check it out: #STOPtrafficking2016 made it on the front page of Journalism.co.uk “Imagine you are walking down the street in Rio during the Olympic Games or in the United States, where the US presidential elections are still in full swing. You reach a billboard or a sign showing the Olympic rings or Hillary Clinton’s campaign logo, and by simply pointing your … Read More
Can VR induce empathy? Behind our work with the Tow Center at Columbia Journalism School
Can new technologies like virtual and augmented reality and 360 video induce empathy in users? That is what Empathetic Media founder Dan Archer is studying in collaboration with Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism. A first of its kind project, this research will result in an analysis of empathy and whether users can more closely relate to characters and situations in a VR … Read More
Learn about our new AR story #STOPtrafficking2016
The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30 seeks to find justice for the approximately 21 million people who are trafficked annually around the world. This is a global issue: according to the UN, at least 127 of the 195 recognized countries have reported incidents of trafficking. Empathetic Media has partnered with the ATTeam from the Red Cross Pancevo (part of the … Read More
Four facts about human trafficking
The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30 seeks to find justice for the approximately 21 million people trafficked annually around the world. Empathetic Media has partnered with the ATTeam of the Red Cross of Pancevo in Serbia to raise awareness about the issue of modern human slavery. The story, entitled “#STOPtrafficking2016”, will be hosted on Empathetic Media’s free … Read More
Telling the story of modern human slavery through augmented reality
Osei is a young boy in Ghana forced to work for a fishing master. Hari is a father in Nepal trapped in debt bondage. Gwen is a teenager in the United States stuck in a prostitution ring. What do all three of these people have in common? They have all been affected by human trafficking. The World Day Against Trafficking … Read More