Here’s an excerpt from one of the earlier drafts of our white paper on the link between cinematic vr and empathy, published as a white paper by the Tow Institute. Read that paper here. The purpose of this post is to contextualize the study within the respective fields of VR and psychology, drawing on empathy research published in academic journals, … Read More
Colombia VR Project #2: Medellin and the Colombian Book Festival
After a successful week in Bogota at the Centre for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation, I traveled to Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, to give another VR workshop and present the immersive experiences at the Medellin Book Fair. The workshop was held at the Parque Explora, next to the Botanical Gardens, which has proudly jumped with both feet first into VR … Read More
“I Survived” Virtual Reality Project in Colombia: Project Overview
We first approached the vast topic of the Colombian conflict in 2015, when a Colombian producer friend put us in touch with the Prison Fellowship (PF) of Colombia. PF had until that point been working exclusively (as its name suggests) in prisons, using a restorative justice framework to reconcile convicted criminals and their victims. The focus of restorative justice that … Read More
Global indigenous communities find their voices through new technology
In 2016, activists around the country gathered at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which they said could have detrimental environmental consequences. While the most publicized depictions of the historical event were photos and videos of protests between activists and police, The New York Times decided to create a 360-degree video … Read More
Celebrating Women in Tech
When it comes to technological innovations, women have always been at the forefront. Ada Lovelace, the daughter of poet Lord Byron, is considered to be the world’s first computer programmer for recognizing that a computer could have applications past simple calculations back in the first part of the 19th century. During World War II, it was largely female engineers who pioneered … Read More
February VR/AR News #1: Tech updates, mixed reality and how VR is changing the art/music industries
Featured Image: London-based startup Opto might be the first company to make quality mobile VR mainstream. According to Wareable, the company’s “Opto Air is made from a lightweight foam, offers built-in speakers plus a 100-degree field of view via double-aspheric lenses which Opto says are 25% bigger than rival mobile VR headsets.” Costing £98, the headset is a strong competitor for the Google Daydream … Read More
Life in Gawair: Entre Bastidores
Hoy estamos orgullosos de anunciar el lanzamiento de la primera parte de nuestra proyecto #LifeinGawair con el apoyo del Centro de Periodismo Europeo y el equipo Planeta Futuro de El País, lo cual puedes leer aqui. A pesar del foco en los talleres de prendas que suministran una gran cantidad de la ropa barata a las cadenas populares, también queremos … Read More
January VR/AR News #3: the VR White House, New Tech Projects and Empathy in Gaming
For Salon, Games for Change president Susanna Pollack discussed the power that VR games can have on encouraging compassion. “VR in itself, I think whether it’s a game or a story telling experience is a great opportunity for teaching empathy,” said Pollack. “We’re talking about the first-person and the role-playing opportunity to actually be immersed in an environment that you … Read More
January VR/AR News #2: AR/VR market growth, social connection and how museums might change
Google is partnering with museums to enhance visitors’ experiences with its augmented reality platform Tango. Starting with the Detroit Institute of Arts, Google is using the Tango-enabled Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, which is geared towards AR, to bring history to life. “Advanced sensors not usually seen in a phone are used to map depth and scale, which allows digital overlays to be … Read More
January VR/AR News #1: Predictions for 2017
Happy new year to you all – for our first post of the New Year, we are sharing some predictions for VR and AR in 2017. With the success of Pokémon Go, 2016 proved to be the year of AR. This will continue to be true in 2017, as Snapchat just brought Cimagine Media, which uses AR to sell products. … Read More