Design Interactive Uses Canon MREAL System for Mixed Reality Training

Canon U.S.A. has selected Design Interactive in Orlando, Florida as the first value-added reseller of Canon MREAL system for Mixed Reality in the United States. The MREAL System for Mixed Reality is a visualization tool that seamlessly combines the real and virtual worlds for a powerful immersive experience.

Design Interactive is a leading provider of training system development and experts in human-machine interaction. Design Interactive will sell the MREAL system as part of the specialized training they develop for government and industry clients who have employees in high-risk situations.

Canon MREAL Headset
Head-mounted display for Canon MREAL System for Mixed Reality

“We are pleased to welcome Design Interactive as a Canon MREAL reseller,” said Toyotsugu Kuwamura, executive vice president and general manager, BISG, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Through Canon’s MREAL System for Mixed Reality and integrated Training Management System, users in high-risk industries will be able to visualize a potentially dangerous scenario before they have to encounter it in the real world.”

Preparing for Dangerous Situations

High risk training is a specialized form of training for tasks that involve a high degree of risks related to safety or costs. High risk training is provided to professionals who are asked to work in environments that are normally dangerous or inaccessible.

The MREAL system is uniquely suited for high risk training because it can immerse users in virtual scenarios while allowing them to still see the real world – including their hands, tools, colleagues, and instructors.

Eileen Smith, Director, E2i Creative Studio at the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation & Training, said “High risk environments are multi-layered, and involve understanding how events put in motion will resolve themselves. Context is key in training, and the MREAL system allows the context to be altered easily and frequently to challenge a trainee throughout their journey toward excellence.”

Dr. Kay Stanney, CEO at Design Interactive said “The MREAL system provides a truly seamless and compelling blend between the virtual and real worlds. We are confident that it will help us deliver effective, engaging and value-added training solutions to government and industry clients.”

The integrated solution that Design Interactive will provide to its clients includes three key parts:

MREAL Display MD-10: Released in the U.S. in July 2016, the MREAL Display MD-10 features an expanded field of view and higher resolution than earlier models. The MD-10 enables trainees to immerse themselves in the virtual training scenario while still seeing real objects clearly and precisely.

MREAL Training Management System (MREAL TMS): The MREAL TMS acts as a central dashboard to collect and measure key performance metrics.  Instructors can review key data points and benchmarks to assess the trainee’s overall performance and retention. The MREAL TMS also integrates with select Learning Management Systems so instructors can incorporate the data into a broader curriculum.

MREAL Plug-In for Unity 3D: This tool enables instructors to leverage existing 3D content for training scenarios. The 3D content can easily be launched as part of an immersive experience within the MREAL system.

With these combined solutions, Canon and Design Interactive will bring next-generation capabilities enabling clients to reach mastery on complex tasks that can later be used in life-threatening situations in the field.

Mountainside Rescuers under Fire

In a post on the Design Interactive blog, Design Interactive experts discuss a mixed reality experience they developed to demonstrate the power of Canon’s Mixed Reality platform at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) Conference.

Design Interactive Canon MREAL
In a Design Interactive demonstration of the type of training that’s possible with Canon’s MREAL mixed-reality system I/ITSEC attendees could handle physical objects while visualizing the high-risk environment.

With Design Interactive’s mixed-reality experience, conference attendees visualized what it would be like to stand at the precipice of a bottomless void in the snow and be required to harness themselves to an icy rock wall so they could repel to help an injured warfighter. In the middle of the experience, the trainee takes fire. Another warfighter takes a bullet and the attendee must spring into action, applying a tourniquet under fire.

The Design Interactive blog post clarifies the differences between augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality systems. Unlike virtual reality systems like the Oculus Rift, MREAL provides the flexibility to couple virtual and physical elements. For example, your hands disappear from view if you lift your hands to your eyes while wearing an Oculus product. With MREAL, trainees can always see their hands, instructors, and the tools they need to accomplish the task.

Like augmented reality, the MREAL allows trainers to provide visualizations of instructions that can help trainees navigate or perform the task.

Designers of MREAL training exercises can choose to make the experience fully virtual or customize the amount of virtual content that is required for the job.

In addition to high-risk training, Canon is promoting the MREAL system for use in education, research, and manufacturing.

 

Survey on Creative Work Environments Shows Differing Opinions

According to research by The Creative Group staffing firm, managers and employees don’t see eye to eye about the type of office setting that provides the most creative work environment. Creative workers gravitated toward private offices, while managers preferred open-concept offices and cubicles.

In a recent survey, more than 400 advertising and marketing executives responded to this question: “Which of the following workspace arrangements do you think is most conducive to encouraging creativity?”

The executives’ responses were as follows:

  • Open-concept office (unenclosed spaces for multiple people): 36%
  • Cubicle (semi-enclosed workspace for one person): 21%
  • Shared office (enclosed workspace for 2-3 people): 19%
  • Private office (enclosed workspace for 1 person): 18%
  • Remote office (home, coffee shop, etc.): 4%
  • Don’t know: 1%

When 1,000 U.S. workers were asked the same question, their views were different. Many creative workers favored private offices. Here are the responses from the workers:

  • Private office: 36%
  • Open-concept office: 26%
  • Cubicle: 19%
  • Shared office: 14%
  • Remote office: 4%
  • Don’t know: 2%

Creating a Better Space

The Creative Group offers four ideas for creating a more stimulating work environment.

Construct creativity zones. Designate a few areas on the office for brainstorming and impromptu meetings. Stock each space with industry publications and an easel pad to jot down ideas.

Offer private sanctuaries. Provide stations where individuals can work in solitude without distraction. While open floor plans can increase collaboration among employees, some projects require greater focus and concentration.

Build a mood board. Encourage team members to post content they find intriguing to a common wall where others can draw inspiration. Also invite staff to take photos of anything they might want to reference for future projects.

Think outside the office. Hold team meetings in a nearby park, courtyard, or cafe. A change of scenery is sometimes all it takes to spark the imagination.

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in connecting interactive, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations talent with companies on a project, contract-to-hire, and full-time basis.

The Creative Group blog features career and management advice such as:

Switching from Graphic Design to UX Design

How Organizational Culture Can Impact Your Career Growth

 

Research from The Creative Group shows executives and workers differ on ideal work environment for creativity (PRNewsFoto/The Creative Group)
Research from The Creative Group shows executives and workers differ on ideal work environment for creativity (PRNewsFoto/The Creative Group)

 

 

Authors on Wattpad Writing Platform Can Earn Cash with In-Story Ads

Wattpad is an online writing platform for the creation and discovery of original stories. The Wattpad community connects more than 45 million people around the world who want to write, read, or comment on serialized stories about the things they love.

Wattpad writers comes from all walks of life. Some are best-selling novelists who want to build their audience. Others are casual writers who share stories for fun.

Every month, more than 2.3 million writers on Wattpad devote countless hours to writing, editing, and engaging with readers around the globe.

You can read Wattpad stories anywhere you go without downloading a PDF. You can also share comments on the story as you read it.
You can read Wattpad stories anywhere you go without downloading a PDF. You can also comment on stories as read.

The founders of Wattpad understand how much effort writers put into their stories every day: “We also recognize that making money from writing can be difficult – especially for online writers.”

So, Wattpad has created another way for writers to increase their earning potential. When ads are strategically placed between chapters of some of the most popular stories on Wattpad, the writer earns money every time a reader views the ad.

“The dynamic Wattpad community is unlike any other social platform. It’s the interconnected community of storytellers and audiences that makes the Wattpad Futures program a viable income source for writers,” said Wattpad’s co-founder and CEO Allen Lau. “Readers have always encouraged their favorite storytellers with messages, comments and votes. Now they can support Wattpad writers in a way that increases the writer’s income without having to pay out of pocket.”

White writers earn money doing what they love, advertisers have the opportunity to connect with millions of engaged, mobile-first Millennials and Generation Z readers.

Wattpad Stars

Writers who succeed in building an audience of readers with stories that go viral can apply for the Wattpad Stars program. Wattpad Stars receive career-building opportunities to see their writing come to life in feature films, publish books, or brand stories.

Wattpad has published tips for writers who want to publish their stories on the platform.

 

ARt: Augmented Reality to be Featured at Cyberarts Gallery

Although the world is abuzz about Pokémon GO, the first wildly popular game to use augmented reality (AR), artists have been creating AR art for years. To recognize some early adopters of AR technology, the Boston Cyberarts Gallery will present an exhibition entitled “ARt: Augmented Reality.”

The exhibition runs from September 17 through October 30, with an opening reception September 16.

Featured artists include: Joseph Farbrook, John Craig Freeman, Will Pappenheimer, and Zachary Brady.

AR Exhibit - Art-Cyberarts
“Drawing Constellations” by William Pappenheimer with Zachary Brady

Drawing Constellations by Will Pappenheimer, in collaboration with Zachary Brady, is an interactive drawing, installation, and app that uploads drawings to a constantly moving and evolving three-dimensional “constellation” situated outside the Gallery. Upon creating a drawing on a tablet, the user’s 3D drawing is then transferred into 3D augmented reality space, superimposed and sited at the gallery by GPS location.

Defending Virtual by Joseph Farbook is an AR-artwork in which a $100 bill rests on a traditional pedestal, inciting temptation. When viewed through a tablet screen, the bill is defended by a hand holding a gun and making threatening gestures at anyone who gets too close. As money is arbitrarily produced by governments, trade wildly on the stock exchange, and commoditized into debt, what does it currently represent? Both the value of money, and the defense of its value have become entirely virtual. Yet the consequences are often devastatingly real.

Green Street and AR, by John Craig Freeman is a site-specific AR art piece for smartphones and mobile devices. There are particular locations around the world where network activity has become so intense that the virtual world has begun to penetrate into the real world. Objects appear to replicate and float off into the sky. Entire buildings lose their mooring and drift away at the intersection of Green Street and AR.

About Boston Cyberarts

Boston Cyberarts is an umbrella organization for several ventures that focus on new and experimental media. George Fifeld founded it in 1999 with seed funding the Massachusetts Cultural Council. He defines “cyberart” as any artistic endeavor in which computer technology is used to expand artistic possibilities. In cyberart, the computer’s unique capabilities are integral elements of the creative process, in the same way that paint, photographic film, musical instruments, and other materials have always been used to express an artist’s vision.

In 2001, the Boston Cyberarts Festival presented one of the first Augmented Reality artworks in the world. Bruce Campbell from the Human Interface Technology Laboratory at the University of Washington showed his BCFlora, a simulator for plant structure created from a virtual plant genome in a Magic Book augmented reality environment.

During the 2011 Cyberarts Festival, Mark Skwarek placed an AR set of invading aliens throughout the Greenway Conservancy, around the Festival headquarters at Atlantic Wharf and across the channel to the Children’s Museum. Plus, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) hosted Manifest AR, an international group of AR artists who placed multiple AR art inside and outside the ICA.

The Boston Cyberarts Gallery supports experimentation in the arts through exhibitions, events, education, and collaboration with like-minded groups. The goal is to foster the development of new practices in contemporary art-making.

Located in the Green Street station on the MBTA’s Orange line in Jamaica Plain, the Boston Cyberarts Gallery is the only art space in the country located in a train station.

The ARt: Augmented Reality exhibition is free and open to the public.

RELATED POST

2011: See New Forms of Art at Cyberarts Festival

 

Electric Objects Wants Everyone to Display Digital Art

Electric Objects is a digital art platform that wants to put digital art on a wall in every home. The company’s first two initiatives include the development of the EO1 display and Art Club collections.

EO1

EO1 is an Internet-connected screen designed specifically for art. In addition to displaying high-resolution images and digitally created art, EO1 can play video and animations. Priced at $299, EO1 fits elegantly into any home.

The matte 1080p high-definition display features ultra-wide viewing angles and ambient light awareness.  It is not too bright and not too muted. The EO1 was designed to look more like a luminous oil painting than a glowing monitor.

Electric Objects Display
The EO1 display. Art by Folkert Gorter.

With the free iOS or Android app, you can use your smartphone to change the art on the wall. You can explore thousands of artwork shared by the Electric Objects community or browse the curated collection of original work in Electric Objects’ Art Club. Display any art in the app with the tap of a button.

Art Club

Art Club is a collection of hundreds of original works of art made exclusively for Electric Objects. Through the Art Club, Electric Objects supports artists interested in making work for display on the EO1.

In 2016, the Electric Objects Art Club Fund expects to spend $100,000 to commission new works of digital art. Artists are selected through periodic open calls for applications. Selected artists receive a commission of $500 and a free EO1.

Electric Objects Display
Display by Electric Objects. Art by Zolloc.

Electric Objects introduces new collections two or three times a week. They immediately invite EO1 owners to display the art in their homes.

Electric Objects has displayed the work of Art Club Artists at NADA Miami, the New Museum in New York City, and at the Electric Objects showroom in New York.

To learn about open calls, sign up for the Electric Objects artist newsletter.

Drone Photography Survey Shows Interest is Rising Among Pros

A “PPA-DronePhotoDrone Use Survey” conducted by Professional Photographers of America shows that interest in drone photography is rising.  In a recent survey of more than 1,000 professional photographers, nearly one-third of the respondents who aren’t currently using drones said they are “very likely” to include drone images as part of their product offerings in the next two to five years.

Other findings from the survey revealed:

Drones are being used most frequently in these four specialty areas: real estate (25.3 percent); commercial (19.1 percent), wedding (11.8 percent) and nature (11.4. percent).

Forty percent of respondents who currently aren’t using drones have had customers inquire about using them as part of their paid assignments.

The results from the PPA survey parallels data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that projects that sales of drones (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) will grow from 2.5 million in 2016 to 7 million in 2020.  The FAA also projects that the sale of drones from commercial use will double from 600,000 this year to 2.7 million in 2020.

PPA Resources

At PPA’s annual Imaging USA conference from January 8-10 in San Antonio, TX, PPA will share additional findings the from their organization’s survey. The conference will also include a first-of-its kind drone photography exhibit and live photography drone demonstrations.

“We pride ourselves in helping our members stay ahead of the latest and greatest technology resources available to professional photographers,” said PPA CEO David Trust. “As our survey and new FAA data revealed, drone usage and regulations are growing and changing. Our goal is to educate photographers so they can make informed decisions about when and if to add drone photography into their service offerings.”

Adding drone photography to a photography business involves more than the cost of the drone itself. For example, operators must comply with evolving FAA guidelines, pass TSA background checks, and take a UAS operator test. PPA publishes information about news related to drone regulations on their website.

See Immersive Art and Virtual Reality Exhibits at SIGGRAPH 2016

The annual SIGGRAPH conference is a five-day interdisciplinary educational experience for researchers, developers, and users of computer graphics and interactive techniques.  SIGGRAPH 2016 (July 24-28 at the Anaheim Convention Center) will feature two emerging opportunities for designers and artists: immersive art and virtual reality.

Siggraph 2016 logo

Data Materialities Art Gallery

The Art Gallery at SIGGRAPH 2016 will feature 10 highly interactive and immersive art installations that illustrate the theme “Data Materialities.”

According to SIGGRAPH 2016 Art Gallery Chair Jonah Brucker-Cohen, “We have made a special effort to bring back large-scale, highly immersive displays for the Art Gallery. Our title ‘Data Materialities’ illustrates the fact that in 2016 we are all constantly surrounded by networks, information, and data. Whether these stimuli consist of electromagnetic frequencies or physical wired connections, networks are everywhere, consuming and permeating our offices, homes, schools, and public indoor and outdoor spaces.” The exhibition will expose the plethora of data and not only show its complexity,  but allow us to relate to data on a human scale.

“By injecting humor and kinetic energy to this year’s exposition, the Art Gallery will make light of these data platforms and present them on a grand scale to reveal their ubiquity,” said Brucker-Cohen.

Here are few examples of the installations SIGGRAPH visitors can explore:

Submergence
Chris Benneworth, Liam Birtles, Oliver Brown, Gaz Bushell, and Anthony Rowe of Squidsoup

This large, walk-through experience uses more than 8000 individual points of suspended light to create feelings of presence and movement within physical space.

SIGGRAPH 2016 Art Gallery
Submergence © 2016 Squidsoup

The Kinetic Storyteller
Tine Bech, independent artist

This installation investigates how art, technology, and playfulness can create new systems of communication. Two beautiful swings light up and display social media messages, encouraging participants to connect while they play.

Plinko Poetry
Peiqui Su and Dequing Sun, New York University

This playful, interaction installation combines experimental blackout poetry with the “Plinko” game made famous on the TV show “The Price is Right.”  Every player can be both a winner and poet. Using text from @nytimes and @FoxNews tweets, players can absurdly recontextualize news headlines.

For more information about the Art Gallery at SIGGRAPH 2016, visit s2016.siggraph.org/content/art-gallery.

The Summer of VR

To celebrate “The Summer of VR,” SIGGRAPH 2016 will feature an unprecedented number of experiential and cutting-edge Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) installations.

In the VR Village, attendees can explore the potential for new VR and AR formats for telling stories, engaging audiences, and powering real-world applications in fields such as health, education, entertainment, design, and gaming. The 2016 VR Village will feature real-time immersion in tomorrow’s virtual and augmented realities, including short-form immersive filmmaking.

Presenters will represent major studios, independent filmmakers, game developers, universities, and non-profit organizations such as research labs and planetariums.

“When attendees at SIGGRAPH 2015 were surveyed, many of them stated they would definitely like to see more VR and AR experiences in 2016,” explains SIGGRAPH 2016 VR Village Chair Denise Quensel. “We have assembled a diverse array of VR/AR content that will captivate attendee interest throughout the week.”

Some examples are listed below:

Parallel Eyes: Exploring Human Capability and Behaviors with Paralelled First-Person View Sharing
by Sony Computer Science Laboratories, University of Tokyo, and Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media

This multiplayer VR attraction will allow viewers to play a game of “Tag.” During the game, each player will be able to “see” each other as if they had eyes in the back of their heads inside their VR headsets. Each player will be untethered (Nomadic VR) and will be able to hide from other players.

“Parallel Eyes”: Exploring Human Capability and Behaviors With Paralleled First-Person View Sharing © 2016 Shunichi Kasahara, Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.; Mitsuhito Ando, Kiyoshi Suganuma; Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media; Jun Rekimoto; Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., The University of Tokyo
“Parallel Eyes”: Exploring Human Capability and Behaviors With Paralleled First-Person View Sharing © 2016 Shunichi Kasahara, Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.; Mitsuhito Ando, Kiyoshi Suganuma; Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media; Jun Rekimoto; Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., The University of Tokyo

MechVR: Interactive VR Motion Simulation of a “Mech” Biped Robot
Clemson University

MechVR allows participants wearing VR headsets to go inside a physical motion simulator. Each player can embody a giant biped robot machine that will walk, run, and fly and use a hand controller to hit practice targets. The physical movements of the players will match the visuals presented on their VR screens. MechVR was originally developed for flight and training simulators, but could be used to develop new attractions for theme parks.

Synthesis Suit: The Full-Body Immersive Experience
Keio University, Rhizomatika Co. Ltd., and Enhance Games

Participants will wear a full-body, haptic VR suit that includes 18 power micro-sensors synced to a choice of VR environments. Users will be able to feel the beat and pulse of music within the synced environment. The creators will also showcase a custom game interface that takes full advantage of the suit’s potenial.

VR Village Storylab
This new initiative blends narrative, 360-degree VR content into a physical lab environment. It will display a diverse assortment of VR content related to art, entertainment, academics, science, and experience design.

Other features of the VR Village include showings of VR films by Google Spotlight Stories team, Carnegie Mellon University, and Baobab Studios and presentations about:  the art and science of immersion, production for VR storytelling, and how VR experiences can be agents of change.

For a closer look at the VR Village, visit: s2016.SIGGRAPH.org/VR-Village

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New about SIGGRAPH will be featured on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Vine, Google+, Snapchat, and the ACM SIGGRAPH blog.