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A weekly summary of all things VR, AR & spatial computing
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Good Morning!

The 2020s are looming, and with Apple and Facebook's AR glasses scheduled for release within the next five years, it seems we're finally entering the spatial computing phase we first glimpsed with Jaron Lanier decades ago. Kicking off this week's collection is a blog from engineer Steve Cheney, which addresses a vital but little-talked-about component of AR glasses: the localization of high-throughput wireless with tech like Ultra Wideband. This excellent dive is followed by Next Reality's feature on shattering the VR vs. AR illusion, and a comprehensive and fascinating look at gastronomic VR experiences from Bloomberg. Don't miss the Michael Abrash Oculus speech roundup further down!

Here at RLab, we're getting ready for the next wave of interfaces that the 2020s will bring at this weekend's sold-out UX design for AR/VR intensive with Roland Dubois and Sam Brewton. Our course catalog continues to grow to meet the demand for professional development in this emerging space – if you don't see what you're looking for, you can take a quick survey to tell us what you want to learn.

Enjoy the newsletter!

- Justin
FOR THE MEDIA
On the Internet's Next Act
Former electrical engineer and programmer Steve Cheney believes our phone screens will become the equivalent of camcorders thanks to advancements in smart glasses tech, and he goes over the how in his latest blog. Cheney isn't here to list the usual rundown of emerging tech - in fact, he thinks 5G is "largely a mirage," and the real innovation in wireless is at the "localization and perception" levels.

The tech that will enable the secure transmission of data from your phone to your smart glasses will be Ultra Wideband - a little-known radio technology that has been built into the latest iPhone.


10 min read
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The Future of Augmented Reality — What to Expect This Year & in 2020
AR's storyline isn't tidy. This year we've seen high-profile startups like Meta, Blippar, and most recently Daqri crash and burn. Others like Microsoft and Magic Leap have enough cash-for-fuel to find a foothold in the industry, despite being early to the party. Who knows what will come out of Apple and Facebook in the coming years.

So where does everything converge into the neat reality of an augmented future? Next Reality author Adario Strange starts simple... with the end of the AR vs. VR comparisons: Strange believes we should take baby steps with each, since both inevitably lead to "interactive everything." This Pocket-lint podcast echoes a similar sentiment.


5 min read
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How Augmented Reality Will Bring Space Books to Life
Biochemist Michael Shaw sees big potential for AR in education - particularly for STEM. In a guest post for Space, Shaw speaks with AR book publisher The Wunder Company on the process of transforming passive readers into active participants. If you want to check out a free AR book example, you can download Sam Explores Our Universe.



4 min read
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Virtual Reality Is the Latest Dinner Party Trick
Those who've eaten in a dining-in-the-dark concept restaurant understand that an absence of sight can lead to a completely different perspective on food. It comes as little surprise then that eating food in different virtual environments changes your perception of taste.

At the FoodHack conference in Gwangju, in South Korea, Bloomberg author Richard Morgan was lucky to try out Aerobanquets RMX, a five-course meal served while you're immersed in abstract VR worlds. The experience was transformative, according to Morgan, food consultant Harry Parr, and Brooklyn Museum's director of visitor experience Sara Devin.



8 min read
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Why Paid VR Content Is Already Dead
Samuel Huber, founder at XR monetization platform Admix, has spoken to many XR content creators, and while they're passionate about the medium, their business plans almost invariably fall under "I'll publish it on Steam for $X." Huber says that few developers actually pull this off; his advice is to publish free, monetize later. Paid, Huber asserts, is a barrier to virality and scalability. To assert his point, he points to a page in the history of app downloads:



4 min read
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EVENTS & CLASSES
UPCOMING CLASSES AT RLAB

Online Course: UX Design and Strategy for Emerging Technologies

Start Date: September 30
Location: Online

This online course will provide executives who oversee product development with a solid understanding of the considerations for the new era of interfaces and UX. Register Here

Intensive: Shaders in Unity
Date: October 5, 10AM-7PM
Location: RLab

This 1-day master class covers the basics of writing a shader program, with a deep dive into using the power of the GPU to solve mathematics tasks as you write your own particle system from scratch. Register Here

Master Class: XR for Healthcare
Date: October 25-26, 10AM-7PM
Location: RLab

Explore innovations and opportunities for immersive tech in healthcare and learn how to apply your skillset as a game or interactive developer to work in this field in this 2-day master class. Register Here

Event: NextG Inspire
September 23, 5PM-8M @ Samsung 837

Be inspired by the capabilities of 5G through expert-led workshops, and partake in thought leadership discussions. Register Here

Class: Unity Platform - Intermediate
September 23-26, 3PM-6PM @ CUNY-on-the-Concourse

Expand your Unity know-how with this intermediate level course. Note: the free course "Introduction to Unity Platform" is a prerequisite. Register Here

Event: AWE Nite NYC Meetup
September 24, 6PM-10PM @ RLab

Monthly meetup featuring AR talks and demos. Register Here

Event: Oculus Connect
September 25-26 @ San Jose, CA
Annual conference bringing together developers, creators, and more to push the AR/VR industry forward. Learn More

Event: NYC Media Lab Annual Summit
September 26, 8:30AM-5PM @ New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn
XR continues to be a big theme at NYC Media Lab's Annual Summit. Register Here

Event: Emerging Technologies Colloquium in Augmented and Virtual Reality
September 27, 10AM-53PM @ Columbia University
Industry thought leaders share advancements in extended reality, including virtual & augmented reality, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Register Here


Class: Intro to Augmented Reality Storytelling with Spark AR Studio
September 27, 1PM-5PM @ Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Get started with producing a simple augmented reality experience for Facebook or Instagram. Register Here


Event: Animation Nights NY Best of Fest
October 5-6 @ Seaport District, NYC
Annual festival and conference featuring screenings, exhibits, an XR showcase, and industry events. Register Here

Event: NextG Build
October 7-9 @ Verizon 5G Labs
Invite-only workshop to test the power of 5G live, and transform your application into a 5G-enabled solution. Request an Invitation

Class: Introduction to Unity Platform
October 7-10, 3PM-6PM @ CUNY-on-the-Concourse
A free introduction to Unity's interface, asset store and customization features. Register Here

Event: AWE EU
October 17-18 @ Munich Germany

AWE returns to Europe for the fourth year. Don't miss the world's leading spatial computing (AR/VR/MR) event series. Register Here

Event: VR and Healthcare Showcase
October 23 @ RLab 
Showcase for investors and practitioners organized by VR Voice. Register Here

Class: Introduction to 2D Game Development
October 21-24, 3PM-6PM @ CUNY-on-the-Concourse
Get up and running with the Unity game engine, focusing specifically on working independently with its suite of 2D features. Register Here

Class: Unity Platform - Advanced
December 9-12, 3PM-6PM @ CUNY-on-the-Concourse
Sharpen your Unity skills with this hands-on course. Note: the course "Unity Platform - Intermediate" is a prerequisite for this course. Register Here

Class: Introduction to 3D Game Development
December 16-19, 3PM-6PM @ CUNY-on-the-Concourse
Build a third-person 3D game from the ground up utilizing Unity's suite of 3D game features. Register Here



OPPORTUNITIES & JOBS

Opportunity: Sundance New Frontier Story Lab
Deadline: October 1
Storytellers, artists, and creative technologists can now apply for the Sundance Institute's 2020 New Frontier Story Lab.  Learn More

Opportunity: ERA Winter '20 Accelerator
Deadline: October 28
Companies selected to participate in the four-month program will receive a $100,000 investment.  Learn More
INDUSTRY NEWS
Facebook Working on Smart Glasses With Ray-Ban, Code-Named 'Orion'
Facebook Reality Labs is working with Ray-Ban parent company Luxottica on AR glasses with a planned release date from 2023-2025. It's also developing its own voice assistant, which will serve as the input medium for the glasses. Will it actually ship? The lead time is far off, but Mark Zuckerberg asked hardware chief Andrew Bosworth to prioritize the glasses.



2 min read
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Oculus Connect: Facebook's Top VR Scientist Michael Abrash Predicts the Future Of VR
Oculus Connect 6 is quickly approaching, and one of the most anticipated keynotes will be by Oculus chief scientist Michael Abrash. To help us catch up with Abrash's past insights and predictions, UploadVR conveniently summarized his past five talks.


7 min read
Read More
Apple's iOS 13.1 Beta Reveals AR Headsets With 58- To 68-Degree FOVs
After discovering clues pointing to an AR headset in iOS 13 beta code, developers continue to burrow for further hints. Most recently, developer xSnow has found two new discoveries: FOV specifications (for three different AR headsets, codenamed Luck, Franc, and Garta) and a working demo that xSnow hacked together.



2 min read
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TRANSACTIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Karuna Labs' $3M Seed Round Will Support Clinical Validation of Its VR Chronic Pain Programs
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