|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good morning!
This week was a blur of news and rapid changes as the reality sets in that the fight against the advance of coronavirus is going to require dramatic changes to the way we live and work. At RLab, we follow NYU's policies and procedures, and have moved most of our programs and activities online, postponing gatherings and activities that cannot be conducted online. We'll be sure to keep you up to date as the days progress - and always feel free to contact us. I'm at justin@rlab.nyc.
On to the news of the week. Wired ruminates on how society will have to reevaluate the way we work (and how we're going to need "a lot more tech" to get where we should be), Next Reality and Road To VR present lists of AR and VR collab tools, and contemporary artist KAWS shows off his Companion figure in AR.
In industry News, we learn that XR saw $4.1B in funding last year, find out Magic Leap is considering a sale (or partnership), and glean lessons from Improbable's SpatialOS struggles.
The event listings below are subject to change on short notice. Please double check with event organizers for the latest status.
Stay safe.
- Justin |
|
|
|
| MUST-READS |
|
|
| VR Was Supposed to Help Us Work Remotely. So Where Is It? |
"We're going to need something better than a better conference call."
A few years ago VR was crowned the future of remote work, yet Zoom's one-tap dial-in (which enters the conference code on a phone for you) is among the pinnacle of remote conferencing convenience today.
Wired's point is not that VR has failed to live up to the high bar set several years ago, but rather that as COVID-19 spreads and remote work becomes more popular, how (and why) we physically move to get to work will be reevaluated - "and we're going to find that we need a lot more technology."
7 min read |
|
|
|
|
|
| Large Augmented-Reality Figures Hover Over Times Square |
KAWS - the prominent contemporary artist who got his start animating for Disney films - recently ported his popular Companion figure to AR. KAWS partnered with XR art company Acute Art to create an app (which you can download on the Acute site) that lets users view Companions in 12 major locations around the world.
What got our attention was the monetization aspect. KAWS and Acute are selling 25 limited edition AR Companions for $10k, putting the work up there with The Fabricant's $9.5k dress, Obvious' Belamy portrait, and the hardware CryptoKitty. Collectors are seeing virtual art as an appreciable asset, which spells interesting things for future XR artists.
6 min read |
|
|
|
| COMMUNITY NEWS |
In At the Brooklyn Navy Yard It’s Full Steam Ahead, The New York Times visits a few of the artists and manufacturers who are turning the Brooklyn Navy Yard into a "maker empire" and leading the Yard's resurgence as a hub for art, design and technology innovation. From battleships and aircraft carriers to furniture and sculptures, the Yard has always been a place people come together to make things. We're looking forward to the day when we can bring our community of creators together again in Building 22.
 |
|
| EVENTS & CLASSES |
|
|
UPCOMING CLASSES AT RLAB
Online Course: UX Design & Strategy for Emerging Technologies
Starts March 25
This 2-month online course gives product designers and managers a solid understanding of considerations for a new era of interfaces and UX. Provided in partnership with Emeritus and NYU Tandon. Register Here
Intensive: Motion Capture
April 3-4 @ RLab
Get hands-on experience with motion capture hardware and software used to develop avatars and create realistic movement in this 2-day master class. Register Here
Intensive: UX Design for AR/VR
May 1-2 @ RLab
Learn and develop your skills for creating experiences across the mixed reality spectrum in this 2-day interactive workshop. Register Here
Online Course: UX Design Principles for AR & VR
Starts May 19
This 2-month online course gives UX designers an understanding of how to design UX for AR & VR technologies. Provided in partnership with Emeritus and NYU Tandon. Register Here
|
|
Event: XR Europe 2020
April 28-29 @ London
Join thought leaders from major growth verticals to discuss how VR & AR/MR can bring ROI and propel your business forward. Discount code: 5099RLAB100 for a discount. Register Here
Event: XR Immersive Enterprise 2020
May 5-6 @ Boston
A look at how virtual, augmented & mixed reality are transforming training, collaboration, design, manufacturing and marketing across industry. Discount code: 5107RLAB100.
Register Here
Event: LDV Vision Summit
May 13-14 @ New Lab
The premier global gathering in visual tech. 20% off tickets with discount code: RLAB. Early bird tickets available through April 24.
Register Here
Event: Symposium & Hackathon for VR/AR in Healthcare
June 25-28 @ Boston
Clinicians, scientists, designers, developers and other experts form interdisciplinary teams to build amazing prototypes, learn about VR/AR/XR, and experience interactive lessons on how to create it. Apply Here
Event: The Art of Immersive Storytelling
June 29 - July 3 @ Anderson Ranch Arts Center Registration Deadline: March 4
Join Maya Georgieva, Director XReality Center at The New School for an intensive storytelling workshop at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center this summer.
Register Here
OPPORTUNITIES & JOBS
Job: AR Creator, IL3X
IL3X, an AR clothing and accessories label designed to be worn in digital spaces only, seeks a designer to create 3D renders and animations. Ideal for a recent graduate. Email IL3X to learn more
Opportunity: LDV Vision Summit Startup Competition
Deadline: March 24
Visual tech startups with <$2M in funding are invited to apply to showcase your technology to leading investors, technologists and operators. Submit Here
Competition: Games for Change Student Challenge
Deadline: March 31
All middle and high school students nationwide can enter their original social impact games for the chance to win awesome prizes and national recognition.
Learn More
Opportunity: NYC Media Lab & ASCAP Challenge
Deadline: April 3
11-week summer prototyping program seeking university teams to explore how emerging and spatial tech might unlock new ways to compose and experience music. Apply Here
Opportunity: ITP Camp
Deadline: May 15
4 week crash course/playground for non-student makers, artists, musicians, programmers, fabricators, and creatives of all sorts. Apply Here |
|
|
|
|
INDUSTRY NEWS
|
|
|
| Digi-Capital: Over $4.1 Billion Invested in AR and VR in 2019 |
Digi-Capital's analytics platform tracked $4.1B in investments in XR in 2019 - lower than 2018 and 2019, but still the third-highest ever. Industries with the highest deal volume include education, medical, and enterprise software, while XR tech and social companies saw the most investment value.
3 min read |
|
|
| Augmented-Reality Startup Magic Leap to Explore a Sale |
Bloomberg broke the news that Magic Leap is working with an adviser to possibly sell the company (or a large portion of it), or form a partnership. Our first question is - who's the potential buyer?
According to the piece, an initial meeting with Facebook didn't take off: "the social media giant [is] already facing rising tariffs and coronavirus-related production pressures for its own VR headsets," and isn't interested at the moment (a bit of a juxtaposition to Facebook's rejected $3B all-cash offer for Snapchat in 2013, and $2B acquisition of Oculus the year after).
Bloomberg analyst Jitendra Waral predicted that "AR hardware may be limited to enterprise uses for the next several years," and that "whoever buys [Magic Leap] needs to have the financial capacity to carry the products through as AR is still evolving."
4 min read |
|
|
|
| SoftBank-Backed Improbable's Effort to Revolutionize Gaming Industry Is Struggling |
When XR studios are faced with difficult challenges, it's easy for the media to zoom way out and list major issues after-the-fact. But the biggest lesson with Improbable's struggles - three games that use the engine have already been pulled - is that small incremental issues snowball.
Bloomberg reports that several people close to the matter said part of the problem is Improbable "surprised developers with frequent updates that forced game studios to spend more time fixing code." Currently, open-world VR game Nostos is the sole title using the company's SpatialOS.
10 min read |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
