VR/AR

Augmented and Mixed Reality Technology In Policing_ Science Fiction or Reality (2)

June 27, 2018

Mixed and Augmented Reality Technology In Policing: Science Fiction or Reality?

Augmented reality solutions are now the talk of the tech world. Who could have thought that augmented reality technology that has long been used for putting mustaches on your selfies would be used in policing?

Let’s be real. Processing a crime scene can be grim at the best of times. Collecting all physical evidence that could possibly illuminate what happened at an incident location is a long, troublesome process that requires great effort, focus and concentration. Police officers, who are responsible for securing the scene so no evidence is destroyed, should have an eye for details and boast good memory — no aspect of the place of crime investigation can be lost on them.

Sometimes, detectives make mistakes and when they do, there’s a chance that a criminal can escape a sentence. So, can AR improve this situation and be used in policing during crime investigation?

Sure!

Dutch Police Used Augmented Reality to Investigate Crime

Early on, the concept of AR in forensics existed only in science fiction. Yet, Dutch Police have been already applying augmented reality to help first responders, who may be less qualified, provide assistance at the scene of an emergency. Underqualified officers could use either a smartphone or Microsoft HoloLens to accurately spot the condition of the floor, doors, windows, and lighting. Augmented and mixed reality apps allow the investigator as well as remote teams to virtually point and capture important elements at the scene.

AR Apps for Forensics that are Already Available on the Market

tuServ App

tuServ is an app that works together with Microsoft HoloLens to facilitate police officers on duty by mapping out the crime zone in real time and then crafting a digital recreation by means of virtual markers, 3D objects, video, and audio — all while excluding any hazard of corrupting the physical evidence.

Mapping out the area by HoloLens allows capturing details that can be unnoticed by the naked eye. After the scene of offense has been mapped out, it can then be instantly shared with other detectives without the need to be physically present at the location of a crime. The app can transport officers back to the killing ground and recollect every detail of the site.

Trace App

Another solution, called Trace, is an app that also enhances the process of crime scene investigation. Having a few pairs of goggles available while walking through the crime scene will help keep every single detail in the “mind” of the app, as the place is scanned and digitally preserved. Anyone who’s dealt with crime scene analysis can relate — wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to waste time to make notes or take pictures to have a reference? With Trace app, investigators can describe objects orally and record everything they see by wearing AR glasses. The piece of evidence remains in the virtual space along with the annotations left by the officer.

Aside from that, the shreds of evidence remain in the virtual space along with the annotations and can be easily accessed by investigators, attorneys and forensics at any point in time. This also means the mapped-out AR crime scene could be used as evidence when the case goes to trial.

Final Words

Advances in AR are giving police an unprecedented ability to solve cases — and AR came to the rescue when law enforcement agencies had to equip their officers with new, efficient gadgets.

Here at AVRspot, we have AR experts who can develop an AR solution for forensics. Contact us, and we’ll give a shape to your business idea.

June 21, 2018

Why Do You Need to Invest in AR?

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AR demonstrated its potential after the launch of Pokémon Go and now has the tech world hold its breath. Realistic interaction of the virtual elements with the physical environment and unique ability to enhance the existing world make AR alluring for those who want to start a business.

AR is ubiquitous and off to a flying start

You may think that after launching an AR solution, not everybody will be able to use it. Well, this is not the case. As Google and Apple are making big bets on augmented reality apps for smartphones, AR is becoming accessible to everyone who has a smartphone. After announcing their own AR tools — ARKit and ARCore — that enable developers to build augmented-reality apps for iOS and Android, app implementation process has become much easier than before.

Large сorporations invest in AR

Facebook

At the company’s annual F8 Developer conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced his plans to make Facebook and other apps available through AR. “Think about how many of the things around us don’t actually need to be physical,” he said. Not surprisingly, Facebook it’s not the one titan of the tech industry doing so.

Apple

If you didn’t hear the first 50 million times it was mentioned before, Apple is working on a powerful, wireless headset for AR and VR as well as actively pushes augmented reality in iPhones and iPads. Apple CEO Tim Cook said, that this technology is potentially as important as the iPhone. He sees bigger possibilities in AR than VR, partly because augmented reality allows you to be more present.

Google

Following Apple’s footsteps, Google started working on a standalone AR gear, called “Google A65.” It’s not the first Google’s attempt to enter the AR market with a headset. You definitely remember notorious Google Glass initially designed and released as a prototype, and later promoted as a finished product, meant to represent the next generation of AR glasses. From its early users, the company gathered a bountiful amount of feedback. Users shared thoughts on the design, function, and, most importantly, it was helping them experience AR in a new manner.

The new headset is said to resemble Microsoft HoloLens and is packed with various functions, including 1030p video capture, 3D overlays, rendering interfaces, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS and the Android neural networks application programming interface.

The fact that Facebook, Google, and Apple are all very much ‘in’ is the reason to think that AR is a booming business for the upcoming years.

To leverage a truly compelling service in terms of the customer value, companies need to craft apps that meet real needs and bring customers more immersive and personalized experiences.

If you’re ready to take the leap and invest in Augmented Reality, or just want to learn more, contact our expert right now to get a free consultation.

June 7, 2018

ARGuide: Augmented Reality Assistant for Real Estate

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When I feel the Summer heat on my skin I want to make a few flights, take a step on the flawless white sand and look out at the clear and warm water, or just visit NYC. I’m pretty certain everybody does. Yet, it makes a difference when it comes to renting an apartment or hotel. There’s nothing like a bit of confusion when figuring out how home appliances work at the apartment you just rented. And if the coffee machine is something I can live without, a water heater, an oven or a dish machine are home appliances that are absolute must-haves. I don’t want to try to get through to the host if it’s 1.00 am or waste my money on expensive roaming calls.

There’s even more to the story.

A close friend of mine has a property to rent, and I was lucky to stay there. I never realized how much time and effort it takes for hosts to explain to guests how gadgets work and where to find what. Having to live on the phone when someone rented my friend’s apartment for a couple of days was a complete waste of time.

She could hire a person who would do this for her, but it’s quite pricey. Explaining what to do if guests need hot water or, what’s more, coming to the apartment to make a personalized room tour keeps her from concentrating on her work or visiting her relatives on weekends. Written reminders and a bunch of stickers with instruction on the fridge can be lost…and trying to write the user’s manual on a small piece is a challenge.

However, an old assumption that, as a host, you have to stay somewhere close to the apartment, or as a guest — hastily look for the manual on the internet for the device whose model or brand you have no idea about is dead. There’s a revolution afoot, and it is led in by ARguide.

What is ARguide?

Powered by augmented reality, ARguide is a platform that helps both, hosts and guests save time and money by providing them with necessary information about home appliance location within the apartment, how-to-use instructions, hidden items, wi-fi passwords, contacts — anything your guest might need to know when living in your house.

The app helps you easily navigate through the apartment, find household equipment and devices.

How it works for property owners

In the space of 20 minutes with ARguide you can create a 3D map of your property once and start sending the map link to each guest with all instructions needed. ARguide scans the space, loads the map and… voilà, you have pointers showing objects location and user manuals. Fast, easy, free.

For example, I spent just 10 minutes to create this tour:

Moreover, ARguide may be integrated with Booking, Airbnb, Expedia or any other rental booking service. Just send the link to your guest along with a message.

ARguide is about small details that guests will notice, and that will make them feel good about renting a house you offer, see that you really care, feel your appreciation and keep clients coming back over and over again.

How it works for guests

With ARguide you can get a real-time guide to any house or apartment. Can’t figure out how to turn the oven on? Don’t know how TV works? Looking for dishes? The ARguide app will save you from messing up the house or annoying the property owner with frequent questions.

No more calling in roaming while traveling. Just load the app and you will have all the apartment information in the right place. Anytime. Free.

If you want to shake up and revolutionize Real Estate business or get more information about the ARguide platform, contact AVRspot and we will answer all your questions.

June 5, 2018

How much does augmented reality application development cost in 2018?

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Nowadays, businesses must pursue innovative and effective ways to remain competitive and grow outside of their traditional core business — and many perceive augmented reality as a strong opportunity to do so. A handful of companies including Snapchat, IKEA, and L’Oreal have creatively utilized AR technology in their marketing strategy and now clearly see advantages of this groundbreaking technology.

According to Digi-Capital, AR is set to be three times as profitable as VR is, especially for enterprise users (read more about VR project estimation here). An overwhelming growth of this technology during the past few years allows companies to realize the sheer magnitude of potential in AR application investments.

So, how much does it costs to jump on the AR bandwagon?

Let’s start with the technical part.

Augmented Reality SDK

One of the first stages of AR app development is choosing an SDK.

Choose an SDK depending on the type of the app you want to develop, its functions and a platform where the app should work on.

A Software Development Kit (SDK) is a set of handy tools, libraries, relevant documentation, code samples, processes, and guides for developers to write application programs.

Here’s a list of the most Popular SDKs for you to choose:

ARKit

ARKit is a fairly advanced set of tools for creating AR experiences for iOS. As the device is moved, ARKit performs environment mapping by means of the iOS device’s camera, accelerometers, gyroscope and context awareness. ARKit blends digital objects and information with the environment around you, taking apps far beyond the screen and freeing them to interact with the real world in entirely new ways.

ARCore

ARCore is a development platform for building augmented reality apps (Android mobile devices). ARCore tracks the position of the mobile device and builds its own understanding of the real world. To integrate virtual content with the real world, ARCore uses motion tracking, environmental understanding, and light estimation.

Vuforia

Vuforia is the most popular SDK that enables the creation of AR apps. It uses computer vision technology to recognize simple 3D objects in real-time, overlays 2D- and 3D-elements has a built-in Smart Terrain function and also supports OpenGL.

Wikitude

This SDK combines instant tracking technology, object recognition and tracking, top-notch image recognition and tracking and geolocation AR for mobile, tablets and smart glasses. It provides a JavaScript API to enhance AR experience as well as supports Native API for iOS and Android.

OpenCV

OpenCV or Open Source Computer Vision Library has C++, Python and Java interfaces and supports iOS and Android. Its functions mainly aimed at real-time computer vision. OpenCV’s application areas include: facial recognition system, gesture recognition, human-computer interaction (HCI), motion understanding, object identification, augmented reality etc.

You can read more about each SDK by clicking on the links provided. If you are not sure which one will be perfect for your app, you can ask our AR geeks and we will help you to make the right choice.

Related: How Much Does AR or MR Training Simulator Development Cost?

Initial stages: requirements & planning

Information about your product vision, apps’ features, APIs and other technical details make successful documentation. For the app to perform an action expected from the user, you should also describe how the app would be perceived, and what particular actions the user will take. The more details, the better. By the way, photos, sketches or wireframes illustrating your requirements would be helpful.

Project documentation for AR app development takes 3 – 10 days.

Here, at AVRspot we would create documentation if you don’t have any or if it’s hard for you to compile it on your own. It’s easy to be more specific and calculate the time and cost baselines to develop the augmented reality app with well-built and accurate documentation.

AR development project estimation lasts 2-5 days. The length of this phase depends on project size and complexity.

AR development estimation

The general development time can vary from several weeks to several months. It can take even a year if the app functionality and 3D content are very complex.

P. S. Development time and prices mentioned corresponding those AVRspot would need to accomplish AR/VR projects.

1. If you want to develop a simple AR app with ARkit, it can be created by one developer in just 1-2 weeks. A simple AR solution, where the users can observe a house, simply putting their phone camera on the plain area and walk around the house is the kind of an app that can be implemented quickly if 3D models are ready.

2. One more trendy app type is the one containing facial features recognition. From securing your business and maximizing the value of your digital assets, to transforming your brand experiences — integrating face recognition into a mobile app is truly rewarding. Facial features recognition development has never been easy and can last approximately 1,5 – 2 months.

3. The next generation of navigation is indoor/outdoor mapping. With a smartphone in hand and such a solution, it is easy for customers to find their way to a destination, even in an unfamiliar place. An indoor mapping development for a complex venue will last at least 2 – 3 months.

4. Users have difficulties in finding and understanding the solution in the long user manual and sometimes they misunderstand the procedures. If there would be a mobile app which aids users to deal with a new product, car or a coffee machine, so you don’t need a manual, wouldn’t it be awesome? Augmented reality gives a possibility to create an interactive user manual. Object recognition app development of an average sized item can take 1 to 3 months.

5. An architectural visualization or 360 walkthroughs can be created in both, VR and AR modes. You can read more information about the cost and time needed for VR walkthrough app in our previous blog. In AR tour the potential buyers can explore how the building looks or will look like if it is not built yet. Overall, 3D modeling and app development can take up to 6 weeks or more. 360 photo tour can be done in 1-5 days depending on photos quality and quantity.

6. The multiplayer role-playing games in augmented or virtual reality are in the mainstream right now. Yet, these are not the easiest. Even a simple multiplayer AR game development can last up to 2 months.

Approximate costs for their development will be as follows:

Simple AR app with ARkit/ARCore without 3D modeling services — starting from $3 500*

360 virtual tour — starting from $3 500*

Architectural visualization — starting from $3 500*

Object recognition with computer vision — starting from $ 6 000*

Facial features recognition app — starting from $ 6 000*

Indoor/outdoor mapping — starting from $ 7 000*

AR multiplayer role-playing games – from $19 000*

If you have any concerns about the price and time estimation, AVRspot will provide you with all the necessary services and resources required to complete the project.

AR development estimation can take from 2 to 24 hours.

Platforms

AR apps can be developed for iOS as well as for Android phones and tablets.

VR application development rates

AR development rates vary among countries, thus you can choose a development team that fits your budget.

US and Canada — $50-$250 per hour,

Western Europe — $50-$200 per hour;

Eastern Europe — $20-$100 per hour;

India — $15-$70.

AVRspot offers $30-60 per hour.

Where do you go from here?

We have the people, skills, insights and deep industry experience needed to shape a perfect AR application. If you are looking for an effective way to improve your business, it’s a great opportunity to start now. Contact AVRspot, and our AR experts will help you to increase revenue growth as well as find an access to new markets and customers.

* final price depends on many factors such as project complexity, modules such as analytics, reporting, back-end system, integration, hardware setup, multiplayer, etc.

May 29, 2018

How much does VR application development cost in 2018?

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VR technologies are becoming more popular and virtual reality market is projected to reach $48.5 billion by 2025, according to a new report conducted by Grand View Research, it’s more important than ever to consider incorporating VR technologies into your business. By the way, you can check our previous blog if you want to know about AR project cost. By injecting agility into healthcare, education, military, construction, and architecture technology, virtual reality allows businesses to quickly and creatively solve the most complex business challenges.

So, how much will it cost to build a VR application? What are the main product estimation stages and how much time the solution development will take? How can you calculate the approximate costs of your VR app?

Pre-requirements for VR app development

It’s always important to have reliable documentation to guide the development process. This will be helpful for the developers to know the goals of the project and also provide an assurance to the customer that the final product meet the initial requirements.

Documentation is a vital thing. It should include functional specifications and information about the key app features. That would be great if you could provide additional information via screenshots, pictures or sketches — it will help to better understand app peculiarities and deliver the desirable solution respectively.

With precise functional specifications, engineers will be able to create a solution meeting the needs of the customer. Write it from the user’s perspective, including how your VR product can solve the problems users face.

Describing the flow of how the user will navigate through the VR app will help clearly understand your expectations.

The project documentation ensures maintenance throughout the lifecycle of a project.

The documentation can be written by both – by the customer or by the virtual reality development companies. If you want to order such a service it can take from 2 up to 6 days.

The incredible variety of VR headsets allow customers to choose the best one for their solution.

Our team creates applications for Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, HTC Vive, Gear VR, Lenovo VR/MR, Google Cardboard, Microsoft HoloLens etc.

Related: How Much Does VR Training Simulator Development Cost?

VR development estimation

The general development time can vary from 1 to 5 months. It can take even a year if the app functionality and 3D models are very complex.

P. S. Development time and prices mentioned corresponding those AVRspot would need to accomplish VR projects.

1. An application Real Estate business can take advantage of is an architectural visualization or 360 walkthroughs. These solutions provide delightful experience and increase customer engagement. With VR tour the potential buyers can explore how the building looks or will look like and help better understand or visualize their dream home. 3D models design for five or six room apartment will take around 5 – 6 weeks. The app development starts from one week. 360 photo tour can be done in 1-5 days depending on photos quality and quantity.

2. VR training simulators boost training retention and performance thanks to the realistic point of reference. These solutions help organizations to reduce costs and educate people in the safe environment. They have been extensively used in healthcare, construction, energy, military, aviation, automotive etc. Let’s take a medical VR training simulator for surgeons as an example. As the main task of any training simulator is to create hyper-realistic 3D models, a design of several human organs starts from 1 month. App development can take from one week up to several months, depending on the complexity of the project. Check out our blog How Much Does VR Training Simulator Development Cost? to read more about prices and VR simulator process development.

3. One of the other complex applications that can be built with VR technology is a game simulator. A VR game simulator development can last up to 2-3 months and requires 2 or even 3 3D artists and 2 coders involvement.

Approximate costs for their development will be as follows:

360 Virtual Tour – starting from $3 500*

Architectural Visualization — starting from $3 500*

VR Training Simulators — starting from $4 900*

VR Games — starting from $9 000*

Platforms

When planning to create a VR solution you should think of the platform you want the application to be compatible with. The market offers a huge variety of headsets like Oculus Go, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Gear VR, Lenovo VR/MR headsets, Google Cardboard, so it’s better to use Unity or UE4 cross-platform engines that allow adjusting virtual reality applications for any platform.

If you have any concerns about the price and time estimation, AVRspot provides you with all the necessary services and resources required to complete the project.

VR development estimation is free of charge and can take from 2 to 24 hours (business time).

Time-and-Materials vs Fixed Price Development. Which Pricing Model To Choose?

Fixed price and time-and-materials are the two primary methods development companies usually offer. Selecting the right pricing method for your project is crucial because it should fit your needs and goals, as well as general expenses.

Fixed price contract is a perfect option when you have:

Clear requirements;
Determined deadlines;
Fixed budget;
MVPs;
Small projects with limited project scope.

If you choose this pricing model get ready to share your clear vision of the product with engineers to ensure appropriate final results.

Time & material pricing model is for those who put the flexibility in the first place. It presupposes paying for the real work scope based on hourly rates of labor.

It’s better to opt for time and material price contract when:

You have long-term projects with requirements that may change;
The project scope is not completely determined;
You want the flexibility to modify the scope.

VR application development rates

VR development rates vary among countries, thus you can choose a development team that fits your budget.

US and Canada — $40-$240 per hour,

Western Europe — $40-$180 per hour;

Eastern Europe — $25-$70 per hour;

India — $15-$70.

AVRspot offers $30-60 per hour.

Related: How Much Does AR or MR Training Simulator Development Cost?

Product support

VR app maintenance costs are usually equal to prices agency charges for the development. Most of the companies provide a guarantee for their products and all bugs appearing due to the developer’s fault are fixed free of charge. If you want to add new features to the app that haven’t been discussed in the contract you will have to pay accordingly.

What are your next steps?

If you are looking for a brand-new and a mind-bending solution for your business, contact us and our experts will help transform your business through the VR solutions implementation. AVRspot will determine the right combination of technologies for your company as well as provide you with various services including VR app implementation and 3D modeling. We would like to proudly mention that we have been nominated as Top AR/VR developers 2018 on clutch.co.

* final price depends on many factors such as project complexity, modules such as analytics, reporting, back-end system, integration, hardware setup, multiplayer, etc.

May 11, 2018

Is Holographic Mixed and Augmented Reality Taking Off in 2018?

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In the midst of a hurricane of ideas, fresh solutions and business challenges, augmented reality startups are the driving force that supports humans in complex and creative problem-solving by enabling analysis of huge amounts of various data types and solving tasks previously impossible to resolve.

Where can AR be used in 2018? Have increased adoption across the retail and e-commerce boosted the augmented reality market? Let’s find out if augmented reality is something worth investing in.

Enhanced Medical Mixed Reality. How About a Holographic Doctor?

Holography is clearly a game-changer when it comes to improving healthcare or even firefighting, as it enables users to achieve significant productivity gains and makes abstract concepts around smart environments super apparent.

Due to seismic shifts in the mixed reality development pharmaceutical and health services companies started looking for effective solutions to achieve greater agility when treating patients with severe diseases. A company called Silver Chain Group have designed a jaw-dropping technology to empower nursing staff while on home visits with hands-free data and also to alleviate access to consultant advice and evaluation from remote doctors.

EMMR is the first in the world holographic doctor’s visit, allowing the nursing staff to see all the patient data floating in front of them. While visiting a patient in a holographic form, the doctor can see through the Microsoft HoloLens what exactly the nurse is doing, see live biometric data and talk to the patient as if they were in the same room. Face to face consultations and treatment discussions made in real time without the need of being in a particular place creates a seamless customer experience of patient care.

Immersive Learning Experience

Medical schools acknowledge the benefits of mixed reality, focusing on its ability to revolutionize the way we learn about the human body. There’s a tremendous opportunity for universities and colleges to change cadavers for the AR capabilities of the HoloLens. Some universities — such as Case Western in Cleveland — have been changing the way medical students learn anatomy by bringing mixed and augmented reality into the classes.

Depth sensors and tracking devices allow a person wearing HoloLens see the holographic objects in 3D and interact with them. The project allows learners to explore the human body in 3D and take apart over 6,000 different body structures from our lungs to our brains. In 2019, Case Western plans to open a health education campus that will be using AR capabilities of the HoloLens.

Augmented Reality Helmet for Firefighters

While new performance and mind-blowing AR features are emerging, and digital and technological advances are converging, industry executives need to effectively integrate the cutting-edge technologies in the dangerous environments that need “superpowers”.

By applying augmented reality principles, a company called Qwake Technologies has developed a special system, which aims to help firefighters see through the smoke in hazardous fires. The system produces outlines of objects so that the rescue services workers could see what is in front of them and navigate more quickly through the buildings.

“They can use a thermal camera which typically requires firefighters to have their hands occupied and the opposite — they need to be pulling bodies out or they need to be smashing through doors so that they could get to the people and it just enables humans to see through the smoke and get to where they need,” company’s executive said. “It’s really giving them x-ray vision.”

Final Words

According to Global Market Insights, augmented reality market size is said to grow at around 65% from 2017 to 2024. So, it is only a matter of time before all the industries start using augmented reality to provide their clients with far more better service – such as quick healthcare assistance, precise and decent education, and high-quality rescue services. Despite the fact that the world yet perceives like mixed reality as some sci-fi concept, AR is ready to go and becomes a standard for all industry fields. If you want to know how much augmented reality project development costs, or just want to learn more about this technology, contact our AR team and we’ll do our best to answer all your questions.

May 4, 2018

Augmented Reality is Said to Transform High End & Luxury Fashion Retail

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If what technologists say is true, then at some point in the not-so-distant future we’ll be unburdened of overcrowded dressing rooms and will try new clothes on through augmented reality instead. For now, though, we’re still standing en masse, with a pile of clothes not knowing which piece fits us best, all for the chance to pick up the best item.

Yet, it is not the only way to use AR in retail. In today’s ultra-competitive world, it’s deciding to explore every alternative for catching the eye and loyalty of customers.

In the arena of fashion, Augmented Reality can be used as a huge booster in shopping and e-commerce. Virtual Reality fascinates consumers with an immersive sci-fi quality, and this is the reason why it is to be used by a large number of retailers.

When has it all started? Probably, in 2011, when Topshop introduced the first in the world virtual fitting room. With AR technology and mirror’s built-in camera that tracks human body, Topshop has demonstrated its customers an extraordinary way to try garments on, just by superimposing clothing items over shoppers. The system had no sizing tool and the virtual clothing pieces could fall off the client which wasn’t perfect either as you got all hot and sweaty in the changing room. Regardless, it gave a push for fashion brands to creatively use AR in their marketing campaigns.

Now, it’s 2018, and fashion industry cannot find a better way, but use the latest AR techniques to make appealing presentations of the world’s most anticipated collections.

Related: How Augmented Reality Integration Can Help You Grow Your Business

Zara

Zara, one of the biggest clothing and accessories retailer, has already launched an augmented reality app in stores. The brand created a limited app edition that was available for two weeks from 18 April in 120 Zara stores across the globe. By using their phones with Zara app installed, users could see models walk around the store wearing Zara clothes that you can then click through and shop the look. Nowadays, high tech and social media have a huge impact on sales and consumers, as apps encourage users to share their new and exciting experiences on Instagram where brands advertise their products most.

Burberry

Zara is not the first and definitely is not the last fashion label to make the most of augmented reality. The iconic British luxury goods company Burberry also uses AR tricks to engage devotees, by offering them an app feature allowing users to digitally redecorate their environments with Burberry-inspired, Danny Sangra’s drawings. After personalizing a picture, users can post a newly created photo to social media.

RIXO

RIXO, a young British brand, had launched an augmented reality catwalk, showcasing life-sized holograms of models wearing pieces from RIXO London’s new season collection. Now, brand connoisseurs can enjoy a personal fashion show in their living rooms. Having a unique at-home experience, customers have quick access to the latest designs and can buy what they like. Online fashion retail owns an innovative medium that can soon become a king of consumer engagement in the competitive business world.

Chanel

Chanel is also said to get into augmented reality and develop a bespoke AR solution for its stores. Chanel keeps it secret, so we are not sure how the technology will actually work. Whether it’s going to be another AR app, smart mirror or a wearable we know that all fashion lovers are pretty excited about blending real with digital.

Swarovski

Austrian luxury brand, Swarovski has created a virtual reality experience for customers to shop the Atelier Swarovski home decor line, a collection of functional and decorative crystal home accessories, via VR shopping app. By wearing the VR headset, users can walk through the five areas of the virtual home, browse all designs, read the stories behind each piece, see the pricing and purchase items.

How About Using AR for Your Fashion Business?

Altogether, there are a lot more to say. There are still many ideas and new opportunities with an AR technology that has yet to reach its full potential. AR went far ahead from Snapchat filters and Pokémon Go game; technology has stepped on the path to transforming the way we interact with the world of fashion and retail. If you feel that the next AR business idea belongs to you, don’t hesitate to contact AVRspot. Our professional AR engineers will be glad to help you get the most out of using AR and VR for your business.

It is often a tough decision for an organization to invest in augmented reality. AVRspot inc. provides a unique possibility to create a proof of concept or even MVP (minimal viable product) without any risks**.

** Please contact us to learn more about our “No Risks Program”

RELATED: HOW TO DEVELOP A HAND TRACKING APP FOR A JEWELRY STORE

April 26, 2018

HTC Vive Pro, Oculus Go, Magic Leap: What to Expect from the Newest Headsets

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Rampant innovations and disruptive new technologies in high tech industries tell us that a digitally-transformed future is inevitable. Virtual reality and augmented reality developed a lot in 2017, and there’s much more to come in 2018, including anticipated headsets set to revolutionize VR and AR. It was a dream of almost every virtual and augmented reality fan to put on a headset, go and mix digital with the real. That said, we are rapidly heading towards the cybernated future.

To maximize the benefits of VR and AR goodies, corporations solved a few issues that had been bothering the VR community for a long time — high price, wires and slow performance — and released the most anticipated and truly groundbreaking hardware.

Magic Leap One

Florida-based startup Magic Leap has already unveiled how Magic Leap One looks like and we can’t wait but experience how physical world can be transformed by just looking at it in a pair of goggles.

Magic Leap One technically resembles Google Glass and HoloLens. Basically, it overlays 3D computer graphics onto your perspective of the real world via glasses with transparent lenses.

Digital lightfield, one of the platform features, enables you to clearly see holograms at various distances. By generating digital light at different depths and merging smoothly with natural light Magic Leap One allows human brain to naturally treat digital objects as the real ones. Sensors inside the system detect real world environment, “see” your surroundings the same way you do and allow you to interact with lightfield objects.

You may be wondering, ‘What is it that makes Magic Leap One stand out from other mixed reality wearables?’ The thing is that it produces lightfield objects in high-fidelity, gaming-quality graphics, allowing VR, AR and MR engineers to give virtual animations, objects and characters a sense of depth and make them look real. Empowered by a strong sound system, lightwear mimics the real world and relays distance and intensity with amazing quality so you know where a sound is coming from.

The notorious Magic Leap One consists of lightwear, a controller and a lightpack that houses the system’s processor and battery. Together, the device maps the space around you and tracks your movements. And, to those who already decided to buy a pair of magic glasses, they are available for pre-order.

HTC Vive Pro

The most advanced and long-awaited VR headset is out there, and that’s deeply changing the current wave of AR and VR development. With an optimal center of gravity, increased point of weight support and quick adjustment dial, HTC Vive Pro equally dispenses the weight of the headset to make it convenient and lightweight.

To enhance the overall experience and to deliver for true-to-life immersive audio, the newest Vive has been integrated powerful digital amplifier and dual microphones. Users also can choose between Alert Mode and Conversation Mode to hear what’s going on in a real world without the need of taking off the headset.

Vive Pro headset features a much higher-resolution screen (2880 x 1600615 PPI), displays super-rich colors and tiny details which finally diminishes a major mismatch between inducing high expectations and meeting consumers’ needs and wants. Except for enhanced optics and optimized ergonomics, HTC has released an early access build of a new SDK that enables developers to unlock and utilize the HTC Vive Pro’s front cameras. The idea of being able to switch between AR and VR or, what’s more, to incorporate the real world into the virtual experiences seemed always appealing and now HTC has embodied the dream of many.

Tracking your movements in a 10-foot cube instead of just from your seat is pretty impressive, as it allows you to unplug the headset from the computer and move freely thanks to a wireless dongle accessory.

Oculus Go

There’s no getting around the fact that in order to run either the Gear VR or the Oculus Rift you need an expensive phone or PC, which is quite pricey for most people. That’s not the case with Oculus Go, which is standalone VR solution, the kind of headset anyone can benefit from, by just wearing it and going anywhere they like, as the computer with the display is inside the headset.

Considering the difference between the Oculus Rift and Oculus Go, the latest has higher resolution (2560 x 1440) and renders everything in user’s periphery at a lower resolution, still giving users distinct visuals of what they’re focusing on. Moreover, Oculus is using Fixed Foveated Rendering to make the display clearer. Once you’re inside the VR world, you can go anywhere you want, as there’s no need for cables. Jason Rubin, the VP of Content with Oculus said that such standalone headsets are the future of virtual and augmented reality.

Except for sleek and comfortable design, Oculus Go has a unique audio integration. Instead of headphones, audio is fed in from the straps themselves, which makes the sound fine enough. By the way, the price is $199, which is affordable compared to other wireless headsets.

Final Thoughts

All in all, in order for VR and AR goodies to really take off across the mass market, they needed to overcome a number of technological challenges that had been standing in their path, such as high price or tangled cables that don’t allow you to move the way you want. On the whole, it’s going to take a lot of effort, skill, and ingenuity to create desirable wearables and make AR and VR experience look as if in the real world. And high tech corporations are heading in the right direction.

April 23, 2018

Virtual Reality is Game Changer for the Automotive Market: Chapter 2

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Can VR and AR profoundly change the automotive market? According to ABI research estimates, global smart glasses freight for adoption in the automotive industry will hit 1.7 million in 2022. Many experts see virtual reality as a fast-growing landscape, soon to have its ‘breakthrough moment’ in the sun. From a retailing perspective, VR possesses strong values in marketing. Therefore once used in computer games VR products have become appealing to the automotive retail. The automotive industry is going through its own transformation as VR headsets and controllers start to enter dealerships, giving customers brand-new digital exploration options in their hands.

Marketing, Selling, and VR

With the advent of VR in marketing, car brands have started utilizing VR to enhance customer experience, and thus benefiting from aligning themselves with one of the most innovative and exciting technologies to date. What other technology can become such a powerful sales driver for a car dealership? Just imagine, you can provide experiences everywhere — in lobbies, customers’ living rooms, at events and support global car launches by using the power of virtual reality. By delivering a near-actual experience, VR completely eclipses general approach towards car marketing and becomes a genuine source of positive and a truly mind-expanding customer experience.

BMW is the brand which is rolling out this technology to leverage virtual reality cars tours so that clients could get the feel of new car models and even suggest modifications. German multinational company offers an app for virtual and augmented reality designed to allow you to select the exterior and interior, open doors and switch on the light. Besides, the app can even arrange a test drive. After such a wonderful adventure, participants just can’t but buy that car.

Another company called Infiniti allowed fans to experience a virtual car ride at an event at the NCAA Final Four last year. 50% of visitors signed up for future communications. This rate is far higher than the average rate for non-VR events, reported Allyson Witherspoon, director-marketing communications, and media for Infiniti USA. VR appeals to the customer’s emotions and helps dealers not to fail to meet the needs and expectations of the customers.

VR Driving Simulators

Virtual reality in driving is finally living up to the hype. Inspiring and practical use cases of VR application in test driving are emerging on a daily basis. Moreover, technology experts expect that we will see an increased focus on improving driving skills utilizing virtual reality.

Riding across the busy streets of a major city is risky. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and allowing teenagers maneuvering around the city in rush hour can lead to the negative consequences. To make this situation safer some organizations are generating VR driving simulators, providing students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in driving and to learn about road safety precautions.

By wearing an HTC Vive headset learners can experience a simulation of the road and hazards, identify pedestrians, parked cars, and oncoming traffic. Toyota is one of the brands who has already adopted an idea to create a program that works to educate youth on safe driving by utilizing VR. The new Toyota driving simulator with Oculus Rift uses the virtual reality technology to educate the people about the dangers of distracted driving.

Ready to Use VR for Business?

VR is maturing and more and more companies are making their way onto the scene using this bleeding-edge technology. If you want to undergo the process of transformation and experience automotive VR capabilities, provide your customers with a one-of-a-kind virtual experience or just have a fresh business idea to implement, reach out to our experts at AVRspot today to discuss virtual reality opportunities and keep your business up-to-date.

April 19, 2018

Virtual Reality is a Game Changer for the Automotive Market

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With the release of virtual and augmented reality and the advance of hardware devices, VR is poised to hit the mainstream in the coming years. Healthcare, art, entertainment, sport — the list of applications for VR is endless.

Since 2016, virtual reality started to penetrate into the automotive market, as more and more industries became excited about the true potential and benefits this technology can offer. Indeed, a number of car giants that want to catch up with the latest technology trends and explore the feasibility of VR applications is increasing. So, if you have never thought of how to use virtual reality for the car business, you may find yourself lagging behind your competitors because they surely have.

The Future of Car Design

Chances are, you’ve heard about Tilt Brush, a room-scale 3D painting app that Google introduced in 2016. This “magic” tool allows you to manipulate the controller in the form of a paintbrush and create impressive digital sculptures. Now, London-based design studio named Seymourpowell uses a similar approach to designing in VR allowing engineering teams from anywhere in the world to look at drawings on a monitor and if they have another headset to hand, make adjustments in real time. With a new 3D sketching tool and an HTC Vive headset, users are able to draw, shape and augment car models in virtual reality.

There is a long road between concept sketches and clay model creation. Also, anyone working in car manufacturing knows the challenges that come with car design. By wearing the VR headset a designer is brought to a 3D workspace where they can sketch lines that can be differently manipulated. The software copies the lines designer creates to keep the symmetry of the car and thus accelerates the design process.

Engineers can create sketches, curves, and surfaces that can be applied to show what a car would look like in a certain color or material. A new virtual car designing tool allows creating complicated engineering projects within 1 hour which would definitely be longer with typical 3D imaging software.

Virtual Reality Showrooms

With more and more vehicles being engineered and car giants looking for ways to showcase cutting-edge car models and boost sells, the market for technologies supporting the VR showrooms will flourish. Virtual reality provides car dealers with a unique and affordable way to showcase models conveniently wherever the customer wants – in a boutique shop, or shopping centers, in customers’ living rooms, or at work.

Take Cadillac VR Showroom as an example. Using the HTC Vive, the user is presented with a simple and efficient navigation menu. The user can then teleport inside the vehicle and view/select their desired interior package options. Moreover, customers can experience the beauty of Cadillac and even see the difference in vehicle appearance at all times of the day.

Believe it or not, biggest industry players have always pioneered the first ventures in the field of software development, and then when there was finally enough functionality developed, they began to join the initiative. Both Audi and Ferrari have already experimented with VR’s potential for vehicle configuration and educational purposes. Audi has created a virtual-reality experience offering a ‘wow’ factor to attract consumers into its showrooms. The brand has implemented the most realistic 3D versions of its cars possible. Similar to Cadillac potential buyers can test the cars in virtual location and try out a bunch of customizable configurations.

What Are the Next Steps?

Virtual reality opens a door of incredible opportunities for the automotive market. Following the footsteps of the market leaders and leveraging unique ideas may be the first step for you in finding a perfect solution for your business. Besides, our team of professional VR & AR developers will be more than happy to help you implement VR solution to bring your business to the next level.

April 11, 2018

How Virtual Reality is Shaping Workstations of the Future

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Virtual reality has created many exciting phenomena, including valuable training simulators empowered with artificial intelligence and immersive entertainment games. Some people think that we haven’t seen VR hit the mainstream and evolve into the software worth using at the workstations, however, the unprecedented potential of VR and AR technology is yet to be unleashed.

To bring a gulp of fresh air and some creativity at the workplace, companies are trying to opt for virtual reality workstations as it is poised to make a significant impact on workplaces across the globe.

Mixed Reality Data Visualization

The future of augmented reality may soon be found in the sphere of data visualization where it’s likely to experience a huge growth as being a perfect solution for those who need to analyze big clusters of information on the fly. Unlike traditional visualization methods, virtual reality data visualization tools offer a larger viewing area and help easily dive into more specific areas. It makes a pretty good job of illustrating the smallest details as well as providing the 360 videos to decision makers.

Let’s kick off with an overview of the customer relationship management software company, Salesforce, as it has been using Oculus Rift and virtual reality to bring data visualization to the new level. By taking place in the cloud, the finance tech data visualization tool works as Augmented Reality as a Service and allows to work in an immersive 3D augmented environment and interact with data via Oculus Rift headset.

Workstation and Finance

One of the biggest US banks, Citibank uses a virtual, brand-new and a more comprehensible way called Holographic Workstation to model data as well as complex data sets. By putting the headsets on, users can see the virtual desktop suspended in the air around them. The system uses Microsoft HoloLens to help traders cope with a large amount of information. The technology produces 3D holograms of real-time financial data that are more efficient than other display technologies. It integrates tablet screen space, 3D holographic docking pace, keyboard, and mouse. Despite the fact that there are many challenges associated with the accuracy and usefulness of gesture and voice recognition software, Citibank have successfully incorporated these functions into the Holographic Workstation to make the trading process easier.

The Comarch, a global IT solutions provider, is a living example of how VR-based solutions can substitute traditional working environment. Its virtual reality wealth management software changes the existing client-service approach to private banking. The Comarch and Citibank are just two of many technology use cases proving that the future of the workstations belongs to VR.

Virtual Desktop

This is no pie-in-the-sky dream: virtual workplaces already exist. One of the early frontrunners in this area is a vSpatial Startup who have presented their virtual reality workplace on Thursday, October 19th, 2017, and are now working on its improvement. The app allows users to have their own personal space in a virtual reality where they can connect to their computer and start working as if they do it on a real PC. Screen carousel allows users open and interact with infinite computer applications directly in VR. The navigation has never been so easy as on the latest version of the vSpatial virtual desktop, as users can resize windows, move screens around with “grip grab”, watch 360 videos and do everything they would usually do on the computer yet getting better user experience. Moreover, the latest desktop version has virtual reality slack integration which allows users to log into their slack account from directly within the vSpatial app and call other members of their slack team.

This major advances in VR and AR technologies can disrupt many industries. In fact, working remotely grows in popularity and virtual prototyping is going mainstream, so there are more chances that VR will make a positive contribution to the workplaces of the future.

April 2, 2018

Using Computer Vision To Improve Healthcare

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With the advent of technology development, the interest in computer vision healthcare solutions is already off the charts and continues to grow across many business verticals. No longer being the thing of the sci-fi future, artificial intelligence and computer vision are benefiting the ways in which medical professionals diagnose and treat patients.

Computer vision is a subfield of artificial intelligence that acquires, processes, analyzes, and understands images as well as high-dimensional data from the real world. With computer vision, a system can “read” image and video sources to retrieve meaningful information and take action based on that.

What are the potential applications of computer vision systems that can be anticipated within the next couple of years? We have come up with the latest computer vision news that will show you the promising future of computer vision projects.

Medical Imagery & Precision Medicine

Medical imaging is the biggest and most established area of computer vision and is used by computer-aided diagnostics for personalized therapy planning, care assistance and for better decision-making. It has been in the spotlight in recent years because of its vital component in healthcare applications. Computer vision helps doctors with image annotation, multimodal image fusion, medical image segmentation and opens up new possibilities for revolutionizing healthcare.

To use these cutting-edge technologies in clinics, medical imaging startups have to receive FDA approval and some of them have already managed to get it. Currently, a lot of brand-new imaging systems are being studied for optimal uses. In the near future, computers will be connected to the cloud where machines will evaluate information and help human doctors diagnose patients.

Computer vision is also enhancing precision medicine. This emerging approach for disease treatment is significantly improved by computer vision. Machine learning systems assist medical practitioners by scanning medical images to either detect a disease or prevent it. By receiving personal health details, that are converted into quantifiable data points, doctors can create individual treatment plans for their patients.

Medical Startups are Using Computer Vision

Some of the most ingenious medical startups are using computer vision to process medical images. Even though “computer brain” will never be as smart as human’s brain is, computer vision helps doctors recognize malign changes such as tumors or hardening of the arteries. With the immense growth in software development which is accelerating the computer data processing, computer vision is becoming a decisive element in medicine.

As identification of the disease is a very complicated process and involves billions of aspects, medical startups are partnering with computer vision developers to implement state-of-the-art computer vision technologies that surpass humans at pattern recognition. Moreover, such tools help doctors diagnose severe illnesses such as cancer. Compared with traditional biopsy currently used, this method is cheaper and faster.

To combat cardiovascular disease Zebra Medical Vision has created computer vision technology to automatically determine coronary calcium scores. Another company called Arterys is working on a similar technology to showcase and evaluate blood flow in the human body without MRI. To decipher ultrasounds and relieve cardiovascular disease, Bay Labs have started developing tools that apply deep learning and can detect traces of the disease in a video taken during a scan. Training a doctor to interpret images takes years, and computer vision technologies can solve this problem.

Easy Access

Recent years have seen significant investments in futuristic hardware development, which holds so much promise for the AI industry. Computer vision will enable anyone with a smartphone to have access to healthcare. As already mentioned above, computer vision and AI specialists are working towards making healthcare application available outside of hospitals and clinics. Thanks to innovative applications, people who work in remote research environments such as Antarctica or space stations will improve the level of care provided. Computer vision will definitely become a key element in diagnostic applications soon as it is more accessible than before, and medical imagery becomes part of the AI diagnostic process.

Technology Continues to March On

The above facts are by no means exhaustive. Diagnoses led by computer vision will constantly be improving, machine learning and pattern recognition systems will get more accurate and faster at processing images. This revolutionary technology is expected that diseases such as cancer will soon be diagnosed within a matter of minutes with the use of computer vision and 3D imaging. As the technology continues to march on, Google, IBM, and more than 100 other startups are developing computer vision technologies to help doctors detect diseases at the earliest stages. High development costs for serious research or expensive data gathering for training doctors is not an issue anymore as there seem to be brighter prospects for computer vision healthcare applications. So, don’t miss the boat. The sooner healthcare startups start using new technologies, the better the chances of arriving at timely solutions.