Michael and Michael are back after a short break, and with many stories to talk about. Starting things off with a provocative statement that “Free is still not cheap enough” with regard to current virtual reality technology, the co-hosts have a wide ranging discussion on where the VR/AR/Mixed Reality tipping point really is, and that the killer app still has not quite emerged on the scene, despite all the advances made in the last couple of years. The conversation turns to implanted memories, reminding Michael M of the Arnold Schwartzenegger movie Total Recall.
The new North Focals AR glasses frames make a splash with the pair, looking much like regular glasses (although with slightly larger arms to account for the battery, microprocessor and projector), yet still have challenges to overcome. The idea of using glasses for both vision correction, and visual augmentation has been brought up on the podcast before, and an intriguing article about FocusAR on this subject is listed in the notes below.
Lightform is billed as AR in the real world, or in the terminology from their website, “projected AR” — an exciting way to take existing surfaces, map them, and project information on them. Their examples, such as the outdoor retail display and the projected AR bar are compelling and caused Michael to recall the display on the facade of St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest from December 2013:
Segueing to more traditional forms of AR, the co-hosts turn to a story about how Walmart is using AR capabilities in their iOS app to facilitate price comparison and detail information lookup on products on their shelves, and an example of how AR is being used by Meridiun to quickly identify counterfeit products by looking at them, so to speak, using “intelligent augmented reality”.
Rounding out the show with robotics and games, Michael R shares a story about how bots are being used to re-seed & repopulate coral reefs and a strange bug in Red Dead Redemption 2 causes horses to spontaneously combust. Quite a great deal packed into a short show this week — much more in the hopper. Hope you enjoy, and come on back next week for more!
Selected Links
Ars Technica article: Oculus co-founder: “Free is still not cheap enough” for current VR tech — https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/11/oculus-co-founder-free-is-still-not-cheap-enough-for-current-vr-tech/
Total Recall — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100802/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_50
BGR article: Focals AR eyewear looks just like regular glasses — https://bgr.com/2018/10/23/north-focals-ar-glasses-release-date-price-and-features/
North Focals AR glasses — https://www.bynorth.com
FocusAR: Auto-focus Augmented Reality Eyeglasses for both Real and Virtual — https://research.nvidia.com/sites/default/files/pubs/2018-09_FocusAR%3A-Auto-focus-Augmented//10.1109%40TVCG.2018.2868532.pdf
Forbes article: No Headset Required: Lightform Is AR In The Real World — https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2018/11/01/no-headset-required-lightform-is-ar-in-the-real-world/#7847e6ce213d
Lightform — https://lightform.com
TechCrunch article: Walmart adds an AR scanner to its iOS app for product comparisons — https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/01/walmart-adds-an-ar-scanner-to-its-ios-app-for-product-comparisons/
Meridiun Virtual Product Verification & Counterfeit Detection — https://www.meridiun.com/counterfeit-products
TechCrunch article: Reff-rejuvenating LarvalBot spreads coral babies by the millions — https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/01/reef-rejuvenating-larvalbot-spreads-coral-babies-by-the-millions/
The Verge article: Red Dead Redemption 2 players find cursed road that always sets horses on fire — https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/1/18051994/red-dead-redemption-2-glitch-rhodes-road-fire-horse
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Such a fun episode, Michael & Andy! Loved your discussion on Life by You.