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And Virtual Reality (Vr) Startups to Detect Business Opportunities Around These Technologies

And Virtual Reality (Vr) Startups to Detect Business Opportunities Around These Technologies

EXPLORING AND UNDERSTAND THE ECOSYSTEM OF (AR) AND (VR) STARTUPS TO DETECT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AROUND THESE TECHNOLOGIES

Varun Rajpurohit | December 2016 | Carnegie Mellon University – Silicon Valley | 49-790 Independent Study 49-790 Independent Study

Independent Study on EXPLORING AND UNDERSTAND THE ECOSYSTEM OF AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) AND VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) STARTUPS TO DETECT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AROUND THESE TECHNOLOGIES

Research on current technologies used for VR and AR Introduction To better understand the technologies used for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Currently there are three high level calcifications in this field, namely:

1. Virtual Reality: is a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person. [1] 2. Augmented Reality: is the integration of digital information with the user's environment in real time. Augmented reality uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it. [2] 3. : Mixed reality is distinct from augmented reality because the graphics in mixed reality are integrated with the viewer's environment. A virtual ball introduced into the real world must exhibit appropriate physics. If thrown against a real cushion, it will have bounce in a way that makes sense and is different than if it had been thrown against a stone wall. [3]

Stack to build these applications

Screen with a Head Mounted Peripheral Smartphones Hardware Layer Camera Displays (HMD) Devices

3D Design Engines 3D content APIs

Software Layer

Modeling Life object capturing software

When building applications for VR/AR the process followed is the same as above. You decide which tools and techniques to use to capture the reality, using cameras like the GoPro Odyssey or you want to model computer generated graphics. Once this is designed the content is pushed to the real-time engines to convert the content into something that can be viewed in VR/AR. This content is then coupled with the appropriate hardware component which one wants to use to showcase the data.

1 | Page By Varun Rajpurohit | Under the aegis of Professor Vivek Wadhwa 49-790 Independent Study

Technologies used currently

Software used based on types of Application Application Description Software Technologies being used Reality 3D viewers Having users bring digital Augment content to the real world. Wikitude Blippar e.g. Bringing actual size digital furniture in your house to Vuforia understand how it will look. Mataio Reality browsers Provide contextual information Awe.js with a smart layer on top of the Mixare image that you are seeing. ARBrowser by AR Lab argon.js e.g. While viewing a monument, there is an over lay of information about the same. Gaming Creating immersive gamming Unreal Engine experiences using the Unity 3D surroundings of the user. SARI AR SDK Vuforia e.g. Pokemon Go

Hardware used based on types of devices Device Description Hardware Technologies being used Mobile Devices Using smartphones and tablets LG 360 VR for AR/VR Samsung Gear VR

PC and connected TV players Using a camera connected to a Kinect screen to give a rich experience PS Camera Head Mounted Displays Using HMD with sensors to Rift track and project an immersive HTC Vive experience for the user Hololens

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Other Technologies being used [4] Real-time engines used Modelling Software Used • Unreal Engine • Blender • Unity 3D • Sculptris • Cryengine • Sketchup Make • Lumberyard • Wings 3d • Equinox 3d • Daz studio • 3D crafter

Limitations of the current technologies of VR and AR

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When thinking of limitations in the field of virtual reality and augmented reality we can categories the findings into three buckets namely:

1. Limitation on content capturing 2. Content rendering/Displaying of Content 3. Environmental Limitations

The limitations are as follows:

• The technologies used to integration AR images on reality are not as advanced yet. Most of the technologies used are projecting a 3D like image on a glass surface that interfaces the user and the real world. This technology is unable to provide appropriate depth to the user and the images projected don’t feel as immersive as they should. This is also referred to as the vergence - accommodation Conflict [5]. Although there are talks that Magic Leap has found a breakthrough in this problem, according to the analysis of the video they have generated, the resolution of their projections are not as crisp and clear as they should be. The images are blurry. [6]

Figure 1: Magic Leap Resolution Analysis [2]

• Effective and real-time 3D mapping of the surrounding is not as accurate as it can be, currently the technologies produce a 5frame per second rendering. This does not create a very accurate image of the surrounding that is desired for a better Augmented Reality experience. • All the Head mounted displays, except Microsoft’s HoloLens, are all tethered i.e. connected to an external device whose processing power they use. This limits the freedom of movement for the user. • Head mounted displays primarily, VR headsets cause users to feel nausea in general referred to as [7]. This limits the adoption of such devices. • When interacting with the through VR or AR, virtual worlds have not yet been able to create a reality like feeling among users interacting with it. User can’t feel the texture of the surface in the virtual world. • VR and AR both require a lot of data communication back and forth to work effectively. This will create an additional burden on the internet infrastructure. The current infrastructure cannot support the applications of AR and VR [8]. Hence, the internet infrastructure will be a limitation. • Privacy concern of the people, majorly due to the amount of personal information that AR and VR will have access to is also a limitation to its adoption. Limitations regarding GPRS, information overload

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and privacy. With privacy, there is a danger of someone having access to sensitive or private information about another person and without their consent. • When interacting with a virtual object overlaid in the real world, we have not yet reached a point where the physics of the real world would apply to the virtual object. Making it hard to have an interactive mixed reality experience. • VR and AR need a lot of commuting power to work on and hence require an independent high end system running the VR or AR application. This is a limitation for the technology currently. We need to think of a way to make this fit in the head mounted displays and bring the cost down. The independent system for processing increases the cost of a VR or AR experience. • The head mounted displays, despite no processing power are very bulky and cannot be worn for longer periods of time without a neck sprain. • The VR and AR devices are a priced high currently which act as a hindrance to the adoption of the technology. • The real-time processing of the VR and AR applications are not robust yet. There is a general lag in the interactions. • Quality of display required to achieve realism is a 4K display for each eye and it has not yet been possible technologically to do the same.

List of Startups in the VR and AR space

Sr. Name About Application AR/VR URL Location No. Area 1 DeepStream Virtual Reality for healthcare and VR pain relief Health Care VR http://ww Seattle, VR w.deepstr WA, eamvr.co USA

m/ 2 Fove A with built-in eye tracking and VR Headset VR https://w Japan use that for interacting | To empower the game creator ww.getfov

and user to express themselves naturally and easily in a e.com/ virtual world. 3 Triggar A 360-degree camera to capture content and they Camera VR/AR http://trig Australi create mobile apps for AR/VR gar.com.a a

u/ 4 Reload An independent game development studio Games VR http://ww Los Studios w.roqovan Angeles,

.com/ CA, USA 5 Emergent Building a platform where everyone can craft & share Social VR VR http://ww San VR their VR experiences w.emerge Francisc

ntvr.com/ o, CA 6 Psious Immersion therapy for curing fears Health Care VR https://w Spain ww.psious.

com/

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7 SDK Lab Africa's leader in Augmented Reality, Eye/Facial VR/AR http://sdkl South

tracking, Facial Recognition and Virtual Reality. ab.com/ Africa 8 Emblematic Journalism that combines traditional reporting with Journalism VR https://em Santa Group emerging virtual reality technology to put the audience blematicgr Monica, inside the story. oup.squar CA, USA espace.co

m/ 9 Innerspace The pioneering studio is dedicated to producing high VR http://ww Paris, VR quality interactive content exclusively for VR. w.innerspa France cevr.com/

#home2 10 Solirax A virtual reality software company. They work to Entertainmen VR http://solir Czech

enable a desirable future with state of the art t ax.com/ Republic entertainment, educational and professional immersive experiences at your fingertips. 11 Thotwise Game Studio Games VR http://tot San Studios wisestudio Francisc

s.com/ o, CA 12 Discovr Labs Interactive Learning Education VR http://disc Toronto, ovrlearnin ON

g.com/ 13 Magic Leap Magic Leap is a proprietary wearable technology that Headsets AR http://mag Florida,

enables users to interact with digital devices in a icleap.com USA completely visually cinematic way. 14 Leap Motion is a software and hardware company Interaction VR https://w San developing 3D motion-control technology for virtual Platform/ ww.leapm Francisc

reality and additional platforms. Headsets otion.com/ o, CA 15 Metaio Metaio is technology company that develops AR http://ww Munich, augmented reality software technology and solutions. w.metaio.c Bayern

om/ 16 Blippar Blippar is an image-recognition platform and visual Facial VR https://bli London, browser for mobile that uses augmented reality and Recognition/ ppar.com/ UK

artificial intelligence. Mobile en/ platform 17 Vuzix is a supplier of video eyewear products in the Headsets AR https://w Rochest consumer, commercial, and entertainment markets. ww.vuzix.c er, New

om/#1 York 18 Digi Capital AR/VR Consultants AR/VR VR/AR http://ww Meno Consultants w.digi- Park, CA capital.co

m/ 19 Atheer Atheer is the pioneer of AiR (Augmented interactive Headsets AR http://ww Mountai Reality) computing. w.atheerai n View,

r.com/ Californi a

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20 meta AR Headsets Headsets AR http://ww NYC w.meta-

view.com/ 21 Scope AR Industrial Augmented Reality Contextual AR http://ww San Information w.scopear. Francisc

com/ o, CA 22 Augmedix Rehumanizing healthcare using wearable technology Health Care AR http://ww San w.augmedi Francisc

x.com/ o, CA 23 Viewdle AR http://vie Palo

wdle.com/ Alto, CA 24 LightUp An augmented learning platform powered by Children AR Stanford augmented reality and artificial intelligence Learninig 25 CrowdOptic Enable your team of agents to triangulate on an area of Geo AR http://cro San interest and broadcast its GPS location in real time to a Triangulation wdoptic.co Francisc

web-based command center with live video Platform m/ o, CA verification. 26 Altspace VR We provide the most complete, effective, and fun way VR https://alt Redwoo for people to be together when they are not in the vr.com/ d City same physical space. 27 Upload VR News platform for everything about Virtual Reality and VR/AR http://upl San Augmented Reality oadvr.com Francisc / o, CA 28 Teliport ME Travel to virtual worlds back in time VR https://teli Palo portme.co Alto - CA m/ 29 Lucid VR Camera VR/AR Santa Clara, CA 30 Jaunt Cinematic VR VR https://w Palo ww.jauntv Alto - CA r.com/ 31 iris Instant VR for the Building Industry VR https://w ww.irisvr.c om/

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Understand the applications of VR and AR Games • RPGs • Virtual Localized gamming – Table tennis • Board games enhancements Consuming Media + Experiences • Virtual Tourism • Experiential journeys • Entertainment • Movies • Pornography • An escape from reality • Museum Tours • Road Safety Training • Medical Training • Education • Athletic Training Communication + Surrogates • Connect remotely as if you are physically present • Help share and collaborate – Power of collaboration – Like internet • Tele robotics • Integration of one’s emotions and surroundings • Enhanced people interaction • Cheap Thrills – Access to un accessible places Lifestyle + Shopping • Phycological Therapy • Meditation and Gym Exercises • Vision/Hearing/Physical Disability enhancer • Virtual graffiti • Habit Creators – Help in anger management • Wellness – Help combat stress • Shopping • Electronics Assisted Information • Architectural Visualization • Customer Service • Contextual Information • Any kind of knowledge workers – Used where accuracy matters

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• Doctors on Patients – X-ray onto them for surgery • Help Lazy eye • Manufacturing Military + Governments • Military coordination • Combat Training • Space Exploration Marketing/Ads • Packaging • Contextual marketing Supporting Services • Virtual Currency • Buying Virtual Merchandise and Artifacts – Virtual Goods • Privacy of users Identity • Marketing Services • Experiential Lounges Expansion of AR and VR The expansion of the technologies can be seen through the path of adoption it will follow. This can be seen as below:

Tech Path of Adoption -> 1. Consumers 2. Businesses Gamming in Entertainment Social – Virtual Collaboration Training in the Virtual – 3D Isolation Interaction product for teams to cases where World and virtual between catalogs – to interact in a it can’t be VR world people in a show the single virtual done on the explorations fantasy product in a setting from Job. Like world setting remote military locations training. 1. Businesses 2. Customers Assisted On the Job Collaboration Learning and Product Gamming information training – for teams to exploration catalogs in arenas for learning while interact in a tool for the user’s within user’s AR enhanced you are doing. single real user’s settings environment setting from surroundings remote locations

Another notable factor in the expansion is that these technologies is that they will first go through a platform (both software and hardware) war before the expansion into usable technologies. In the case of VR and AR the platform technologies will play a huge role in its mass adoption, companies will establish their mark through a

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holistic platform. These platforms will pave the wave for other developers to come join and contribute use cases to the existing technologies.

What opportunities are currently open for VR/AR? VR and AR are going to impact two main areas:

• Learning curves • Cost to businesses

And hence the larges opportunities will be in the same area. Also as this field is new and not many startups are looking at the warble applications of their tools one of the biggest opportunities open for VR and AR is going to be enhanced training. This is an area that will affect the fundamentals of education and learning, will be a possible disruptor. The other will be physical spaces to experience VR and AR, to enhance the experience of the user. Lastly it is going to be in tools that will help you build VR and AR applications.

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References

[1] http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/what-is-virtual-reality.html

[2] http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/augmented-reality-AR

[3] http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-devices/10-tools-to-bring-virtual-reality-to-life/d/d- id/1325224

[4] http://makezine.com/2016/03/24/makers-introduction-vr-best-software-tools-free/

[5] https://vrwiki.wikispaces.com/Vergence%E2%80%93accommodation+conflict

[6] http://www.kguttag.com/2016/11/13/magic-leap-poor-quality-of-the-optics-and-a-resolution-estimate/

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality_sickness

[8] http://www.forbes.com/sites/valleyvoices/2016/02/09/why-the-internet-pipes-will-burst-if-virtual-reality- takes-off/#38e404f564e8

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