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Issue 8: 10.2024
In This Issue:
October's "VRD Report" focuses on the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and its impact across various fields. With an emphasis on AI-related innovations in VR and XR, readers will find information on AI technologies that are enhancing training programs, transforming educational experiences, and shaping the future of digital simulation.
The "Immersive Tech Talk" Podcast series continues! Our third episode features Taylor Freeman, the CEO of Axon Park, and can be viewed here.
Happy reading!
- The VRD HealthTech team
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AI Teaching Assistants Make Back-to-School New Again
“AI is a complement to what we are already teaching. It was easy and straightforward,” said Professor Hamilton.
At Florida A&M, Professor Deanna Burney is introducing AI-powered patient avatars to her classroom, enabling students to engage in lifelike conversations with simulated patients.
These AI avatars can offer varied responses, simulating real-world interactions and enhancing the learning experience for aspiring healthcare professionals. Before AI, simulations required students to choose questions from a set of choices and then receive pre-canned responses, nothing like the free-wheeling conversations that go on in an actual healthcare setting.
Meanwhile, at Morehouse College, Professor Ovell Hamilton has developed an AI teaching assistant to support students with course-related queries anytime. From negotiation practice at Indiana University to a 3D campus tour guide at the University of Iowa, schools are embracing AI avatars in diverse ways. VictoryXR's CEO, Steve Grubbs, envisions students creating AI characters for unique learning experiences, such as historical debates. This issue delves into how AI is transforming traditional education and enriching student engagement across disciplines.
The founders and CEOs of NVIDIA and Meta discussed the possibilities of AI and simulation.
SIGGRAPH 2024, the premier conference and exhibition on computer graphics and interactive techniques, announced a rare joint public appearance by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang and Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
This fireside chat was one of several prominent keynote presentations at the conference, held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver from Sunday, July 28, to Thursday, August 1, 2024. “It is truly unique to have two noteworthy technology leaders, Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg, together to discuss fundamental research in AI and virtual worlds. These complex topics not only shape our world but also pose challenges to our industry, and these leaders can influence forward momentum to drive change for the better,” said SIGGRAPH 2024 Conference Chair Andrés Burbano of the Open University of Catalonia.
Huang and Zuckerberg discussed the future of AI and simulation and the pivotal role of research at SIGGRAPH, which focuses on the intersection of graphics and technology. The two leaders considered how fundamental research is enabling AI breakthroughs and how generative AI and open source empower developers and creators. They also reflected on the role of generative AI in building virtual worlds and virtual worlds for building the next wave of AI and robots.
Before the fireside chat with Zuckerberg, Huang also headlined a fireside chat with WIRED Senior Writer Lauren Goode to discuss AI and graphics for the new computing revolution. In addition to Huang and Zuckerberg, notable presenters at the conference included Dr. Dava Newman of MIT Media Lab, Dr. Mark Sagar from Soul Machines, and Manu Prakash from Stanford University. The esteemed SIGGRAPH 2024 keynote speakers shared their perspectives on building our most desirable technological future on all scales—from the microscopic to the cosmos—and advancing computer graphics and interactive techniques into the next half-century.
View the full story on the SIGGRAPH website→
Qualcomm teases Google and Samsung augmented reality project that’s not a headset.
“I want everyone that has a phone to go buy companion glasses to go along with it,” — Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm.
Qualcomm has announced it is designing AR smart glasses with Samsung and Google that can be powered by your smartphone. The partnership itself is not new. Qualcomm partnered with Google and Samsung at the beginning of the year to strengthen XR use cases for headsets and smart glasses with the help of its XR2+ Gen 2 chipset.
Amon shared the plans with the U.S. business news channel CNBC, which noted that Qualcomm was taking a different approach to Apple, a major competitor in the smart glasses industry.
During his interview with CNBC, Amon appeared to be holding onto big sales expectations for its AR smart glasses co-creation: “It’s going to be a new product; it’s going to bring new experiences." Amon continued: “AI is going to run on the device. It’s going to run on the cloud. It’s going to run some in the glass, some in the phone, but at the end of the day, there are going to be whole new experiences.”
To give an idea of what the AR smart glasses partners—Qualcomm, Samsung, and Google—have in mind, the CEO of Qualcomm pointed to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which look like ordinary sunglasses but are wirelessly connected to smartphones. They also include built-in cameras and a voice assistant that utilizes Meta’s Llama AI, which may mean we can expect similar features.
Read more on the Chrome Unboxed website →
Did You Know?
Human by Design: How AI Unleashes the Next Level of Human Potential
In the coming years, businesses will have an increasingly powerful array of technologies at their disposal that will open new pathways to unleash greater human potential, productivity, and creativity.
Early adopters and leading businesses have kick-started a race toward a new era of value and capability. And their strategies are underpinned by one common thread – the technology is becoming more human.
It may sound counterintuitive: after all, wasn’t technology built by and for humans? Creating tools that expand our physical and cognitive abilities is so unique to humanity that some argue it defines us as a species. Despite this, the tools we build are often distinctly un-human, filling gaps by doing and being what we couldn’t, and in the process radically transforming our lives.
Technology’s inhuman nature can also be its drawback. Extended use of hand tools can lead to arthritis. Years of looking at screens can accelerate vision problems. We have amazing navigational tools, but they still distract us from driving. Granted, there have been efforts to create tools that are more ergonomic or easier to use. But even so, time and again, we see and make decisions about our lives based on what is best for a machine rather than optimizing human potential.
Now, for the first time in history, there’s strong evidence to indicate that we are reversing course—not by moving away from technology but rather by embracing a generation of technology that is more human. Technology that is more intuitive, both in design and in its very nature, demonstrates more human-like intelligence and is easy to integrate across every aspect of our lives. Generative AI has the potential to impact much more than just the task at hand. It’s also starting to profoundly reshape organizations and markets.
First State-of-the-Art F-16 Simulator delivered to Ukrainian Fighter Pilots to address...
...the urgent need for training.
"We’re now making training easier and more accessible to Soldiers at the lowest echelon." - Major Brandon Dotson
To address the urgent need for F-16 training in Ukraine, a collaboration between the leader in military aviation simulation, Dogfight Boss, and maker of enterprise mixed reality headsets, Varjo, deliver the first fully functional mixed reality F-16C Viper simulator to Kyiv's Ukrainian Fighter Pilot Base.
These high-end XR simulators can reduce the time required for F-16 pilot training in Ukraine from years to a month, helping combat the dire shortage of available training. Varjo’s immersive technology is currently used by 70 defense customers worldwide – including the US Army Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT) program which uses Varjo for portable training for helicopters.
Major Brandon Dotson, Assistant Product Manager for RVCT, emphasized, “[we use] XR and VR to simulate scenarios like driving tanks and flying helicopters, providing an immersive experience crucial for effective training.”
Read more on the Aviation Geek Club website →
GITEX Global - October 14 - 18, 2024
One of the largest technology events in the Middle East, is a must-attend event on the AIXR list for companies looking to expand in the region. Hosted in Dubai.
2024 Augmented Enterprise Summit, October 15th - 17th, 2024
Where enterprises go to innovate with XR. Hosted in Dallas, Texas.
AWE EU 2024, October 29th - 30th, 2024
#1 XR + AI COMMUNITY. "You'll Feel Spatial, We Promise!" Hosted in Vienna, Austria.
