LyteShot - augmented reality gaming platform

I've come across interesting project called LyteShot. It is a new gaming platform based on augmented reality. I often write about how AR or VR can change the entertainment area of our lives. This is very good example of it.

The basics

The whole concept is very simple. You use:

1. mobile app that is the game you're playing

2. a special device on you that register actions performed on you

3. a Lyter that allows to perform actions

4. you can also use special augmented reality glasses that are showing to you all informations that you need to have, for example other player stats or your helth

The data layer of app is held in the cloud, the devices are working using infrared. Everything is as simple as possible. This allows to move gaming from your room and pc or console to real world. 

Real world is always better

The concept of moving games to real world is one of my favourite in augmented reality gaming. Why ? Because real world is just better :) The same game, played in the sae place can always be a bit different. This is hard to reproduce in standard games. You can always have a bit more traffic on streets, their can be more people passing you, their can be some new obstacles. Every game can be a bit more different. Simillar philosophy is applied by Microsoft in their X-Ray project. This is the new path, new branch of this sector.

IoT as part of augmented reality

Wait, this looks familiar. Ohhhh I already wrote about that here :) This project is great example of using many different elements to extend our world and transform it to something bigger. Informations from cloud, from external devices, from mobile device, all this is combined to create extended, more flexible reality, to change our perception. And effects can be really fascinating. 

Funny thing is that projects like this are good for society. It creates new reason to move more, to get up from comfrotable chairs and increase our activities. Our current problem is that we don't move to much, most of us works 8 hourse in front of a monitor, this is not good for us. So I keep my fingers crossed for every project like this. 

I hope LyteShot will success and will be an inspiration for other, this sector has a great potential and I thing that it will become bigger and bigger during time. Especially that this platform allows external developers to create their own application and this can create a really big variation of games and health applications. Go go !

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Cancer glasses - virtual reality helps medicine !

Virtual reality is very usefull technology and when I read about projects like this, I like it more and more. Cancer glasses aren't yet official device that can't be use in medicine, but I really do hope it will become one.

What it is about ?

Cancer glasses is a device that allow surgeons to better see cancer cells during the operation. Why is it needed ? Because it is very hard to distinguish normal, healthy cells from the cancer one. 

How does it work ? Before the operation, a special dye is injected into patient. Surgeon wears special blind googles with two cameras, one normal and one workin with infrared. The infrared camera is able to see the cancer cells that are marked with dye. It is combined with the image from normal camera and displayed on screen inside the googles. That way, surgeon is able to see and recognize the sick cells.

This technology allows to increse the quality of the operation, it allows to cut out all of cancer cells that prevent recurrence of the illness. Isn't this a great usage of virtual reality?

Why I'm talking about this ?

It is important to spread informations about projects like this. It is fantastic when technology can help us and can make our life better and more safe. I hope that this project will pass all tests and receive every needed acceptance.

We need to talk about ideas like this, we need to think about what can we do better. Only people with passion, with calling can pull us forward. Thanks to people like this, we can see projects simillar to cancer glasses than literally can save someones life and every effort that will save even life of one person is worth it.

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Project "Comradre"

What stands behinind this codename ? It is a project on which researchers in the Microsoft lab of Jaron Lanier are working on. It is focused on multiperson virtual reality. Sounds good.

What is all about ?

As I've mentioned, project is focused on possibility to interact with same virtual object by many persons during one session. It opens many different possibilities for VR as a technology. I'm not talking about gaming - but to be honest this is the first one I thought about - but about training software or for the first time business usage.

Virtual reality is getting more and more popular, the technology allows us to achive really great things using it and one of the biggest limitation is that you can do all this fantastic things only by yourself. Of course you can show the results on the screen but you can't invite anybody into your virtual world. 

Think how military training can change if there would be a possibility to render whole world for whole team. What about architecture ? Design a building, or bridge and show it to potential investor, invite him for a virtual walk and show everything what you will be able to achive if he will fund it. 

Natural step ?

Probably yes. As I've mentioned, we can currently do a lot of great stuff using VR, our technology allows us to build whole new worlds, VR devices are getting more handy and comfortable in usage. It was a matter of time when someone would want to get something more. This may be it. 

In this article I've mentioned that virtual reality already lost the "wow" effect. It is with us for so long time and that made it not as fascinating as before. If we achive multiperson interaction it may change, it can be an impuls for VR reborn.

I hope they will do it. I know that we need to wait for true effect of their work but current progress is very promissing.

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Microsoft and HoloLens

As most of you already know, recently Microsoft announced that on start of 2016 there will be available a developer version of HoloLens. That is a good news because know we can be sure that this project won't be hidden in closet.

HoloLens - what is it ?

HoloLens is an example of special googles that changes our reality. It is a computer that brings high-definition holograms into our world. You can see them like they were real, you can fully interact with them. This is really a good job done by Microsoft. 

HoloLens is not a project related with our every day life, at least not now. This is not the kind of device that you'll wear on your way to work but there is a chance that in near future you will wear them to do your work. Even now, on this early stage, everyone can see how big potential is hidden in HoloLens. If you now, can design and build something in Minecraft - using HoloLens - why won't you be able to design a real building and decompose it ?

Project X-Ray

I was watching last Microsoft conference and when I saw project X-Ray I was stunned. This is really something that we can call "future". The way how HoloLens work with the envoirment is fantastic. I never saw anything simillar to that. Currently - in my opinion - Microsoft is years in front of the competition. If someone didn'nt watch please take a look below, you won't regret it.

First of all I really love the way how HoloLens understands your envoirment, that it can use it to select a path, to change the logic of movement. This is really something. This is the path that should be taken by the gaming business. The game is never boring because you can change it by changing elements in the room. This is example of true mixing realities. This is a step beyond standard augmented reality !

Wow, yeah, fantastic, awsome...is worth it ?

I know that there is a lot of "big" words, I know that this is just a prototype and it still can be a big fail but it is not all about HoloLens only. It is about a way, path that we can see. This is a promise of better future related with augmented reality.

I trully belive that HoloLens - or different project simillar to it - will be a device that will be as popular as a simple PC nowadays. I belive that this will be a next, big revolution related with technology of every human. This is sci-fi ovie in our home, in our hands. A wearable hologram - I love this term - it is really something !

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IoT as part of augmented reality

Augmented reality allows to extend our perception using external devices. We link this technology with elements like mobile phones, tablets, googles. But is this all ? Ain't there any other things that can extend our reality and perception ?

The next step

Can we think about internet of things as a next step of augmented reality ? I think that yes, it is a natural path of AR. IoT allows us to extend the synergy of us with envoirment. It allows us to see world in new and more interesting way. IoT as part of AR may be a variety for all of users and even a support for some of them. 

We should stop thinking in schematic and narrow way. Augmented reality creates many new paths, many new possibilities. It open doors for many new inventions than can make our life better. Let us get out of the pattern: camera, gps, display. Someone, sometime will add something like accelerometer or something like that. Look at most popular apps, over 90% of them are almoust the same, they use same idea, same pattern to achive different goals. This isn't anything bad. IT often is about reusing. But in my opinion, augmented reality is more then IT, it is a new way of life, new way of our evolution. We can't block potential of AR, we need to go further, and IoT can help with that.

AR + IoT = More informations

In time when almoust everything can be connected to the internet, amount of informations that we can gain about the user is getting huge. We also have much more methods of receiving this informations. We can understand how user is thinking, what he likes to do, what are his habits. We can now describe person in digital way. Why this is important ? Because it changes everything !

Look at Google, look at Facebook, this are companies that created their power by getting and using enormous ammount of informations.

External devices set in home, in your workplace can gain this informations for you that will allow to extend your reality, that will allow to help in every day tasks. It can create a totally new branch of business.

Augmented reality is something more than technology. It is a way of thinking, a goal that should be step on our path. It is a philosophy of thinking about new things.

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Why VR is getting more and more popular ?

Recently we can observer increased interest in virtual reality. We can find a lot of articles related with new devices, companies investing in new project/startups etc. All of this forced me to ask this question...why ?

It isn't anything new

Let`s be honest, virtual reality is not a new idea, it isn't even a new technology. Virtual reality was with us for a long time now. So why now ?

Well first of all it is caused by evolution of technology. We have better software and better hardware. Miniaturization is one of the keys that is responsible for growth of virtual reality. It is just much better than in the past.

Is it all about technology ?

I think not. I think that this change is related with change of our perception, of our need for consumption content in newer, better (?) way. We can see that increased interest with virtual reality is strongly related with a much bigger consumption of video content. Internet TV (Netflix), Facebook (more video on the wall, idea of using video instead of profile picture), video blogs, increased role of sites like youtube, twitch.

We evolved from text, through images to video and we won't stop now. Images were a better way to represent our thoughts. Video is better way to present what we wanted to show on couple of images. We always want more, we always want something better, there will be always someone that will want to see something more. So how can we go further ? Yes ! Using virtual reality. Virtual reality will allow us to show more and to interact with the things that are represented.

Welcome to the future

To be honest, we`re already between video and VR by using more often 360 videos. It already allows us to see the same thing from different point of view, to see more. Same movie can be seen a couple of times, and every time we'll see something that wasn't seen before. It increase our interest, it increase our involvement, and it pumps a bit our imagination. The next natural step is to interact with elements of the content, to become part of this, to get into it.
Probably we'll se more and more projects related with virtual reality and this will be probably a next big revolution if our lives. Prices of headsets are getting chipper. More projects and more possible clients and new technologies will probably lower them even more. VR will be something standard in our lives and this will change a lot in the way how we interact with our computers, how interact with content. This will a new chapter.

Virtual reality and augmented reality ?

Interesting is that augmented reality is not using the same pattern. The differences (you can read more about them HERE) are too big. Usage of both technologies are on the opposite ends of the stick. Augmented reality will not be able to increase our perception of the video and even if than probably the quality of this will be too low so it will be still a waste of time. Augmented reality is focused too much on the useable part of ur live. Is that bad ? I don't think so.

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Voice assistants as every day augmented reality

Recently I'm heavily testing and using different types of voice assistants like Google now, Cortana, Siri, S-voice. Everything I can, I try to test. During this time I can see how good example of daily augmented reality they are. But hey, this is nothing new. When I think about this technology and future of it I'm getting happy like a child, thanks to this voice assistants.




Time when device understands you. Are we there yet ?

I think we're pretty close but not yet on the finish line. Sure, we can give some less and more complex commands to our device, and we can get a good result but still this is not something what I would call "understanding". Currently our voice assistants allow us to interact with the device in much more comfortable way. Especially when you`re in the car or even while walking. At the moment most of reminders, meetings, messages etc. I'm doing using this kind of software and it works fine. I must say I'm missing a good glass in front of my eye to see more information. I would prefer to read SMS myself than to hear it…maybe it will change. I would like to see some basic information, navigation etc. This is what I want. Google glass was to much disturbing in my opinion, it was cause mostly by it construction. I hope that next generation will be better.

Time when device understands you. Are we there yet ?

This is hard question to answer. Is it safer ? Not everybody will agree with that, there are even voices that glasses with augmented reality are much more dangerous during driving car than mobile phone. Is this true ? I'm not sure, I think it is much more about the user. Should some functionalities be blocked during driving ? This may be a good idea.
So safety is not a good argument. Is it convenience ? It looks like this but currently if you have different accent than native than you can have a lot of problems using it. For example Cortana has a lot of problems with understanding me when I tell her to ignore something. Strange, so simple word, so many problems. Often you can have a lot of problems with voice control and you need to use the device in old school way. Probably it will change in future. So this is not the best argument.
It is cool. Oh yes, always :) Funny thing that IT is one of not many branches were argument like "this will be awesome even if it won't be useful" is more than enough to make a good project.

Voice assistant is cool but not so useful

I think currently voice assistants are more cool than useful. It look good on paper, it looks good on presentation, their are good marketing material and good start for future but currently - unfortunately - their not so useful. We have still some technological problems that are stoping this projects a bit. I hope that it will go further and further. I like very much vision from movie "Her" (I've already mentioned about it in one of previous posts), where people can fully interact with their computers simply by voice. Not only simple commands, but full interaction. I think that we're going this way and sooner or later we'll get there. Is it good ? Time will show

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Augmented reality in business

Business, nothing new. We are all connected with this word in some way. What can change in future ? What we can get from implementing augmented reality in business ? Is this only a new fancy "gadget" or maybe it will give something valuable that allow to improve sale and/or product itself ?

Augmented reality = new possibilities

Augmented reality can offer a lot more than only couple of cool visual effect on screen of your smartphone. Why I'm talking about smartphone ? Because - at least for now - augmented reality possibilities will be limited to mobile devices in business (don't worry there will be a exception). Glass type project are still in minority, they need still a lot of work before we see them in on our faces. But that isn't a problem. You can already see people in stores taking pictures of floor panels to rethink everything in home. But what to do to make it better ?

So what new possibilities we can get from augmented reality ? Lets talk about couple of them.

Furniture shops

Did you ever tried to furnish a room ? Do you know how many questions you need to answer if you want to do it properly ? Do you know how many doubts you have when you want to pick something ? How it will look like when I put it near this closet ?

Project like this are the answer:

This is a great usage of augmented reality with mapping over a known picture. You can simply put magazine when you want to put new furniture and check how it will look like. Very handy and useful.

Important thing is that you need an object to map the virtual element. It allows you to move around it and check from different sides. It allows to scale to product so you can really act like you have a new sofa in the room. Putting only images on the screen is a really bad idea and gives to user a poor effect. Example below (don't do it like this ! ):

Augmented reality + factories = improvements

Ok, now lets go to different part of augmented reality. Goggles. What are the problems related with jobs related with manual work in - for example - factory that produces cars ? Two most common are:

    1. Human errors during assemble

    2. Cost related with learning new worker

Both of them can be fixed or at least reduced using augmented reality. Imagine a worker with special goggles that analyze parts in front of the worker and shows what should go where and how it should be connected/assembled. It will strongly reduce count of errors made by human. It will help to increase quality of the product with out increasing the cost of the work. This is the path which business should follow.

Now the second case. If the new worker will also have same glasses, it will allow to reduce time needed from a senior worker. It will increase his time in the job that he should do. And again, with out increasing the costs we increase performance.

There is a lot of augmented reality project related with business and big data. One of my favorite is Daqri. Helmet that their building is a fantastic usage of augmented reality, it has endless potential and possibilities.

Not only Daqri, we also have interesting project from VW:

Marketing

Ok now something easy. How to interest a potential client with our product ? We need to do something cool ! Something that will make him to pay attention on the product. Augmented reality is a fantastic tool for that. Look at this Coca-Cola campaign:



So easy, and so great effect. Augmented reality is a powerful tool that refers to a very important feeling...fun. Lets be honest, we all want to have fun, we all want to spend a good time. If you give a tool that will give fun to client and allow you to focus him on the product, than you`re a winner. If you want to do that think about augmented reality. 



This even don't have to be a strict commercial related with your product, if you can softly mark your brand there, than it is very often more than enough. Look on the possibilities of augmented reality in marketing. I shown only two examples but marketing business has done homework. Usage of this technology is more and more often. And why it is so big success ? Because for common people this is still technology about witch they don't know a lot



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Technology in school is great, but is there a limit ?

According to OECD and theirs latest report there is a limit. Everybody will agree that new technologies are very helpful in education but according to mentioned report, if there is too much of computers and technologies, results of students are getting lower.

New technologies are important

Recently I wrote about role and possibilities related with new technologies - like augmented reality (Technology in education is the future) - in education. As for, education system is one of parts of our lives where we need to think and talk about computers, gadgets, new ideas. Lets be honest, education of young minds is very important for all of us, our future often depends on them.

But we can't substitute all of "old school" elements like books, paper, hand writing with new technologies. I love augmented reality, it gives a lot of new possibilities, but we can't limit kids only to virtual presentations like we can't limit them only to books and lecture. We need to find a point in perfect position between this two, very different options.

System need to evolve

Education system need to evolve like we all do, it need to adapt to current possibilities, current needs and trends. But it also need to remember about basic - not so simple - skills like hand writing or books. Nowadays I often see that young people have no idea what standard, paper encyclopedia is and how to use it. As for me, this is disaster.

New technology is not a threat, it should not be banned from schools, but as the report shown, it should be used with care. The only possible solution is to rethink everything and try to find out how to connect the old part, with the new part.



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Sport...probably only place where I don't want see augmented reality

I love augmented reality, I think it is part of our future. Future that is in progress. It will be a thing that will be part of our every day life. But there is a place, part of our society, where I don`t want to see augmented reality. I mean sport.

Battle of skill

Why sport ? In this terms I'm an idealist. I want to think, I want to believe, I believe that sport is battle of skills, battle of characters, battle people. I don't care is it football, soccer, volleyball, tennis, running, F1 races.

I don't see there any place for any technological gadgets. For example, there was an attempt in swimming. Swimmers were equipped in special swimming costume similar to shark skins. There was great increase in their results, but after quite short time, this costumes were banned. Why ? Because results where built not by swimmers but by costumes. 

People want to see true and epic battles. They want to know - or even they want to be sure - that not everyone can do this on same level. They want to have their idols.

 Augmented reality - The Destroyer

Augmented reality - in my opinion - will destroy the most beautiful part of the sport. It will change everything, it can allow less skilled to be one of the best, it will reduce the importance of true talent and true, hard and long training. Even now, there is a very strong opposition to implement more technological gadgets in sport.

Think about F1 racers or skiers. What if they will able to see the best route on their goggles ? What if they will receive informations that are counted on computer ? They will not need to know, to learn that, to even ignore that.

Simpler is better

Augmented reality is a beautiful and great technology. I'm sure that it will help us. I'm sure that it will make our life easier, better and more productive. But everything has its place, and place of augmented reality is outside of the sport.

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