On Monday, Unity Technologies kicked off their second annual Vision VR/AR Summit in LA. The event provides a space for creators and industry heads to gather and discuss the future of virtual and augmented reality. The opening keynote presentation was full of new information about where VR/AR is headed from the very companies leading the charge. Keep reading for a quick recap of the keynote and its main highlights.
The CEO of Unity, John Riccitiello started the event by addressing the pitfalls of VR/AR so far. His plan for giving this tech the boost it needs for mass appeal includes improvements on price, mobility, and content. Well-known biologist Richard Dawkins also made an appearance as a speaker with his unique perspective on the topic. He showed the audience that the brain works a lot like VR software, building a reality with whatever information it’s given. In both cases, what we see is only a representation of what’s actually there.
Google Product Manager Nathan Martz announced that Google Tango will be integrated with the Unity engine. Tango is the company’s AR platform that can sense and capture images in 3D. So far Tango has had a lukewarm reception since its launch. Hopefully this upgrade will help display its true applications.
A number of different companies also took to the stage to showcase what VR/AR is capable of. Victor Luo and others from NASA JPL showed the audience a live demo of their new tool known as ProtoSpace. ProtoSpace uses the mixed reality technology of the HoloLens to help engineer spacecraft. Currently it’s being used to design the Mars 2020 Rover, and the audience got a peek at how the process works. NFL Films also debuted a 360 degree video from this year’s Super Bowl. The Senior Producer, Jason Weber, had plenty to say about how filming for the NFL has changed since the 1960s. Finally, Spiraloid is intent on breaking boundaries by bringing comics to VR. The company plans to transform how consumers read comics with an emphasis on interaction.
The keynote closed with an announcement of this year’s Vision VR/AR Award winners. For a full rundown of the winners in all nine categories, check out the summit’s official website.
