Taken from the post advertisement on LinkedIn:

Position remote or in Cambridge, MA.

Are you passionate about technology education? We are MIT Horizon, a new initiative within MIT Open Learning committed to supporting MIT’s mission to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century. Our vision is to educate the global workforce on emerging technologies with MIT’s expert, impartial, update-to-date online library. For more information about MIT Horizon, please visit horizon.mit.edu.

MIT Horizon is seeking experts in Augmented and Virtual Reality to help support the development of educational articles and content for working professionals. The expert should have specific and deep knowledge in one or more area of software and hardware development in AR/VR, of AR/VR usage in education, engineering, manufacturing, entertainment, or travel.

Work with MIT Horizon senior editor and researchers to:

•       Provide subject matter expertise and answer questions via interviews, meetings, and emails.
•       Draft notes on various AR/VR topics.
•       Review and fact check copy on AR/VR articles for accuracy and completeness.
•       Help make connections to knowledgeable members of the AR/VR communities.

Requirements:

•       Proven expertise in the AR/VR industry.
•        2 – 20 hours a week for three months.
•       Does not have to be based in Boston, open to remote.

See LinkedIn page where you can apply online.

• Just as employees led the “bring your own device to work” trend, they also may be ahead of their companies in accepting augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in the next wave of office technology, according to a Dec. 5 Mojo Vision report.
• Among the report’s findings, 78% of workers surveyed would be open to wearing extended reality headsets (the broad term for AR and VR tech, also seen as XR) at their employer’s request, and 48% think XR headsets and related devices could help them learn new skills at work. More than half of surveyed respondents (55%) said these headsets and devices will be as commonplace as smartphones. And under half of respondents think technology will be less visible, operating in the background so that they can focus on their work.
• The report also identified ways XR can help workers’ performance, including allowing them immediate access to such information as forecasts, sales figures and other key data; aiding workers with public speaking engagements by keeping information before them so they won’t forget it; and helping workers abide by required procedures, processes and compliance measures.

Insight:

XR tech may be showing up in more workplaces as the new decade dawns. In fact, a Perkins Coie survey found that 78% of polled execs and investors said they believe XR can be applied to workforce development. As the Mojo report suggested, XR technology could become as common as the smartphone or other everyday tech devices.

Consumers already use VR for gaming and may find that transitioning the technology into the workplace is a natural next step. However, the Perkins Coie survey also notes that glitches in user experience and the availability of content may be two serious shortfalls that employers must consider before adopting the technology.

As developers work out glitches in the technology and the workplace adopts it, employers will need to know when employees will be ready to use it.

Christa Manning, director of HCM Innovation at Ultimate Software, told HR Dive in a 2018 interview that getting employees ready to use the technology can be challenging. Employers should first have a strong business case for use of the tech before heading into full-scale adoption.

To use such tech, learning and development professionals should work with IT to make sure employees have the correct hardware and WiFi connections so data can be processed in real time. “Like any new technology or change in the business, learning professionals really have to focus on supporting the workers empathetically through the change and market the benefits for the worker as well as the business,” said Manning.

The quality of work and performances for companies across all industries, including field services, healthcare, manufacturing, aerospace, architecture, education, and insurance, is being improved with this all-in-one hardware and software solution including new key gesture capabilities.

The Android-based X2 MR Glasses fit a wide, 42-degree field of view, powerful sensors (thermal and ambient light), and a built-in proprietary simultaneous localization and mapping system, called VisionEye SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping), that allows for advanced MR features not available on a monocular device. The glasses have a long battery life due to a 1750mAH single battery and noise cancelling microphones. Two grey-scale cameras, a high resolutions RGB camera (13-megapixel HD), 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis accelerometer, and 3-axis magnometer are also included. The ThirdEye Workspace, a powerful enterprise software platform built into the X2 MR Glasses, include advanced AR/MR capabilities, such as live AR remote help and 3D SLAM based CAD modeling and overlay.

“ThirdEye’s X2 MR Glasses are completely unique. The X2 MR Glasses are affordable, contain powerful technology and have a lightweight design,” said Nick Cherukuri, Founder of ThirdEye. “Mixed reality is changing the way employees work in the enterprise, allowing them to have the information they need right in front of their eyes. With our X2 MR Glasses, companies are saving nearly 40 percent in productivity improvements, and with our software partnerships, we believe the savings will only increase.”

On the heels of mass shipping, ThirdEye has also formed strategic partnerships with software companies to expand applications across the enterprise industry, including most recently with Atheer, pioneer of the world’s first Augmented Reality Management Platform (ARMP). The partnership with Atheer will transform how car repairs at dealerships will be handled going forward, marking the first time that U.S. car repairs are using AR at scale.

In addition, ThirdEye is partnering with ManoMotion, a computer vision-based software company that provides a gesture recognition framework for applications in augmented and mixed reality, to bring a brand new product feature update. The new update allows users of the X2 MR Glasses to control their glasses through hand gestures. Now, users can pinch to click, pinch and move to drag, and open and close their hand to go back to control and navigate the information that’s placed in front of them. The glasses also include hand-tracking for cursor motion and an integration with the ThirdEye UI controls menu bar.

Read full press release from ThirdEye.

Read ThirdEye Gen AREA member profile

In the 21st century, technology is taking over education — be it skill-building programmes in universities, real-world technical training and learning of abstract concepts in schools. The shift from conventional means to experiential methods of transacting learning has seen new-age technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality — a combination of AR/VR — have been playing a key role in driving learning and edtech engagement.

Educators around the globe today have realised that AR/VR are big breakthroughs when it comes to learning — for a method as well as outcomes. As Ankur Aggarwal, founder of VR-based edtech startup Veative told us the enduring objective of edtech is to improve the yearning to learn and AR/VR helps implement it in a spectacular manner.

“AR/VR has great potential in democratising the educational process and making it a personalised learning experience for learners of all stripes. AR/VR is not a gimmick when deployed correctly. They allow learners to explore abstract concepts in a distraction-free environment and allow them to connect with the concept,” Aggarwal added.

And that is not a lone opinion. Vivek Goyal, cofounder of AR edtech startup Playshifu, emphasises that learning today means much more than just remembering the facts. Anumukonda Ramesh, country manager for the Indian subcontinent, Unity Technologies, one of the biggest gaming engines in the world, also ascertains that the Indian education system needs to leverage new technologies in order to stay relevant in an ever-changing world.  

(The original full article examines differences between AR and VR before looking at what future AR and R has in Edtech.

As PlayShifu’s Goyal explains, we can broadly divide formal education into three segments — early, secondary and tertiary learning (higher education). For early learners, playing is the way to learn and AR/VR can make a significant impact as it enhances any play experience 10x. Learning about core fundamental skills like alphabets, numbers, logical reasoning can be made so much more fun and engaging with AR-enabled gameplay.

“For more advanced ages, we are already seeing a lot of hardware development being done in terms of AR glasses. These will enable grasping and practicing concepts more profoundly with the help of life-size 3D animated content that students can manipulate and observe in their learning space,” Goyal added.

Here are the primary reasons why AR/VR are believed to be the future of learning and education.

1. Boosts Learning Retention
2. Personalised Learning Experiences
3. Increases Possibilities Of Experimentation
4. Reduces Reliance On Learning By Rote
5. Empowering Educators And Learners
6. Encouraging Active Learning

The founders the authors spoke to believe that AR and VR technology can have an impact not just for young ages but also for reskilling, corporate learning, industrial applications and more.  Each is examined in depth in theoriginal article The Future Of Edtech And Learning In India From An AR/VR Lens.

Perry states that “This shift is good news for me. Motion sickness makes it unpleasant to fully immerse myself in a virtual world, while augmented reality (AR) devices, which superimpose digital images on real objects, suit me just fine. CES exhibitors will show off lots of new AR glasses at this year’s show, as well as advances in the underlying technology.”

Bosch, for example, is pitching a new optical light drive module, a stack of MEMS mirrors, sensors, processors, and other hardware that can be built into smart glasses to create an AR display. Futurus Technology will introduce a mixed reality car windshield. And Magic Leap promises a live demo of new apps as the well-funded AR startup pivots to focus more on business than consumer applications, at least in the short term.

In other news, The Financial Times has AR glasses as the FIRST item in trends to be looking for. The short analysis focuses on AR for consumers, but Paul Travers (CEO of Vuzix) is quoted in this piece entitled “What to look for at CES 2020: 8K TV, the passenger economy and ‘smart everything’”

The AREA Research Committee is planning a Research webinar on the new products and services announced and expected in the coming year. Check back soon for information.

The investment came from Business Venture Partners, Halo Business Angel Network and Enterprise Ireland.

It builds software for augmented reality glasses used by engineers and technicians, which display data visually for the user, according to co-founder Patrick Liddy.

“We build software to help engineers, technicians, technical workers of all sorts to see information and the procedures they should be following or the assets that they’re working on in their vision while they’re doing the task,” he said.

The startup, founded in 2018, can link glasses up with internet-connected equipment or IoT devices to display real-time functioning data or flag any maintenance issues.

Take for example a technician that needs to change the filter on an air handling unit, which takes multiple steps to complete.

“In the past that might have been text saying do step A, then step B. Now you’re able to watch short 10 second videos (through the glasses) which describe each step and help you more clearly understand what you need to do.”

The technician could also do a video call back to a remote colleague and show them exactly what they’re looking at via the glasses.

“They’ll be able to see on their computer what you’re doing in real-time and draw annotations to talk you through how to fix that problem.”

Read full original article here.

Topics covered in detail in the interview include many pertinent questions faced by enterprises:

• How the collaboration with Zebra Technologies came about
• The unique or key features of the HD4000 that make it enterprise-ready
• The new demands of e-commerce that the Zebra HD4000 is helping companies to meet
• How Six15’s tech integrates securely with existing enterprise architecture
• Beyond guidance and training, what are the insights and analytics enterprises are gaining from the product and how can it become a full end-to-end solution or is it not meant to be that?
• What typically drives up costs for enterprises trying to adopt AR?
• What do you think is the ideal duration time for a pilot or is a pilot unnecessary in this case with the HD4000?
• Future collaborations for Six15’s
• Customer feedback.

We hope our readers enjoy this interview! 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Frontdoor bought Streem with a combination of cash and equity, including incentive-based equity. Streem’s CEO and co-founder, Ryan Fink, and the rest of the team, will remain in Portland.

Founded in 2017, Streem aims to give home service professionals a way to more quickly diagnose and quote a customer’s inquiry via new smartphone technology. Customers can use Streem’s app to stream HD video of their given issue to the professional, who can then use a digital toolbox to take measurements and other notes. Computer vision technology can automatically detect the brand and model number of a part or appliance. Professionals can guide the conversation with a laser pointer and use arrows anchored to a 3D map of the space. The photos, videos, notes, and data stay saved on the app.

The idea is to help professionals assess a problem during a “virtual visit” and gather the necessary tools, all before they physically enter a home.

Streem had raised more than $10 million from investors including Flying Fish Partners; Greycroft; Curious Capital; Oregon Venture Fund; Portland Seed Fund; TechNexus; Rogue Venture Partners; Betaworks Ventures; GGV Capital; General Catalyst; Loup Ventures; and others.

Earlier this year Streem acquired Selerio, a computer vision startup based in the U.K. that spun out of research from the University of Cambridge and a Google fellowship.

“Combining Streem’s AR-enhanced platform with Frontdoor’s marketplace, will accelerate the transformation of the service experience for consumers and businesses alike,” Fink said in a statement. “We’ve long said our platform is defined by three key pillars: remote video collaboration, simple augmented reality tools, and, most importantly, contextual data. This allows service experts to capture information as well as – if not better than – if they were on site. Our shared visions for simplifying life and delivering innovative technology to help solve problems are extremely aligned.”

This represents a significant pedagogical methodology and prepares them with new methods of teaching.

Students will wear wearable gear to interact virtually and physically with the immersive technology.

The rationale behind this is that the faculties teaching in different colleges need to acquaint themselves with emerging technology, as they are the key persons entrusted with the task of national building and influencing the minds of the younger generations.

VR and AR technologies are beomcing increasingly important as a means of instruction in the teaching-learning process.

Read more in the original article in the Times of India

The research study has been prepared with the use of in-depth qualitative and quantitative analyses of the global Augmented Reality (AR) in Warehousing and Logistics market. We have also provided absolute dollar opportunity and other types of market analysis on the global Augmented Reality (AR) in Warehousing and Logistics market.

It takes into account the CAGR, value, volume, revenue, production, consumption, sales, manufacturing cost, prices, and other key factors related to the global Augmented Reality (AR) in Warehousing and Logistics market. All findings and data on the global Augmented Reality (AR) in Warehousing and Logistics market provided in the report are calculated, gathered, and verified using advanced and reliable primary and secondary research sources. The regional analysis offered in the report will help you to identify key opportunities of the global Augmented Reality (AR) in Warehousing and Logistics market available in different regions and countries.

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