Microsoft today announced that it’s starting to send developers invitations to preorder the $3,000 HoloLens Development Edition version of its HoloLens augmented reality headset. The kits will ship to people in the U.S. and Canada starting on March 30.
In the last two years, the virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) industry has garnered attention from both investors and entrepreneurs. The number of VR/AR startups is increasing as venture capital dollars continue to flood in, with investment reaching an all time high in 2015 of $658M in equity funding across 126 deals, according to CB Insights data. Even as VR/AR startups launch, larger corporates are developing VR/AR-related businesses, products, and investing in the space.
A research project may hint at how Facebook’s Oculus device will let you explore virtual reality someday: by using a bunch of electromagnets and sensors to track the motions of your individual fingers in three dimensions.
Called Finexus, the project employs four magnetic sensors to track fingernail-sized electromagnets placed on each of the user’s fingertips; it has been found to be accurate to within 1.3 millimeters. The project was created by a group of researchers from the University of Washington and Oculus Research.
Though virtual reality is still far from mainstream, 2015 was a big year for the industry as new headsets were introduced—some full-featured and powerful, some simple and portable—and companies announced new ways to control and capture VR imagery, too. Throughout the year, investors poured money into companies developing the technology, content creators figured out how to make everything from films to advertisements in VR, and millions of Americans experienced virtual-reality technology for the very first time.
With all that happened, it can be hard to sift out what’s most important. We cut through the virtual noise to bring you the six most significant events in virtual reality this year.
Microsoft has been granted a patent for technology that converts the 3D scan data collected by the Kinect gaming sensor into a real physical replica of the scanned object.
Facebook-owned virtual reality (VR) startup Oculus has confirmed that it’s acquiring Pebbles Interfaces, a computer vision and depth-sensing technology company based in Israel.
Founded in 2010, Pebbles Interfaces develops advanced motion sensors that recreate physical objects within the digital realm, irrespective of the angle or range. It also claims to have no latency, which would be a major boost for Oculus and its virtual reality (VR) headset, expected to launch to the public in 2016.
One of the least appealing things about exercising in a gym is the unchanging scenery. We’ve seen a number of systems such as VeloReality and Virtual Active iOS which utilize virtual reality to enhance users’ exercise experience by providing realistic, changing scenery. Now, Icaros from HYVE is adding a bit of fantasy to the mix.
Matterport has raised $30 million in growth funding from Qualcomm and Singapore’s GIC to expand its virtual reality and augmented reality content creation platform.
Mountain View, Calif.-based Matterport makes a $4,500 Pro Camera that can capture an environment in 360 degrees. It also makes the cloud software to stitch the content into a virtual reality or augmented reality experience. The target market has been realtors looking to show off homes for sale in 3D.
“We have gone through a growth period and we are looking to further fuel that growth,” said Bill Brown, chief executive of Matterport, in an interview with VentureBeat. “We’re making very good progress on our applications platform.”
t’s testament to the speed at which the current crop of virtual-reality headsets are evolving that newcomer Fove is able to make its competitors seem, if not outdated, then at least behind the curve.
Fove, founded by former Sony Computer Entertainment producer Yuka Kojima and image-processing wunderkind Lochlainn Wilson, makes a device that is the first of its kind to use eye tracking as its primary user interface, following the user’s pupils with infrared light. It’s a simple but science-fiction-esque invention. You become Iron Man, able to navigate digital menu screens merely by allowing your gaze to linger on a particular button, or Cyclops, capable of firing lasers from your eyes to shoot down alien spaceships.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are still in their infancy, but both spaces are developing quickly. Almost all of the large tech companies have shown interest, including Google (Google Cardboard), Facebook (acquisition of Oculus VR for a reported $2B), Microsoft (HoloLens) and Apple (acquisition of Metaio). As AR and VR devices and applications slowly make their way into offices and households, we used CB Insights data to highlight emerging VR and AR startups that are worth keeping an eye on.
