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Nike Fit – Augmented Reality Measuring Tools

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

One of the most common problems with shopping online for clothing and shoes is not being sure of the size of the item. If you are anything like me, you have returned online purchases once or twice because the size you ordered does not actually fit.

After finding that 60% of people wear the wrong shoe size, Nike has announced that they will be using an innovative Augmented Reality measuring tool in their mobile application called ‘Nike Fit’ to solve this problem.

All the user has to do is stand against a wall, and hold their device over their sock-covered feet. Using Augmented Reality measuring tools, Artificial Intelligence, and algorithms, the Nike Fit app will scan your feet and let you know what shoes size you are.

 

Nike Fit AR app

 

This process takes up to a minute to complete.

Augmented Reality measurement tools are becoming more popular, and can be used on smart phone devices to measure things like furniture and room dimensions.

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Augmented Reality User Guide – Bringing Your Content To Life

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

Your company already has content for the different operations that happen throughout the different departments. Are the booklets being read? Are the user and maintenance guides being used for their intended purpose?

People do not refer to guides unless they are needed, and when they are needed it is usually due to an urgent matter. Augmented Reality makes your content easily accessible and helps display it in a way that is easy to follow and understand.

Augmented Reality adds a layer of entertainment to the information as well. Content that is important can also be displayed in a way that makes it exciting to look at; AR does this in a way that makes sense and engages the viewer.

Use of Augmented Reality technology enables a company to have their own mobile application which can be used internally, or by consumers as well.

Below is an example of how Augmented Reality guides work.

 

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Virtual Reality Skills Training as New Technology emerges

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

I attended a meeting a while ago where other industry experts were talking about different statistics. It came up that the estimated amount of jobs that would be completely replaced by new technologies worldwide is 5 million.

That sentence is enough to conjure fear and opposition towards the different technologies that are emerging. Another fact that was mentioned, though, is that there are companies setting aside 101 hours a year to retrain their staff for different positions that would aid the new technology coming in.

Companies are looking for the most cost-effective, time-efficient, and easy-to-understand means to train their staff. Our solution that fits all those needs is Virtual Reality Training.

Below is an example of Virtual Reality Training that is used by Tauron Polska Energy to teach staff their way around the existing technology with which they need to work:

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Dubai Future Accelerators, HTC Vive, Burj Khalifa, and Virtuality

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

Dubai Future Accelerators launched the ‘VR and Beyond” challenge in partnership with Burj Khalifa and HTC Vive Middle East.

There were 118 applicants from all over the world, and Virtuality is proud to be a local company part of the top 6 finalists.

Our talented team has been busy with production for the past month, and will be presenting our prototype later this week.

 

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Have you heard of Social Virtual Reality? What is it?

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

Social Media has changed how we communicate with loved ones, for business, and with brands. Just when you thought more change in communication was not possible, Virtual Reality is adding another level to how you interact with people online.

Social Virtual Reality is where users can immerse themselves in the online world to communicate with other users as a customized avatar. You can liken social Virtual Reality to live interaction; it is face-to-face. Social Virtual Reality allows you to virtually appear in front of someone who is sitting on the other side of the world.

Social Virtual Reality is a fun way to interact with people online. Not only can you have a conversation with them, but you can dance, explore different environments, and even go shopping online together.

One of the best platforms for Social Virtual Reality is vTime. You can sit with three other people in a campfire-like style in different environments – including outer space and under the sea – and have a conversation.

Social Virtual Reality is an innovation which is enhancing our online experiences.

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UAE Innovates and German Tourism using Virtual Reality

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

We started off UAE’s Innovation Month at Abu Dhabi Ports for their Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality event activations. We ended off the month at the UAE Innovates event in City Walk with German Tourism.

Virtuality teamed up with German Tourism to showcase their travel destinations in Virtual Reality. Guests were immersed in Germany while standing in Dubai.

Below is a video of our team interacting with the activation:

 

The use of Virtual Reality captured the essence of Dubai’s ability to innovate and bring new and immersive experiences to different industries.

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Interesting Facts about GIF’s and why You need them on Social Media

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

GIF stands for “Graphics Interchange Format” and is a file format that can support multiple frames as an animation, or just a single static image. Here are a few interesting facts about them!

 

1 – The GIF file format was created by a team of computer scientists in 1987, lead by Steve Wilhite.

2 –  Steve Wilhite, referred to above, says that the pronunciation of the term “GIF” was intended to be “jiff” and not “giff.”

3 –  According to TechCrunch, Giphy – the largest GIF search engine – was worth $300 million in 2016 due to funding and no actual revenue generation.

4 –  GIF’s are referred to as, “the language of the web” as they carry a message, are quick to understand, and carry a fun and entertaining element.

5 – On Twitter, tweets published with GIF’s receive 167% more engagement.

 

Below is a GIF we created for a chef for Instagram:

 

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Top Three Trends for Events in Dubai for 2019

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

Augmented Reality Games

Keep your guests engaged and entertained with an Augmented Reality Game. Guests will scan a trigger through a customized application on a mobile device – iPads are the most popular due to their size and AR compatibility – and the Augmented Reality game is activated on the screen.

The game can any the brand and any activity that promotes the product, service, or value that is being launched, taught, or promoted. For an example, have a look at what Abu Dhabi Ports did for Abu Dhabi Innovation Week 2019.

Virtual Reality Tours and Experiences

Creating a Virtual Tour or Virtual Reality brand experience is a highly interactive way to engage with event visitors. It is a good way to introduce your audience to an aspect of your brand that they are not commonly able to experience.

For example, you can take a tour around different wine farms in South Africa at a wine tasting event in France. Just put on the Virtual Reality headset and be transported to where the wine is made.

Holographic Displays

At events where there are speeches and presentations being given, new ways are being sought to keep guests entertained without losing the point of the message.

Interactive holograms, pre-programmed to co-ordinate with the spoken content, are a practical and entertaining way to present information to your audience. While a presenter speaks, animated visuals are displayed on stage via a screen.

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Abu Dhabi Ports Augmented Reality Game for UAE Innovation Month

BY KAYLA NOBREGA

 

The beginning of February marked the start of the UAE’s Innovation Month. Throughout this month, there will be exhibitions all over the United Arab Emirates, particularly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, showcasing the latest in technology and innovations.

Virtuality is proud to have been a part of Abu Dhabi Innovations Week 2019, alongside Abu Dhabi Ports.

We created an Augmented Reality game for the guests of the Innovations Exhibition to be able to interact with Khalifa Port’s operations.

Using ‘Image Tracking,’ users scan the trigger and Khalifa Port is augmented on the device.

Abu Dhabi Ports Augmented Reality

Abu Dhabi Ports Augmented Reality

The goal is to park a vessel at Khalifa Port using the controls on the screen.

AR game Abu Dhabi Ports

Augmented Reality Game Abu Dhabi Ports

Augmented Reality Game Abu Dhabi Ports

Abu Dhabi Ports Augmented Reality Game

Augmented Reality games are a great way to keep event visitors engaging with your exhibit in an entertaining way!

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What is Indoor Navigation? – Part 2

BY NAIRAH THAHA

 

There are two things required to make an indoor AR location app:

  1. Beacon Technology:

This method entails placing Bluetooth Low Energy beacons (BLE) around the areas you wish to have mapped out. These beacons are small in size and easy to hide. Whenever the user walks into the range of the beacon, it sends out a signal to the AR app via Bluetooth which alerts the software to the position of the user.

The advantage is that the accuracy of the navigation is high since the app is being fed direct information. The cost of creating such a service goes up when you want to cover larger spaces indoors as you will need a lot of sensors.

  1. AR Technology:

If you have used an Augmented Reality app that makes use of ARKit/ARCore frameworks, you would have noticed that once you place 3D content on to a surface, you are able to walk away from it and see that its location persists in the real world. This is done by making use of motion tracking technology using the sensors mentioned above so that it is able to establish how far you have walked and in which direction.

Harnessing this technology, we are able to make indoor navigation apps in Augmented Reality using only sensors. What must be considered, though, is that because of the high frame rate of the sensors small measurement errors can accumulate over time to cause a significant error referred to as “sensor drift.”

The other thing to keep in mind is that the phone needs to be aware of the initial starting point and orientation in order to establish its position. This can be done in many ways, but most commonly users will be asked to scan a predefined image target which lets the app know the initial position and rotation of the phone.