Although many tend to focus on gaming and entertainment when thinking about VR technologies, virtual reality is proving transformative in technical and industrial applications, too. Three recent announcements illustrate how VR can directly improve safety: Osso VR In October, the US Department of Education announced the winner of their EdSim Challenge, which saw 249 immersive simulation submissions vie for a grand prize of $430,000 in cash and prizes from IBM and Microsoft. Osso VR won this year’s competition with a surgical training system that allows new surgical techniques to be practiced on virtual patients. Michael E. Wooten, a deputy assistant secretary at the US Department
Thanks to VR, Teachers Could (Finally) become Millionares
Robot classroom assistants and virtual reality learning could see “celebrity teachers” make millions, experts claim. Technology is set to play a vital role in helping the 263 million children globally who are not in school, delegates at the annual Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) heard. Mark Steed, the director of Dubai private school Jess, said the format was already being used by some teachers to offer global internet-based seminars, earning millions of pounds in the process. He pointed to a Korean teacher who offers online lessons on “cramming” learning and made $8m (£6m) in one year. Teachers in the Middle East , Egypt and UAE
Samsung’s Odyssey VR Headset Is On The Horizon
An odyssey is an epic journey, and Samsung’s Odyssey VR headset seems to be the latest upcoming step in theirs. The Odyssey VR headset has been long time coming (since the leak of its name in early 2016), and a number of leaks have indicated that its formal announcement is coming very soon. Let’s tackle a few of these. One of the most interesting comes from WalkingCat on Twitter. Earlier this week, they managed to find and post images of what may be the Odyssey, which turns out to be a Windows Mixed Reality headset. Supporting the idea that this leak may be for the
Virtual Reality Creeps Into Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University, or VCU for short, is the latest educational facility to install a Virtual Reality lab on their premises. This lab is known as the MHRG VR Lab (Modern Heuristics Research Group Virtual Reality Lab), and on Friday they opened their doors for the first tour of the lab by students and other university personnel. In addition to the expected implementations of VR and AR setups at the university, the new lab offered access to a device offering advanced 3-D touch and haptic feedback. Devices like this go far beyond the basic haptics offered by current VR gaming controllers, allowing users more complete
What does VR mean for VoIP Communications?
Technologies are increasingly advancing and as such, all manners of technological innovations are sharing mutual beneficial relationships and Virtual Reality and Voice Over Internet Protocol, or rather VR and VoIP are no different. In simple terms, VoIP is a technology that allows you to make telephone calls over a broadband internet connection. It relates to the terms IP telephony and internet telephony, both set to be huge business in the foreseeable future. Much like VR, VoIP has had a lot of hype in previous years, which seems to cool before heating up again. The main advantage of VoIP is that it uses the internet as
Will “Windows as a Service” Model be successful for Microsoft?
Ever since Microsoft came out with the Windows 10, Redmond has been positioning this Operating System (OS) as the final direct release, with all the future versions being built off this foundation. Microsoft is trying to capture back market share which PCs have lost to mobile computing. Microsoft allowed for program compatibility and ecosystem support blunders with Windows 7 Mobile, Windows 8 Mobile, Windows 8 x86, and Windows 8 ARM (RT). The company let its Windows ecosystem to become fragmented, removed backwards compatibility, and many of its consumer developers moved away from Microsoft to focus on iOS and Android OS created by Apple and Google
Kingston Launches DDR4 Memory, PCIe SSDs for Intel Skylake
Following the announcement of Intel Skylake-K processor for gamers and enthusiasts and the new chipset, known as the Z170 PCH (Processor Communications Hub), memory manufacturers introduced new products to support the platform. HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc. announced several new products optimized for Skylake. The company launched several 8GB and 16GB memory kits from the Fury family and now offers memory kits with two and four DIMM modules. Memory kits are available in low-latency 2133MHz (CL14), and CL15 versions at 2400 and 2666MHz. With Intel Core i5-6600K and i7-6700K, we are looking at very good bandwidth of 34.1GB/s for the 2133MHz, 38.4GB/s for 2400
Back to School – College Students – Get a Gift Card from Apple
Want to start college with a new iPad, iPhone or Mac? Apple is trying to entice you with a $50 or $100 gift card. Free shipping sweetens the offer, as does special no-interest payment plans. The iPad comes equipped with web browsing and apps that allow you to read books, write anything including book reports and create presentations to impress your professors. If you don’t know what you can do with an iPhone by now … shame on you. Considering a student’s needs, however, you can retrieve those elusive reference materials as quick as you can say Jack Jumped Over the Candlestick. Late night cramming
Origin PC Offers $200 Back to School Deals
Our buddies over at Origin PC are having a pretty sweet Back to School deal, depending on which product you buy from them. If you’re in the market for a sweet gaming desktop or a high-end EON gaming notebook from them, then you can expect to get a free upgrade to a 240 GB SSD from VisionTek as well as a free copy of Watch Dogs. Or, if you’re in the market for something like their EVO15-S gaming laptop, then you can get free ground shipping across the US, a free 2 year part replacement warranty (standard is one year), and a free copy of