MAD Gaze is bringing MAD Gaze Vader which is the best AR smart glasses on the market today.  These glasses blend the real world with the virtual world seamlessly.  This is what we imagined when we thought of the future.  A truly futuristic eyewear that wearers can navigate in and see the many possibilities through the touch and swipe of your hand.

Wearers will be able to make imagines larger by expanding the image they see with their fingers as well as place these virtual items to their desired location.

Key Functions

With MAD Gaze Vader you will be able to answer calls without having to pick up your smartphone.  Wearers will also be able to sync up and play virtual video games together.

Therefore, you will be able to experience augmented reality as it was meant to be experienced.  Finally, you will be able to watch movies without having a TV screen and use a computer without having a monitor or even a mouse.

MAD Gaze Vader will be the future and could replace laptops and tablet.  It is a headset that can easily be used in the workplace and at home for entertainment.  It is best for gaming, watching videos, surfing the internet, and working on your documents.

Using Wifi you will be able to receive notification from your phone and answer calls with ease.  This is great for multitasking as they can simply use their hand gestures for better interaction.

It does not matter if you are short-sighted or long-sighted, you will be able to get corrective lenses for MAD Gaze Vader from any of the local optical shops near you.

So get yourself one now at madgaze.com.

The post MAD Gaze Vader: The Best AR Smart Glasses appeared first on Startup Radar.

Visitors will be able to get the latest information on VR/AR technologies as well as keep up with the latest VR/AR trends.  Those looking for potential business partners and investments need to come to this event as well.

This is a great event for the growth of the VR/AR industry through business consultations, education, discussions, and exchange of ideas.

What you can do at the Expo

Experience VR/AR

You can try out VR experiences and games at the expo for free.  While at the same time learning about the thought process behind every stage of their development.

Networking

More networking time at interactive startup zones and pitch theatres.  There will also be networking sessions, keynote presentations, and a dinner.

Forecasting the VR/AR Market

Manufacturer demonstrations, market case studies, forecasts, projections, and in-depth debates on the VR/AR ecosystem.

Future Trends in VR/AR

Hear case studies and inspirational stories from VR/AR industry leaders.

VR/AR in Business

Learn how the enterprise market is capitalizing on these technologies for training, operations, R&D, and also as an immersive marketing tool to attract new customers.

Investment in VR/AR

Understand the commercial potential of VR/AR and explore business models that will drive VR in 2018.  Learn how your business can capitalize on this technology.

The organizers of Seoul VR/AR Expo 2018 is eSang M&C as well as CoEx.

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Even if people go to the same location, they all have different experiences. How wonderful would it be if we can cherish our feelings at the moment forever? Furthermore, it would be much better if we can even share these experiences with other people. Korean startup Rush enables all of these great things to happen in our life!

Rush is an application which was developed by a Korean startup named ‘Vrex Lab‘ in 2016. It is a location-based photograph app.  It allows users combine real landscape and virtual text they created. Therefore the services it offers can be a representative example of AR(=Augmented Reality), which puts real images and 3D virtual reality images together.

How it Works

To make use of the Rush service, all people have to do is to turn on the GPS in their smartphones and open the application.  On the screen, the location of the users and landscape come up. To record their feelings, people can take a picture of the location and inscribe their text up to 50 letters on the picture. Users can make a link between their feelings and a particular place.  Then they can recall the intact experiences later through the application.

This is not the end of the Rush service. In addition, people can also share their own pictures with others. Users can either make their memories public or open them to particular people such as their lovers or friends. In the latter case, when someone runs the application in a particular location, he or she can see all the comments other people wrote at the same place.

‘Vrex Lab’ is the first Korean startup that entered the ‘China Accelerator’ program.  China Accelerator helps foreign entrepreneurs settle down in China as well.  Therefore the company exerted its influence mainly in China and Southeast Asia, showing a high rate of consumer revisit along with increasing interest in AR. If you want to treasure your moments forever, try using Rush!

The post Cherish Your Moments Forever with Korean Startup Rush appeared first on Startup Radar.

Technologies

Currently, their products are based on 6 major technologies. Each is highly qualified in its usability. Below are explanations of each technology MAXST provides.

Marker-based AR: A marker-based AR application recognizes a marker whose pattern is pre-defined and overlays various multimedia contents.  These include 3D objects and the videos on and around it.

2D Image-based AR: The image-based AR technology can recognize images that are not provided to an application beforehand. Therefore MAXST’s in-house-developed algorithm is based on NFT (Natural Feature Tracking).  This ensures world-class robustness in tracking.

SLAM: MAXST uses a single camera to map and then track a 3D space in real time. Therefore the MAXST SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology not only maps the 3D structure of the surroundings and superimposes virtual objects on it but also enables a user to interact with these virtual objects.

RGB-D AR: RGB-D AR jointly calibrates an RGB camera and a depth camera to obtain the depth value of a specific pixel in a video. It is possible to separate the objects from the background by using the information on the distances between the camera and the real-life space, which enables image synthesis without any limitation on the space or color.

Web RTC: AR adds new value to video calling. The MAXST AR video calling solution enables you to annotate on a shared video as well as to send text messages and transfer files. This solution holds enormous potential to be embraced by various fields.

Smart AR Glasses: The MAXST AR technology works great with various smart AR glasses, including Revelio. In particular, MAXST’s launcher for AR glasses makes the best user experience possible with goggle-type devices.

Products

There are three main products MAXST is providing. One of their utmost competitive advantages is that those technologies and products they provide are applicable to various industries. If you are running a business, take a closer look at what they are providing. It is time for you to move forward.

VIVAR: You can get virtual contents on your phone if you look at it through your smartphone camera. You can share what you see on screen and get help from experts too. Through AR drawing and multi-content sharing, if you need advice or consulting, you can easily get to solve problems in varied ways.

Revelio: It is a smart glass that provides AR experiences. It can be applied to various industries as it works without being tethered to a controller and is lightweight, and well balanced.

AR SDK: AR SDK is more like an all-in-one solution. It includes 5 functions such as an image tracker, instant tracker, visual SLAM, object tracker, and QR scanner. It provides the best development environment to realize virtual reality.

The post Virtual reality is coming to reality: Korean Startup MAXST appeared first on Startup Radar.

Imagine being able to click and type on their device with their eyes without using a keyboard or mouse.  Korean Startup Visual Camp has developed an eye-tracking technology for VR/AR headsets that allows users to input signals by just using their eyes.

With Visual Camp users will be able to click using their eyes which means there will be no need to use your fingers, a mouse, or a keyboard.  This technology can be adapted to VR games, movies, sports, and even toys.  Therefore, companies can use this technology to market their products.  Users can simply glance at the product and learn about it from their specs to their price.  Furthermore, companies will also be able to access data related to where customers focus their eyes when seeing their product.

Game Changer in the Eye Tracking Industry

Visual Camp is going to change the world of business as we know it.  In addition, it is going to change the way we shop and experience the world around us.  Imagine walking around the city and having access to all the information through eye tracking.  Eye tracking measures the user’s eye position and movement.  However, speed and precision also matter.  Therefore tracking the eye quickly and precisely is the key issue Visual Camp solves.  They offer highly accurate gaze detection and a recision rate of less than 1 degree!

Visual Camp offers their own VR device using a 3-D printer that already has the eye-tracking software built in it.  Currently, they are focusing on mobile VR devices and eye tracking technologies for smartphones.  VR/AR hardware companies will be able to license this technology.  They are very interested in the benefits Visual Camp will have for advertisers.

Visual Camp is one of the hottest startups in Korea.  They already got funding from Koisra Seed Partners, SK Telecom, and the Korean government.  In addition, Visual Camp beat out 400 other companies and won free office space at Google’s Seoul Campus one of the top co-working spaces in Korea.  They have been endorsed by established institutions such as the ICT, Ministry of Science, and Future Planning (MSIP, Korea), Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Korea), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI, Korea), Creative Economy Town Korea (CET, Korea), and SKTelecom (SKT, Korea) one of top telecommunications company in Korea.

The post Korean Startup Visual Camp Lets you Type with Your Eyes! appeared first on Startup Radar.

AR glasses are too uncomfortable to wear during your day to day life.  Some AR glasses can weigh up to 400g!  This is just one reason why Smart Glasses has not taken off in the mass market.   IoT Korean Startup The Alpha Labs has created the first casual AR smart glasses called Alpha Glass.  It is small, light (70g), and available in different designs.  Best of all, the wearer can wear it in their day to day lives.

World’s Smallest AR Vision Module

The Alpha Labs has a patented optical technology called SMOS (Separated Modular Optical System).  This technology allows the glass to be 4 times larger than Google Glass while lower the volume by 50%.  Therefore Alpha Glass looks like ordinary glasses.  The biggest hurdle for mass adoption has been solved by Alpha Labs.

Alpha Glass Features

Alpha Glass has heads-up display navigation so the user can safely reach their destination.  This means runners can check their heart rate as they run.  You can instantly take pictures with just one tap.  It will instantly be uploaded to your smartphone for easy access.  It can also act as your personal assistant saving you time anywhere you go.  You can be active on social media without using your hands!  It is not only comfortable but very stylish.  This is because of its minimal design and no external elements.

Smart Glasses are the Future

Smart glasses will be one of the top wearable devices in the future.  It will open up a new world for the wearer by giving them access to instant information and saving them time.  They will be able to enjoy new AR content in their day to day life.  The Alpha Labs is constantly on the cutting edge of AR wearable technology so stay tuned to see what they come out with next.

The post The Alpha Labs Creates the First AR Casual Smart Glasses appeared first on Startup Radar.

Gravity Sketch allows people to just go in and create.  Before, people were constricted by the complex software and tools.  Gravity Sketch brings a bit of craft into the digital tools.  You can just go into the virtual environment, think about something and give it a go.  It is very easy.  Also, it is very immediate.

We always compare it to LEGO.  With LEGO you have these building blocks that you can just put together and create something really basic.  Same with Gravity Sketch where you can understand it easily, but it also depends on how deep you go in regards to how complex your creation is going to be.

Fully Immersive Technology

Gravity Sketch is intuitive as well.  It is fully immersive, so it works with virtual reality and augmented reality.  Why did do we make such a big emphasis on these technologies?  It is just because it is allowing people to create in space.  You don’t need to have a 3D idea and deconstruct it and put it into different instructions in the computer and then put it in a 2D screen.  Right now you can just be sketching in the real 3D environment.  So it makes it really easy for people to understand what they are doing.

Connecting People from All Around the World

It is real-time creation.  What are you thinking? The kinds of strokes you make?  What you see is what you get.  How you move is how you create.  Also, you can have different people from different parts of the world creating in the same virtual environment which is really amazing.  We have people in the car industry who are working in China, U.S., and London, and they are creating the same car all at once.  It also integrates with CAD, we really don’t want it to be a tool that doesn’t communicate with the other tools that people use in their regular workflow.

It is also multiplatform, why is this really important?  Because virtual reality and augmented reality are still not there yet in terms they are not available in every office.  VR/AR is not there yet so we need to create something that will allow people to basically move from their computer to virtual reality and then go back.  Gravity Sketch makes this possible and truly gives the craft into the digital tools.

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To enable the next phase of computing, we believe that Computer vision is a key technology that you need.  Computer vision is about understanding the world around you.  You need to understand the world around you before you can overlay information.  Augmented reality is the mechanism of overlaying experiences over the physical world.  Giving you a digital overlay or an interactive layer over the world that you see.

What is Computer Vision?

Computer vision is key to this next phase of evolution.  You need to be able to understand the world around you before you can interact with it.  So you need to make sense of the world around you.  There are two different types of technologies or spaces within computer vision that are allowing you to do this.

The first space is semantic computer vision.  This allows you to identify objects in the scene through your camera.  So this can pick out a child, dog, grass, sky, buildings, and give you a semantic view of the world that is being seen through your camera device.

On the other side, there is a geometric understanding.  This is the other side of computer vision working in tandem with semantic computer vision.  This is about mapping the surface and the space that you are in.  So this the size of the room, the size of a specific surface, given the ability to be able to map objects on to that specific surface.

Combining these two together can give you the ability to have realistic AR experiences in the real world.  So once you’ve understood the world around you, then you have augmented reality.  An augmented reality is about overlaying information on top of physical objects and making them interactive.  Then adding more information on top of that layer.

Combining Computer Vision with AR

When we look at AR, there are probably apps that you are already using all the time right now.  AR is already becoming a part of your daily lives without you even realizing it.  If you take for example Google’s translate app, this is a form of AR image recognition to provide a real-time translation.  This is a form of augmented reality and computer vision.  Secondly is another famous example that peaked in 2016 called Pokemon Go.  One of the key technologies sitting within Pokemon Go and one of the reasons why it was so popular was the augmented reality layer provided.  1 in 10 people in the world were using Pokemon Go which is a staggering amount of people.  One of the fundamental technologies within Pokemon Go was augmented reality.

Industry Leaders Views

Industry leaders are also backing this up.  So the Apple CEO Tim Cook has been very outspoken recently about how the impact that AR is going to bring the world and how it is going to move technology forward.  He uses the word “profound”, how it is going to be a profound shift in a technological sense.  He compares it to the shift that the iPhone created when that launched.  Industry experts also back this up.  They are saying that the revenue that is going to be spent in this area of AR and VR is going to peak into the numbers around about a 100 billion dollar industry by 2021.  That is only 4 years away which means there is huge growth to be had here.  That is going to span across advertising, communication, healthcare, education, entertainment, all these different spaces are going to be disrupted by the likes of AI, AR, and computer vision.

Apple Betting Big on AR

Apple is making this easier for us as developers in this space.  They are really betting big by baking in a software layer within their latest IOS version.  This allows greater capabilities within the IOS platform for launching AR experiences.  Apple went one step forward and launched the iPhone X (iPhone 10) which is a purpose-built solution and device that allows you to drive greater capabilities within augmented reality.  The iPhone X has sophisticated front and back cameras that allow you to drive greater depth within the experiences that you create.

Google Betting Big on AR

Google is also on the same track.  They really took the lead back in 2004 when they launched their Tango device which had very sophisticated surface mapping technology and tracking technology.  They’ve now launched their Android solution, so they are opening this up to hundreds of millions of developers that can now develop on this platform on Android as well.  So they are betting big in the surface tracking space within the Android platform.

So we are getting to this moment where we are hitting this perfect storm of opportunity.  Technology has evolved.  There is consumer adoption and there are great use cases as to why AR makes sense for a brand or a company to use essentially as part of their marketing or business toolkit.

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If we think back to a decade ago, nobody would think the three things I would take with me when I go out of my home would be…

1) My Phone

2) Keys

3) Wallet

However, now we can almost get rid of the wallet.  In reality, now the phone is all you need.  Our future generation will have everything on demand.  There will be no waiting, you just demand and you will get it right away. Whether it be your favorite cartoon show or face time with your best friend.

Investing in VR

When we talk about investing not just in VR but in general, the team is the most important thing we look for.  The key thing is that if you are doing some kind of application.  Or you are passionate about some technology and you have to have some expertise in that industry.  For example, if you are developing games you should be a gamer.  Because you will know why people will be addicted to certain games.  So if you are doing AR applications in the food industry or a car industry you have to know and pinpoint how your technology can solve the problem.  So when we talk to the teams they are not just passionate about one certain technology.  But know how they are going to solve a problem and take their company to the next level in 4-5 years.

As technology evolves so will your team. So by the end, if you don’t know what you exactly want to solve, you will usually become one of the startups that might end up failing.

The Challenges with AR/VR Technology Today

The challenges with AR/VR is that while everyone is fine with wearing glasses, no one really wants to wear goggles, even at home.  However what we can see now with smart glasses coming out is that it can solve the Google problem.  Because now you can still feel the virtual reality experiences without the hardware aspect. However, that might take some time before hardware companies can ship those products to every consumer.  Virtual reality does a great job of stimulating experiences or feelings which is why so many startups are focusing on gaming but if you think about the broader industries and form more content for industries other than gaming you will see the whole ecosystem become more complete and people will be able to adopt VR technologies more easily.

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The future of AR/VR is bright.  We have a new culture where kids grow up in the age of the internet.  Technology now is much more accepted than 20 years ago.  This could be the main reason why the adoption of AR/VR is a lot higher now with this new generation.   People are now used to living in this kind of digital virtual world, we have people living at home experiencing life through YouTube.  That was something that didn’t happen before.  People are already living in a virtual world, they are just not immersed in that virtual world.  How many hours does an average kid play a video game?  How many hours are they on YouTube?  8 hours a day?  They have already accepted living in a virtual environment.

The Problem with VR Games

Games today are made for $50 million dollars plus.  Then when they look to make a VR game, in order for them to actually give them the same quality game/experience, it will cost them more by default.  So that means you need to get for that entire amount which is insane because you just don’t have enough users even if you sell each VR game for double the price.

Hyper-Reality

However let’s be real, the world does want a hyper-reality.  If you look at the majority of people and how they live, most are just at home using the internet.  For them, the applications of VR are huge.  Of course, the question is how do you get some sort of resource out of them.  This could be a kind of virtually working from home in a hyper-reality.  You can see this now with YouTubers who are working at home and making their videos from home for other people who are also at home.

What hit the startups hard in 2015/2016 in the VR space was that Facebook moved way too slow.  A lot of startups were expecting, for example, the headsets to arrive faster, the adoption to be higher, but Facebook postponed a lot of these things.  There were a lot of startups like my startup Altergaze that were relying on Facebook for the launch of their games, apps, hardware, enhancement, whatever else they were building to actually have some kind of market. Hopefully, in 2018 we will really see the potential in VR.

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