River Ecosystem is more than just Mike Rothenberg. It's a fucking ecosystem of hungry innovators and tech talents looking to prove themselves. Check out just a few.

River Ecosystem, a consulting firm that provides services to frontier technology startups and hosts the annual River Accelerator program, today announced veteran Bay Area entrepreneur Jimmy Ku, and Techstars and River Accelerator alumnus Nick Canafax, as partners.

Ku brings over a decade of entrepreneurial experience and networking expertise to River Ecosystem. His new role at River Ecosystem draws upon his experience as a three-time founder -- Loup, Mobiley and GoPlanit, which was selected as a finalist for the TechCrunch 50 Conference -- and his passion for connecting people through immersive and insightful programs and events.

"River Ecosystem and its accelerator program have a stellar track record helping innovative companies push the boundaries of frontier technology," said Ku. "Like any early stage entrepreneur, I understand the importance of connecting with the right people to bring big ideas to life. As a new partner at River Ecosystem, my key role is to infuse fresh thinking and energy into our members business plans, and help them address the tough questions so that they're able to flourish."

Canafax has worked behind the scenes as the president of River Ecosystem since September 2016, while continuing to serve in an advisory capacity with Artificial Intelligence company Rival Theory, where he is also a founding member. As a partner with River Ecosystem, Canafax will assume greater responsibilities interfacing directly with its class participants. Prior to joining River Ecosystem, Canafax graduated from the second River Accelerator class, and graduated from the Techstars accelerator program before that.

"As a River Accelerator alumnus, I know first-hand what the program can offer to budding frontier technology entrepreneurs, including unparalleled visibility and networking opportunities with investors and industry luminaries, and access to developmental resources during the critical first year," said Canafax. "Having worked with dozens of inspiring founders and entreprenuers, River Ecosystem is one of the most dynamic and creative startup consulting firms in the world. It's through this experience we'll help the next generation startups achieve their vision -- turning dreamers into doers."

Ku and Canafax take on their respective leadership roles at a busy time for the firm. Both will oversee the selection process for the Fall 2017 class of River Accelerator, an innovative startup incubation program focused on indentifying and fostering frontier technologies such as VR/AR, AI, machine learning, computer vision, drones, 3D printing, and more. The River Accelerator provides startups with mentorship from top frontier tech leaders through the River Network, creative space in the River Lounge in SOMA, and the opportunity to present at the River Accelerator Demo Day and Founder Field Day at AT&T Park. River Ecosystem partners with Rothenberg Ventures to provide $100,000+ of investment to startups in the River Accelerator.

This fourth River Accelerator program, set to launch September 12, will ultimately join the prestigious River Accelerator alumni network of over 40 companies, including Fove, Emblematic, Roqovan, Psious, Boom Supersonic, and EmergentVR, that collectively have gone on to raise over $100M in funding from investors including Accel, Google Ventures, Samsung NEXT Ventures, and Colopl VR Fund.

Following the kick-off of the new River Accelerator program, River Ecosystem will host the fourth-annual Founder Field Day at AT&T Park on November 13. Ku and Canafax will be an intergral part of the team bringing together sponsorship partners, investors, and founders within the River Network to facilitate valuable connection between frontier technology entrepreneurs, startups, and investors.

"When given the opportunity to bring Jimmy and Nick into River Ecosystem as new partners, I immediately knew I was bringing together the dream team to foster a new phase of growth," said Mike Rothenberg, chairman and founder of River Ecosystem. "Between their shared experience as founders of previous startups, combined with their extensive networks and accelerator backgrounds, we're poised to take the firm, its programs and community experience to the next level."

To learn more about River Ecosytem and the application process for the Fall 2017 River Accelerator program, visit the website at: http://riverecosystem.com/riveraccelerator/

Stereolabs is allowing you to use the Vive or Rift you already have as a AR/MR headset.

Cecile Schmollgruber founded STEREOLABS in 2010. As chief executive officer, Cecile has taken her company to a new level: STEREOLABS is today the leading provider of 3D vision systems. 

Stereolabs is a leading provider of depth and motion sensing solutions for autonomous robotics and VR/AR. Before launching the ZED camera, Stereolabs has a long experience in the 3D movie industry working with clients such Cameron-Pace Group of Avatar fame. Now with their ZED depth sensor, Stereolabs provides a means for machines to see depth the way humans do, for applications in autonomous navigation, AR/VR and more.

Instead of a standalone headset, Stereolabs is releasing a mini stereo camera you clip to the front of a Rift or Vive. From there, it scans the environment in front of it in real-time, while also capturing the "background" video for each eye. The only downside is it's tethered, unlike many of the AR/MR headsets making headlines (including the company's own Linq). But in exchange, consumers can try out an incredible mixed reality experience using tech that's available today, rather than waiting years for standalone headsets to get better, and developers can get a head start working on content (they're shipping an SDK for Unity and Unreal). 

www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Oculus partners with the California State Library to continue their goal of making VR accessible

“Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.” —Ray Bradbury

Access to information and knowledge opens the doors to new possibilities and let us experience worlds that would otherwise be beyond reach. Through a new partnership with the California State Library, Oculus is giving access to VR to people that may never have the chance. This pilot program will place 100 Rifts and Oculus Ready PCs in 90 libraries throughout the state.

“It’s pretty cool to imagine how many people will try VR for the very first time—and have that ‘wow’ moment—in their local libraries,” says Oculus Education Program Manager Cindy Ball. “We hope early access will cause many people to feel excited and empowered to move beyond just experiencing VR and open their minds to the possibility of one day joining the industry.”

The 90 participating locations span nearly half of the state’s 184 library jurisdictions—with the possibility for future expansion.

“If this pilot is successful, that shows that library patrons and librarians value the availability of VR equipment in libraries,” Ball said. “Next steps would include the California State Library expanding the program by allocating or raising additional funding to scale the presence of VR.”

The applications available for discover and explore include Google Earth, Apollo 11, Titans of Space 2.0, Everest, Ocean Rift, The Body VR, Guided Meditation VR and Star Chart. This program also gives some additional life to the excellent work of the now defunct Oculus Story Studio. Dear Angelica, Lost and Henry will also be available.

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Women In Tech Spotlight: Emily Olman (Hopscotch Interactive and VR/AR Association)

Emily Olman is the founder of Hopscotch Interactive, a marketing and media services company for promoting extraordinary spaces. They create custom marketing solutions with Matterport 3D Photography, 360°, and VR. Hopscotch Interactive was recently nominated as Matterport Service Partner of the Year from over 1000 MSP's for the inaugural "Matty Awards". To see a list of all of the nominees, winners, and some stunning examples of 3D photography visit the Matty Awards homepage here.

Emily is also the San Francisco Chapter Co-President of the VR/AR Association (VRARA), the global association for the Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality industry with local chapters in major cities, connecting leading solution providers with brands and customers. VRARA works with each member company to promote their solutions and services and puts on high-level VR/AR events in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

You can join Hopscotch Interactive and the VR/AR Association SF Chapter on Wednesday, June 14 (6pm-10pm) at The Flight Deck in Oakland for an exciting program on Lightfield Technology & Volumetric VR featuring speakers from: Lytro, Visby, and Lightfield Labs and Hopscotch Interactive. The fun continues with demos, giveaways, VIP networking, and Exit Reality in action with their mobile VR truck!

And, 360° Filmmaker Kevin Kunze of Kunze Productions will be giving away 100 cardboard viewers to lucky attendees. Use code SPEAKER5 for $5 off tickets. Reserve your VIP ticket here. 

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Could DIAMONST be the 1st killer app to showcase Apple's AR Kit? Maybe with funding?

After #AWE2017 we are back to work to solve the last bugs and yes, we will use #ARkit for the iOS version of DIAMONST AR RPG#wwdc2017 pic.twitter.com/RkkvF3bOAX

— ZenkoGames (@_ZenkoGames_) June 6, 2017

Could DIAMONST by Zenko Games be the killer app to showcase Apple's AR Kit?

Diamonst will be a story-driven augmented reality experience that will take place in the real world and is inspired by classics JRPGs like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger as well as the more recent Geolocation hit Pokemon Go. 

On the map of your city you will be able to see the missions and the side quests of the story and when you will be close enough you will be able to visualize the events in 3D Augmented Reality (6 degree of freedom AR).

During the single player campaign, you will meet allies, face enemies and solve the riddles that will lead you to discover the reason why the Diamonst have returned to our planet and everything will happen, for the first time, in our world.

Diamonst will mix gameplay mechanics from various turn-based and card games like Magic, Hearthstone, Yu-gi-oh, Pokémon and Yo-Kai watch.

The game will put a lot of focus on intra team and same element synergies that will allow the player to create intricate combos and strategies.

A first playable demo of Diamonst is currently in development with Unity and Vuforia for Android and iOS and will be soon available for Google Tango, Microsoft Hololens and for the Bridge Headset form Occipital.

The team is currently looking for funding to finish the full game.

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/

Beast In Show @ AWE 2017 is Beast Pets! Check out this interview with the Mother Of Dragons Vivian Tan.

Beast is a VR platform that brings digital pets to virtual "life" through artificial intelligence and personalities. It is also the winner of the very first CatsAndVR Best Of Cute award which goes to the cutest thing I saw at a particular conference.  Seriously Beast Pets are basically smart pets for VR. The dragons are basically flying puppy-kittens that actually interact like I would expect out of Cat Dragons. I spent a little bit rubbing their lil dragon tummies, playing laser with them, and just overall going into cute overload.

I could go further into this cute thing and say Chief Beast Of Beast Inc is cute as a button but I'm not. I'm going to say she is the mother of Dragons and beasting her way with a product that has the potential to not only be a cute VR experience but also have the ability to touch the lives of those who have disabilities. I believe this company is doing a good job of separating it self from the multitudes of VR gaming startups in the ecosystem.

For one Beast Inc is part of the current Boost VR class and is using that to establish connections and be everywhere.  Beast Inc recently had the chance to showcase their product and brand in partnership with SVVR at Maker Faire and was so very well received they won a blue ribbon. 

I ran into the team at AWE2017 and all I really had to say was AWE! I totally loved the product and suggest CatsAndVR readers be part of the beta. We even secured our readers access to the private beta. Just send an email to Team@BeastPets.com and mention CatsAndVR.com sent ya. 

To be completely transparent I was a tad bit jealousy that Vivan beat me to the VR Pet market but I am ok with it because that market I care about looks to be in the hands of a very sharp individual who cares about the product, the ecosystem, and the true value of pet friendship to others. She has partnered with BoostVC, SVVR, and has assembled a team that also cares about her vision including Kate Hughes who is known for her Holo-Dog project for Hololens. 

All in all I believe in this product and I am V glad there are others out there that believe in the Beast Inc vision. 

Edit: Can't end this with out giving a shout out to Beast Co-Founder Mat Tyndall. Thanks for the demo!

Meta: Making Augmented Reality Fashionable.

At AWE 2017 Meta announced its Meta Workspace, a spatial AR operating environment designed for creativity and collaboration.

The original Meta AR headset was a great proof of concept with a great 40° field of view much like Microsofts Hololens is today. That was three years ago. The feedback the Meta team received from this was that it was good for R&D, good for innovation, good as a glimpse into the future of computing, but not good enough to replace the screens that characterize our lives in technology. 

The teams answer was to tap in some of the most innovative AR minds globally to develop an optical engine that can create a 90° field of view. The Meta team also tapped into the Google Project Tango framework to acquire the expertise of Alan Betran in developing a sensor array capable of dexterous hand interaction.  With over 600 patent claims for the technology, the Meta team now offers us a truer vision of their future of reality. 

I spoke with Meta's evangelist extraordinaire Ryan Pamplin about what its like to be part of an award winning AR company making the term Augmented Reality fashionable. 

Ryan Pamplin: It is an honor, really and truly, the team loves this. The team sleeps, eats, and breathes Meta. Not for the sake of AR, not for the sake of technology but for the sake of a more natural computing experience.  

Check out my interview with Ryan above. 

What is the Meta vision for the future of computing? To shift the paradigm of computing from a small scale flat experience to a visceral reality of interaction and point of view.

The Meta team has stepped their game up with their new operating system which overlays the physical world with your computer's desktop, eliminating the need for a monitor. Meta won an Auggie award for Best In Show at AWE 2017.  

Meta is the precursor to a future that will use VR, AR, voice control, a digital canvas and haptic technology (recreating the sense of touch) all working together to let people create in more natural ways.

Ryan Pamplin had some advice for me to work on AR cats.....well maybe if I had a Meta Cat shirt I might be incentivized. 

www.catsandvr.com/blog/

A River Resurrection Part One

In 2014, identifying the huge potential in VR, Mike Rothenberg decided to build the world's first startup accelerator focused on VR companies, and named it The River Accelerator Program. The program founded by Mike Rothenberg has evolved to now be part of a bigger vision called River Ecosystem.

Oh and yes it is THAT Mike Rothenberg, the one who earlier this year was described by many a media outlet as a VR Great Gatsby, a person with a Wolf of Wall Street personality, a man steering his VC fund Rothenberg Ventures like it was the Titanic. Come to think of if I think tech media really has a thing for Leonardo Dicaprio films.

Well perhaps those things about Mike are true, I don't know the guy personally but I can say he sure has some Steph Curry like attributes to him. First one up is vision. Just take a look at some of the companies Rothenberg Ventures has helped in some sort of fiduciary capacity. I mean come on this is just in the VR/AR space. I know the word ecosystem gets tossed around a lot but really how do you describe what the River/Rothenberg team were trying to pull together before a lot of news came out about a lot of alleged things.  We still have no true answers on those allegations so I can really only do one thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERm_WNxGs1U

River, Rothenberg, Frontier Tech, or whatever the team was using as its main identity for the past few months continued pushing for a goal of a true VR/AR future of growth not a constant stream of fads. In fact Mike threw a small intimate post AWE 2017 event in which he spoke about his vision of a VR/AR ecosystem and a future of content creators not just tech evangelists. Check that video at the top of the page. Robert Scoble was in attendance and you know if Scoble is jumping on the bandwagon the team must be doing something right at this time. That was a joke Scoble, lets grab a drink sometime. 

Oh back to Steph Curry, one of the biggest things about Steph Curry is his ability to understand the value of the players around him and maximize their potential. Just look at how Javale Mcgee is playing this year. Just look at how KD seems just happy to be able to work like a teammate with Steph. This brings me to the point of the people River has on the squad. VR/AR evangelist and all around good person Dulce Baerga was brought on to be the CEO of River Studios. That is that a major free agent acquisition for River Ecosystems that brings a lot of passion to the court. Dulce is a #WomenInVR #WomenInTech #PERSONINVR #PERSONINTECH to look out for as she helps grow the ecosystem. Check her talking about the future of River Studios including a new version of Quarteback Snap. QB Snap was one of the first if not the first football game for the HTC Vive.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/482210/Quarterback_SNAP/

Just like the Golden State Warriors, the River Ecosystem team has a solid lineup including Nick Canifax, Skye Jordan, and many more. Skye was on site and Dulce made sure to point out the value Skye is brining to the table with the events element of the River Eco equation. 

Check out just some of the interesting events and programs River Ecosystem have done in the last few months. 

All in all there has been a lot of negative press thrown at Rothenberg and by proxy the River team. I however am not getting paid to write negative press, in fact I am not getting paid for positive press either. I am however willing to give a team who is trying to grow VR/AR and actually understand what ecosystem means a chance. River may not be dead in the water. What that means exactly is for another day, thats why this is called A River Resurrection Part One. The Future Iz Meow!

http://www.catsandvr.com/blog/ 

https://riverecosystem.com

The hey I got food poisoning and could not make it to Augmented World Expo today. Here is a list of the fun things going on.

AWE (Augmented World Expo), the largest and longest running conference and expo dedicated to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), officially opened its exhibition doors today to kick off the biggest event in the event’s 8-year history. With a record-breaking 212 exhibitors, 350 speakers, 300 journalists, 5,000 attendees and a mind-blowing 100,000-square-feet expo, AWE 2017 this year is showcasing the most cutting-edge AR and VR exhibits and demonstrations ever gathered in a single location.
 
Announcements today include innovations in entertainment, gaming and cinema, smart wearables, sensing toys, robotics and consumer electronics, cloud, enterprise and business technologies, human-computer interaction solutions, automotive, and high-performance APIs.
 
In addition, AWE is announcing AWEx, its strategy to partner with passionate experts and influencers around the world to further the growing worldwide demand for AR- and VR-centric events. The expansion takes AWE from the U.S., Europe and China to explore local candidates including Mexico City, Lisbon, Adelaide, Rome, Dubai and Tel Aviv.
 
“The growth of the industry is accelerating, and we are facing demand to bring AWE to multiple cities around the world,” explained AWE founder, Ori Inbar. “That’s why we are proud to announce AWEx. This program will support independent organizers who are passionate about our mission to address humanity’s growing pains, such as overpopulation, globalization challenges and inequality.  AR + VR can help drive economic growth, democratize access to knowledge and health, and increase empathy with sustainability.”
Highlights of today’s remarkable announcements include:
 
CieAR is unveiling its new AR film platform which enables a unique and immersive film
experience in real space and time with life-sized 3D virtual characters. www.ciear.ca.
 
Massless is unveiling the Massless Pen, a  high  accuracy,  responsive  and  intuitive  interface  device  that  enables designers  and  engineers  to  build,  edit,  manipulate,  review  and  collaborate  on  3D  models. www.massless.io
 
Deep Optics is unveiling and showing interactive demos of its tunable lens technology for the AR and VR markets. www.deepoptics.com.
 
Digibit is showcasing the world’s first wearable gaming system that transforms your body into a mobile gaming controller. https://mydigibit.com/kickstarter/
 
Epson is introducing two new Moverio® products – the Epson Moverio BT-350 augmented reality (AR) smart glasses optimized for multi-user “fleet” environments, and the Epson Moverio Pro BT-2200 smart headset for industrial applications. https://epson.com
 
Livemap is unveiling the 3rd pre-serial prototype of its motorcycle smart helmet with HUD based on AR technology. Ride a bike like a fighter pilot! https://livemap.info/
 
Arloopa is showcasing its ““Take a Photo with the Leopard” environmental information campaign to  raise  public  awareness  on biodiversity  conservation and threatened species. http://arloopa.com/
 
AnotherWorld VR is previewing KOBOLD, a new kind of creative fiction that blurs the line between cinema and VR gaming. http://anotherworldvr.com
 
Augmania is announcing the launch of its latest release, an out of the box DIY augmented reality authoring tool and its innovative web AR viewer. www.augmania.com.
 
Arvizio is demonstrating its Mixed Reality Studio Suite, a mixed reality platform that extends HoloLens capabilities as a full-fledged collaboration and conferencing tool. https://www.arvizio.io
 
Catchoom, global innovator in AR and image recognition software solutions is debuting the full suite of its new Visual Shopping solutions. catchoom.com/.
 
EcoCarrier is launching PizzAR, a cost efficient way to promote wares and services through AR on the top surface of a Pizza Box. www.ara2z.com
 
Fraunhofer IGD is presenting VisionLib, an AR one-size-fits-all library tracking system designed specifically for enterprise. https://www.igd.fraunhofer.de/en
 
HDBT is showcasing HDBaseT, a one-cable solution for Virtual Reality, supporting high-def audio, video, USB, controls, Ethernet and power over a single cable. www.hdbaset.org/
 
ICAROS is demonstrating its Active AR product, a fitness device and a game controller that allows users to control their flight path with nothing but their movements. http://www.icaros.net
 
IdentiToy is demonstrating its “machine interface over a display surface” technology, a touch-less, optical triangulation interface completely independent of human touch. http://www.identitoy.com
 
InsiderNavigation is revealing its indoor augmented reality navigation 1.0 tool to enable recording, localization and navigation within buildings. http://insidernavigation.com
 
Joinpad is demoing its remote video streaming and collaboration tool that lets on-field technicians share data and receive support from a remote expert. www.joinpad.net.
 
Kodak is showing off its PIXPR0 Orbit360 4K VR Camera - a minimalist approach to an all-in-one 360° VR camera utilizing two fixed focus lenses in a futuristic body. www.kodakpixpro.com.
 
Kopin is unveiling a reference design with Goertek for a new lightweight, super high-res, OLED-powered head-mounted display. www.kopin.com
 
LC-Tec Displays AB and SKUGGA Technology AB are demonstrating prototypes of the next generation automatically dimmable sunglasses. www.lc-tec.se
 
ManoMotion is releasing a SDK that provides developers and content creators with the tools and know-how to incorporate hand gestures into VR, AR, MR and IoT products and applications. http://manomotion.com/
 
Meta is unveiling the Meta Workspace, its spatial AR operating environment designed for creativity and collaboration . https://www.metavision.com
 
Wikitude, with Lenovo New Vision, is announcing a collaboration to develop an Augmented human (AH) Cloud. https://www.wikitude.com
 
Moback is demonstrating Perplexigon, a new multiplayer VR physics building game recently released on Steam’s Early Access program and now available for purchase. http://perplexigon.com
 
Optinvent is debuting its new Ora-X smart headphones, blending audio and display for an unprecedented wearable entertainment experience. http://www.optinvent.com
 
Quantum Interface is introducing its groundbreaking, truly hands-free User Interface (UI) controls for headworn displays for industrial and enterprise applications. http://quantuminterface.com
 
Re’Flekt is unveiling the first platform to support simultaneous direct publication and model-based tracking for the Microsoft Hololens. https://www.re-flekt.com
 
Resonai will demonstrate Resonai Search, a visual search engine for VR/AR content. http://www.resonai.com
 
Scope AR is introducing significant updates to its live support video calling platform, Remote AR, making it the first remote assistance software to enable markerless tracking. http://www.scopear.com .
 
Soap Collective is debuting Atlas: Prologue, an interactive sci-fi adventure short highlighting episodic content and debuting on Oculus Rift + Touch. http://www.thesoapcollective.com
 
Stereolabs is announcing ZED Mini, a pass-through stereo camera accessory that gives VR developers a head-start on making mixed reality content. https://www.stereolabs.com
 
The Future Group is demonstrating its next-generation platform for creating immersive IMR, AR and VR content for TV production, mobile gaming and commercial solutions. https://www.futureuniverse.com
 
Tractica has released a new white paper assessing key use cases for augmented reality in smartphones and tablets, as well as new capabilities for smart glasses. https://www.tractica.com
 
twnkls is showcasing new mobile AR applications and solutions. http://twnkls.com
 
uSens is showing off its new, industry-first single-camera/dual-lens combined inside-out 6DOF (degrees of freedom) head-tracking and 26DOF hand-tracking technology. https://www.usens.com  
 
VividWorks is demonstrating its VividPlatform4, a Cloud-based 3D visual sales solution delivering photorealistic and user-friendly visualizations on-device and in-store. http://vividworks.com
 
Wrnch is demonstrating BodySLAM, a human pose estimation engine, enabling anyone with a smartphone to capture human motion. https://wrnch.com
 
Zappar is showcasing Zapbox, which does for mixed reality what Google Cardboard did for Virtual Reality. www.zappar.com
 
Zenko Games is unveiling its first gaming title, Diamonst Augmented Reality RPG, based on geolocalized narrative arcs, strategic gameplay and virtual pet features. http://zenkogames.com  
 
To see AWE 2017’s full agenda of more than 300 speakers, visit http://www.augmentedworldexpo.com/agenda.
 
More about Augmented World Expo
AWE (Augmented World Expo) is the largest AR+VR conference and expo showcasing technologies which are augmenting our human capabilities, turning ordinary experiences into the extraordinary and empowering people to be better at anything they do in work and life: Superpowers to the People. AWE USA 2017 will feature more than 300 speakers and 250 exhibitors leading the charge in augmented and virtual reality. 

ARLOOPA's easy to use AR app and their work to help companies like the WWF make them a company to check out at AWE as well as in our Augmented Future

ARLOOPA is brining great AR experiences to the world.  They also provide valuable AR technology jobs to the Armenian people as well as AR content to help them. The company is currently working with brands, creative advertising agencies, museums, schools and cities on cost effective and fun AR experiences.

In May of this year WWF Armenia and ARLOOPA launched “Take a Photo with the Leopard” environmental information campaign in the country to raise public awareness on biodiversity conservation and threatened species. People could take an augmented photo with the Critically Endangered Caucasian leopard with their special ARLOOPA application.

The initiative captured audience’s attention at once. The marker has been scanned more than 4000 times and dozens of photos and videos have been posted on Facebook with special hashtag #LeoAlive in a week.  

Mr. Karen Manvelyan, Director of WWF-Armenia, said: “The use of modern technologies will increase the efficiency of the campaign helping to create a unique connection between man and nature”.

http://arloopa.com/

The application will be presented at AWE exhibition in booth #200 where everyone can feel the presence of leopard and make photos/videos with him. Please come and check out this wonderful company.  ARLOOPA will have the soon be adding a Donate button to assist WWF in fundraising activities.  

The ARLOOPA app is one of the best mobile VR apps that I have seen as far as simplicity and UI. Being able to record GIFs, Videos, take photos and share them makes ARLOOPA a company to watch as we move forward to an Augmented World

augmentedworldexpo.com

Deep Optics will showcase the latest lens technology for visual focus control at AWE 2017

Deep Optics, the inventor and pioneer of proprietary and patent-pending liquid crystal (LC) electronic lens technology, will be unveiling its tunable lens technology for the AR and VR markets at AWE 2017 (booth #437).  The technology will be in action for the first time, with the company offering interactive demos of its customized lenses with leading HMD (head-mounted display) systems.

Deep Optics’ tunable lens transforms any AR/VR optics into an auto-focusing system by enabling the realization of a real dynamic focal plane. This unique technology creates a more vivid, comfortable and immersive 3D experience and alleviates negative side effects usually associated with augmented or virtual reality, such as blurred vision, headaches, or queasiness. Such discomfort is caused in current VR/AR devices, because virtual objects (e.g. holograms) are displayed at different virtual distances from the viewer and the device’s projecting system uses static optics that are unable to synchronize the optical signal with the varying distances.

Deep Optics’ adaptive lens is based on Liquid Crystal, a birefringent material that has a different refractive index for different light polarizations. Liquid Crystal molecules change their orientation under electric voltage. By applying different voltage profiles to a liquid crystal layer, it is possible to control the effective refractive index of different areas of this layer. In order to achieve high precision control over the liquid crystal layer,

Deep Optics has developed a unique Liquid Crystal panel, similar to an LCD, with a very high resolution, transparent electrode grid. This dense electrode grid enables the application of high precision voltage profiles over the liquid crystal layer, without sacrificing transparency, or other optical properties. The result is a single panel that can implement many lens prescriptions, dynamically – positive and negative prescriptions, at a large diopter range and unlimited accuracy (not limited to 0.25D steps). The center of the lens can also be controlled in real-time; it can be positioned anywhere in the panel, and moved across the panel dynamically.

Yariv Haddad, Co-founder and CEO of Deep Optics, said, “We’re excited to demonstrate our AR/VR auto-focus solution at the show. Our tunable lenses dynamically change their focal power and position, allowing us to effectively cover a large field-of-view, a critical requirement from AR/VR HMDs. Visitors will be able to try out the superior augmented reality experience for themselves in different headsets.”

Haddad continued, “Our aim is to continue our partnerships with tier-1 players in the AR/VR market and introduce products powered by our lenses in 2018.”

Yariv Haddad, Deep Optics’s Co-founder and CEO, will be speaking at the AWE Conference on Friday Jun 2 - Room 209/210, 10:30am - 11:00am, on “Foveal Adaptive Optics - Large Aperture Liquid Crystal Lenses”.

http://www.augmentedworldexpo.com/

CatsAndVR.com Visits Magik Gallery

Have you ever looked at the word IMAGE? The word image breaks down to I MAGE as in I the MAGICIAN create a reality for the world to see. On Saturday May 20th Nick Ochoa and his Magik Gallery crew presented a reality that consisted of his vision of a possible definition of VIRTUAL REALITY. 

Nick Ochoa-Founder Of Magik Gallery-" Virtual Reality is more that a gaming platform, more than a 360° Video distribution platform, VR is a canvas and what you can create is very vast and infinite. 

Magik Gallery brought together some of the most innovative artists and admired immersive creators in virtual and augmented reality art for an exposition featuring a collection of painted worlds, invisible sculptures, immersive illustrations and interactive narratives. The event was not just put together to evangelize VR but to open up people to the creative potential VR truly has. 

Everyone who attended the event looked inspired. I for one always felt that introducing someone to Tilt Brush for the first time brings them back to the first time they used crayons as a child. You could feel that childlike wonderment in the air that night. 

Nick Ochoa-Founder Of Magik Gallery- "What we noticed is that people have a greater appreciation and understanding of the technology when they are introduced to it through a beautiful piece of content. 

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http://magikgallery.com/

The event featured the immersive Quill illustrations of Liz Edwards, the Tilt Brush dimension gateways of Steve Teeps, the AR visions of SUTU, and much much more.

The event was well attended by a gallery of guests of VR newbies, artists appreciating other artists, and industry heavy hitters like Head Of VR and AR at UNITY Tony Parisi.

Also mad props to Oculus and Naomi from the Medium team out there showing mad love in support of the event. I am already looking forward to checking out the next Magik Gallery event. Please make sure to check out the event video I shot for the event, its at the top of the page :). I was very inspired by the event to really put together something that captured the MAGIK of the event....so mote it be.

http://magikgallery.com/

The fastest-selling game for Oculus Touch, SUPERHOT VR, Comes to HTC VIVE

Winner of the D.I.C.E. award for Immersive Reality Game of the Year and the fastest-selling game for Oculus Touch, SUPERHOT VR is available today for VIVE.

SUPERHOT VR for VIVE comes complete with the recent FOREVER update, expanding the experience even further with new modes, challenges, and endgame content. Early-adopters save 20% with a launch week discount, with the option of bundling the original SUPERHOT for even more savings.No regenerating health bars. No conveniently placed ammo drops. It's just you, outnumbered and outgunned, grabbing the weapons of fallen enemies to shoot, slice, and maneuver through a hurricane of slow-motion bullets.

SUPERHOT VR is a title reimagined and redesigned from the ground up for VR and hand-tracking controllers. Since releasing last December, SUPERHOT VR has been named VR Game of the Year by the New York Game Awards, Unity Vision Summit, and nominated for additional awards at GDCA, Digital Dragons, and many more.

SUPERHOT VR is available now for VIVE on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/617830

Open-world 2D RPG Cat Quest launching on PlayStation 4 and Steam this summer.

Well here comes a game that would make me take a break from VR! Since you guys and gals asked for more cat content check this out. 

PQube has announced that they will be teaming up with developer The GentleBros to release the pawsome new catventure game, Cat Quest, for PlayStation 4and Steam in Summer 2017.

Cat Quest is an open-world top-down 2D RPG set in the wonderful world of cats. Engage in intense real-time combat and explore a massive continent and experience the ultimate catventure. Relive the good old days of exploring an overworld map as you raid dungeons for epic loot, complete quests and meet the many furry denizens of the world of Felingard.

After your sister is kidnapped by a mysterious cat known as Drakoth, you come face-to-face with your destiny as part of a long-lost race of dragon slayers called the Dragonblood. Joined by Spirry, your guardian spirit, you set off on a grand catventure to not only save your sister, but also the world that Drakoth has brought to chaos!

Check out #CatQuest on social media! For more information and the latest news, follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/PQubeGames , and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pqube .

Follow Cat Quest on Facebook at w ww.facebook.com/catquestgame and the The GentleBros atwww.twitter.com/TheGentlebros .

This Saturday Magik Gallery will curate some of the most innovative art in VR and AR at its SF event.

Virtual reality has changed how we create. From games and movies, to experiences and tools—we’re just beginning to see what’s possible. But what happens when you take traditional artistic methods and transfer them to VR? This Saturday Magik Gallery will bring together some of the most innovative artists and admired immersive creators in virtual and augmented reality art for an exposition featuring a collection of painted worlds, invisible sculptures, immersive illustrations and interactive narratives.

The event features artists such as Oakland, CA very own Tilt Brush Artist In Residence Steve Teeps who has worked with prominent artists like Flying Lotus and Future. The event is sponsored by Oculus and will have some amazing artists like Liz Edwards showcasing their amazing work using Oculus Quill.

http://magikgallery.com/

If you are in the Bay Area and a fan of VR and AR or just a fan of art and creative expression come and check out Magik Gallery this Saturday. Check out the website for more info and to RSVP. http://magikgallery.com/

http://magikgallery.com/

Daedalus, a VR game inspired by Escher and Dali is now available on Gear VR.

The Spanish indie studio Vertical Robot has just launched their first VR title: Daedalus, a part platformer, part exploration game set in a spectacular oneiric and surreal world developed for Samsung Gear VR.

Daedalus, architect and creator of fantastic mechanical artifacts, was imprisoned by the king Minos to prevent him from sharing his knowledge of Creta’s Labyrinth with others. Every night, in his dreams, Daedalus explores the intricate labyrinths aboard his own winged creations, trying to relive every step, each leap, each flight to freedom, in an attempt to escape his own tragedy.

In Daedalus, the player will have to discover the labyrinth's exit by finding the platforms that unlock the next level, while exploring mysterious, dream-like environments. As the levels progress, both architecture and difficulty grow increasingly complex. The player will boost, glide, ride wind shafts, use trampolines and activate mechanisms.

Thanks to the impressive graphics, the well thought out environments and carefully designed mechanics, the player will enjoy complete immersion in the game, he will truly feel as if he were inside this dream-like labyrinth that he has to escape.

The Development process

Daedalus began as a prototype VR locomotion system for one of the games the studio is currently developing. The challenge was to create a sort of jetpack locomotion system that would permit freedom of movement and was comfortable using just the Gear VR’s Touchpad. To achieve this, we developed a system that gives the player a helping hand when navigating the environments that proved to be a success.

Later on, when the Samsung Gear VR Controller was announced, they saw it as a perfect match. They were able to decouple the direction of your movement from that of the headset allowing for even more precise control and freedom.

The art side has let itself be influenced by brutalism, surrealism and the likes of Escher and Dali. They feature realistic lighting and a strong emphasis on color.

Additionally, one of the features that makes Daedalus stand out as an authentic virtual reality experience is the fact that the team has managed to include a great deal of high-end graphical features. Notably HDR Lightmaps, Filmic Tonemapper, GPU Particles, specular roughness and even Pre-calculated fluid simulations. Samsung S8 phones even feature Parallax Corrected Cubemaps and Normal Maps,

Since the game relies on creating a dream-like atmosphere, music played a very important role in the development. The team was lucky enough to enlist the help of award-winning composer & sound designer Eduardo de la Iglesia to create the sound FX and compose its unique soundtrack.

http://verticalrobot.com/daedalus/

Interestingly named VR swamp shooter Dick Wilde launches on PSVR with Aim Support

“Exterminator Extraordinaire” Dick Wilde blasts onto PSVR today after his initial launch on Oculus and Vive last month. The madcap shooter will be compatible with both the PlayStation Aim and Move controllers.

New London-based publisher, PlayStack, is pleased to announce the PSVR launch of their first VR game, Dick Wilde, after it’s launch on Oculus and vive on April 30th. Take to the swamps of Mississippi as Dick Wilde, the ultimate outdoorsman and “Exterminator Extraordinaire”, armed to the teeth with an arsenal of saw-blade rifles, nail guns and an electrified bow and arrow. Your job is to exterminate the infestation of ‘gators, crocs, piranhas and out-of-control birds before they exterminate you.

Dick Wilde is the latest madcap VR title from Danish development studio Bolverk Games, developers of ‘Kittypocalypse’. Set in the swamplands of Mississippi and the surrounding area, players can pit themselves against exterminators from all over the world with the online global leaderboard. Compete for the biggest killstreaks and top scores across three variable difficulty levels in each environment, the Swamp, the Lagoon and the North.

Not quite ready to show the world your extermination skills? Play with friends in a local Party Mode. Monitor your vitals and accuracy to perfect your technique and experiment with your arsenal of weapons. Each environment offers different deadly critters ranging from electric eels, piranhas and more, to Dick’s nemesis, a giant turtle. Pick the right weapons to become the most effective exterminator in town and avoid getting devoured by alligators.

Bo Bennekov, CEO at Bolverk Games said: “We’re thrilled to introduce PlayStation gamers to Dick Wilde. It’s really exciting for us to have worked on one of the first titles to be Aim controller compatible and we think it really compliments the Dick Wilde gameplay.”

“The response to Dick Wilde so far has been great, we wanted our first VR game to capture everyone’s attention and Dick Wilde really delivered.” said Harvey Elliott, Founder and CEO of PlayStack. “Bolverk are a really innovative studio and we’re really pleased to be partnered with them. Their games have captured the funnest elements of VR in a genre that can often be overly serious.”

Baskhead is a VR basketball game for Google Daydream in which you are in the role of the hoop!

Baskhead Training is pretty interesting take on VR Basketball.  In this game you will be able to to play basketball like never before: this time you’re not the player but the hoop! Your goal is to become the best hoop on earth! It sounds pretty ridiculous but it is actually quite fun. 

The game has two modes, a Story mode where you will have to face 20 entertaining levels with the help of hoopmaster, your coach. There is also an arcade mode, where you will be trained before going back with the coach and try to beat his levels.

The game is out now on Google Daydream, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and soon on PSVR.

Check out this pretty ridiculous commercial below for this ridiculous but pretty fun game. 

If you like VR and a basketball fan I highly recommend Baskhead. http://baskhead.com/

catsandvr.com/blog/

VR Chair Games' For Oculus Rift & HTC-Vive Offers Seven Mesmerizing VR Experiences From The Comfort Of Your Chair!

Award-winning game developer and publisher EnsenaSoft has announced the worldwide release of VR Chair Games for HTC-Vive and Oculus Rift, a fantastic collection of seven challenging VR games suitable to VR enthusiasts of all experience levels. Each game within collection has a duration of four minutes with the ultimate goal of achieving the highest possible score for each gameplay session.

FEATURED GAMES

• Zombie Apocalypse: You are the last survivor of a zombie apocalypse and your task is to slay as many zombies as you can using your axe-wielding skills. Chop off their heads and destroy the zombies before they destroy you!
• Alien Attack: Prepare to battle aliens in a fight for humanity. Tripod aliens are wreaking havoc on the world and only a true hero can save the world from eternal devastation. Prepare your lasers!
• Colony Outpost: Evil bugs have infiltrated a colony outpost and it is your objective to destroy them. Are you up for the challenge?
• Leprechaun's Gold: Enjoy a night in the spooky Irish woods. Catch the Leprechaun in your gaze to snatch his Gold. Will you get away with it?
• Blacksmith's Forge: Your kingdom is in a desperate need of swords. You must enter the blacksmith and use the anvil to create weaponry before cooling your swords in the wooden barrel.
• Championship Tennis: Show off your skills as a Tennis pro! Serve the ball and gain points for solid returns.
• Soaring Eagle: Soar like an eagle as you make your way through checkpoints looking for missing feathers.

 Download VR Chair Games today:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/605110/VR_Chair_Games/

Ubisoft launches Hungry Shark ® VR for Google Daydream.

Today, Ubisoft ® announced that Hungry Shark ® VR, the seventh installment in the successful mobile franchise developed by Future Games of London, is available on Google Daydream.

With five different shark species boasting unique characteristics, Hungry Shark VR takes players to the Mediterranean setting made famous by the Hungry Shark series. Players will complete three missions in total: Eat, Checkpoint Race and Rescue. In Eat, players must eat a number of specific edibles within a given time, Checkpoint Race challenges players to swim to checkpoints before the timer runs out, and in Rescue, players must find three keys and rescue jailed sharks.

Hungry Shark VR offers two new exciting game modes, allowing players to test their abilities and explore the vast landscape. Sandbox mode allows players to freely explore the colourful ocean world with no health drain or danger. Players can focus on swimming around the ocean and experiencing the beautiful underwater world. In the Play mode, players will face dangerous marine creatures while attempting to save four other sharks.

“Future Games of London is incredibly excited to announce that we’re working with Daydream to bring the Hungry Shark experience to VR,” said Ian Harper, Managing Director, Future Games of London, a Ubisoft Studio. “The Daydream platform enables us to create high quality VR visuals and bring innovative motion based controls to Hungry Shark fans.”

Built using the Unity 3D mobile game engine, Hungry Shark VR boasts striking 3D models, lighting and beautifully rich environments. Each in-game model has been meticulously designed and animated for accurate design and movement. Offering players a unique opportunity on Daydream with its new virtual reality gameplay, Hungry Shark VR gives players a fun, intuitive and more immersive experience than ever before. With the addition of the Daydream View controller, players can control functions such as navigating, boosting speed, performing flips and chomping fish. This advanced platform allows players to interact with the virtual world in the same way that they would in the real world.

Ubisoft continues its commitment to players by bringing highly innovative mobile games to VR. Built for high quality mobile VR, Daydream ensures easy and intuitive controls. Daydream-ready phones are equipped with high-resolution graphics and high-fidelity sensors for precise head-movement tracking.

Hungry Shark World ® and Hungry Shark Evolution ® is also available on iOS and Android.

For more information about the game, please visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubisoft.vrhungryshark