Another sold out Vancouver chapter event took place on February 23rd at the TELUS Garden Flex Space, provided by TELUS PureFibre Team.
This event, VR & Mixed Reality: Beyond Gaming, was focused around the practical usage of the technology and the ways we expect it to disrupt wide range of industries and in our daily lives. Kharis O’Connell, author of Designing For Mixed Reality, led the keynote speech on Practical MR/VR and Designing for the Future. He explored the possibilities of integrating mixed reality in businesses and our daily lives, as well as potential limitations and ethical boundaries.
Following the keynote, Kharis moderated the Fireside Discussion with five virtual and mixed reality experts including James Rout (Associate Vice-President of Education Support and Innovation at BCIT), Charla Pereira (Senior Interaction Designer at Microsoft), Wren Handman (Future Scribe at Hammer & Tusk), and David Gratton (CEO at Work at Play).
The rest of the night consisted of networking, bites and sips, and demos. Our attendees were immersed in four different demos from CognitiveVR, LNG Studios, LlamaZoo, and Build Direct. CognitiveVR showcased eye tracking VR analytics compatible with the new FOVE headset, and LNG Studios showcased GoogleEarth view for HTC Vive. LlamaZoo and BuildDirect showcased their demos on Microsoft HoloLens. LlamaZoo demonstrated mixed reality anatomy of a canine heart, whereas BuildDirect showcased a demo for interior designs.
We're proving that Vancouver has a huge appetite for VR/MR and is only growing. The chapter is excited about upcoming events as well as other initiatives that will help us to continue to cultivate Vancouver as a global VR/AR/MR hub.
A special thank-you to all of our sponsors who made this event possible: Entax Consulting, TELUS PureFibre, BCIT, Voyer Law.
Written by Laura Ryu
Photo Credits to Josue Pacheco @josuedev
