MillerKnoll 3D Leader, La-Z-Boy Alumna Join 3D Cloud by Marxent Advisory Board

Post originally appearing on presswire.com.

3D Cloud by Marxent CEO: "As we introduce AI/ML, room scanning, and other advanced features, it's critical to keep the client perspective front and center."

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today 3D Cloud™ by Marxent, the 3D experience platform for furniture and home improvement, announced the appointment of Lorna Jean Marcuzzo of MillerKnoll and Gail Applin, formerly of La-Z-Boy, to the 3D Cloud by Marxent Advisory Board. The Advisory Board is comprised of industry veterans from across home improvement, contract furniture, home furnishings, and adjacent industries.

Marcuzzo, currently Senior Digital Product Manager for 3D Visualization at MillerKnoll, brings over a decade of experience in the contract furniture space with a focus on innovation. Similarly, Applin served as Director of eCommerce and Interactive Customer Experience at La-Z-Boy for nearly a decade and is presently Director of E-Commerce Strategy and Operations for Smith & Noble.

"Both Lorna Jean and Gail bring a wealth of furniture industry experience to the table," said Beck Besecker, 3D Cloud by Marxent's CEO and Co-Founder. "They have considerable industry insight and also know what it takes to lead and deploy successful 3D innovation strategies at scale."

"I've always been impressed with both the quality of the team and the speed of innovation at 3D Cloud by Marxent," Marcuzzo said. "They are solving major challenges for the contract furniture industry, and I'm excited to be a part of the future of 3D visualization that we're building together," she said.

"Leading the 3D efforts for a highly customized product was challenging and 3D Cloud by Marxent was the perfect partner in innovation," Applin said. "I'm honored to be a part of the advisory board and to continue our collaboration," she said.

3D Cloud by Marxent pioneered the use of 3D in retail with the first major rollout of in-store Virtual Reality at scale and was an early developer of Augmented Reality applications for retail use cases. The company continues to serve the furniture, contract furniture, and home improvement industries with 3D solutions for furniture, office, kitchen, bath, and decking.  Innovations include Instant Renders, Design from Photo, and code-free product configuration at scale.

"Listening is essential in helping us to build next-gen 3D commerce solutions for the verticals that we serve. As we introduce AI/ML, room scanning, and other advanced features, it's critical to keep the client perspective front and center," Besecker said. "We are pleased to welcome Gail Applin and Lorna Jean Marcuzzo to the Advisory Board and look forward to their contributions," he said.

About 3D Cloud™ by Marxent

3D Cloud™ by Marxent is the 3D experience platform and global leader in 3D e-commerce for furniture, kitchen, bath, outdoor, office furniture, closets, and storage. The 3D Cloud platform is a B2B SaaS that allows retailers and brands to build endless applications from a single 3D product catalog. With 3D Cloud, 3D content is created, managed, and published to all 3D applications from a single source of truth for consistency across every touchpoint in the customer journey. Applications that run on 3D Cloud include 3D Product Configurators, 3D Sectional Configurator, 3D Room Planner with Design from Photo, 360 Product Spins, 3D Renders, WebAR, Augmented Reality retail apps, and Virtual Reality retail apps. 3D Cloud by Marxent has offices in Miamisburg, Ohio; St. Petersburg, Florida; London, England; and Auckland, New Zealand. Clients include a major U.S.-based home improvement retailer, Kingfisher plc, PlaceMakers, Mico, Kinsman, Macy's, Ashley, HNI Corporation, La-Z-Boy, Joybird, and John Lewis and Partners. The company is backed by Dan Gilbert and Arnie Bellini. For more information, visit 3dcloud.com.

Computer Generated Solutions (CGS) becomes a sponsor for our VRARA Enterprise Forum 2023

Computer Generated Solutions (CGS) becomes a sponsor for our VRARA Enterprise Forum 2023. Don’t miss their keynote presentation!

For nearly 40 years, CGS (Computer Generated Solutions) has enabled global enterprises, regional companies, and government agencies to drive breakthrough performance through software and business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services.

CGS is wholly focused on creating comprehensive solutions that meet clients’ complex, multi-dimensional needs, and support clients' most fundamental business activities. Headquartered in New York City, CGS has offices across North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

TeamworkAR

Your people power your business. Whether the goals are onsite repairs, new training, remote assistance or enabling a dispersed workforce, TeamworkAR™ is how you can give your people the support they need.

Through innovative technology with practical functionality, TeamworkAR can make employees more efficient, more effective, and more confident in their work. With real-time learning, expert guidance and seamless collaboration, they can do what your business needs and be safer while doing it.

Learn more about CGS AR product offerings here https://www.cgsinc.com/en/enterprise-augmented-reality-for-business or watch video below.

Vivoka, leader in speech recognition, brings voice to Epson’s Moverio smart glasses applications

Metz, February 16, 2023. Vivoka, leader in voice AI technologies, is partnering with Epson to offer software vendors working on the Epson Moverio line of connected glasses the ability to add a voice assistant to their applications. Vivoka’s Voice Development Kit (VDK) is compatible with the Moverio BT-40S and BT-45CS smart glasses.

The Moverio BT-45CS connected glasses with smart controller are based on Epson’s Si-OLED technology. They easily combine digital content with a real environment. Featuring a comfortable headband and a clip for attaching to hard hats if needed, they meet international standards for safety and durability, making them ideal for remote assistance, work instruction and training in industrial settings. 

“Vivoka is the market leader in voice-enabled smart glasses and we are working every day to make it even easier to integrate voice into all types of connected glasses.” – William Simonin, CEO of Vivoka

The use cases for these products are multiple. For example, a mechanic in a car garage, with his busy hands, could proceed to different voice commands such as opening the vehicle’s registration card, a video tutorial or even calling a colleague for help. Such a device allows the company and the employees to save time (hand washing, use of the phone or a computer, theoretical training…) and thus increase their efficiency.

Software vendors have the ability to integrate a voice interface via Vivoka’s VDK into their applications for the Epson Moverio connected glasses. The Voice Development Kit brings together all voice technologies in a single, simple and versatile tool that allows all offline voice commands to be customised and activated in minutes. The glasses are voice-ready as they are equipped with a microphone and speaker.

“Epson places great importance in creating a vibrant ecosystem around the Moverio connected glasses platform. Vivoka’s Voice Development Kit compatibility is a new tool for our software partners who may be interested in integrating voice commands into their Moverio applications to enable personalised hands-free interactions in multiple languages.” – Marc-Antoine Godfroid – New Market Development Manager, Epson Europe.

About VIVOKA

Vivoka is a global leader in voice AI technologies founded in 2015. Thanks to its VDK (Voice Development Kit), Vivoka offers an all-in-one solution that enables any company to create its own high-performance, secure offline voice assistant in record time. Vivoka has won several innovation awards and has established leading partnerships with major players in the voice market. Vivoka has a portfolio of more than 100 customers from all major industries and is pursuing its goal of bringing people closer to technology through voice.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader whose activities contribute to sustainable development with the goal of acting as a good corporate citizen that grows with respect for the communities in which it operates. To achieve this, Epson relies on its efficient, compact and precision technologies and its digital technologies to connect people, objects and information.  The company is focused on solving societal problems through innovations in home printing, office printing, commercial and industrial printing, industrial robotics, visual communication (home theatre, education, meeting rooms, events).  

Epson will become carbon negative and eliminate the use of depletable underground resources such as oil and metal from its operations by 2050.  Epson is part of the Japanese global group Seiko Epson Corporation and has annual sales of approximately 1 trillion yen. 

For more information, please visit Epson’s website.

Liquid Avatar Technologies and Aftermath Islands Launch Artificial Intelligence Powered Avatars in the Metaverse

Toronto, Ontario and Bridgetown, Barbados--(Newsfile Corp. - February 14, 2023) - Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc. (CSE: LQID) (OTCQB: LQAVF) (FSE: 4T5) ("Liquid Avatar" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its controlled subsidiary, Aftermath Islands Metaverse Limited ("Aftermath Islands") has been actively engaged in developing Artificial Intelligence ("AI") powered Non-Player Characters (NPCs) avatars that are subject matter experts for the Metaverse. Having completed initial development, training and testing, AI avatars have begun to emerge in the Aftermath Islands Metaverse, with a fully interactive commercial rollout expected this quarter, which provides high fidelity graphics and a no download experience. The early-stage experience is available now at https://play.aftermathislands.com.

The Company's new AI avatar technology, using OpenAI GPT3, with over 175 billion parameters, essentially the enhanced version of ChatGPT which only has 1.5 billion parameters, has been primarily developed to provide commercial opportunities for brands and organizations to create virtual brand ambassadors that are easily accessible in the Metaverse and leverages a brand's existing web resources. Highly detailed, life-like and / or imaginative NPC avatars active in a natural looking virtual setting or in a branded location, will be deployed using the highly trainable, and interactive engagement capabilities of OpenAI GPT3 and Aftermath Islands' continuous updating and management. These AI powered avatars can naturally converse, initially by text and later by voice interaction with a user, allowing them to have a fulsome conversation with the AI avatar and navigate through a discussion or query on a particular subject or brand program. The technology will also have the capabilities to recommend products and services and provide links to be able to launch an organization's existing website, information, provide support and / or eCommerce initiatives directly from the Metaverse to a user's web browser, creating both engagement and activation opportunities for the brand seamlessly and efficiently.

"Artificial Intelligence applications like OpenAI GPT3 provide cost effective opportunities for brands, retailers, educators, travel and tourism operators, governments, and other types of organizations to move from static based information push models to truly interactive capabilities in the Metaverse, creating new and innovative ways to create awareness, engagement, activation and conversion," commented David Lucatch, CEO of Liquid Avatar Technologies Inc. and Managing Director of Aftermath Islands Metaverse Limited. "We are already seeing strong commercial interest, as AI powered avatars can naturally interact with users and can recommend solutions that can be "clicked" within Aftermath Islands to instantly launch access to a host of web activities including eCommerce sites to support revenue-based activities, and 24/7 automated and intelligent customer service and support."

Born Studios launches The Forest of Resilience VR experience on Oculus Store

Born Studios has officially launched The Forest of Resilience on the Oculus Store. Centred around wellbeing, the VR experience takes the user on a journey through a magical forest where they learn how to activate their resilience.

The whole experience is guided by nature, with the help of specially designed exercises, created by psychologist Dr Anna Rowley. As users go through the forest, they uncover the four stages of resilience: engaging with adversity, persisting, rebounding and learning.

The Forest of Resilience premiered at MIT EmTech Next 2022, with participants saying it helped them feel “calmer” and "more grounded”. Now Meta Quest headset owners can try it for themselves – the forest is free to discover, just as nature should be.

SPANISH VR COMPANY VIRTUALWARE TO BE LISTED ON THE PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE

Bilbao, February 16, 2023.— Spanish technology company Virtualware, one of the European leaders in the virtual reality industry, will be listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in the coming weeks.

To this end, it has already filed the corresponding application with Euronext, the pan-European stock exchange that groups together the stock exchanges of Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Oslo, Milan, and Dublin.

Virtualware, founded in 2004, is one of the pioneering companies in the field of Virtual Reality, where its team of more than 50 people has already developed more than 500 projects in more than 33 countries. It is headquartered in Bilbao, Spain, and has a North American office in Hamilton (Canada).

For the last decade and a half, it has been developing immersive solutions oriented to the industrial world and counts among its client base multinationals and institutions such as GE Hitachi, Ontario Power Generation, Petronas, Iberdrola, Alstom, Guardian Glass, Gestamp, Danone, Johnson & Johnson, Biogen, Bayer, ADIF, the Spanish Ministry of Defense, El Retoño Technical University or EAN University, to name a few.

Following approval by Euronext, the IPO will take place in the Access segment and follows a year and a half of preparation.

Virtualware’s CEO, Unai Extremo, explained that “this is an important step in our path towards the growth and global expansion of our company, especially in the US and European markets. The IPO will strengthen our global position, increase our visibility and add a wider community of stakeholders to our mission.”

At the end of 2021, the company, whose majority partners are its CEO Unai Extremo and Sergio Barrera, its CTO or chief technology officer, was recognized as the world’s most innovative company at the VR Awards 14 months ago.

Its product VIROO, the world’s pioneering VR as a Service (VRaaS) platform, makes Virtual Reality accessible to companies of all sizes and sectors. It is an all-in-one digital solution that enables the development and deployment of multi-user Virtual Reality applications remotely.

VIROO has received a patent in the United States and was named the best enterprise Virtual Reality solution at the VR Awards in 2019. The platform is already used by companies worldwide and has been used to develop strategic projects for defense ministries or critical infrastructure training projects. VIROO aims to become the standard for developing industrial Virtual Reality applications worldwide.

Virtualware also participates in Evolv, a medical and digital health device manufacturer specializing in developing rehabilitation solutions based on immersive technologies.

According to the annual report published by the company at the end of 2022, the company received ISO 27001 certification in recent months, signed contracts with leading international organizations, such as Ontario Power Generation, Gestamp, Janssen, Invest WindsorEssex and the University of El Salvador, and began participating in events jointly with Microsoft in the United States.

The company will announce the exact listing date and valuation in the coming weeks.

Skip Kimpel appointed as chair of VR/AR Association Hospitality Committee

We are thrilled to have Skip Kimpel chair our Hospitality Committee and help lead our community in this sector.

Skip Kimpel is a restaurant and hospitality technology evangelist and an industry known thought leader. Kimpel is currently the Principal of Independent & SMB Consulting for ConStrata and has held previous roles as the CIO and senior technology roles for 4R Restaurant Group, Technology for Virtual Dining Concepts and for Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza. His responsibilities have included all areas of strategy and operational technology not only at the restaurant level but also within the various corporate departments. He views data as the number one asset that a company has at its disposal that allows them to leverage this for honing in on business strategy and solid pro-active decision making.

Kimpel is also the creator and host of The Tech Chef Podcast, which is a restaurant and hospitality technology show and is one of the most popular places to get the latest information on operational and technology driven solutions solving for the complications brands are currently experiencing. Skip actively sits on the Board of Governors for the Restaurant Technology Network (RTN) as well as the marketing and allied member committees and previous board member for the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA). He is heavily involved with anything that is hospitality technology driven and has been instrumental in creating industry standards as well as the restaurant industry’s first standardized open API.

“I am excited to chair the virtual reality and augmented reality committee for hospitality because it provides an incredible opportunity for this vertical to explore new ways of engaging with customers, creating immersive experiences that are tailored for their needs and interests in addition to training programs that usually involve complex and dangerous skill sets that can be achieved, safely, through a virtual platform. Companies in the hospitality sector can create innovative experiences to delight their customers and unlock new revenue streams that will quickly be adapted once shown the possibilities and the ROI. Currently, this area is completely unexplored in the hospitality sector”

— Skip Kimpel

Dave Alpert appointed as Chair of VR/AR Association AEC Committee

We are excited to have Dave Alpert help lead our community for AEC.

Dave Alpert, CEO and Co-Founder of Geopogo AR, is an award-winning building architect and inventor with granted patents in AR and the Metaverse. Following  decades of experience leading landmark design projects like the California Supreme Court and the Lucasfilm Executive HQ, Dave co-founded Geopogo AR to apply the power of AR to solve chronic problems in the design and construction process. His team has launched two successful products and is partnered with Magic Leap, Oracle, and Siemens. Dave has been an active thought leader in the design tech community, organizing meetups for the AIASF Design Tech Committee and speaking and presenting at CES, AWE, DevWeek, AIA conventions, IFMA, and other events. He is personally committed to inclusion, collaboration, and transparency in his quest to democratize access to 3D creation and visualization.

“I’m excited to co-chair the AEC and Real Estate committee because I believe in working together with peers and mentoring new members of the community. By collaborating, we can all make more effective progress in the enterprise adoption of AR and VR. Please join me by proposing monthly topics of value to you, presented by experts who you know, especially by end users in enterprise.”

— Dave Alpert

How Nestlé is scaling virtual reality to train employees

In cooperation with VRdirect, Nestlé has rolled out a VR training at the Nescafé factory in Girona, northern Spain, to teach safety instructions and traffic rules on the company’s giant premises. The VR training is designed to help employees become aware of potentially dangerous areas and avoid accidents, like those where forklifts and electric pallet trucks are used.

Through 360-degree images and videos of the company premises, employees gain an understanding of the situation at hand. Using control buttons, they interact with the relevant safety instructions or answer questions about the appropriate action to take.

The VR training covers, among other things, safe routes across the premises that are heavily frequented by trucks, hygiene regulations before entering the production halls, the safety check before and when using an electric pallet truck, as well as traffic rules and signals in the warehouse that guide the many forklifts in operation.

In addition, Nestlé creates flexibility and scalability of VR solutions across all locations. A long-term partnership with VRdirect’s experts supports Nestlé’s professional launch of their global VR strategy.

Advantages for VR for training:
- Practice dangerous tasks or “what if” scenarios with no risks in virtual environments with VR training
- Enhance performance with VR training
- Improving safety with Virtual Reality training
- Offer decentralized Virtual Reality training to expand the availability

ImagineAR Partners with SPORTFIVE Hungary kft to Deliver Premiere Interactive Mobile Augmented Reality Fan Experiences for Ferencvárosi Torna Club

Imagine AR Inc. an Augmented Reality Company that enables sports teams, businesses and enterprises to dynamically create their own AR mobile campaigns, was be selected by SPORTFIVE Hungary kft to deliver immersive AR experiences fully integrated with the official team mobile app for Ferencvárosi Torna Club in Spring 2023. This opportunity was spearheaded by Hype Sports Innovation in their current GVA3 program. Once the experiential proof of concept is successfully delivered, it is expected to lead to a multi-year SDK license agreement.

Alen Paul Silverrstieen, CEO of ImagineAR, states, “We have been part of the Hype Sports Innovation program since 2021 and greatly appreciate the opportunities to partner fan engagement mobile AR campaigns with top sports clubs around the world. SPORTFIVE is a top-level sports marketing company in Hungary and will be our first integration of the ImagineAR SDK utilizing Flutter. We hope this activation with the top soccer club in Hungary will grow our global partnership with SPORTFIVE and their existing clientele”.

Volumetric Capture Enhances Whitney Houston's Magnificent Performances in New Biopic

The long-awaited Sony and TriStar Pictures' project I Wanna Dance with Somebody hit theaters on December 23, 2022. This musical biopic on the late, great Whitney Houston follows her life and career as she rose to stardom. And a decade after the songstress’ death, this tribute movie is no less historic. I Wanna Dance with Somebody features game-changing volumetric capture crowd technology to depict some of Houston’s iconic performances. To help enhance the impact of her stage performances with authentic reactions, Virginia-based Avatar Dimension and London-based Dimension Studio collaborated with the visual effects team lead Zero VFX to create 1000 holograms of over 300 actors, each shot multiple times in various costumes with numerous reactions for the movie’s performance scenes.

Using the latest technological advances, the extras were recorded in volumetric 3D on Avatar Dimension’s mobile stage – transported from its Washington DC facility and set up in Boston, MA. Using 70 cameras to cover the scene in 360 degrees "allowed for more expansive camera moves and the flexibility in post to create new shots as required by the edit, some without the requirement to shoot pickups,” according to the film’s VFX supervisor, Paul Norris, and VFX producer, Tim Field. This made the technology cost-effective for the studio who didn’t have to pay for expensive re-shoots. The average shoot can be very costly for a TV or Film production, most starting at a million dollars a day, depending on the desires of the creative leadership and the complexity of the scenes. On top of that, crowd scenes can be expensive. The advances of technology makes such scenes more efficient and cost-effective to create.

Volumetric capture allowed for the editors to use fewer actors to replicate populations and fill a space, but also to move the camera around the venues to view the performances from any angle. Zero had complete creative control so they could swap out crowd members where necessary. “In fact, we were able to adjust the entire balance of the whole crowd by changing the ratios of the different actions as required by the director and editor to achieve the desired emotional tone for each shot,” said Norris. Volumetric capture is the future of filmmaking, saving studios millions of dollars when creating a crowd and a tone.

Julia Beabout Joins Seattle VRARA Chapter as EVP of Partnerships and Community

Roberto Haza, Seattle Chapter President and Founder of Xtended Reality Advisory is thrilled to announce Julia Beabout, CEO and Creative Director of Novaby, is joining the Chapter as EVP of Partnerships and Community. Julia brings with her tons of experience as an expert and thought leader in AR Placemaking and Collective Memory practice, she has spoken on the subject for ARIA at the MIT Media Lab, U.S. State Department, Augmented World Expo (AWE), Architects Institute of America, the University of Washington, the National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, and even in our own VRAR Association

Julia has 25+ years experience leading clients and organizations through highly technical, creative projects up to $200 million, in the virtual and real worlds. 

She has a BS in Architectural Engineering from Penn State University and an MA in Asian Studies from the Florida International University where her research focused on Collective Memory Theory and practice. She is registered Professional Engineer (PE), Leed Accredited Professional, and U.S. State Department Critical Language Scholar. She speaks, reads and writes Chinese.

Julia is also co-founder of Tech in the Tenderloin (TNT), a non-profit that connects low-opportunity youth with high-opportunity tech through fun events and educational activities in the Tenderloi neighborhood of San Francisco and beyond.

We are certain the Seattle Chapter will continue its momentum and build VRAR partnerships and community with the active participation of Julia in our team. Please join us in welcoming her and stay tuned for exciting events this year.

Sign up for IGS 2023! And watch the highlights from our Immerse Global Summit 2022

IGS 2023 will take place on October 17-19 in Orlando, Florida.

Watch the highlights from our Immerse Global Summit 2022 in the video below…and stay tuned for details on IGS 2023!

Sign up here to get updates!

Orlando Mayor opens 2,500 metaverse jobs aimed at reinforcing Orlando as the MetaCenter

To bring the metaverse to life, Mayor Buddy Dyer announced the opening of 2,500 new jobs in Orlando. Over the years, Orlando has become a leading hub for tech companies that want to innovate and explore the capabilities of emerging technologies.

Orlando as a Growing Hub for Tech Talent

“The density of talent, investment, industry, and creativity in Orlando has made the city ground zero for metaverse development, making Orlando the MetaCenter,” shared David Adelson, Orlando Economic Partnership Chief Innovation Officer.

Adelson explained that the initiative to transform Orlando into the MetaCenter stemmed from decades of innovation, which started with increased activity around the Cape Canaveral rocket launch site in 1957. This was further supported by the founding of the University of Central Florida (UCF) to create a workforce capable of supporting the US space program.

“Orlando then became the epicenter of experiential entertainment when Walt Disney came to town. This collision of creative entertainment and technological advancements formed the foundation of the innovative ecosystem that exists here today,” he adds.

Since 2015, Orlando has seen a 46% growth in the number of tech companies in the area, with over 1,600 companies now calling it home. The city also houses tech centers such as Lake Nona and the Creative Village, as well as tech talent from educational institutions like UCF and Full Sail University.

Mayor Buddy Dyer Opens 2,500 Jobs to Build the Metaverse

On December 7, 2022, Mayor Dyer gave his annual State of Downtown Address both in person and in the metaverse, making him the first person to give a mayoral address in the digital space. During his 2022 address, Mayor Dyer shared his vision for Orlando’s future, proclaiming the city as the metaverse’s MetaCenter.

“Mayor Dyer said that his address was an open invitation for anyone to come to Orlando and apply for these positions. We are echoing that call,” said Adelson.

These job opportunities, which include in-demand roles such as software developers, systems engineers, and metwork architects, will help build the metaverse and solidify Orlando’s position as one of the nation’s fastest-growing hubs for tech talent and technological innovation.

Several organizations like the Orlando Economic Partnership, the VR/AR Association (Florida Chapter), and the Orlando Tech Community are some of the champions bringing the metaverse to life in the MetaCenter.

“The list of execs from our next-gen gaming, entertainment, AI, AR/VR, IoT, and simulation training companies joining this effort continues to grow,” Adelson told us. Local governments in Orlando and Orange County have also expressed their support.

Orlando Leveraging the Capabilities of a Digital Twin

To encourage more tech investments in Orlando, the city has been using a digital twin of the entire region to show investors and other stakeholders what the city has to offer. Available at the marketing center in downtown Orlando, users can access immersive experiences via an experience-based platform to explore the region in a more convenient way.

During the recent Unity Fireside Chat, Laureen Martinez, Orlando Economic Partnership Vice President of Marketing and Communications, shared that the digital twin has provided an imaginative and convenient way to showcase the city to guests. It also helps position the city as more than just a tourist destination.

“Our vision is to have more and more companies come to Orlando for us to be able to change their perceptions, just simply through the act of them coming and experiencing this and learning more about Orlando – things that they probably could have never imagined,” Martinez said.

Building the Metaverse in Orlando

Many businesses in the city are developing their own metaverse products and services.

Disney is working with local companies to develop AR/VR technology. Red 6 is using AR headsets to enhance training for pilots. BrandXR is also building AR experiences for some of the world’s biggest brands and institutions, including NASA and Microsoft.

“With buy-in and collaboration from private partners, educational institutions, and the public sector, we have good reason to be so optimistic about the MetaCenter. With these partners, we will continue to illuminate the benefits of the MetaCenter on a global scale,” said Adelson.

Orlando and its MetaCenter champions are working to position the city as the ideal destination for innovative businesses to scale and succeed. They’re determined to attract companies and individuals who share the same vision in building the metaverse.

“We work to attract the companies and people that are looking to build the metaverse and do everything we can to facilitate their growth; our ecosystem of companies in gaming, AR/VR, AI, 3D reconstruction, IoT, and modeling and simulation is unparalleled,” Adelson added.

Future Plans for the City’s MetaCenter 

What can the world expect from Orlando’s MetaCenter?

Orlando is gearing up to reinvent its downtown area, with the goal of advancing “Broad-based Prosperity®” for the region.

“We define this as creating a region whose residents live a meaningful life in a place where equal access to resources and pathways to success allows opportunities for all,” explained Adelson. Partnerships between the local government, higher education institutions, and the local industry helped launch the Creative Village, a 68-acre innovation district. It’s home to UCF, the Electronic Arts HQ, Valencia College, and affordable housing and establishments.

David Adelson shared more insights on what the future holds for the metaverse’s development.

“We expect to use our digital twin technology for more than just virtual tours to attract businesses to the area. With this technology, we will be able to preview how different investments, like a transit system upgrade, might affect the environment and its residents,” he told us. “This is a tool that can allow us to run simulations of new policies or infrastructure projects and preview their potential impacts before planning in the real world.”

Article originally appearing on arpost.co by Gergana Mileva

Alexander Jones appointed as Co-Chair of VR/AR Association's Universities & Colleges Committee

We are thrilled to have Alexander Jones be a key part of our Universities & Colleges Committee.

Alexander possess over fourteen years of extensive experience in career/workforce development, cultivating industry partnerships, professional development programming, and collaborating to create career pathways for diverse learners. My higher education experience includes research, program development, and program evaluation for The Bay Area Community College Consortium, College of Marin’s Work Experience, Career Services and Career Education programs, and the San Mateo Community College District’s Cooperative Education Department and Apprenticeship Programs. Working together with administrators, faculty and classified personnel, I have increased job placement rates, ensured students possess the requisite skills needed to secure their careers, and ensured that my efforts remained responsive to the needs of employers and community partners.

The successful and inclusive workforce development initiatives he has overseen have enhanced programming that bridged community college students to their career of choice, and is responsible for an influx of a younger and more diverse workforce into industries that have historically struggled to forge and sustain lasting relations.

“I am excited to co-chair the VRARA University & College Committee, and look forward to creating similar programming that is effective, sustainable, and robust for VRARA members/communities and students.”

— Alexander Jones

Talon Simulations joins the VR/AR Association

February 2023 – Talon Simulations, a provider of extended reality simulator solutions, is excited to become a new member of the VR/AR Association (VRARA).  Talon brings 10 years of industry experience deploying XR vehicle simulators to various military branches and national entertainment chains. 

As a simulator solutions provider, Talon delivers turn key systems that are developed specifically for each client by utilizing modular hardware components and a versatile software development kit.  Their Talon Strike XR Vehicle Training Platform can be configured for land, air, sea, or space vehicles and incorporates force feedback controls, a high resolution head mounted display, and a dynamic motion simulator for a fully immersive and realistic training scenario.  They have utilized the same technology to develop an off the shelf arcade simulator, the Talon Vortex, that offers guests the ability to swipe their card and choose to experience a race car, roller coaster, fighter jet, or turret shooter.  Talon also helped develop, deploy and continues to support 150 custom four seat motion simulators for Dave & Buster’s arcades throughout the US and aids other XR manufacturers with installation and support of their products, thus reducing the risk of adopting XR technology for customers all around the world. 

“Our team has been eager to become a part of the VR/AR Association in order to increase our involvement with the rapidly evolving immersive technology industry,” states Brandon Naids, Talon’s CEO and Co-Founder. “We believe we can relay knowledge that we have developed working in the space over the last 10 years to aid in the ease of adoption for others. We look forward to connecting with the global community and contributing to building a strong and effective industry.”

“The solutions that Talon Simulations develops are great examples of how immersive technology is being used in both entertainment and military training and we look forward to having them participate in the VRARA and expand into other industries.” states John Cunningham, President VRARA Central Florida Chapter.

About Talon Simulations

Located in Orlando, FL, Talon Simulations, LLC is a small business specializing in extended reality vehicle simulators for entertainment and training.   Their strong focus on durable hardware along with prompt technical support makes Talon a reliable partner in both professional training environments and high throughput arcades.  

Below are a few highlighted projects that Talon has been a part of: 

• Engineered, integrated, and installed B-52 Mixed reality Air Refueling Simulator for Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base. See video here. 

• VR VTOL Aircraft for Bell Aerospace utilized for research towards the development of next generation flight controls. See video here. 

• Nine (9) F-22 simulators for the US Air National Guard that tour the country for recruitment where they met all of their 2019 goals and increased brand awareness by 300%. Read more here. 

• 150 Four Seat Simulators designed, manufactured, and supported for Dave & Buster’s. See video here.

• VR Fighter Jets at the San Diego Air & Space Museum operating daily since September 2016

• See full list here

Contact Information:

Brandon Naids - CEO/Co-Founder

(407) 440-1356

Brandon@talonsimulations.com

www.talonsimulations.com

How MAKEEN Energy is improving trade fairs with virtual showrooms

It’s costly to ship industrial equipment to trade fairs around the world, but MAKEEN Energy has discovered a more efficient way of bringing its products to the customer.

The Challenge: Shipping industrial equipment for international trade fairs
Part of what enables MAKEEN Energy to be at the forefront of innovation is meeting stakeholders worldwide and attending trade fair exhibitions. Most of the time, that involves bringing heavy machinery to locations in far-flung corners of the world. That isn’t always easy to facilitate on a tight deadline, and it can quickly accrue significant transportation costs and demand a lot of floor space for the larger facility equipment.

Anders C. Anderson, CEO at MAKEEN Energy, shared with us how the company identified a need to leverage the power of modern technologies that could mitigate some of the challenges of attending these global events on a regular basis. It was important for the salespeople at MAKEEN Energy to meet customers on location and still give them an opportunity to get close to the product.

So, instead of having to ship heavy machinery from country to country for every exhibition, the team at MAKEEN Energy realized that being able to show their industrial equipment in a fully rendered, 3D virtual showroom might be a fantastic way to enhance their global exhibition offering.

The Solution: A true-to-scale virtual showroom
The team at MAKEEN Energy found an easy way to construct a virtual showroom of their product line using the SynergyXR platform while still being able to generate an accurate representation of their real-life gas filling stations. We break down how XR is enabling sales for this global energy company.

Useful and dynamic
With the digital showroom builder in SynergyXR, it wasn’t difficult to feature complex industrial systems in an intuitive and engaging way. Using 3D models of their equipment in a seamless virtual environment, MAKEEN Energy was able to easily pack their sprawling machinery into a portable VR headset, like the Meta Quest 2, and use it as an add-on to their physical stand at international trade fairs. This was a boon for their global business segments, whose success is based on providing customers with a strong impression of their products.

Lars Sall, Regional Director of Asia Pacific at MAKEEN Energy, describes how SynergyXR has been an invaluable asset in the overseas trade fairs he and his team have been attending. He notes how virtual showrooms give customers a realistic impression of their equipment up close, even down to the most intricate details.

Not only have the salespeople at MAKEEN Energy been using virtual showrooms at trade fairs, but they are also using them to enhance remote customer meetings around the world. Lars goes on to explain how the pandemic is still felt in certain parts of Asia, and because these countries are enforcing strict limitations around social gatherings, having the ability to close the distance and present MAKEEN Energy’s products virtually is a great alternative that lets them bypass logistic barriers and sell to customers frictionlessly.

Worth implementing
Getting the project off the ground turned out successful, though it certainly involved a lot of moving parts. Lillian Christensen, Head of Corporate Communications at MAKEEN Energy, tells us that getting everyone on board with new technology in a global company, within a rather conservative industry, was a process that took both time and patience. In her view, it wasn’t just a matter of embracing SynergyXR at corporate headquarters. It was equally important that the commercial terms were properly instructed in adopting the solution.

While it was a new and modern approach to how they’d done things traditionally, MAKEEN Energy was willing and flexible enough to adapt. Anders notes how they already had some of the resources available to them for a smooth implementation, such as their team of young engineers who could easily render their 3D designs and plug them directly into SynergyXR.

SynergyXR designed an approachable step-by-step plan for MAKEEN Energy’s implementation process and provided regular support for the development of their virtual showroom, ensuring that everyone involved was thoroughly onboarded and accustomed to the new technology.

“It felt like the natural next step for us. We needed to lean on professionals, and the team at SynergyXR are professionals,” explains Anders. He adds that, “of course, it’s easy for me as the CEO to say ‘I want this’, but it has to be implemented correctly. In this case, we had a 3-month deadline to prepare for an exhibition and build our very first virtual showroom. SynergyXR took us by the hand and walked us firmly through the process. We made it on time, and it was well-received by our customers.”

The Result: Unforgettable product demonstrations and an evolving company tool
Since introducing their virtual showroom at trade fairs, MAKEEN Energy has had great successes bringing new customers into their sales funnel. Its reception among trade fair attendees has been incredibly positive and often had people lining up at their booth, excited to try the unique virtual experience.

With a smile on his face, Lars remarks how he “was curious to see if high-ranking managers or directors would risk looking a bit silly with these googles on, but there was no hesitation about it whatsoever. It only helped to make them connect with the product in a more memorable way.” Especially among new customers, Lars observed how bringing them straight into an accurately scaled representation of a MAKEEN Energy production hall leaves a vivid impression with the customer and awakens their curiosity to further explore the product line.

In extension of that, Anders elaborates how the social aspect of their business has been enhanced with SynergyXR. Because MAKEEN Energy deals in capital goods that are costly to implement, they typically have to convince a great number of decision makers and purchase managers among their customers, who all need to be on board to complete a deal. Using SynergyXR as a demonstration tool, it’s proved to be a powerful way of showcasing the detailed specifications of their products to engineers and service technicians among their international stakeholders. While it doesn’t serve to replace the face-to-face interaction altogether, it’s been a useful supplementary tool to accelerate the process.


Surprising benefits
As a natural evolution of their continued usage, Lillian tells us how they’re discovering new and unexpected uses of SynergyXR. Besides showcasing MAKEEN Energy’s new product line to international customers, which has greatly improved their external communication, they’re also using it to showcase the new product line internally among their commercial staff around the world. By slowly expanding its capabilities to cover more areas of functionality, the team at MAKEEN Energy are finding more reasons to apply the platform in the future training of staff and even using it to promote the company at job fairs to attract new talent.

Finally, Lillian unpacks how the rising use of SynergyXR is helping MAKEEN Energy stay at the forefront of innovation and sustainability. “By no longer having to ship heavy equipment around the world for exhibitions and reducing travel with virtual product demonstrations, we’re able to limit our carbon footprint and reinforce our brand as a responsible energy company.”

About MAKEEN Energy
MAKEEN Energy is a global corporation delivering responsible energy solutions across 6 continents and 140 countries. Founded back in 1951, it has a long and storied history as an engineering and project company working with gas developments around the world to promote cleaner energy practices.

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