Woman alleges harassment by fellow Horizon World Visitors / Niantic CEO considers AR-based NFTs / Oppo presents AR Air Glass stateside

Plus: Artist's VR creation places users in alien bodies

Inside.com Part of   Network May 27, 2022

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A 21-year-old woman filmed a "creepy" experience on Meta's metaverse platform, "Horizon Worlds." According to reports, the video was shot from the young woman's point of view and showed two men approaching her avatar. After approaching, one man stayed back while another got very close, made suggestive comments, and finished a "virtual drink." Using the woman's experience as testimony, the corporate accountability group, SomeOfUs, asks that Meta assess how the metaverse could affect human rights. More: During an interview with the BBC, one SomeOfUs representative said about the alleged assault, "It still counts; it still has a real impact on users." The young woman was not using Meta's "Personal Boundary" feature during the incident. Users can activate the boundary, which prevents strangers from approaching and "invading your avatar's personal space." The SomeOfUs representative claims the young woman was "encouraged" to disable this feature.

Niantic CEO John Hanke presented the keynote address at Niantic's first developer conference. During his talk, Hanke praised SpotX Games for its innovative NFTs and compared the present day to the 1990s dot-com era. One of the ideas that Hanke believes will stick is innovative NFT collectibles.  More: Praising the team behind the Miami-based SpotX Games, Hanke described how they created memorable NFTs that mapped out where scavenger-hunt winners went during an arranged period.  For instance, at South by Southwest, scavenger winners were awarded colorful maps of their explorations as NFTs.  The company relies on smartphone-based AR tools to create unique NFTs.  Moreover, location data is difficult to fake.  Hanke noted that the company could be hearing from them soon, suggesting a future foray into tokenization.  After comparing our Web3 era to the 1990s, Hanke noted, "I think there's something really important about this technology."

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Oppo is presenting its Air Glass in the US for the first time. The company is showcasing its products at the upcoming Augmented World Expo. It is unclear why the company has decided to present at the North American expo. Oppo may be considering whether to launch its product stateside. More: The Oppo Air Glass is an AR device that connects to a user's Oppo smartphone to project information in front of the user. The displays are activated and responsive to head and hand motions, touch, or voice commands. Wearers can read live-translated text or access the company's 3D navigation system. Oppo's Air Glass features a Snapdragon 4100 chip and a custom Micro LED display. The XR device's monocle-like design attaches to a wearer's glasses using magnets. The glasses debuted in China earlier this year.

Non-profit Wellstar Health System and VR studio Moth+Flame partnered to create a virtual leadership training program. Earlier this month, Wellstar introduced over 100 of its leaders to explore immersive emotional intelligence training. According to user feedback, 97% of the class participants would recommend the activity.  More: The duo used real people instead of avatars to create a more life-like experience. Wellstar trainees accessed the program on iPads or headsets.  One participant said, "This 30-minute VR training on emotional intelligence was more effective and comprehensible than two full days of in-person training." Recent studies show that virtual learners learn faster and are 275% more confident in what they've learned.

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Most recently, 8th Wall presented at Niantic's inaugural Developer Conference. 8th Wall highlighted a few of its most recent developments during the presentation, including new monetization tools. 8thwall.com is the most popular place to find WebAR content. Niantic acquired the company in March. More: 8th Wall users can now subscribe to one of two subscription plans: the $9.99 Starter Plan or the $49.99 Plus Plan.  Starter Plan users can create as many WebAR or VR projects as they want using the company's cloud editor. Subscribers can also publish their projects on 8thwall.com.  The premium plan includes all of the above plus custom domains and embeddable AR URLs that allow users to share their content.  This plan is best for developers looking to grow their businesses with WebAR.  The company also introduced a "Payment Module" to help WebAR companies grow.  Customers can subscribe to user content, purchase limited-time passes, or pay-per-visit through 8th Wall's secure payment system.

Visitors to artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's solo exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London can explore alien embodiment wearing Vive Pro 2 HMDs. The artist partnered with Vive Arts to create five unique VR experiences. More: Gallery visitors can choose from five headsets, each offering a unique, alien-bodied, and "meditative" experience. Visitors lean forward on stools while wearing the headsets. No controllers are provided or needed. Each program lasts under 10 minutes. The exhibition, entitled "Alienarium 5," runs to Sept. 4.

Quick Hits:  B2B businesses are switching to e-commerce. Now, it's your turn. Learn three persuasive approaches that communicate the value of digital to decision-makers.* Kawasaki is the latest company to join Microsoft's growing industrial metaverse. Workers use HoloLens 2 HMDs to engage with their factory's digital twins, allowing workers to solve problems from afar. Maestro VR has gamified orchestration. The game is coming to Quest 2 and PC VR headsets. Players act as conductors charged with guiding a virtual orchestra. In Phoenix, a Habitat for Humanity cohort partnered with the Rose Law Group to create a metaverse-based fundraiser. The two groups are using their metaverse creation to raise money to build low-income housing. "The Sandbox" NFT-assets can now be uploaded and moved around using the OVER platform. Get your point across with video recording and screen sharing right from your browser. No signup.* *This is sponsored content.

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Courtney Rawlings is an Inside Research Analyst living in Los Angeles, California. She has returned to her hometown of LA after spending several years working at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is completing a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History. While working toward her Ph.D., Courtney has developed an interest in the language and history of the tech industry, especially regarding metaverse technologies, streaming, and podcasting. In fact, she hosted her own podcast Low Culture Boil!  You can find her on Twitter: @ckayerawlings  Email: courtney@inside.com Editor Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford.

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