Joelsef Explains It All

AR

The Future of Work

Two weeks ago, we had a lot of news from big names such as Meta, Microsoft, and Accenture about The Future of Work. What does this mean? Why should we care? Is this for real or just a pipe dream? How can I try it?

I will admit that I was a little surprised seeing Microsoft’s Satya Nadella present alongside Mark Zuckerberg during Meta’s Connect keynote. Are they not competitors? No, not necessarily. In fact, they may need each other right now.

A man wearing a pair of Magic Leap 2 augmented reality glasses with a reflection of a soccer game on the lenses.
Are you ready for the future?

Virtual reality (VR)—and now augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and the all-encompassing extended reality (XR)—has traditionally been sold as a consumer and gaming platform to the general public. Back in 2016, Oculus and HTC took the world by storm with their Rift and Vive platforms, game stores, and lots of hype.

The reality has been, as with many technologies, making money has been tough. Companies realize that to make a substantial profit and solidify their place in the market, a switch to business users is necessary.

Microsoft came out with its groundbreaking HoloLens back in 2016. It was revolutionary at the time—no AR device like this had been commercialized before. Yet this revolutionary platform has had a tougher time breaking into the mainstream. Microsoft first tried to make it a consumer device and quickly switched to business and enterprise. Magic Leap also tried going after the consumer market when it finally released its Magic Leap One in 2018. Two years and barely any sales later, they also pivoted to enterprise. Just like Microsoft.

With the big news from Meta this week Microsoft’s own foray into “mixed reality” is taking another turn. Maybe building a futuristic headset that costs way more than a standard laptop is not going to work right now. And I really like the HoloLens. Alternatively, partnering with another company that can create a more affordable device might have better results in the short term. Long term tech can keep brewing in the background.

What does this mean?

A Beam telepresence robot carrying a Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset.
Maybe this is what we need.

The concept of The Future of Work has many meanings. We have moved from typewriters and phones to word processers and fax machines, then to Microsoft Word and the internet. We went from emailing documents to sharing them in Google Docs or SharePoint. Now we can co-edit documents from anywhere at any time and have hybrid meetings in Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Work is not just reserved for the office anymore.

The Future of Work is a continuation of this evolution. From the static web 1.0 to the interactive web 2.0, the next generation of the internet will include a 3D element that is even more interactive. We have seen it in multiplayer gaming for decades and even work platforms like Second Life. Now we are at a point where the hardware, processing, internet speeds, and needs have evolved enough to make a spatial web possible.

Many of us see the potential of 3D and spatial as part of that future. You can call this the metaverse, virtual worlds, or whatever. The interaction that is possible using 3D opens up more use cases that were not possible before. This will happen in VR and AR. In fact, the augmented future may be the bigger winner. The combination of VR for remote and AR for in person can really be powerful.

Why should we care?

This is a good question. For many of us, there is nothing to do right now. This may be months or years away from affecting you. However, if you want to be a part of learning and shaping and participating in the process of discovery, the time is now.

Using the metaverse or 3D worlds for work may not make any sense for use cases like standard meetings, presentations, or collaboration. However, more specific uses like brainstorming, product development and review, social, demonstrations, and content creation have more immediate utility. The kinds of things that are enhanced by in person meetings but for when in person is not possible.

You can even enhance in person meetings with 3D content. Microsoft showed some of this with the HoloLens. Meta’s Quest Pro shows promise to make that more available to a wider audience at lower cost and with more utility.

Is this for real or just a pipe dream?

Photo of a Samsung GearVR headset hanging on the wall.
Do you remember the Samsung GearVR? We are way past that now.

The technology exists right now for all of this to happen: Virtual worlds, cloud services, XR headsets, and people able to bring it all together. The barriers are expertise, costs, user experience needs, processing power, and mindset. Mindset may be most important: most of this is not ready for prime time. You must have an open mind and be able to accept failure. That does not mean the future is worthless. It just means try something else. Focus on the needs.

How can I try it?

Very easily. In fact, you do not even need a VR or AR headset. You can head over to Mozilla Hubs or Spatial and jump into a virtual world in your web browser within minutes. Or check out VRchat or AltSpaceVR for more of a social experience. These communities are exploring the future for us. You can also be a part of that future.

Conclusion

On its surface, the Meta keynote may not have been exciting to the general public and those deep into VR gaming. Yet it signals a shift in the industry. Gaming and social may have built up the industry and shown us what is possible, but business will fund the industry to the next level. This is not bad, it is not wrong, and is not atypical. Technology starts on the consumer side and once it has matured will transfer over to the workplace. I welcome our XR overlords.

October 23, 2022 by AR Future of Work Metaverse VR XR 0

Escaping with Virtual Reality

Oculus Quest

With the arrival of COVID-19 in the United States, we have hunkered down at home, the kids are out of school, and we are not going anywhere for a while. We hope this pandemic ends sooner than later. But at this point nothing is guaranteed. Do what you need to do to be safe, keep your family safe, and help quell this global threat to our health.

This unexpected turn of recent events has given me a little extra time to tinker with the tech toys around the house. Much to the chagrin of my wife, I collect a lot of stuff. I am also lucky to have access to various devices for my job. Typically, I do not always have (or make) enough time to test everything out as much as I’d like. The lack of commute and cabin fever this past week have changed things a bit.

While I work with XR (eXtended Reality) at work, in particular Augmented Reality (AR) and the Microsoft HoloLens 2, I have let my use of the consumer side of Virtual Reality (VR) lapse a bit. Now that I have extra time—and motivation—to tinker and get distracted, I am getting back to using some of the apps I’ve setup for work and the kids. This reminded me how much this technology can enable engagement and escape to aid psychological and physical well-being.

Virtual Reality can be a Great Escape

I fired up my Oculus Quest and attached it to a gaming laptop to test out the Oculus Link feature. Browsing around the apps in the library, I found Google Earth VR. What a great way to get out of the house without leaving the house. I’m hooked. Again.

These sorts of apps are great for escape: you can visit anywhere in the world, watch videos on YouTube of events and places back in time, and even participate in live events in virtual spaces like AltSpaceVR, Wave, and NextVR. You can even catch up with your friends to watch a movie in the Oculus Quest or have a social hour in one of the many meetup apps like Bigscreen.

You can also watch VR and 360 videos in YouTube or upload your own photos and videos to the VR headset. I have a Samsung Gear 360 camera to take videos and photos and upload them to the Oculus Quest. My son loves revisiting our adventures.

I got my wife to try out VR again and it impressed her

I have planned to write about virtual collaboration apps like Spatial, Doghead Rumii, HTC’s Engage, and Glue. That’s not what I am talking about here. I mean entertainment and socializing. Think travel, concerts, and meetups with friends. You do not need to go anywhere but can get some semblance of escape.

Then there is the whole game genre. That is what most people think of when they think of VR. We downplay that at work to talk about training, design, and collaboration because those uses are more appropriate in the professional setting. But we also talk about therapy and medical uses. You know what is therapeutic? Playing games. Connecting with people. Getting out of your head and out of your house and going somewhere else. VR can do all of this.

Virtual Reality is more available than ever…if you can get a headset

VR once was relegated to those in the know and those with the means. Nowadays, the Oculus Quest and Go make it amazingly simple to get yourself into VR. Even the newer HTC, Oculus, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets are easier to setup and use than the original HTC Vive and Oculus.

The only problem of late is supply and demand. The demand was high for headsets like the Oculus Quest for holidays 2019. When the coronavirus started, production that was already delayed was affected and devices went out of stock. They have come back periodically. For example, on Friday 3/13 Oculus.com had some in stock but they ran out quickly. You can currently find devices for a 50% premium on Amazon and eBay. Most people are out of luck though.

If you are lucky enough to have your own device, or have access to one to borrow, pull it out again to investigate what it can do for you.

Right now my go to recommendation is the Oculus Quest, if you can get one. They are $399 list for a 64GB model and $499 list for a 128GB model. Anything higher means stock is restricted so people are taking advantage. It may still be worth the cost if you want something sooner than later.

If you already have a gaming PC or laptop with a good graphics card, or want get one and have a higher budget, you should look at the Oculus Rift S and Windows Mixed Reality headsets like the Samsung Odyssey+ and HP Reverb. If you really want high quality graphics, the HTC Vive Pro Eye or Valve Index are for you, if you have the right graphics card.

Put me in VR, I’m ready to play

Besides the fact that there are plenty of other ways to play games, interact with people, and engage with content, why do we need VR?

Well, we don’t. But it is a worthwhile addition to the list. I am willing and ready to re-engage with VR as a consumer, not just as a professional. For the next four weeks or more my whole family will be home. This may keep us from driving each other crazy. Maybe we’ll learn something too.

Epilogue

I am not ignoring Augmented Reality. There are plenty of AR apps for your phone and tablet, including games and learning apps. Soon enough we’ll have AR headsets that will be even more engaging. Right now, though, VR is where the real engagement is at. Especially if you want to get away from the real world for a while.

Get some VR now

Key:

  • Most  = aka most popular headsets, the Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, PC-VR
  • Most + more = Popular headsets plus others like the Oculus Go and/or Playstation VR
  • PC-VR generally includes the HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows Mixed Reality support

Travel apps

Social/event apps

Games

March 15, 2020 by AR VR XR 1

The Microsoft HoloLens 2

HoloLens 2

Almost exactly four years ago, the first HoloLens rolled off the assembly line and was delivered to its first customer. It was a revolution in wearable technology: not only was it a full computer that you wore on your head, it also had “mixed reality” holographic display, depth-sensing sensors that descended from the Xbox Kinect, and special gesture tracking so you could use your hands to control it.

HoloLens 1 (left) vs. HoloLens 2 (right)

At the time, the world of augmented reality consisted of phone and tablet-based camera pass-through apps and simple two-dimensional AR heads up displays like the Google Glass. Android’s ARcore and Apple’s ARkit had not been released yet for mobile devices, so the world of 3D holographic and spatial AR computing was almost exclusively in Microsoft’s hands.

The first-generation HoloLens was considered a “Developers Edition” at the time until Microsoft released an Enterprise edition by early 2017.

Mixed Reality is the future

I was lucky to use the original HoloLens during its first year in 2016. We got one for my company’s Innovation Center and we built a medical imaging app that we demonstrated to visitors. Over the next few years, more applications popped up in the Microsoft Store and through partners.

At first, it seemed there might be more of a consumer focus with the headset. Games like Roboraid were made to show off the gaming ability of the platform. Quickly though, the market turned towards enterprise.

I like using the HoloLens for collaboration apps like Spatial, Object Theory’s Prism, and Holo-One, which allow people to work together in 3D rooms both co-located in-person and remote. I also like working with companies such as Taqtile for maintenance and job aid applications like their Manifest platform.

Spatial in the HoloLens 2

I also like using the Windows Mail, Calendar, and Web browser applications to place an almost infinite desktop around my workspace and house.

As we look to the future, we are building applications for the HoloLens 2 that bring map and sensor data into spatial computing, bridge training from virtual reality to augmented reality, and move from phone based interfaces to head mounted displays.

HoloLens 1 was definitely version 1.0

The HoloLens 1 was a revolutionary device that came out in 2016. We had never seen anything like it before and it has affected product development across the entire XR industry.  

It was a great device.

Once devices got out, we gathered our ideas for how to improve the platform. These are not gripes with the first generation HoloLens, rather a set of ideas that were collected over the next three years as Microsoft designed HoloLens 2.

The limited field of view was the most noticeable. Technical limitations of these sort of holographic waveguide displays limited the horizontal field of view (FOV) to 30 degrees—whereas VR is typically over 100 degrees and ideal FOV for any headset is upwards of 200 degrees or more. No AR headset can reach 100 degrees right now, but we may see that change over the next few years.

Besides FOV, the form factor of the HoloLens 1 was also a concern. Fitting all the electronics and battery in the headset was quite a feat, but all that weight was placed over the face—and on the nose. A HoloLens 1 could be worn for maybe 30-60 minutes before it became quite uncomfortable. There were adjustments to the headwear that could improve this, but it did not eliminate the fact that there was a mass of weight on your forehead.

Lastly, while the hand gestures—what was call the “air tap” and “bloom”—were easy to learn, they were not as intuitive as we would like.

HoloLens 2 is a big incremental improvement

All of the comments about the HoloLens 1 were addressed in the HoloLens 2 and more.

  • Wider field of view: 52 degrees diagonal/43 degrees horizontal
  • Better fit and comfort: the electronics were split between the forehead and back of the head, balancing the weight and also enabling a more hat-like fit to the headset
  • Full hand gestures and hand tracking were added, so you can now grab and stretch holographic objects more naturally

In addition, new features were added:

  • Iris login for security
  • Eye tracking for control and analysis
  • USB-C power and accessory port
  • New Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 processing power, Holographic Processing Unit, and an AI coprocessor
Yep, it works in the car. Parked, of course.

Slow and steady wins the race

HoloLens 2 is more of an evolution than a revolution this time around. However, Microsoft is likely aiming for HoloLens 3 or 4 to be plain old glasses. Maybe that will not be until HoloLens 5. We are 5-10 years out for a truly revolutionary headset. Everything between now and then will be incremental improvements until we get smaller size, greater power, and more seamless and full-view optics.

In the meantime, the likes of Magic Leap, Facebook, or Apple would like to get there first. We will probably see consumer devices from some of these players with less features but more compact form factors. Microsoft is focusing on enterprise first, focusing on higher end features and support that is required for companies and the government. That should lead to consumer editions at some point.  

Yours truly enjoying some HoloLens 2
February 11, 2020 by AR 1

Is 2020 the Year of Augmented Reality?

Ike wearing a HoloLens 2

Way back in early 2019 it was looking like 2020 would see a surge in augmented reality headsets and adoption across both the consumer and enterprise space. There were rumors of Apple announcing an AR headset in early 2020. Microsoft was releasing its long-awaited HoloLens 2 by the end of 2019. North Focals, nReal, Magic Leap, and others had devices out or coming soon. The excitement was strong.

The Reality of AR

Once the end of 2019 came around, we realized that we would instead be seeing important yet incremental progress in AR devices. Consumers will be getting more options like an updated North Focals, nReal Light, and the promise of AR contacts in a few years. Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 rolled out, albeit to production constraints. The Apple AR glasses ended up being a 2022-2023 thing instead of a 2020 thing. We just have to wait a little bit longer.

What happened?

The limitations on technology are a major factor. We want smaller, lighter glasses with a wide field of view (FOV), 3D optics, ease of use, and low cost. Right now, we can have one or maybe two of those features in a single headset. You could have small and relatively inexpensive North Focals. You can have the Varjo XR-1 with a wide field of view for $10,000. You can have the HoloLens or Magic Leap that are self-contained and easier to use, but lacking an ideal FOV.

The other issue is cost. Anything with true spatial 3D computing is upwards of $1000 or more. Headsets like the North Focals come in under $1000, but only offer 2D optics for notifications and do not include enhanced input methods. nReal Light consumer glasses are supposed to start at $500 and include 3D optics but are not available quite yet.

This year promises to bring down the cost of the entry level AR glasses, but we are not quite there yet.

What AR will we get in 2020?

For the most part, we may already know what AR is coming in 2020. Most of the AR devices are already here or already announced:

There are likely more devices in the works, but I do not expect to see major new production devices before 2021. Facebook/Oculus, Google, Apple, and others are likely working on their own new products. Microsoft and Magic Leap are working on their next generation headsets. Smaller companies like nReal and North Focals are progressing their tech as well. Right now, we have what we have. We may get announcements of new products this year, but I would be surprised if we get anything tangible to try before 2021.

For a comprehensive list of AR predictions for 2020, check out Tony SkarredGhost’s summary of AR.

When will AR really take off?

For enterprise, 2020 and 2021 will have a lot of adoption of AR. With fieldable headsets from the Microsoft, Vuzix, and Magic Leap, some enterprise and government agencies will be able to afford piloting and deploying these devices in greater numbers.

For consumers, we will likely need to wait until 2021, 2022, or 2023 for substantial adoption. North Focals and similar devices may see some uptick before then, but we may need a Facebook/Oculus, Google, or Apple to make a pair of AR glasses that are attractive to the mass market. I would love to see a smaller company come in and be competitive, but experience points to a large company with big pockets as the winner.

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January 28, 2020 by AR XR 0

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