Technologies

Augmented Reality: AR Anywhere!

05 Oct 2017, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

One of the very first augmented reality (AR) companies I learned about was DAQRI, which is located here in Los Angeles. Years ago I met with them because I wanted to use the ARToolkit, an open source platform they had acquired. I was immediately impressed with their vision for AR and what they had already accomplished with their human body and chemistry applications, which were featured just a few years ago at Apple’s main event. Over the years I have worked with Roy Ashok Chief Product Officer at DAQRI, and more recently, with Mike Hildebrandt, VP of Corporate Development, and…

Augmented Reality: Changing the Way We Work

27 Sep 2017, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

It’s a fact that augmented reality (AR) is reshaping the way we work. And yes, it is happening right now, and it is going to grow faster than anticipated.  Today, I’d like to introduce you to a company called Atheer. I recently met with their SVP of marketing, Amar Dhaliwal, and he introduced me to the amazing vision Soulaiman Itani, their CEO and founder, has for augmented reality in the workplace, and soon in other areas. Atheer’s focus is to connect digital and physical workspaces inside enterprises and as a result transform the productivity, accuracy, quality and safety of their…

Augmented Reality: Epson Moverio

26 Sep 2017, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

Having been talking about the future at different panels for the past three years, and researching, and prototyping, I am excited to write about the present in this post. I am preparing for a panel I will moderate October 10, at Digital Hollywood at 12 Noon about AR. the next generation applications. I have always had great panelists and this year is no exception. Today I want to focus on Leon Laroue, Product Manager New Ventures, for the Epson Moverio line of smart eyewear products. Yes, Epson. You probably know them for great projectors, printers, and other hardware devices. Well…

Augmented Reality: Light Field technology is here!

26 Sep 2017, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

For the past three years I have been researching, prototyping, and developing augmented reality (AR) demos and even some AR products for mobile devices. In parallel I have been fortunate enough to host AR panels for just about the same length of time. This has allowed me to meet with the very top companies in the industry. Interestingly one of the first things I wrote about some time ago was Magic Leap. I loved their light field technology approach. My visit to their offices may have been the final push to make me a complete believer in AR as the…

Augmented Reality: Working with Licenses and Securing Rights

21 Sep 2017, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

After Apple’s keynote just last week, which was preceded by the launch of Apple’s ARKit, and Google’s ARcore, you can safely assume that the avalanche of AR products and services is on! So, as we march into our first generation AR enterprise and consumer products, we find ourselves in a new frontier. Figuring out how to secure or assign rights, how to ask for or request royalties, and thinking how to protect your likeness, brand, and IP will be more important than ever. And of course, protecting new IP will be of equal importance. I wanted to put my arms…

5 key tips to make sure your augmented reality initiative is a success

20 Feb 2017, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

Let me start by saying that as a gamer at heart I love VR. However from a creative standpoint, real world application, and overall potential I am convinced that augmented reality (AR) provides a much bigger and interesting opportunity. Both AR and VR concepts have been around far longer than most people imagine. VR has been viewed for decades as the future, particularly for games, simulations, and at one point, to drive the creation of virtual worlds. For gaming and simulations VR can deliver a rich experience. But some of the old challenges still remain—limited social interaction, expensive to produce…

AR: New Frontiers, New Deals

12 Oct 2016, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

In my past few posts I have repeatedly expressed my enthusiasm for AR. There’s no question that as a geek at heart, looking at new technologies, tools, platforms, form factors, UI and other innovations is tremendously exciting. But I am also a businessman and I know that new technologies and new distribution channels also bring new challenges that can’t be ignored. The art of making deals, licensing content, knowing with whom, and how to partner, or set up a joint venture is as essential as knowing the technology options intimately. Just think about the opportunity that IBM left on the…

GPU Essential hardware component for AR and VR

11 Oct 2016, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

Continuing with my current series of post covering AR and VR I thought it would be a good idea to talk a little bit about hardware. I know is not the sexiest part of the story with AR and VR, but I think it is a key component for those who really want to learn and understand the ins and outs of these two emerging technologies. For years we focused on the CPU as a central component for strong performance in a computer, and of course that has not changed. Today the current CPUs available, for example Intel’s i5 and…

The Value of Platforms for AR: The DAQRI Solution

06 Oct 2016, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

If you are looking to incorporate AR into your products and services, there are many things you need to consider in terms of technology. Fortunately, a few companies have focused on making the task as painless as possible. DAQRI is one of the leaders in this space and I recently had the privilege of spending some time with their Chief Product Officer, Roy Ashok.  During our conversation I learned about DAQRI’s commitment to creating the strongest set of tools to transform the way we work in many fields.  By focusing on cutting-edge devices and tools, they are enabling developers to…

Visual Recognition: A Key Factor for AR

28 Sep 2016, Posted by William Newell in Technologies

Continuing with my series of posts about Augmented Reality, let’s take a look at visual recognition. For those of you who are just starting to evaluate AR as a potential addition to your services or products, visual recognition is at the very heart of this new technology. Whether you are producing AR or MR content, visual recognition is the life and soul of the user experience. Several companies have filed patents, created algorithms, and platforms that employ visual recognition. Today we are going to look at one of the leaders in the space, EyeCue Vision Technologies, www.eyecue-tech.com Partners Ronen Horovitz,…