The Augmented World Expo (AWE) is currently underway in California, the largest and longest running expo dedicated to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology. Now in its eighth year, AWE runs from May 31st to June 2nd and plays host to 212 exhibitors, 350 speakers, 300 journalists and 5,000 attendees, all in a 100,000-square-feet expo.
At the show, various new AR and VR technologies were announced, relating to such fields as entertainment, gaming and cinema, smart wearables, sensing toys, robotics and consumer electronics and automotive, among others.
The AWE also says it will explore expansion options in places such as Mexico City, Lisbon, Adelaide, Rome and Dubai. As of now, it’s not clear if any places in Canada are being considered.
“AR and VR can help drive economic growth, democratize access to knowledge and health, and increase empathy with sustainability,” said AWE founder Ori Inbar in a press release.
Some highlights of the show include:
- AnotherWorldVR previewed KOBOLD, a form of creative fictions that merges cinema and VR gaming
- Digibit revealed the world’s first wearable gaming system, funded through Kickstarter, that lets users become the controller
- IdentiToy demonstrated a “machine interface over a display surface” technology – a touch-less, optical triangulation interface that operates independently of human touch
- Quantum Interface announced a set of hands-free User Interface (UI) controls for headworn displays for industrial and enterprise applications
- uSens showed off “industry-first single-camera/dual-lens combined inside-out 6DOF (degrees of freedom) head-tracking and 26DOF hand-tracking technology”
More announcements can be found in the press release found at the bottom of the story.
While it’s unknown if all (or any) of these will make it to Canadian AR/VR devices, it’s still interesting to see all of the various applications that developers have been finding for the technology.
In other news, research firm SuperData released sales estimates for the various VR headsets on the market, with Samsung’s Gear VR being the top-selling unit.
Source: PR Newswire
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