Digitally Preserving and Exploring the Past: The Intersection of XR and Archaeology in Cultural Heritage Preservation

This article was written by our CEO Olga Kryvchenko and originally published on Linkedin. To get more biweekly updates about extended reality, subscribe to Olga’s XR Frontiers LinkedIn newsletter. 

Hello, dear readers! Today, we’re delving into an exciting synergy of technology and history, where we explore how Extended Reality (XR) is shaping the field of archaeology.

Cultural heritage—the timeless tapestry of our collective past—is invaluable. It connects us to our ancestors and provides context for our present. However, preserving this cultural heritage can be an uphill battle. The wear of time is unrelenting—ancient relics decay and centuries-old knowledge can fade into obscurity.

But XR, a concept you’re undoubtedly familiar with, is stepping onto the scene as a game-changer. Imagine unearthing relics without disturbing the soil, or even walking through ancient cities right from your living room. In this journey, we’ll explore the powerful alliance of XR and archaeology, reshaping how we preserve and interact with our rich cultural heritage. Ready to explore the past through a futuristic lens? Let’s dive in!

And here we are at the crossroads of past and future. To some, archaeology may seem like a discipline deeply rooted in the past, while XR symbolizes a step into the future. But when these two converge, magic happens!

Virtual Reality Development

Through XR, archaeologists gain a transformative toolkit. They can virtually excavate sites without causing physical disturbance, create interactive 3D models of artifacts for further study, and even rebuild ancient structures in a digital environment. Imagine seeing the world as our ancestors did, reconstructed right before our eyes—it’s like a sci-fi movie, but it’s reality!

For instance, let’s take a peek at a project that exemplifies this synergy of technology and history. The ancient city of Palmyra, much of which was tragically destroyed in recent conflicts, has been digitally revived. Using XR, archaeologists and historians have painstakingly recreated Palmyra’s monumental arches and colonnades. Not only does this serve as a timeless record, but it also allows anyone, anywhere to virtually explore this iconic city.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The harmonious marriage of XR and archaeology is opening a whole new world of possibilities in researching, documenting, and preserving our shared history.

The beautiful dance of XR and archaeology isn’t just a spectacle—it has tangible benefits that are truly game-changing. From the lab to the field, the living room to the classroom, this exciting fusion is enhancing our interaction with the past in ways we could only dream of before.

Let’s start by discussing research. Through XR, archaeologists can manipulate 3D models of artifacts or archaeological sites with ease, exploring them from all angles without fear of damaging precious finds. They can collaborate remotely with peers across the globe, working together on a shared digital platform, which wasn’t feasible in traditional methods.

On the public engagement front, XR is a superstar. We’ve all dreamed of time travel, haven’t we? XR allows anyone with a headset or even a smartphone to wander through ancient cities, experience historic events, or hold digital replicas of artifacts. It’s an immersive, interactive journey through time—history like you’ve never experienced before! This not only fosters a deeper understanding of our shared heritage but also sparks curiosity and inspires passion for history among younger generations.

Moreover, XR encourages open access in archaeology. By digitizing findings and sharing them online, we’re effectively creating a global digital museum, accessible to anyone, anywhere. This democratizes knowledge, allowing everyone to engage with and learn from our collective past.

The intersection of XR and archaeology is essentially a bridge—a bridge that connects us to our past in an accessible, interactive, and exciting way. It’s like putting on a pair of magic glasses that let you see and touch history. But as with all magic, there are challenges to face.

As enthralling as this fusion of XR and archaeology might be, it’s not without its hurdles. But, of course, no path to progress is completely obstacle-free, right?

Accuracy is one such challenge. How can we ensure the digital models and virtual environments we create accurately represent the artifacts or sites they’re based on? After all, a misinterpreted detail or misplaced structure can skew historical understanding.

Accessibility is another concern. XR technology, as advanced as it is, isn’t universally available or affordable. And while creating a global digital museum is a wonderful idea, it’s of little use if it’s only accessible to a privileged few.

Then comes the question of ethics. What happens when we digitally recreate sites or artifacts sacred to certain cultures? How can we ensure respect and appropriateness while bringing history to the masses?

Now, these challenges may seem daunting, but they’re not insurmountable. Advancements in scanning and modeling technologies are improving the accuracy of our digital replicas. Tech companies, governments, and NGOs are working tirelessly to make XR technology more affordable and accessible. As for ethics, ongoing dialogues and collaborations with local communities and cultural institutions are key to ensuring cultural sensitivity and respect.

In essence, we’re standing at a thrilling juncture, where technology meets history, creating endless possibilities. However, to truly unlock XR’s potential in archaeology, we need to work collectively—researchers, technologists, policymakers, and society at large—to overcome these challenges. It’s a thrilling endeavor, and we’re all part of the story!

Alright, let’s see the magic of XR in archaeology with some inspiring real-world examples. Each project demonstrates how this technology is already illuminating our understanding and experience of history.

Our journey starts in Italy, with the “Pompeii VR” project. This virtual experience breathes life into the ancient city of Pompeii, allowing users to explore the city as it was just before the devastating eruption of Vesuvius. From homes and temples to bustling markets, users can immerse themselves in the everyday life of ancient Rome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5rnLxadQlg

Image: Pixabay.

This article was written by our CEO Olga Kryvchenko and originally published on Linkedin. To get more biweekly updates about extended reality, subscribe to Olga’s XR Frontiers LinkedIn newsletter. 

Working in the XR industry for about 4 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a variety of marketing agencies looking to incorporate XR technologies into their marketing strategies. While these technologies can be incredibly powerful tools for creating immersive, engaging experiences for customers, it’s important to approach them with a clear plan and a solid understanding of what they can do.

If you’re considering incorporating XR technology into your marketing strategy, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  1. Understand the technology: Before implementing any XR technology, it’s important to have a solid understanding of what it is, how it works, and what it can do. This will help you choose the right technology for your specific marketing campaign and ensure that it is used in a way that makes sense for your client and their target audience.
  2. Set clear goals: When incorporating XR technology into a marketing strategy, it’s important to set clear goals for what you hope to achieve. This might include increasing brand awareness, driving engagement and interaction, or improving the overall customer experience. Having clear goals will help you measure the success of your campaign and make any necessary adjustments along the way.
  3. Choose the right platform: There are a variety of different XR platforms available, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to choose the platform that best aligns with your client’s needs and goals, as well as the technical requirements of your campaign.
  4. Create engaging content: XR technology can be a powerful tool for creating immersive, engaging experiences for customers. However, in order to be effective, the content you create needs to be high-quality and engaging. This might include creating interactive product demonstrations, immersive brand experiences, or virtual tours of a physical location.
  5. Test and iterate: As with any marketing campaign, it’s important to test and iterate your XR strategy to ensure that it is delivering the desired results. This might involve running A/B tests to compare different versions of your XR experience, gathering feedback from users, and making adjustments based on that feedback.
  6. Consider accessibility: While XR technology can be a great way to create immersive experiences, it’s important to consider accessibility when designing your campaign. This might include ensuring that the experience is accessible to people with disabilities, as well as making sure that it is optimized for different devices and internet speeds.
  7. Stay up-to-date: XR technology is constantly evolving, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in the field. This might involve attending conferences, reading industry publications, and staying connected with other professionals in the field.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can create powerful, effective XR experiences that drive engagement and improve the overall customer experience. If you’re looking for help getting started with XR technology, feel free to reach out to me for more information!

Image: Freepik

Today, artificial intelligence is a driving force that transforms and facilitates a whole range of fields: from creating texts and images to improving the performance of entire applications.

Moreover, AI is becoming an essential element in developing virtual and augmented reality. Artificial intelligence has already become an assistant for developers of such companies as Magic Leap, Unity, and others.

In this article, you will learn more about the solutions and benefits that AI brings to the development of extended reality.

AI and XR: Perfect Fusion for Immersive Experiences

Companies involved in the development of extended reality applications can use artificial intelligence for various purposes. Here are some ways in which AI can be applied.

Personalized Realities: Power of AI in Customizing XR Experiences

AI can analyze data on the behavior and preferences of VR users to offer more personalized and immersive content. For example, AI can customize the virtual environment to a user’s individual needs, as well as suggest content or interactive elements that may be of interest to a user.

Enhancing Interactions: AI’s Role in Developing XR Assistants

AI can be used to develop virtual reality agents with advanced intelligence. These agents can interact with users, answer questions, provide information, and create more realistic scenarios. The use of AI makes it possible to create agents that can adapt to the user’s actions and demonstrate intellectual behavior.

Magic Leap has already successfully implemented artificial intelligence to provide better and more realistic XR experiences to improve human interaction. They are already using AI algorithms to develop digital models in AR, one of which is the MICA hyperrealistic human. Using these AI algorithms, the creators managed to give their digital model eye movements, facial expressions, and behavior that are as close as possible to a living person.

“AI components were added to track a user and look them in the eye. Additional AI elements were added for body language and posture. Our team focused on natural facial expressions, we wanted MICA to emote in believable ways,” said John Monos, vice president of Human-Centered AI at Magic Leap.

Power of AI in Analytics and Development

AI can analyze the collected data while using virtual reality applications to identify patterns, trends, and problems. This information can be used to improve the development process and optimize the user experience. For example, AI can help identify the most popular features or discover bottlenecks in an application that need optimization.

Alex Volkov, Qualium Systems head of XR development, wrote an article about AI implementation in game development and how it optimizes and speeds up the work of a game developer, using ChatGPT as an example.

“In fact, it can save up to 60–70% of the time required for task implementation. Being a professional developer, I knew how to implement a task from scratch, but still needed to write each line of code, optimize it, and debug it. However, with ChatGPT, I managed to save a lot of time on the first point and focus on the last two points,” said Volkov. 

You can read the full article about game development using AI here.  

Rise of AI in XR: Enhancing Content Analytics and Recognition

AI can be used to recognize and analyze content in virtual reality. For example, AI can automatically analyze video and audio materials, detect objects or events in VR scenes, and also provide speech recognition and natural language processing functions.

AI-Enhanced XR: Revolutionizing Safety and Management Practices

AI can help manage and secure the virtual space. For example, artificial intelligence can control and optimize resources, manage virtual objects, and keep users safe by preventing unwanted situations or interactions.

For example, Unity is working on developing its own AI algorithm for honing the work of 3D models.

“Unity enables the real-time training of models based on unique datasets produced in the creation and operation of RT3D experiences. Through this training, we can build ever-richer services on top of Unity and provide extraordinary capabilities for our partners to leverage Unity as a data creation, simulation, and training engine for their own needs. Natural-language AI models incorporated into the Unity Editor and runtime train on real code and images. That real-usage training data is abstracted from its initial use (it’s not captured or recorded as-is), however, this learning enables Unity’s customers to substantially increase their productivity,” said a blog post.

 

These are only a few examples of how XR companies can use artificial intelligence. The application of AI depends on the specific needs and goals of the company, as well as on available technologies and resources.

Image: Unsplash.

This article was written by our CEO Olga Kryvchenko and originally published on Linkedin. To get more biweekly updates about extended reality, subscribe to Olga’s XR Frontiers LinkedIn newsletter. 

Picture yourself trying on a fabulous pair of shoes, testing out a trendy new hairstyle, or zipping through a gigantic mall without breaking a sweat, all from the comfort of your own home! With the magic of Augmented Reality (AR) and WebXR, shoppers and shop owners are about to embark on an exciting escapade into the future of shopping. But before we plunge into this virtual wonderland, let’s take a playful peek at the current state of AR and WebXR technologies and how they are shaping the future of retail.

A Whirlwind Tour of AR and WebXR Technologies for Shopper Experience:

The Exciting State of AR and WebXR in Shopping:

Good news! The cost of developing AR and WebXR solutions is on the decline, thanks to the availability of pre-built solutions, plugins, and libraries. A treasure trove of resources with 3D assets is already available for use or customization in AR shopping apps. Loads of talented companies can whip up custom 3D models to bring products to life in AR. Plus, businesses can purchase or lease 3D scanners to help digitize their products for AR integration. And, to top it all off, many existing apps are ready and waiting for easy integration with AR and WebXR technologies.

WebXR development

Embracing AR and WebXR technologies can have a positive impact on the environment, helping to create a more sustainable shopping experience. By allowing customers to virtually try on products or see how items would look in their homes, these technologies can significantly reduce the need for returns. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in packaging waste and transportation emissions associated with shipping products back and forth. For example, ASOS, an online fashion retailer, implemented a virtual fitting room feature called “See My Fit”, which allows customers to see how clothing items would look on different body types, reducing the likelihood of returns. Similarly, the IKEA Place app enables users to visualize furniture items in their homes before making a purchase, helping to minimize unnecessary returns and their environmental impact. By integrating AR and WebXR technologies into the shopping experience, businesses can contribute to a more eco-friendly retail landscape while still delivering a satisfying customer experience.

As AR and WebXR technologies continue to advance, they hold immense potential to revolutionize the online shopping experience even further. One exciting development is the creation of virtual showrooms, where customers can explore a 3D representation of a physical store and interact with products in a more immersive manner. This could transform the way consumers shop online, making it feel more like an in-person experience. For example, Shopify has introduced 3D modeling and AR solutions that enable merchants to showcase their products in 3D, allowing customers to examine items from every angle and visualize them in real-world environments.

Another promising direction is the personalization of shopping experiences using AR and WebXR. By combining these technologies with artificial intelligence and customer data, retailers can offer tailored recommendations, virtual styling assistance, and customized product presentations. For instance, the Sephora Virtual Artist app utilizes AR to allow users to virtually try on makeup products and receive personalized recommendations based on their facial features and preferences.

Moreover, AR and WebXR can be integrated with social media platforms to create shared shopping experiences, allowing users to virtually shop together, seek opinions from friends, and even attend live virtual events, such as fashion shows or product launches. This would further blur the line between e-commerce and social media, making online shopping a more interactive and engaging experience.

But, as with any great adventure, there are a few hiccups to keep in mind. Size measurement in AR apps can be a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, iOS devices boast impressive measurement accuracy thanks to LiDAR technology. However, Android devices have yet to achieve the same level of precision, leaving room for improvement. Not all devices support AR capabilities, so only devices with ARCore or ARKit can join in on the fun. Outdoor GPS accuracy can be a bit of a challenge for AR guide apps. And using AR and WebXR apps may require a little extra setup, support, and maintenance, which could bump up marketing budgets.

However, with technology continually evolving, these limitations are expected to fade away, paving the way for a seamless and delightful AR shopping experience. A spectacular shopping spree of the future is just around the corner, with fully immersive AR experiences waiting for shoppers and shop owners alike. By embracing these cutting-edge technologies, businesses can elevate their customers’ shopping adventures to thrilling new heights. So, hold onto your hats, folks, because the astonishing and transformative shopping extravaganza is about to begin!

Image: Pixabay

Brief overview of ChatGPT and its potential uses in game development

ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is an artificial intelligence language model that has been pre-trained on a massive amount of text data. It is capable of generating human-like language and can be used for a variety of natural language processing tasks, including text completion, summarization, and translation.

In game development, ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for generating code and providing suggestions or prompts for developers. By inputting a description of a desired game feature or behavior, ChatGPT can generate code that can help developers save time and improve the quality of their work.

For example, ChatGPT could be used to generate code for complex AI behaviors, physics simulations, or other game mechanics. It can also be used to suggest improvements or optimizations to existing code.

While ChatGPT is not a replacement for skilled game developers, it can be a valuable tool to help streamline the development process and allow developers to focus on the creative aspects of game development. As AI and machine learning continue to advance, it’s likely that ChatGPT and other similar tools will become increasingly important in game development and other fields.

Introduction to the specific task of creating floating stones that change speed based on the player’s distance

In an existing game, I was tasked with implementing a group of floating stones that would change behavior as the player moved closer to them. In their idle state, the stones should float smoothly and slowly, but as the player approaches, they should start to jitter more and more.

This required creating a class, implementing dependencies, and other code that couldn’t be achieved through animator controllers or libraries. While this wasn’t a “nightmare” level task, it was still time-consuming. ChatGPT proved to be a useful tool for generating code snippets and saving time in the development process.

Explanation of how ChatGPT can be used to generate code for game development tasks

When working with ChatGPT, it’s important to start with the right context. In my case, I began with a promo message about the technology I planned to use. It’s important to keep in mind that ChatGPT is just a tool and won’t generate ideas or code on its own. You need to provide clear and detailed input for the best results.

That said, ChatGPT can be a real-time-saver. When using the tool, it’s essential to provide a detailed description of what you’re trying to achieve. The more information you provide, the better the output will be. It’s important to note that using ChatGPT should take less time than achieving the same result without it. So, don’t be afraid to put in the effort to provide a detailed description. With ChatGPT, you can streamline your development process and focus on other aspects of your project.

Example prompts and code snippets used to generate the necessary code for this task

Let’s dive into the practical use of ChatGPT. As I mentioned earlier, I started by providing context about my game engine and coding language.

I want to ask you to help us create some code for my game based on Unity SDK, C# code language.

ChatGPT responded kindly, and I moved on to the next step — providing a detailed description of the task and its conditions.

A few words about the context of the task. In the game, players can find floating stones. These stones have random directions of jittering, but this jittering is very smooth. If the player appears within around 10 meters of the stone, the jittering speed becomes faster and the speed depends on the player’s distance to the stone (more if closer).

As a result, ChatGPT provided me with a basic realization of the class I needed to implement. While the code wasn’t perfect, it covered around 80% of what I needed to do.

using UnityEngine;

public class FloatingStone : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float maxSpeed = 1f;
    public float minDistance = 10f;

    private Vector3 initialPosition;
    private float initialSpeed;
    private bool isPlayerNearby;

    private void Start()
    {
        initialPosition = transform.position;
        initialSpeed = Random.Range(0.2f, 0.5f);
    }

    private void Update()
    {
        float speed = isPlayerNearby ? CalculateJitteringSpeed() : initialSpeed;
        transform.position = initialPosition + new Vector3(
            Mathf.PerlinNoise(Time.time * speed, 0) - 0.5f,
            Mathf.PerlinNoise(0, Time.time * speed) - 0.5f,
            Mathf.PerlinNoise(Time.time * speed, Time.time * speed) - 0.5f
        );
    }

    private float CalculateJitteringSpeed()
    {
        float distanceToPlayer = Vector3.Distance(transform.position, 
                                                  PlayerController.instance.transform.position);
        float speed = Mathf.Lerp(initialSpeed, maxSpeed, (minDistance - distanceToPlayer) / minDistance);
        return Mathf.Clamp(speed, initialSpeed, maxSpeed);
    }

    private void OnTriggerEnter(Collider other)
    {
        if (other.CompareTag("Player"))
        {
            isPlayerNearby = true;
        }
    }

    private void OnTriggerExit(Collider other)
    {
        if (other.CompareTag("Player"))
        {
            isPlayerNearby = false;
        }
    }
}

Next, I made some corrections — I added context about using Zenject for player injection and refactored the class to align with project conventions. I then asked ChatGPT to use my updated code version and add jittering rotation to the object based on the same conditions.

After this step, I received the final version of the code that I could use in my project. I made some minor changes on my end, and in the last step, I asked ChatGPT to add XML comments to the final class and received the desired result.

The final result of the code


public class FloatingStone : MonoBehaviour
 {
     [SerializeField] private SpeedSettings speedSettings;
     [SerializeField] private float minDistance = 10f;
     [SerializeField] private float amplitude = 0.5f;
     [SerializeField] private float rotationAmplitude = 1f;
     [SerializeField] private new SphereCollider collider;
 
     private Vector3 initialPosition;
     private Quaternion initialRotation;
     private float initialSpeed;
     private bool isPlayerNearby;
     private Transform player;
 
     [Inject]
     private void Constructor(IPlayer player)
     {
         this.player = player.Transform;
     }
 
     private void Awake()
     {
         initialPosition = transform.position;
         initialRotation = transform.rotation;
         initialSpeed = speedSettings.GetRandomSpeed();
         collider.radius = minDistance;
     }
 
     private void Update()
     {
         float speed = isPlayerNearby ? CalculateJitteringSpeed() : initialSpeed;
         Vector3 newPosition = initialPosition + new Vector3(
             Mathf.PerlinNoise(Time.time * speed, 0) - amplitude,
             Mathf.PerlinNoise(0, Time.time * speed) - amplitude,
             Mathf.PerlinNoise(Time.time * speed, Time.time * speed) - amplitude
         );

         Quaternion newRotation = initialRotation * Quaternion.Euler(
             Mathf.PerlinNoise(Time.time * speed, 0) * rotationAmplitude - rotationAmplitude / 2f,
             Mathf.PerlinNoise(0, Time.time * speed) * rotationAmplitude - rotationAmplitude / 2f,
             Mathf.PerlinNoise(Time.time * speed, Time.time * speed) * rotationAmplitude - rotationAmplitude / 2f
         );

         transform.position = Vector3.SmoothDamp(transform.position, newPosition, ref velocity, 0.1f);
         transform.rotation = Quaternion.Slerp(transform.rotation, newRotation, Time.deltaTime * 5f);
     }
 
     private Vector3 velocity = Vector3.zero;
 
     private float CalculateJitteringSpeed()
     {
         float distanceToPlayer = Vector3.Distance(transform.position, player.position);
         distanceToPlayer = Random.Range(distanceToPlayer - 0.1f, distanceToPlayer + 0.1f);
         float speed = Mathf.Lerp(initialSpeed, speedSettings.GetMaxSpeed(), (minDistance - distanceToPlayer) / minDistance);
         return Mathf.Clamp(speed, initialSpeed, speedSettings.GetMaxSpeed());
     }
 
     private void OnTriggerEnter(Collider other)
     {
         if (other.CompareTag("Player"))
         {
             isPlayerNearby = true;
         }
     }
 
     private void OnTriggerExit(Collider other)
     {
         if (other.CompareTag("Player"))
         {
             isPlayerNearby = false;
         }
     }
     
     
     [Serializable]
     private struct SpeedSettings
     {
         [SerializeField] private float max;
         [SerializeField] private float from;
         [SerializeField] private float to;
         
         public float GetRandomSpeed() => Random.Range(from, to);
         public float GetMaxSpeed() => max;
     }
 }

How ChatGPT can save game developers time and improve code quality

ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can help game developers save a significant amount of time and improve the quality of their code. In fact, it can save up to 60–70% of the time needed for task implementation. As a professional developer, I knew how to implement a task from scratch, but still needed to write each line of code, optimize it, and debug it. However, with ChatGPT, I was able to save a lot of time on the first point and focus on the last two points. This is the main idea of my article about using ChatGPT for coding in real life.

In game development, time is a crucial factor. Developers have to work under tight schedules and deadlines. This is where ChatGPT can come in handy. It can help game developers save time by providing them with basic code implementations that they can use as a starting point. With ChatGPT, developers can get a basic realization of the class they need to implement and then modify it according to their needs. Another advantage of using ChatGPT is that it can improve the quality of code. ChatGPT provides developers with different code options that they can use as a reference. This can help developers write cleaner, more efficient code that is easier to maintain and debug.

Virtual reality is gradually becoming more widespread in many fields, including music. With its help, newcomers learn how to play musical instruments in a more exciting and immersive environment, that facilitates the learning process.

Students can acquire a certain musical instrument in virtual reality since VR is not just about fancy environments. Some apps allow a headset user to use real musical instruments, with digital clues overlaid on them. Seeing these clues, a student masters their skills much faster. 

This article aims to showcase in detail various virtual solutions that facilitate music learning.

Experience the Future of Music Education 

In general, there are two types of VR music apps: games and learning apps. VR music games involve a headset user performing rhythmic tasks to the music. Beat Saber is a bright example of this game. While playing Beat Saber, a user hits digital cubes with lightsabers to the music.

Meanwhile, virtual reality learning apps are developed for newcomers who plan to learn to play real musical instruments. The basic principle of VR music apps for learning is it’s interactive experience, where a student uses hand gestures and controllers to press virtual piano keys, pluck digital guitar strings, or beat virtual drums with digital sticks.

Take Your Music to Next Level 

Experience the Joy of Piano Playing 

In a VR piano app, a VR headset user plays on a virtual or physical instrument, with digital clues are overlaid on it. These clues tell a student what piano key they should press on.

VR-XR Piano App by ArtMaster allows a newcomer to learn how to play the piano in an unusual set. In the program, you can also choose a location that fits your mood: an opera, Moon surface, cliff, etc. There’s also a selection of songs and compositions to play and the option that allows you to adjust a composition’s speed and the length of notes.

Moreover, this program also involves a physical piano, thus creating an additional immersion effect and facilitating the learning process.

We at Qualium Systems are also developing a VR piano app. In this app, a VR headset user gets transferred into a virtual music hall with a digital piano. Similar to the previous use case, playing music on virtual piano keys requires the use of hands. The app also includes three levels of learning: easy, medium, and hard. The playlist of our future VR piano app includes both classic and modern songs.

Enhance Your Drumming Skills 

When dealing with VR drums, a headset user can apply controllers to use a digital stick to beat virtual drums and recreate movements while playing the real drums. Smash Drums is an example of a virtual reality app designed to teach how to play drums. It’s suitable for both newcomers and professional musicians. With a VR headset, users can try their hand at drumming on various difficulty levels, ranging from easy to challenging.

A few months ago, the app got an update that includes an additional, highly challenging level that realistically recreates the movements of a drummer.

Step Up Your Guitar Game 

Virtual programs for learning how to play the guitar involve controller-free hands to pull digital guitar strings. Unplugged for Oculus Quest is an example of an app that uses similar principles. By the way, Tetiana, the Ukrainian host of Disco VR YouTube channel, attempted to play Unplugged, using a real electric guitar.

Guitar Strummer is another use case, where a headset user can learn how to play the acoustic guitar. There are two ways to create, learn, and play new chords: 

In this app, you can create and save your own chords. After every play, a program estimates your playing chord performance. 

Transforming Music Education: Advantages of VR Technology in Music Learning

Virtual reality is becoming increasingly popular in music education due to its numerous advantages for learners, such as

Virtual Reality Development

Virtual reality has become a convenient tool for learning music by offering a convenient and personalized experience of mastering musical instruments, such as guitar, piano, drums, etc. These apps enhance users’ music skills and improve their performance in an exciting and inspiring digital environment. 

Today, virtual reality transforms and improves many fields, including sports. VR sports training is getting popular being an interesting and gamified process of improving skills for tennis players, footballers, boxers, etc.

The immersion effect forces the athlete’s brain to perceive a virtual playground as a real one and makes a human start applying real physical efforts to perform exercises. Thus, VR sports training become an object of interest for both amateurs and professionals. This technology is already applied by the Manchester United soccer club and The Cougars baseball team to bring their training processes to a new level.

In this article, we’ll highlight successful VR solutions to improve athletes’ skills.

Step Up Your Game with VR Sports Training

VR sports simulation is training in an immersive digital environment, where athletes improve their skills and refine their performance during every game. For virtual reality sports training they apply VR goggles and also controllers, gestures, body trackers, and real additional equipment like clubs, baseball bats, etc. (depending on the type of sports).

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VR sports training offers athletes such advantages as

In our article, we described in more detail the advantages of virtual training for athletes. You can read more about it here. 

Join the Action with VR Sports Training

Virtual reality sports training is actively used to improve athletes’ skills and qualifications. We’ll highlight different kinds of sports, where VR training is applied the most.

Step into the Ring: How VR Boxing Games are Changing the Sport

During VR training, boxers are getting transferred into the digital ring and compete with virtual opponents. As it was mentioned before, VR sports training reduces the risk of getting injured. It especially applies to head injuries.

The Thrill of the Fight, and Creed: Rise to Glory for Oculus are successful examples of VR boxing games for amateurs. The latter game is based on Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed cult movies. In these simulations, a player passes through rounds with opponents of different qualification levels.

In its turn, there is a Boxing Coach app by Sidequest for professionals. In the app, an athlete hones 24 boxing moves and 54 action combinations with the help of a virtual coach. The athlete’s training course plan is designed automatically, depending on their goals, the course length, and the athlete’s qualification level. A virtual coach’s moves were drawn from the moves of real coaches, and that creates real life-coach lesson effect. A player sees points for every performed punch on a screen.

Improve Your Swing with VR Golf: The Future of Golf Training

VR training is perfect for golf players because you don’t have to rent a whole real field to play and train. You also don’t have to wait for favorable weather — wear a VR headset, and you’re on a digital field.

Players hone their golf skills using special golf clubs. Moreover, in virtual reality a headset user sees the possible trajectory a ball can fly on and the number of yards the ball could fly after being hit.

There are a lot of popular VR Oculus golf apps for both amateurs and professionals. Like Golf+, for example. It’s the number one VR golf app, that allows players to customize difficulty levels and swings that allow the ball to fly higher or lower. You can also organize a team game in the app and communicate with each other, using avatars.

How VR Training Is Transforming Modern Soccer

VR soccer training allows coaches and athletes to recreate different scenarios on a digital field. It can be both training exercises and real soccer match simulations. While playing virtual soccer, a user, in addition to a VR headset, should also wear body trackers, especially on their feet.

Virtual training by British company Reezil allows injured soccer players to improve their sports skills and physically rehabilitate. The program itself contains players’ qualification level and physical condition data. VR training by Reezil is already applied for the rehabilitation of athletes from such top soccer clubs as Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool.

“You need the goggles, 10-foot room, and you’re good to go. You can go ahead and put a headset on, and you can get those touches in. You’re going to have a headset and base stations, and they set the environment you’ll see. You’re going to see the whole soccer pitch, and it all comes from these base stations. It’s really amazing stuff. You’re going to have feet trackers as well”, said Reezil creator Christian Barsanti.

VR Tennis Training: The Secret Weapon for Athletes 

During virtual training, tennis players improve hitting ball skills in digital realistic environment, with no need to leave home and go to a real tennis court. In VR, athletes see a possible ball trajectory and have different ball control options like power, spin, and speed.

Like, for example, VR Tennis Training Simulator by Qualium Systems. 

The main specifics of the simulation is that our developers managed to recreate wind speed, realistic physics of a ball falling to the ground, and bouncing from hard surfaces, using special customized engine. 

Tennis Training Simulator gives player a possibility to use digital avatar or train in first person.

Virtual Reality Takes Ski Training to the Next Level for Athletes

The US Ski Team have a special VR simulator designed for them. With the help of a SkyTechSport machine, athletes use a special trainer that imitates skiing. During the training, a skier also wears virtual reality headset and immerses themselves in a digital space, where they ride on a mountain ski track. There’s also a screen with track projection opposite the trainer, and this screen allows a coach to track a virtual route and whether the route passing by an athlete was successful. 

Rowing Meets Virtual Reality: The Future of Training for Athletes

Speaking about water sports, using VR headsets for water training are extremely rare. VR for swimming is only in the early development stage. Nevertheless, other representatives of water sports can train virtually. Like rowers, for example. There’s a HOLOFIT VR platform that contains a lot of types of training, including virtual rowing training.

A VR headset player also uses a kayak-like trainer to enhance the immersion effect. A player can compete with other participants online, change locations, and run away from virtual crocodiles, with no need to leave the house.

The Way VR Baseball is Revolutionizing Training

VR baseball training allows athletes to train on a digital field using a real bat. Or they can use one of the controllers.

Virtual reality training helps baseball players improve their game strategy visualization and what moves they should do next. So, one of the Cougars coaches analyzed how virtual reality influenced the gaming skills of his players.

“After using the VR program, I noticed several improvements in our players. Players were better able to visualize mechanical adjustments to their swing. Before the use of the program, players would be told how to make a mechanical adjustment but would often have trouble visualizing what the adjustment entailed. After the use of the program, players were better able to understand what adjustment needed to be made because they had practiced with the VR goggles.” 

Smart Tek Solutions developed a VR baseball game, where a player is placed in a virtual locker room. In this locker, they can choose equipment according to the game level: easy, medium and hard. A user picks a digital baseball bat by their controller and uses it on a virtual field.

Virtual reality integration in sports opened new possibilities for training and rehabilitation of both amateurs and professionals. Using virtual reality, you can track your athlete’s progress and their physical condition during every session. Among other advantages, we can also highlight saving money on a real equipment and sports field, and also a variety of virtual playgrounds, that sometimes you can not afford in a real world.

Image: Freepik

Today, the number of people getting interested in extended reality is constantly increasing with the development of XR and related technologies. According to Thrive My Way, the extended reality market will have increased to more than 125 USD billion by 2026. 

The interest in immersive technologies urges enthusiasts, specialists, and entire companies to join, collaborate, share their experiences, and present new inventions that will accelerate XR development. That’s the main purpose of AR/VR associations.

We offer you the list of famous associations, where you’ll find out about the latest extended reality news, technologies, and skills you can apply in your business.

VR/AR Association

VR/AR Association is an international organization, which aim is to improve cooperation between XR solution providers and their customers. Today, these associations are presented by  4300 companies around the world. And our company, Qualium Systems, became part of VRARA a few months ago. 

VRARA is focused on training and improving companies’ qualifications, as well as creating new connections between association members, so they can exchange their experience.

The annual virtual VRARA Education Forum is their most famous event. It’s a platform designed for organizing conferences, presentations, expert panels, hardware and software demos. This year, organizers expect to see more than 1000 guests and 60 speakers. Last year, VRARA Education Forum was visited by over 1500 guests from 75 countries, more than 100 schools and organizations, and over 50 vendors. You can read more about the annual VRARA Education Forum here: https://hopin.com/events/vrara-education-forum-2023/registration

VRARA has its own podcast called Everything AR & VR, you can read about it in detail here.   

The Academy of International Extended Reality

The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) is an independent non-profit organization, that unites immersive tech companies and allows them to interact and exchange their experience. There are more than 4000 business leaders registered on AIXR.

Some of the main fields of activity of the association are training programs and live courses. 

Also, AIXR holds such events as

This association has its own segments located almost around the world: AIXR North America, AIXR Europe, AIXR Asia-Pacific, AIXR South America, and AIXR Middle East & Africa. 

You can apply for AIXR membership here: https://aixr.org/locations/  

You can also find out more information about upcoming AIXR events about VR, AR, metaverse, and other immersive technologies.

Augmented World Expo

Augmented World Expo has been educating and improving the professional work of more than 5000 companies та 60 000 XR specialists since 2010. The association’s main purpose is establishing communications between investors and startup founders, customers and XR services providers famous brands and developers and creators, recruiters and job seekers.

Moreover, Augmented World Expo provides members with news digests, lectures, and job positions.  AWE also organizes academic classes and workshops to improve the qualifications of XR specialists. 

The platform constantly holds online mini-events in over 25 cities worldwide, conferences, and exhibitions in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Particularly, this year, the annual AWE conference will be held in Santa Clara, California at the end of May – the beginning of June. Organizers expect over 5000 visitors, 3000 exhibition authors, and 400 speakers.

In Europe, a similar event will take place in October this year in Vienna, Austria. The organizers of the European AWE conference expect over 2000 guests, 100 exhibition authors, and 250 speakers.

Here is more information for those willing to become a speaker of the next conference: https://www.awexr.com/get-involved 

XR Association

XR Association is an organization, aimed at the promotion of global XR industry development. In XRA, top specialists and company representatives are getting involved in the working process: they carry out research and develop the best ways of using extended reality in business.

The members of XR Association are

The key members of the XR Association are Meta, Google, Microsoft, Unity, and Sony Interactive Entertainment. There are other organizations registered in the association including Accenture, Avatar Dimension, Conquest VR, OVR, StriVR, Talespin, and so on.

Limitless Future Conference is the main event organized by XR Association. At the conference, industry leaders explore and present new technologies that will improve training, learning, and human resource management. Limitless Future Conference also helps to promote and accelerate virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality development. The previous event was held live in November last year. 

To join the association, you can apply for membership here: https://xra.org/joinus/#join

Metaverse Standards Forum

Metaverse Standards Forum is founded by Khronos Group, which includes top companies like Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, Adobe, Unity, and XR Association (XRA). In general, there are more than 1800 companies registered in Metaverse Standards Forum.

Metaverse Standards Forum is founded in June 2022 to “foster the development of interoperability standards for an open and inclusive metaverse, and accelerate their development and deployment through pragmatic, action-based projects”. 

Among the latest conferences held by the association is an open house meeting in Barcelona, held in March this year. The purpose of the live meeting was to gather people who were interested in the Forum activities. 

Metaverse Standards Forum is open to both profit and non-profit organizations. You can apply for membership here: https://metaverse-standards.org/join/membership-application-form/ 

Immerse UK

Immerse UK is a leading British platform that unites organizations working on immersive technologies. The association is a subsidiary of KTN (Innovative UK) and closely collaborates with the UK government.

The association was founded in 2016 and now there are more than 4 000 members registered, including research organizations, enterprises, and industry innovators.

The main purpose of Immerse UK is to encourage British XR and metaverse companies to work and make the immersive technology industry the most innovative and successful one in the country.

If your office is located in the UK and you want to become a member of the association, fill out the form on the site: https://www.immerseuk.org/join 

We also suggest reading announcements of the latest events on the Immerse UK website. 

XR Women

XR Women is a global organization that unites female business owners and different hardware and software female specialists. The association was founded in 2020 and its main purpose is to unite, support and educate women that develop virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. 

The first meeting of XR Women took place in November 2020 in virtual iLRN’s Virbela campus. In general, there were more than 700 members from 20 countries.

XR Women offers their members virtual meetings with influential women in XR and other exclusive events, like VR tours of historical places. During this whole time, XR Women held more than 100 different events. 

To register in the community, head to the link: https://www.xrwomen.com/attend 

We recommend you joining associations because it allows you to exchange innovative technology user experience, become a part of different events, and establish connections needed for your business. Also, you’ll always stay in touch with the latest hardware and software news and get skills you can apply in your work.

Image: Freepik

We know that the majority of ІТ employees are men, and women are still forming a minority. According to Zippia, only 34.4% of women make up the labor force in US tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google та Microsoft. This is due to gender stereotypes about ІТ as a male-dominated industry. However, these stereotypes are gradually fading away and changing in a positive direction. 

Despite the obvious sexism, modern women successfully influence ІТ industry, including extended reality and other immersive technologies. To illustrate this influence, we’ll present 5 famous women, who are ruling in XR industry.

Empowering Women in XR

In the 19th century, famous mathematician Ada Lovelace worked on Charles Babbage’s first mechanical computer and wrote the first algorithm for the machine. And in the 20th century, Austrian-Ukrainian-born Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr, along with composer George Antheil, pioneered an Allies torpedoes radio system during World War 2. It became a prototype for modern wireless technologies, like Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi.

Get ready for more information about outstanding women that became the next Ada Lovelace and Hedy Lamarr in modern XR technologies. 

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Image: SXSW

Nonny de la Pena, Godmother of VR

Nonny de la Pena was awarded the title “The Godmother of virtual reality” by top online media like Forbes, The Guardian, and Engadget. She’s a journalist, VR documentaries director, and the founder and CEO of Emblematic Group, which develops VR/AR/MR content.

The greatest merit of de la Pena is that she invented immersive journalism. Nonny de la Pena showcased her first VR documentary, The Hunger in Los Angeles, in the Sundance movie festival, back in 2012. You can read more about de la Pena’s most famous works in our previous article about VR in journalism.

In March 2022, de la Pena was one of the 16 Legacy Peabody Awards recipients for her work and influence in modern journalism. In her acceptance speech, she reminded about the importance of immersive technologies and what advantages they offer to modern journalism, using her joint project with Frontline After Solitary as an example. The VR experience is based on the true story of Kenny Moore, who spent many years in a solitary confinement cell in the Maine State Prison.

“When we did a piece in solitary confinement with Frontline, we did scanning of an actual solitary confinement cell. Well, now you’re in that cell. You’re in that room. And it has a real different effect on your entire body and your sense of, “Oh my God. Now I understand why solitary confinement is so cruel and unnecessary”. And you just can’t get that feeling reading about it or looking at pictures.”

De la Pena’s accounts in social media: 

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Image: LinkedIn

Dr. Helen Papagiannis, Experienced AR Expert

Dr. Helen Papagiannis works in augmented reality field for 17 years. Papagiannis is a founder of XR Goes Pop, which produced immersive content for many top brands including Louis Vuitton, Adobe, Mugler, Amazon, and many more. Particularly, they designed VR showroom for Bailmain, where you can see virtual clothes and accessories from a cruise collection on digital models, plus behind the scene videos.

Virtual try-on and shops are successfully applied by fashion brands, because they allow a customer to try on digital clothes before buying real one. You can read more about it here. 

Doctor Papagiannis constantly gives her TED Talks and also publishes her researches for well-respected media like Harvard Business Review, The Mandarine, Fast Company, etc.

In 2017, the scientist and developer published a book called Augmented Human. According to Book Authority, it is considered to be the best book about augmented reality ever released. Stefan Sagmeister, designer, and co-founder at Sagmeister & Walsh Inc, thinks Augmented Human is the most useful and complete augmented reality guide, that contains new information about the technology, methods, and practices, that can be used in work. 

Dr. Papagiannis’s accounts in social media:

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Image: Medium

Christina Heller, Trailblazer of Extended Reality

Christina Heller has 15 years of experience in XR. Huffington Post included her in the top 5 of the most influential women who are changing VR.

Heller is a founder and CEO of Metastage, that develops XR content for various purposes: VR games, AR advertisements, MR astronaut training, etc. Since 2018, Metastage has collaborated with more than 200 companies including H&M, Coca-Cola, AT&T, NASA, and worked with famous pop artists like Ava Max and Charli XCX. 

Speaking about Heller herself, before Metastage she had worked in VR Playhouse, which immersive content was showcased at Cannes Film Festival, Sundance, and South by Southwest. 

Under Christina Heller leadership, Metastage extended reality content was widely acclaimed and received many awards and nominations, including two Emmy nominations. Moreover, Metastage is the first US company, that officially started using Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture. This technology provides photorealistic graphics of digital models, using special cameras. And these cameras capture a human movement in a special room, where XR content is superimposed.

“It takes human performances, and what I like about it most is that it captures the essence of that performance in all of its sort of fluid glory, including clothing as well, said Heller. And so every sort of crease in every fold of what people are wearing comes across. You get these human performances that retain their souls. There is no uncanny valley with volumetric capture.” 

Christina Heller’s researches were published in “Handbook of Research on the Global Impacts and Roles of Immersive Media” and “What is Augmented Reality? Everything You Wanted to Know Featuring Exclusive Interviews with Leaders of the AR Industry” (both 2019). 

Heller accounts in social media: 

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Image: Twitter

Kavya Pearlman, Cyber Guardian 

Kavya Pearlman is called “The Cyber Guardian” and she is a pioneer in private data security with the use of immersive technologies, like metaverse. For three years in a row, from 2018 to 2020, and also in 2022, Kavya Pearlman was included in the top 20 Cybersafety influencers.

Pearlman is a founder and CEO of XR Safety Initiative, a non-profit company that develops privacy frameworks and standards of cybersecurity in XR. 

Pearlman worked as a head of security for the oldest virtual world, Second Life. Basically, Kavya Pearlman was the first person who started considering ethical rules, data security, and psychology implications in the game and researched how bullying in VR can affect person’s mental state. 

During The US Presidental election in 2016, Pearlman worked with Facebook as an advisor on third-party security risks, brought by companies and private users.

Kavya Pearlman is a regular member of the Global Coalition for Digital Safety and is a part of Metaverse Initiative on World Economical Forum, representing XR Safety Initiative. 

Pearlman accounts in social media: 

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Image: BCC

Cathy Hackl, Godmother of Metaverse

In the immersive technologies world, Cathy Hackl is known as “the godmother of the metaverse”. Hackl is a futurologist and Web 3.0 strategist that collaborates with numerous leading companies on metaverse development, virtual fashions, and NFT. For the last two years, Big Thinker has been including Cathy Hackle in the top 10 of the most influential women in tech. 

Cathy Hackl is also a co-founder and the head of the metaverse department in Journey. The company works with such big names as Walmart, Procter & Gamble, HBO Max, Pepsico and so on. One of its latest use cases are Roblox VR platforms Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play. In these platforms, players pass through different challenges, collect virtual merchandise, and interact with the environment. 

Moreover, the futurologist and the metaverse specialist publishes science and analytic articles for top media, like 60 Minutes+, WSJ, WIRED, and Forbes. 

Hackl also wrote four books about business in the metaverse and the technology development. The latest book, Into the Metaverse: The Essential Guide to the Business Opportunities of the Web3 Era, was published in January this year. On Amazon, the book has the highest rating — 5 stars out of 5. The book describes the metaverse concept at a very understandable and detailed level and is itself a quick read. 

Hackl accounts in social media:

 

Qualium Systems appreciates inclusion and respects contributions made by women in XR, metaverse, and other immersive technologies every day. Moreover, our co-founder and CEO Olga Kryvchenko has been working in the IT field for 17 years already.  

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“It’s important for women to work in tech industries, and particularly in Immersive Tech, because it helps break down barriers and empowers women to pursue careers in fields that may have traditionally been male-dominated”, said Kryvchenko. “When women have more representation in tech, it creates a more welcoming and inclusive environment for future generations of women in the industry. Additionally, having a diverse workforce leads to better decision-making, as different perspectives and experiences are taken into account, ultimately resulting in better products and services for everyone.”