
XR Connections - Extended Reality - XR | AR | VR | MR
By Liam O'Malley

XR Connections - Extended Reality - XR | AR | VR | MRSep 20, 2022

Real World Results of Enterprise VR Training's with Lorne Fade of VR Vision
Lorne Fade of VR Vision discusses, VR for Enterprise Training, the Merits and Drawbacks of 360 Video and Measuring the ROI of VR Training Applications
VR Vision Clients:
Oculus Avangrid Renewables Case Study
Connect:
Lorne Fade, Co-Founder & COO at VR Vision
Roni Cerga, CEO at VR Vision | CRO at Reality Well
Antony Vitillo (Skarred Ghost), AR/VR developer, entrepreneur, consultant, blogger; Ghost Howls Blog
VRM, Virtual Reality Marketing
RIN, Reality Innovators Network for Metaverse, VR, AR & XR (Virtual, Augmented & Extended Reality)
Ori Inbar, Founder at Super Ventures and AWE
Thom Buchanan, Contact CI Chief of Product (see Episode 14)
Events:
TechLearn 2022 Conference September 20-22, Austin TX
HackMIT 2022 (MIT Hackathon) October 01-02, Cambridge MA
DevLearn Conference and Expo October October 26-28, Las Vegas NV
Tech:
Meta Quest Pro/Project Cambria - ‘Meta Quest Pro: everything we know so far’ - Tom’s Guide

Ep. 22 - Getting Started for Business in the Metaverse with Deborah Worrell of Virtual Reality Marketing
Deborah Worrell discusses how to get started in the Metaverse from a business perspective. We discuss the hardware and software needs, where to start, how to plan for a business presence in the Metaverse, and what exactly a VR experience is.
Goldman Sachs Metaverse/Crypto

Episode 21 with Edwin Rivera of CG1 Solutions and the Miami VRARA on XR Training and Healthcare
EPISODE 021 SHOW NOTES:
Edwin Rivera of CG1 Solutions discusses challenges and opportunities in developing and deploying XR training content for Healthcare, the importance of being platform agnostic, how he was inspired to enter the AR space, and the emergence of the Miami area as a tech innovation center.

XR Connections Ep.20 - Deborah Worrell of Virtual Reality Marketing and the Reality Innovators Network
Deborah Worrell of Virtual Reality Marketing recommends VR collaboration and networking platforms, and discusses the Reality Innovators Network, Digital Twins and IoT, NFTs and virtual goods, and the best sources for keeping up with all things Metaverse.
Deborah Worrell
Virtual Reality Marketing
Reality Innovators Network
AltSpace
Oculus
Roblox
Fortnite
Spatial
Glue
Pico Neo 3
Internet of Things
Digital Twins
Internet of Industrial Things
Decentraland
Virtual Fashion and Collectibles
Inside Newsletters
ARTillery
Mike Boland
Shelly Palmer
Mathew Olson/Reality Check
Benedict Evans
VRARA
Charlie Fink
AWE
Ted Schilowitz/This Week in XR
The Metaverse, Why It Matters, How’s It Going to Revolutionize Everything - Matthew Ball
Gabriel Rene - The Spatial Web

No. 19. Former Disney Imagineer Brian Collins on Transforming Education with XR
Episode No. 19. features former Disney Imagineer Brian Collins of The Brainstorm Institute and Magic Bytes on transforming education with XR, VR platforms AltspaceVR and Engage, and advice and insight on presenting in VR.
FB The Mouse and the Imagineer
Haunted Mansion Pepper’s Ghost Effect
Dr. Martin Rayala - Enso Education Institute
Acknowledgements:
Call Recording: Zoom
Podcasting: Anchor
Editing: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS

No. 18. VictoryXR's Steve Grubbs on building a Virtual Reality Classroom Environment and Developing a Standards-Based VR Curriculum
Steve Grubbs, founder and CEO of VictoryXR, discusses building a Virtual Reality Classroom Environment, engaging a team to develop and present a Standards-Based VR Curriculum, choosing the ENGAGE platform as VictoryXR's virtual campus, how hardware development is accelerating adoption of VR education, and some of his favorite educational VR experiences.
Award-Winning VR Frog Dissection
ChalkBites VR Corporate Training
Anne Frank House in Virtual Reality

No. 17 Rene Pinnell on Cannes XR 2020, The VR Museum of Other Realities, Grants for XR Artists, and the Kaleidoscope Creator Community.
In Episode No. 17 Rene Pinnell of Kaleidoscope VR discusses Cannes XR 2020, The VR Museum of Other Realities, and how he and his wife have built Kaleidoscope and a community-funded grant model that helps artists migrate into the new medium of XR.
Elie Levasseur - XR program Leader - Cannes XR / Le Marché du Film & Head of NewImages XR Market
VEER Premium VR Experiences
VHRAM! - Virtual Reality in Hamburg Virtual Festival 2020
BattleScar Immersive Film
Acknowledgements:
Call Recording: Skype
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS

No. 16 XR Rapid Prototyping with Preview Lab's Bernard Francois
EPISODE 016 SHOW NOTES:
Featuring an interview with Bernard Francois, founder of Preview Labs, who discusses the unique challenges and benefits of rapid prototyping for XR, his company’s VR and AR projects for the National Institutes for Health and Yale University, and his experience presenting and networking at the online AWE 2020 Conference in May 2020.
Oculus DK1 Retrospective from Road to VR
National Institutes of Health
Yale University - Play for Real Lab - Invite Only VR Vaping Prevention Game
Physics in Games and VR Simulations Presentation by Bernard Francois at NYU
Game Developers Conference - August 4-6 2020 (Online)
Boston Virtual Reality Meetup
Acknowledgements:
Call Recording: Skype
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS

No. 15 Virtual Reality and Education with Kai Liang of MEL Science
EPISODE 015 SHOW NOTES:
Featuring an interview with Kai Liang of MEL Science and Smart Stone Technology. Kai discusses how he got his start in Virtual Reality for Education, the role quality content plays in the adoption of VR for K-12 use, subjects that VR excels at, and his recommendations of VR education content providers.
Bernard Frischer (Virtual Rome)
Acknowledgements:
Call Recording: Zoom
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS

No. 14 Participating in the MIT XR Reality Hack with Tom Buchanan, Co-Founder of haptic glove maker Contact CI.
EPISODE 014 SHOW NOTES:
Episode 14 of XR Connections features an interview with Tom Buchanan, Co-Founder and Chief of Product for the haptic glove maker Contact CI. Tom discusses his experience as a participant of the XR-focused MIT Reality Hack, his team's award-winning immersive Impact Journalism project, Rising Tide, haptic technology, the Varjo XR-1 Mixed Reality Headset, Contact CI's Maestro gloves and recent advancements in hand-tracking.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Discord Voice and Text Chat App
Rising Tide MIT Reality Hack Project
Rising Tide Team Members:
Liam Broza LifeScope Lab, Carlos Calva, Clair Chuff, Grace Ma
Contact CI / Maestro Haptic Glove
Cincy Inno / American Inno Network
Ultraleap, Leap Motion Tracking and Haptics
Acknowledgements:
Call Recording: Skype
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS
Hosted and Produced by Liam James O'Malley at Mars & Mercury

No. 13 with Terry Proto on Virtual Reality Marketing and Ubereal Agency
Episode 13 features an interview with Terry Proto, Co-Founder and CEO of Virtual Reality Marketing and Ubereal Agency. Terry is both helping brands find trustworthy XR development partners and helping XR creators find more clients and recurring business. We discuss Virtual Reality Marketing’s searchable database of over 2500 XR creators, the importance of XR case studies, the challenges of beginning an XR project, who Terry follows to keep up on XR developments, XR events of interest, and promising new advances in AR glasses.
Virtual Reality Marketing Searchable Database of XR Creators
Ubereal Partner Rikard Berglin
Alan Smithson XR for Business Podcast
Julie Smithson XR for Learning Podcast
Acknowledgements:
Call Recording: Skype
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS
Hosted and Produced by Liam James O'Malley at Mars & Mercury

No. 12 with Covalent's Thomas Jackson on the MIT XR Reality Hack
Episode 012 presents an overview of leading-edge XR tech and hardware as seen at MIT Reality Hack 2020 in an interview with Thomas Jackson, founder of XR design and development firm Covalent Reality. A volunteer at this year's MIT XR Hackathon, Jackson discusses the Human Bionic Display of the Varjo VR headset, the open source AR platform Project North Star, his favorite Hackathon projects and who he follows to keep up with XR developments.
MIT Hackathon VR Tech:
MIT Hackathon AR Tech:
MIT Hackathon Projects
Thomas Jackson's Follow Recommendations:
John Carmack, AI researcher, Consulting CTO Oculus VR
Michael Abrash, Chief Scientist, Oculus
Timmy Ghiurau, Volvo
Jacob Cedulf, Volvo
MIT Hackathon Team
See Also:
MIT Reality Hack Projects Site
MIT Reality Hack Outro Video
Acknowledgements:
Call Recording: Anchor App
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS
Hosted and Produced by Liam James O'Malley at Mars & Mercury

No. 11 with Dan Zaitsev of the AR Creator's Community CatchAR
EPISODE 011 SHOW NOTES:
Episode 011 features an interview with Dan Zaitsev, who discusses his vision for CatchAR, the community platform he has built for Augmented Reality creators, 2019’s biggest developments for AR creators, his advice for getting started in making AR prototypes and his plans for the future of CatchAR.
Call Recording: Skype
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There" by DR. MARS
Hosted and Produced by Liam James O'Malley at Mars & Mercury

No. 10 of XR Connections on AR, VR, and XR in Retail with Ed McCabe of Zebra Technologies
EPISODE 010 SHOW NOTES:
Episode 010 covers XR in Retail and features an interview with Ed McCabe of Zebra Technologies, who discusses how AR headsets are improving efficiency in warehouses, the use of AR for picking and stocking, how XR is driving immersive brand experiences, and what consumers might expect to see this 2019 Holiday Shopping season. Also discussed are Neil Redding and Tony Parisi’s Near Future of Retail Project and small businesses getting started in AR.
Augmented Reality Experiences Will Save Brick and Mortar Retail by Tom Emrich
Near Future of Retail at Medium
Neil Redding, Near Future of Retail, Redding Futures
The Top 10 Technology Trends In Retail: How Tech Will Transform Shopping In 2020 by Bernard Marr at Forbes
How to Afford an Augmented Reality Solution as a Small Business by Nar Poghos
Katelyn Coghlan, Mezmos, The Glimpse Group
Call Recording: Anchor
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Christmas Shopping" by Buck Owens and His Buckaroos
Hosted and Produced by Liam James O'Malley at Mars & Mercury

No. 009 of with Kevin Williams on XR, VR, and AR for Location Based Experiences, Theme Parks and Attractions
Episode 009 features an interview with Kevin Williams, a leading specialist in the digital Out-of-Home entertainment industry. Kevin discusses recent trends and developments in Location Based Experiences, focusing on Virtual and next generationMixed Reality/Cross Reality attractions, rides and games. From motion simulators to arena-scale VR, Kevin brings a unique perspective to VR/XR, and details the challenges of LBE VR, including health and hygiene factors, ease of use of equipment and wait times and guest onboarding experiences.
SHOW NOTES:
Kevin Williams
kwp @ thestingerreport dot com
The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities Book by Kevin Williams and Michael Mascioni
VR Focus Column
Hughes Rediffusion (now Thales Training and Simulation)
Star Tours Star Wars Disney Theme Park Flight Simulator
Location Based Experience Types:
• Immersive Simulators (Drive Rally/Formula One Car, Control Jet Fighter)
• VR Headset Linked to Motion Bases
• Next Generation Mixed Reality/Cross Reality (E-Sports Networked Competitions
Cross Reality/XR in LBE: Marriage of Multiple Disciplines and Technologies to Create an Immersive Environment that is Borderless
Rise of Theme Park Mixed Reality/Cross Reality: Goal is to make Experience for Guests Effortless:
• Augmented Reality (AR) Mirrored to 3D Projection Mapping
• Navigable Environments with 3D Projection Mapping
Disney Goofy Paint n Play House Pioneering 3D Projection Map Theme Park Attraction
Triotech's Lego Ninjago Theme Park Attraction
Out-of-Home (OOH) Virtual Reality Deployment:
• Stand-Alone Machines - Beat Sabre/VRrsenal, Hologate Driving Simulators
• Location Based Experiences/"Free-Roaming," "Hyper Reality" Arena-Scale VR - The Void (Disney, LucasFilm, Sony), Dreamscape, Sandbox (Star Trek: Discovery), Minority Media (Transformers)
IAAPA Conference
Dark Rides: "A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects." (Entertainment Designer, 2005)
Sally Dark Rides
Disney Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Experience
LAI Virtual Rabbids Ride
Spree Interactive Bumper Car Experience
Pico VR Headset
Vex Solutions VR Experiences
Oculus Quest
HTC Vive Headsets
Samsung Gear VR Headset
Disney Pandora: Land of Avatar Experience
Resources:
The Stinger Report
Road to VR
Upload VR
InterGame
Conferences:
IAAPA
EAG Entertainment, Attractions and Gaming International Expo, London
Amusement Expo, New Orleans
CES, Las Vegas
Call Recording: Anchor
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There?" by DR. MARS on Spotify

No. 008 with Antony Vitillo of New Technology Walkers (HitMotion MR Game); NYVR AI Meetup, XR4Media
EPISODE 008 SHOW NOTES:
In Episode 008 Antony Vitillo of The Ghost Howls and Wise Realities discusses how VR changed his life, his experience as the co-founder of a VR startup, the Mixed Reality game HitMotion he’s developing, advice on attending China’s World Conference on VR Industry, VR for physical and mental rehabilitation, and who to follow for XR news and insight. Also discussed: Roy Kachur's XR4Media, Amena Hayat's VR Documentary and the NYVR Meetup on Artificial Intelligence.
Antony Vitillo:
The Ghost Howls
New Technology Walkers XR Consultants
Wise Realities VR for Mental Health
HitMotion Mixed Reality Game
World Conference on VR Industry - China
WCVRI Advice
Antony's XR Information Recommendations:
XR for Business:
Alan Smithson,MetaVRse, XR for Business Podcast
Alice Bonasio, Inside.com AR and VR Newsletter
Cathy Hackl, Futurist
Robert Scoble, Infinite Retina
Location-Based VR:
Kevin Williams, KWP Limited
Gaming:
Virtual Reality Oasis
Nathie
Cas and Chary
Reviews:
Benjamin Lang Road to VR
And:
Charlie Fink XR Consultant, Author, Columnist for Forbes
Alvin Wang Graylin China President HTC
Also in this Episode:
XR4Media Media-Focused XR News by Roy Kachur, NBCUniversal
Hugh Seaton Adept Reality VR Training
New York Artificial Intelligence Meetup Group
GeoPipe
Amena Hayat The Language of Silence VR Documentary
Tony Parisi Unity
Brian August 110 Stories
The RLab:
Justin Hendrix
Adaora Udoji
Laura Barker
Ilena Parker
Call Recording: Anchor
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There?" by DR. MARS on Spotify

No. 007 with DJ Smith, CCO of The Glimpse Group and leader of the New York Virtual Reality Meetup
EPISODE 007 SHOW NOTES:
Episode 007 features an interview with DJ Smith, Chief Creative Officer of the XR startup-focused Glimpse Group. DJ is also the leader of the New York Virtual Reality Meetup (NYVR) and the discussion includes the origins and growth of NYVR, the impact of the Oculus Quest, how the Glimpse Group is contributing advances in AR and VR marketing, education and training, and where to turn for XR insights beyond the newsfeed.
DJ Smith
The Glimpse Group
NYVR
2012 Palmer Luckey Oculus Kickstarter
Brian August - 110 Stories AR App
Jay Van Buren, Chris Gaughan,VR QUEST - Early Adopter
Alper Guler, Michael Cadoux - QReal
Acron - VR and Mobile Multiplayer Game
Oculus Reddit Group
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Call Recording: Skype
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There?" by DR. MARS on Spotify

No. 006 with Virti's Lukas Roper on XR Medical Training; Free Roam VR and XR Location Based Experiences
Episode 006 of XR Connections features an interview with Lukas Roper of Virti, who are creating AR and VR medical training experiences already in use in schools and hospitals. Also discussed are XR Location Based Experiences including the Samsung AT&T 5G AR Fan Experience and Free Roam VR experiences such as Sandbox VR.
SHOW NOTES:
AR and VR LOCATION BASED EXPERIENCES:
Samsung-AT&T 5G Fan Experience - Nexus Studios
Enhancing Locations with Hyper-Accurate AR and 5G by Luke Ritchie of Nexus Studios on Medium
The Free Roam VR Cage Fight by Charlie Fink on Forbes
Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Other Celebs Invest $11 Million In LBVR Start Up Sandbox by Charlie Fink on Forbes
Sandbox VR
The Void
Dreamscape
VR Studios
Zero Latency
Zero Latency YouTube Channel
XR TRAINING:
Flexing Your Brain in XR, with Cognitive Design’s Todd Maddox - Alan Smithson's XR for Business Podcast
Derek Belch (STRIVR) on VR Training for Quarterbacks and Walmart Clerks - Jason McDowall's The AR Show
VIRTI XR for Medical Training
Lukas Roper of Virti
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There?" by DR. MARS on Spotify

No. 005 with apelab's Emilie Joly on XR creation tools in the classroom (Zoe); XR InLearning Global Summit Preview
XR Connections Episode 005 features an interview with Emilie Joly, Co-Founder and CEO of apelab, who are bringing XR into the classroom with SpatialStories, a gaming and storytelling toolkit allowing students and teachers to quickly design and develop AR and VR experiences. Also highlighted is the XR InLearning Global Summit, which aims to share best practices in AR and VR in K12 and Higher Education.
XR IN LEARNING:
XR InLearning Global Summit, Boston, October 28, 2019
Hakan Satiroglu, XR Evangelist
APELAB
How Kids Are Creating New Spatial Experiences with apelab
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There?" by DR. MARS on Spotify

No. 004 with David Ripert of Poplar interview, Modelo AR Experience, VR/AR Global Summit
Episode 004 of XR Connections features an interview with David Ripert of Poplar, a collaborative platform connecting AR creators with brands and institutions aimed at making the creation of AR experiences quick and affordable, and XR items of interest including Modelo's Day of the Dead out of home AR experience and the VR/AR Association's Global Summit and Everything VR and AR podcast.
MODELO DAY OF THE DEAD AR EXPERIENCE:
Modelo Brings the Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration to Life with AR Campaign
Dan Ferguson of GrooveJones - LinkedIn
VR/AR ASSOCIATION:
VR/AR Global Summit Event - October 31 - November 2
Summit Speakers mentioned:
Ross Finman, Niantic Labs @rossfinman
Cathy Hackl, Magic Leap @CathyHackl
Charlie Fink, XR Consultant and Author @CharlieFink
Jason McDowall, The AR Show Podcast @mcdowall
Alan Smithson of MetaVRse, XR for Business Podcast @AlanSmithson1
VR/AR Association
Everything VR and AR Podcast
October 3rd Guest:
Gabriel Rene of Verses on the Spatial Web @GReal1111
Hosts:
Tyler Gates @tylerhgates
Sophia Moshasha @SophiaMosh
GOOGLE PLAY SOURCES APP:
ARCore App is 8th Most Downloaded in August from AR Insider
Mike Boland @ArInsider
ANTONY VITILLO:
The Ghost Howls
Ben Lang's Review of Oculus Hand-Tracking
Examples of Hand-Tracked UI
@SkarredGhost
DAVID RIPERT INTERVIEW:
Poplar
David Ripert
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Logic Pro X
Music: "Are You There?" by DR. MARS on Spotify

No. 003 with Aidan Wolf, creator of the (fantastic) DoodleLens AR app, Google’s AR Wrapper, Web AR, and the NYVR New York Virtual Reality Meetup.
Episode 003 features an interview with Aidan Wolf, creator of the DoodleLens AR app and covers items of interest in XR including Google’s AR Wrapper bringing 3D models to the Web (Web AR) and the NYVR New York Virtual Reality Meetup.

No. 002 New York Augmented Reality Meetup AWE NITE NYC, Doodle Lens AR app, Looking Glass Factory's 3D hologram display.
Episode 002 covers items of interest in XR from the week of August 26th, 2019, including the New York Augmented Reality Meetup AWE NITE NYC, the Airbus 3D Holographic Tactical Map App, the Doodle Lens AR app, Looking Glass Factory's 3D hologram display, and an AR Scavenger Hunt featuring David "Big Papi" Ortiz. Show notes at marsandmercury.com.

No. 001 Introduction, Instagram AR Filters, Oculus Quest and AR, a guide to 2019's Best VR, and Lego's Hidden Side AR Experience.
Episode 001 introduces the podcast and covers items of interest in XR from the week of August 21, 2019, including Instagram AR Filters, Oculus Quest and AR, a guide to 2019's Best VR, and Lego's Hidden Side AR Experience. Show notes at marsandmercury.com.
EPISODE 001 SHOW NOTES:
INSTAGRAM USERS CAN CREATE THEIR OWN AR FILTERS
"Facebook now lets anyone make an Instagram face filter" by Dami Lee
• OCULUS QUEST AND AR
"How Facebook AR Glasses could become real, thanks to Oculus VR Tech" by Scott Stein
"Powered by AI: Oculus Insight" Facebook Blog
• 2019 VR BUYING GUIDE
Virtual Reality Buying Guide at Ars Technica by Sam Machkovech
• LEGO HIDDEN SIDE AR EXPERIENCE
"Lego Hidden Side Review: Ultimate AR Toy" by Adam Piltch at Tom's Hardware. Includes video review.
• REAL OR AR?
Dr. Helen PapaGiannis (augmentedhuman) on Instagram
• THE AR SHOW PODCAST
Episode 40: Audio Augmented Reality Jason McDowall interviews Santiago Carvajal of Bose
• PEOPLE:
Thank you to Siu-Li Khoe of Rhode Island Virtual Reality for my first Oculus Quest experience (aptly, Space Pirate Trainer!) at the Boston VR and AR Expo on August 22nd.
Thank you to Dan Duggan at Charles River Analytics for my second Oculus Quest experience: performing a fine motor-skill task in a demo made using their Virtuoso Software Development Kit (VSDK), a Unity-based extended reality (XR) SDK.
Thank you to Cormac O'Malley for helping build the Lego Hidden Side Graveyard Mystery kit and demoing the AR experience.
PLACES:
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Podcasting: Anchor
Recording: Garageband
Music: "Are You There?" by DR. MARS on Spotify