Meta is going crazy with prototypes

Good morning everyone!

Meta surprised everyone with its innovative prototypes, giving us a sneak peek at the technology that will soon make Virtual Reality even more immersive.

Today’s Topics:

• 🤯 Meta showcases it’s crazy R&D projects

• 💡 New developments showcased at SIGGRAPH 2023

• 💸 ShapesXR Raises $8.6 Million Round

Reading time: 4min

🤯 Meta showcases it’s crazy R&D projects

If you wonder why the Reality Labs department is losing so much money, the answer is simple, R&D 🔬. Meta introduced two new VR headset prototypes addressing key challenges in VR technology:

Flamera Lightfield Passthrough Prototype

• Realistic Passthrough: Utilizes light field technology for more accurate and realistic passthrough imagery, capturing rays of light as perceived by the human eye 👁️.

• Optical Innovation: Redesigned from the ground up to directly capture natural light rays, resulting in improved passthrough image quality and lower latency 🌄.

Butterscotch Varifocal Prototype

• Retinal Resolution: Offers up to 56 pixels per degree (PPD), achieving 20/20 visual acuity, using varifocal displays that match human eye dynamics 🕶️.

• Vergence-Accommodation Conflict Solution: Solves the issue of eye strain and discomfort by focusing on objects that you are directly looking at, mimicking the natural blur and focus that we have when we see reality 🔍.

Why it matters: Meta's prototypes showcase a long term commitment to push VR tech boundaries, despite not being consumer-ready, highlighting their ongoing efforts to advance the VR field.

💡 New developments showcased at SIGGRAPH 2023

The Rundown: The latest advancements in VR technology unveiled at SIGGRAPH suggest a new frontier for the VR experience 🌐, focusing on integrating physical sensations and manipulating objects to create a more immersive and realistic environment.

Details:

• The SIGGRAPH conference showcased innovations by companies like Meta, Epic, universities, and movie studios, with a spotlight on VR and AR advancements.

• Sony unveiled a controller with a weighted component that simulates changes in center of gravity or motion, offering a tactile feedback experience in VR scenarios 🛠️.

• University of Tokyo introduced 'SomatoShift,' a wristband with spinning gyros that generates a gentle force that simulates touch and motion🧤.

• The University of Chicago demonstrated a backpack 🎒 with a motorized weight, creating the sensation of higher or lower jumps in a VR game.

Our thoughts: Beyond visuals and audio, the integration of physical sensations marks a pivotal step towards achieving genuine immersion in VR. This is exactly what will slowly blend the line between Virtual Reality and the real world.

💸 ShapesXR Raises $8.6 Million Round

ShapesXR, a virtual reality (VR) design and collaboration platform, has secured 💸 $8.6 million in Seed Round funding led by Supernode Global. This funding fuels the expansion of ShapesXR's spatial VR environment, enabling collaborative creation in VR.

What is ShapesXR:

• Launched in November 2021, ShapesXR offers shared VR environments for up to twelve participants, fostering collaborative VR design 💡.

• Users, represented as Meta avatars, can collectively work on projects within this shared space.

• Designers can manipulate shapes, colors, and materials, even reviewing prototypes via 3D storyboards 🎨.

• The platform has already 350,000+ downloads, educational partnerships, and 300,000+ projects 👥.

Why It Matters: ShapesXR democratizes VR design, making it accessible to technical and non-technical users alike. Backed by Mark Zuckerberg and Anand Dass, it pioneers inclusive VR storytelling and design.

This funding expands ShapesXR to platforms like Apple's Vision Pro and Magic Leap 2, promising further democratization and innovation in 3D content creation.