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Apple Users' Mixed Reality Future Teased in Latest ARKit Demo

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Developers have wasted no time testing the limits of Apple's new ARKit platform, as each passing week serves up tantalizing previews of what's possible on an iPhone or iPad now that developers can quickly and easily build augmented reality experiences into their apps.

The latest demo to raise the bar comes courtesy of New York-based virtual reality developer Normal VR and offers a sneak peek at what's potentially in store for anyone with an iOS device, an iMac, and a VR headset.

Blobbing in the studio today w/ the Vive + ARKit. Definitely some huge mixed reality potential here. 😍😍😍😍#arkit #vr #indiedev #gamedev pic.twitter.com/C1zANBuSrx - Normal (@normalvr) July 10, 2017
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The video clip, recorded on a 10-inch iPad Pro, shows the company using ARKit and the Unity game engine to capture the physical movements of a VR artist and project her virtual painting onto the real world via the mimicking actions of a digital avatar. The interaction also appears to be two-way, with scaling and repositioning functions controlled by the external viewer using iPad gestures.

It's unknown whether the HTC Vive is connected to a Mac or linked to some other supporting machine, but either way the potential uses for such a setup could be pretty far-reaching.

We already know Apple's latest top-of-the-line iMacs will include VR headset support out of the box once High Sierra gets its final release. Steam game platform creator Valve has also developed a version of its SteamVR software development kit for Mac, offering Apple users the same 360-degree, room-scale tracking as the Windows and Linux variants, with the added bonus of Oculus Rift support.

If ARKit-wielding developers can create apps that allow VR content to be viewed and interacted with outside of a headset, cross-platform Apple users could be looking at an exciting future of shared mixed reality experiences.

The first apps powered by ARKit are set to launch on the new-look App Store alongside iOS 11 this fall.

Article Link: Apple Users' Mixed Reality Future Teased in Latest ARKit Demo
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/07/18/apple-mixed-reality-future-new-arkit-demo/
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A lot of fun applications are ahead of us, but I still don't see this becoming mainstream as long as you have to put a headset on.
 
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It loses reality when they enlarged it. In AR things should only get bigger as you approach it, otherwise it's just an animation.
 
these things always look better when shot from the PoV of the phone. Seeing it in third person is cute but much less impressive. Need augmented reality glasses to really make tech like this shine
 
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I wonder if this is being done in order to push AR apps in time for the new iPhone's? Apple are rumoured to also be working on AR Glasse's but they are a few years out apparently.
 
Oh look, she's using a VR headset, I bet that looks very immersive to her.
Shame Apple don't make any computers that are good enough to power such a headset.
 
SoyCapitanSoyCapitan said:
The controllers on the Oculus are so much lighter and more natural. But for political reasons the device not being supported by ARKit.
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Nope.
The Rift isn't supported because the CEO of Oculus decided not to support Apple products and instead trashed the Mac.
Other companies chose to embrace Apple, so now they will prosper.

As the old saying goes, "you reap what you sow", so I don't pity Oculus.

Piggie said:
Shame Apple don't make any computers that are good enough to power such a headset.
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They do, as shown at the WWDC this year.
 
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ILikeAllOS said:
Nope.
The Rift isn't supported because the CEO of Oculus decided not to support Apple products and instead trashed the Mac.
Other companies chose to embrace Apple, so now they will prosper.
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This is the politics. Us users should not have to pay the price for what some CEOs do. I hope shareholders make that clear to all companies.
 
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In the end can someone explain to me what the practical purposes of this technology will be? Besides games, the most obvious ones are first person shooter types, training, military remote applications and entertainment what do these VR technologies do for us?

Isn't actually participating in reality more enjoyable than some virtual thing?

I guess it's kind of like all the "friend" people have via their Facebook pages.
 
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bjet767 said:
In the end can someone explain to me what the practical purposes of this technology will be? Besides games, the most obvious ones are first person shooter types, training, military remote applications and entertainment what do these VR technologies do for us?

Isn't actually participating in reality more enjoyable than some virtual thing?

I guess it's kind of like all the "friend" people have via their Facebook pages.
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Medical field is a big one. I have a friend in prosthetic, and being able to fit and shape devices before they are created will be huge for him.
 
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jovada said:
A lot of fun applications are ahead of us, but I still don't see this becoming mainstream as long as you have to put a headset on.
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These demos don't really involve a headset. Do you think it's more mainstream to just hold up your phone because that's all they're doing?
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bjet767 said:
In the end can someone explain to me what the practical purposes of this technology will be? Besides games, the most obvious ones are first person shooter types, training, military remote applications and entertainment what do these VR technologies do for us?

Isn't actually participating in reality more enjoyable than some virtual thing?

I guess it's kind of like all the "friend" people have via their Facebook pages.
Click to expand...
Reality's great but it has it's place just like AR and VR. Books are fine but they cannot present content nearly as useful and engaging as tablets or phones. AR is just a new way to create and consume content.
 
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jovada said:
A lot of fun applications are ahead of us, but I still don't see this becoming mainstream as long as you have to put a headset on.
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This becoming mainstream is dependant on if the experience you get is worth the friction involved in getting it. No one wants to wake up early in a Canadian winter, scrape off the car, and drive for two hours, but my wife does it over and over again because the experience of skiing is so enjoyable to her. The experience is worth the friction.

Two things are happening at the same time: The tech components for AR & VR are shrinking and the experiences are becoming better. The reason I believe Apple has such a great shot at this is because they have expertise in so many of the remaining friction points. They have retail outlets so people will be able to try the experiences, they are masters of "thinning" form factors and making great looking hardware, and they have a huge ecosystem of developers to create great content. If the headset (glasses) are small enough and the experiences are awesome enough, I think enough people will give it a go to encourage further development. That will mean experiences will continue to get better and components will continue to shrink.
 
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SoyCapitanSoyCapitan said:
The controllers on the Oculus are so much lighter and more natural. But for political reasons the device not being supported by ARKit.
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Not true. Up until the ARKit announcement a few weeks ago, Apple hardware wasn't really optimized for any VR. Apple has announced new hardware and demonstrated it with Vive hardware so they are actively looking to partner with VR hardware makers at this point since they do not have a VR headset ready for developers yet. It's only been a few weeks since the Apple announcements so it's not fair to assume that Oculus won't change their stance in the next weeks or months.
 
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"Shame Apple don't make any computers that are good enough to power such a headset."

iMac Pro should do the job later this year. But I agree Apple has ("have" for you UK folks) neglected the high end.
 
DaveOP said:
Medical field is a big one. I have a friend in prosthetic, and being able to fit and shape devices before they are created will be huge for him.
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Medical uses are actually small compared to being able to market the technology to the masses. Just think of the price of a medical unit made in the thousands compared to the public's millions or more.

I may be a bit of a cynic, but the manufacturers aren't doing this to make life easier or a medical procedure more efficient. It's about dominating an emerging market niche.

But, I really don't like 3D movies either, those glasses give me a headache.
 
wigby said:
Not true. Up until the ARKit announcement a few weeks ago, Apple hardware wasn't really optimized for any VR. Apple has announced new hardware and demonstrated it with Vive hardware so they are actively looking to partner with VR hardware makers at this point since they do not have a VR headset ready for developers yet. It's only been a few weeks since the Apple announcements so it's not fair to assume that Oculus won't change their stance in the next weeks or months.
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Presumably they'll develop their own kit
 
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