October is a big month for XR technology. The highly anticipated XRDC conference will be taking place in San Francisco on October 14th and 15th. Here we’ll look at some of the most exciting companies, speakers and events.
One of the best features of XRDC is that the conference is on the track system. The conference has something for everyone but organizers know that not everyone is interested in everything. So, visitors can choose the track that they are most interested in to see the content that most interests them.
XRDC has eight tracks – Games, Entertainment, Healthcare, Brand Experience, Enterprise, Training, Safety, as well as Partners.
Most of us first encounter XR technology through immersive games and media. And that’s how most of us like it.
The Games track focuses on how developers use XR technology to change the way that we game. Daniel Perry of Owlchemy Labs will speak about using music in VR experiences. Vivian Tan of Beast Inc will talk about how her company uses body language in character design. Peter Akemann of Skydance Interactive will talk about language processing in XR.
The Entertainment track is still about immersive experiences but it’s less about games. Kevin He of DeepMotion will talk about using AI to create digital actors. Taylor Williams of Flight School Studio and Mac Smith of Skywalker Sound will talk about the methods and technology behind the “War Remains” VR experience. Steve Bowler of CloudGate Studio will talk about Unreal Engine 4’s Blueprints feature. A panel discussion will talk about how location-based experiences can get more people interested in XR technology. And those are only the featured sessions in the Entertainment track.
Of course, XR technology isn’t all fun and games. One of the areas where XR does the most good is in healthcare.
The Healthcare track is for people who are most interested in how XR technology is used in medicine and treatment. Shachar Weis of Packet39 Inc will talk about using simulators to reduce anxiety in children. Kimberly Hieftje of Yale University will talk about VR in the classroom. Carrie Shaw of Embodied Labs will talk about XR technology in senior home training. Mike O’Conner and David Glowacki of the University of Bristol will talk about VR and pharmaceutical design. There will also be talks about simulation in pediatrics and about biometrics.
XR technology is all about immersive media and healthcare but it’s also a business. There are a number of tracks at XRDC that represent that.
The Brand Experience track features a talk by Peter Oberdorfer of TACTIC. Oberdorfer has worked on a number of big-name AR branding campaigns including 19 Crimes, The Walking Dead, and Jack Daniel’s. In his talk at XRDC, he’ll be talking about the technology and methods behind the industrious AR campaign he worked on for Jack Daniel’s. Other sessions will also cover the use of AR advertising and the ways consumers interact with AR ads, as well as how the beauty industry is leveraging AR technology.
The Enterprise track focuses on how XR technology is digitizing some of the world’s most physical occupations. Christopher Morse of SHoP Architects will talk about XR development in building design. Jack Lewis and Sarah Hughes of NIST will give a talk on how they use XR to prototype interfaces for first responders. Scott Montgomery of Scope AR will talk about how early industry adopters of AR have seen the technology pay off.
Information on the Partners track is still forthcoming. However, the track focuses on letting creators know about opportunities to work with some of the biggest names and most exciting tools in the industry today.
XR technology gives us opportunities to explore alien worlds and see the future. It also allows us to simulate the present.
The Training track focuses on how XR can be used to train employees, volunteers, and other personnel. The featured talk is from John Carlos-Lozano of SweetRush and Blaire Bhojwani of Hilton on using VR for corporate training and learning.
The Safety track looks at XR as a way of improving workers’ lives by using digital imaging of real-world environments. This track will feature talks by Unity’s Tim McDonough, as well as NVIDIA’s Omer Shapira. McDonough will discuss how Skanska Construction used XR to improve worker safety at construction sites. Shapira will talk about how VR and simulation environments can be used as a safe debugger for high-risk scenarios.
As an XRDC media partner, ARPost is giving you one more reason to attend. When you go to buy your tickets, enter the code XR19ARP10 to get 10% off of the ticket price.
Also, we will be rewarding our newsletter subscribers. On September 24, we will send an email to all our subscribers and the first two who reply will get a free ticket to XRDC! If you are not already subscribed, you can do that here.
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