Sutherland on the Future of Augmented Reality Displays

In fact, at the big enterprise, we tested some of Sutherland's findings in real life retail.   But found it to mostly be too 'busy' for practical use.  Still worth further examination in a new era of adaptive interaction.  What would make it pop for the right cases? 

The metaverse offers challenges and possibilities for the future of the retail industry  by Omar H. Fares, The Conversation

In 1968, American computer scientist Ivan Sutherland predicted the future of augmented and virtual reality with his concept of the "Ultimate Display. The Ultimate Display relied on the kinetic depth effect to create two dimensional images that moved with its users, giving the illusion of a three-dimensional display.

While the concept of virtual reality only focuses on the creation of three-dimensional environments, the metaverse—a term coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 book Snow Crash—is a much broader concept that surpasses this.

While no official definition of the metaverse truly exists, science and technology reporter Matthew Sparkes provides a decent one. He defines the metaverse as "a shared online space that incorporates 3D graphics, either on a screen or in virtual reality."

Since the term was coined, the idea of the metaverse has remained more of a fictional concept than a scientific one. However, with technological advancements in recent years, the metaverse has become more tangible. Much of the recent hype happened after Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement to rename the Facebook brand to Meta. Many retailers have since jumped aboard the metaverse train.

Nike recently filed multiple trademarks allowing them to create and sell Nike shoes and apparel virtually. JP Morgan opened their first virtual bank branch. Samsung recreated their New York City flagship store in the virtual browser-based platform Decentraland, where they are launching new and creating events.

While many retailers are capitalizing on the metaverse early, there is still uncertainty about whether the metaverse really is the future of retailing or whether it will be a short-lived fad. ... (more that discusses this usefully)  ... 

Future of 3D Displays

Another areas we looked into for retail engagement.   Seen many test examples but each had considerable limitations.  Are we finally approaching clear possibilities for high resolution and interaction and screen orientation?  And what will this imply for VR/AR applications?  Good detail view of the challenges and progress being made. Disney involvement also interesting.

Floating Voxels Provide New Hope for 3D Displays  By Chris Edwards 

Communications of the ACM, October 2018, Vol. 61 No. 10, Pages 11-13   10.1145/3264625

Few movie scenes have had such an effect on display-technology research and development as the droid R2D2 projecting a three-dimensional (3D) image of Princess Leia pleading for help in 1977's block-buster film Star Wars. Numerous engineers have wondered just how they might achieve that effect, of an image you can see from any angle, in real life. Even The Walt Disney Company, which bought Lucasfilm and the distribution rights for the movie franchise in 2012, is among those with engineers working on the idea.

Two years ago, Daniel Joseph and colleagues in entertainment giant Disney's Burbank, CA-based research and development operation filed for a patent on a projector intended to display floating 3D images. The U.S. patent points to an anticipated implementation of having the 3D image seem to be standing on an illuminated pedestal, similar to the game table on the Millennium Falcon that appears in a scene later in Star Wars.

The Disney system suffers from a problem that is shared with similar systems: the image is formed from an array of light sources fed through beam splitters and mirrors some distance behind the pedestal, which limits the viewing angle to those looking toward the projection optics, and so cannot emulate the movies.

Daniel Smalley, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Brigham Young University, says, "Like many in the holography field, I felt that holograms would provide the 3D images of the future, but the annoying issue is you have to be looking in the direction of the screen that generates them. It's counter to what you expect 3D displays to do in the future."  .... " 

IKEA and Accenture Show a Tech Advanced Store

Again, IKEA looks quite advanced. 

IKEA asks, will virtual inventory be key to the new urban showroom?  by Matthew Stern in Retailwire.

The completely unique experience of shopping at an IKEA store is part of the brand’s appeal. But at World Mobile Congress, the chain gave a demo of a futuristic small-concept store that is far different from IKEA’s familiar labyrinth — and from other store concepts out there as well.

In partnership with Accenture, IKEA demoed a tech-enhanced store which, according to Retail Detail Europe, fits the chain’s entire expansive catalog into a small-format location. The walls are said to “double as screens filled with product information” and visitors can use an RFID-enabled version of the iconic IKEA pencil to make product selections, check out and specify if they will pick up the physical product or have it shipped.

A tweet by French tech journalist Simon Chodorge features a video of the demo. In it, the journalist can be seen tapping an RFID-enabled version of an IKEA pencil on active pads on tables near touch screens, which appear to be adding items to a shopping cart. The journalist then visits a central touch screen to check out ...... " 

Future of Interaction

We looked at interaction starting with light pens.   Later on to smart mice, VR googles,  eye direction, gestures and voice.  The Verge examines the state of the question:

What’s the future of interaction?
by Ashley Carman@ashleyrcarman  ...

Madefire Telling Stories

Brought to my attention at the recent Microsoft announcements regarding 3D image delivery.

Madefire
A New Storytelling Era
Experience Stories

Madefire is undertaking an epic journey
One that we believe will revolutionize how stories are told, read, and shared. One that will transform a once static medium into an interactive experience that unfolds dynamically on mobile devices, and evolves with each new episode. It’s our Motion Book Tool that will make all this possible. We built it to unite the timeless beauty of sequential art with cutting-edge technology, and to give new creative freedom to the world’s most visionary creators and storytellers. All in the service of advancing the art of storytelling.

The journey toward a new era in storytelling is just beginning. And we don’t consider this path to be ours alone. Stories belong to the world, to everyone, to you. So we hope you’ll join us for the ride—we promise you an adventure unlike any other. ... " 

Google Re-inventing the WhiteBoard

Have seen a number of attempts at this.  None really successful.  Perhaps the ultimate solution will be some augmented reality approach.    Surprised in particular that Google is playing here.  In CWorld:

Google is trying to reinvent the whiteboard

Jamboard is a cloud service and 55-inch display aimed at enhancing collaboration

What's big, red and supposed to be the next big thing in workplace collaboration? Google's new Jamboard, a massive touch display and accompanying cloud service that's supposed to help business users brainstorm together. 

Jamboard works like a digital whiteboard, letting users sketch out ideas, attach digital sticky notes, plus bring in content from the web into a single, constantly updating workspace. People can use Jamboard to collaborate both on the 55-inch mega-display of the same name, or using accompanying tablet and smartphone apps for iOS and Android. .... " 

Cutting a Display for Experimental Packaging

In Engadget.  An example where you can now cut up a computer display with a pair of scissors. Interesting, once looked at a packaging design project where this could have been useful.   Other applications?

Billboards Tracking Cellphones

In CACM:  Linking to an article in NPR.   This was a method we looked at some time ago, in particular how it could be used to adapt advertising in retail.   This seems to a more passive collection of data.  False cell towers for law enforcement are common.  But for advertisers?  " ... Clear Channel Outdoor—one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the U.S.—is starting a new program called Radar that will use billboards to map real-world habits and behaviors from nearby consumers. ... " 

See my other posts on billboard related advertising interaction below.

Freezers Reading your Emotions?

A retail freezer reading your emotions?  " ... Then there's a grocery store freezer case that can help you decide what you want to buy by reading your facial expression through cameras installed on top of it. It makes suggestions and shares ingredients and product information by using the glass door in front as a screen. ... "  

Healthcare Signage Displays

Brought to my attention, useful resource.

LG white Paper on healthcare digital displays ...
In healthcare, digital signage displays are changing the way patients receive customer service and information. Download this whitepaper to learn more about digital signage solutions that will improve the experience of your patients, visitors and staff.  .... "  

Samsung Suggests Large Frig Touchscreens

We experimented with having 'smart screens' on the frig,  Samsung and LG made them, but was unclear how many they sold. With the advent of the tablet, you could just hang one on the door. and  Now Samsung has put a very large touchscreen on a frig, to be shown at CES.   The Family Hub Refrigerator.   Why?  Show whats inside without opening door.  Display refrigerator art. Commission frig art.  Sell Ad space and touch to buy.   Loyalty enticements.    Link to smart home configuration?  Show when inhabitants were coming home.  Display recipes and timing? Link to smoke and entry alarms.   Show who is at the front door.  And ... ?

3D Display for the Car

A 3-D Display for Your Car
A startup has built a glasses-free 3-D screen that’s much bigger than its previous prototype, bringing it a step closer to being built into gadgets (including the one in your driveway). .... 

Holographic technology could make displays feel more interactive.
Renderings show the developer kit of the holographic display startup Leia.
Your next car could have a 3-D dashboard—no glasses required.

A startup called Leia, which has already shown a prototype of a 2.2-inch screen that can display holograms, is now working on a 5.5-inch screen that gives a sense of how the technology could look if embedded in things like cars and smartphones. ... " 

Programmatic Advertising Displays in Europe

Interesting note because it looks at the attitude to digital displays.  Predicts that they will be increasing in Europe.   My own observation is that I have not being seeing increases of their use in the US lately.  Anyone have any numbers?    Is it because of the ubiquity of the smart phone you do not want to give attention to external screens?  

RFID, P&G, Lipsticks and the Internet of Things

In the Cisco Blogs, a look at how the Internet of things emerging in a project at Procter & Gamble that tracked lipsticks, and how that has evolved.  Most notable, the considerable to the RAIN RFID Alliance.  by Steve Halliday:

" ... In “How to Fly a Horse” by Kevin Ashton (http://www.amazon.com/How-Fly-Horse-Invention-Discovery/dp/0385538596 ) we learn that Kevin coined the phrase “Internet of Things” (IoT) in 1999 when he was trying to present a solution to the problem of tracking the sales of lipsticks.  Kevin worked at Procter & Gamble and the misplacement of lipsticks in the display case was causing a sales issue when the required color was in stock, on the display, but in the wrong place and not easily found.  Kevin put an RFID tag in the lipstick and an antenna under each location, monitored the display unit, uploaded the information to the internet and used it to make decisions about the actual sales stock position.

Since then the term has been broadened to include almost anything that is in some way connected to the Internet and is providing information that can be used. The term has almost become a part of everyday use, though it seems the understanding of the term has morphed.  In 2013 the Oxford English Dictionary included a definition for the IoT – “The interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/Internet-of-things ). While this definition is fine, it does not capture the real essence of the concept. ... " 

A Store as an Internet of Display Panels

Attended an Ascendum meeting this evening and got a demo from their Zingo subsidiary.  They have a projectable sign system that is suitable for retail augmentation via personalization.  Nicely done approach.  The system was described in a recent Biz Journals piece.    A kind of internet of displaying panels.  The result can be a very adaptable approach for signage in a store, without the expense of flat panels.  Clever idea.

Intel Compute Stick

Another example of a device that can be connected to an HDMI port of a big screen TV to turn it into a Windows 8.1 computer for about $150.   Connects to Internet with Wifi.  You likely also need a mouse and a keyboard.  Nice idea, but probably with a somewhat limited market.     See also a similar offering by Google/Chrome: Chromebit.

(Update) Gizmodo has strong criticism of the Compute Stick, tested with gaming applications.
(Update) CW says it provides just adequate Windows or Linux power for typical Biz applications.

Chromebit to Turn Display into Chromebook

Have experimented with the Chromecast idea, has somewhat limited usefulness, turning TVs into somewhat smarter devices.   Now Engadget reports on the Chromebit, which can convert any HDMI connected display into a Chromebook.  Available later this year for less that $100.  Taking displays into new levels of intelligence.   I can see many applications.   How will this effect system sales?   Or replace a more expensive smart TV?    Or in-store displays?  I saw in the article that Intel there has a similar solution:  the Compute Stick.

Elbit Skylens Heads up Display

In Gizmag:
Designed for the commercial aviation market and for the Clearvision EFVS family, Skylens is a lightweight wearable device consisting of a visor large enough to fit easily over the pilot’s glasses that displays high-resolution data, symbols, and video. Elbit says the Skylens can be retrofitted to existing systems in airplanes and helicopters to provide an augmented view of the outside world with data laid over what the pilot sees – or can't see. ... " 

Shelf Edge Displays

Experimented with the behavior influence of shelf displays. They can provide information and engage.  Here is a new example:

" .. Display Solution, based in Gilching, Bavaria, Germany, is a leading developer and marketer of customized LCD solutions for existing and future markets, combining leading-edge screen and electronic technologies. Products range from single components to complete system solutions built around TFT displays for commercial and industrial use with application in such areas as digital signage, point-of-sale, point-of-information, automation, measurement engineering, medical instruments, and other mobile and embedded applications. ... " 

Eye Tracking Display Menu Choice

In Mashable:  Use of eye tracking interaction with a menu.  Example in Pizza Hut. Developed in conjunction with the eye tracking company Tobii.  The images for the toppings shown are cartoonish, which would seem to influence a choice made.

 " ... The chain is calling it the first "subconscious menu," and it acts as a stand-in for the paper menu you'd usually get when dining at a Pizza Hut. It tracks your eye movements and selects toppings based on where your gaze lingers the longest.

So if you stare at, say, cheese and basil, the menu might know those are your choices even before you do; it's all supposed to take just 2.5 seconds. The menu has 4,896 possible toppings combinations and is already being tested at some restaurants in the UK.   ... "