Virtual/Real – Digital/Analog – Intangible/Physical

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ analog ⁄⁄ Art ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Market ⁄⁄ real ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality

Author:
Publ. 08.23.2018

THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT THE JUXTAPOSITION

– of VIRTUAL and REAL – of DIGITAL and ANALOG – of INTANGIBLE and PHYSICAL –

Honestly, I am not sure if this is a confrontation or a steady transformation process – Maybe both… On the one hand, the growing technologization and the general digitalization is leading us to an ongoing abstraction of our world.

For example, money: Once upon a time, people were trading with items or gold. Gold became a bundle of money, the banknote became a paper check and finally, we use PayPal and pay with bitcoin – a currency that only exists on the screen. Books are replaced by a kindle, records are transformed into an mp3 file and friendship is only defined by the connection via facebook. How desirable is that?

 

Meanwhile, I mostly see in this a polarity that is increasing in radicalism and become more and more extremeand so often I am just thinking: Hello guys! Don’t you see that your property and ownership is an illusion .?

Augmented and virtual reality is just the beginning. It really gets creepy when you are on the phone and not sure if there is a human being or a computer software at the other end of the line. For example, the google assistant – this intelligence is not only reacting to you like Siri, it laughs, it changes mood and sound of the voice, it even makes human noises in its talking breaks like „mhh“ or „aha“…

X X X

I think the phenomenon of digitalization is especially interesting in the field of the arts.

Museums and cultural institutions digitalize their collections and thereby following two goals. On the one hand, they want to create new access to arts and culture and use diverse ways to catch people. In addition to the intention of education and mediation, digitalization of artifacts and cultural heritage allows better and more sustainable preservation – works are kept for eternity and „the problem“ of transcience seems to be solved.

But does transcience not also implicates the specialty of things, the individual nature of moments – might be even beautiful?…but that is another topic, so back to art and digitality!

Of course, technology brings benefits in terms of preservation, on the other side it can also devalue arts and offer a basis to disfigure something wonderful and valuable. I don’t know how you feel, but for me, every time I see a digital image of the Mona-Lisa with a distorted or exchanged face, something dies in me.

But then it is also said that just haptic works are „real“ works. Everything that is digital has no consistency – thus no value – thus it can not be sold in the big auction houses. But creating digital art pieces also emerges out of a craft, skill or talent.

Especially in the more traditional and conventional fields, this new and modern art form is not taken seriously and the digital and media arts are clearly undervalued, although they create new potential and promote artistic expressions of individual creativity.

YOURARTBEAT has recognized the aesthetics behind digital arts and even put a focus on it.

The new YOUR ART BEAT MARKET is a brand new online shop that especially gives the Digital Arts a haptic medium and transforms the Virtual into something real: A place where the digital becomes physical. It is about finding physical media that can reflect both the dimensional depth of the image and the inner depth, its “soul”

To ensure this, YOURARTBEAT experimented with a variety of materials and made a selection that is able to meet the just mentioned aspects. In addition, they serve solutions concerning different tastes and design variations but also can address different price categories without loosing on a qualitative level. Therefore, YOURARTBEAT  is offering the digital artworks in the following materials: Glass – Aluminium – Lightboxes – and of course usual Fine Art Paper… Especially glass is an awesome material – maybe because it can imitate a similar texture as a screen.

So we see: also digital things can be transformed into something real, something analog and physical. This whole topic is really strange and can be seen from many perspectives. There are positive as well as negative aspects.

X X X

Anyway, it feels like I’ll probably have to accept that we live in a world where your reputation depends on your virtual representation on the web, where you pay food with bitcoin and Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has the face of Angela Merkel…

Digitization, Virtuality and, Intangibleness – Does it mean that you can’t lose things anymore Or is it implicating that you have never even owned them?

X X X

From the beginning, it was clear that this article will raise more questions than give answers…

So what do you think?

GRUNDWISSEN VR V

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Art ⁄⁄ Coding ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality

Author:
Publ. 01.25.2018

GRUNDWISSEN VR – eine Artikelserie zur Aufklärung des Virtual Reality Phänomens:

IN WELCHEN BEREICHEN LÄSST SICH VR EINSETZEN?

 Der fünfte Teil der Grundwissen VR – Serie beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, In welche Bereichen die VR Technologie bereits aktiv eingesetzt wird.?

Einsatz von VR ist bereits jetzt schon sehr vielfältig. Besonders in den Bereichen des Gaming und des Storytellings (Filme) findet die VR Technologie großen Anklang, jedoch wird VR mittlerweile auch in der Medizin & Psychologie, der Architektur, dem Städtebau & dem Interior Design, im Militär- & Sicherheitstraining, aber auch allgemeinen Corporate Trainings (bspw. Maschinenbenutzung) genutzt. Auch der ECommerce, die Bereiche des Design & Marketing, der Tourismus- und allgemeine Eventsektor profitieren vom Einsatz von VR. In den Bereichen der Kreativität, der Kunst und natürlich auch im Museum eröffnet VR neue Türen.

Besondere Entwicklungen und Forschungen gibt es im Bereich Bildung, z.B. in Schulen –schließlich können sämtliche Themenbereich für Bildungszwecke aufbereitet werden.

Immersives Lernen brachte bisher nämlich einige Mehrwerte und Erfolge hervor:

  • Abstrakte und komplexe Inhalte können veranschaulicht und klar vermittelt werden
  • Individuelle Lerngeschwindigkeit
  • Erfahrung am eigenen Leib / first-person-experience
  • Gesteigerte Lernmotivation
  • Gesteigertes Interesse
  • Größere Aufmerksamkeitsspanne
  • Effektiv – gute Lernerfolge

GRUNDWISSEN VR III

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Art ⁄⁄ Coding ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality

Author:
Publ. 01.5.2018

GRUNDWISSEN VR – eine Artikelserie zur Aufklärung des Virtual Reality Phänomens:

WIE FUNKTIONIERT VIRTUAL REALITY?

Der dritte Teil der Grundwissen VR – Serie beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, Wie funktioniert Virtual Reality eigentlich? Ganz grundsätzlich besteht das VR SYSTEM (bspw. Das Headset) aus dem VR ENGINE. Als zentrale Komponente des VR Systems besteht dieser einerseits aus einer Software, welche die Steuerbefehle erhält und anderseits aus einer großen Datenbank, mit derer Hilfe die Befehle umgesetzt werden.

 

An diesem Punkt lässt sich allgemein in zwei Methoden unterschieden:

Bei Methode I

ist das VR Headset verbunden mit einer Spielkonsole oder einem Computer. VR Brillen sind verbunden über Spielkonsolen oder Computer, worüber sie das Bildsignal bzw. die Inhalte empfangen können. Diese Bilder / Inhalte werden dann auf dem eingebauten Display angezeigt. Das Display besteht aus zwei Linsen, die sich im Brillengehäuse befinden. Jedes Auge – eine Linse. Damit die Inhalte im Anschluss vom Anwender dreidimensional wahrgenommen werden können, wird vor jeder Linse ein Teilbild angezeigt, welches zuvor von der Software angepasst wurde.

Bei Methode II

wird das eingebaute Display im Brillengehäuse durch das Smartphone Display ersetzt, welches sich in die dafür vorgesehene Brillenhalterung stecken lässt. Geteilt und somit in 3D dargestellt, wird das Bild dann von dafür vorgesehenen Videoplayern oder Apps. Die Kopfbewegungen des Nutzers werden vom System über die Sensorik im Smartphone erkannt, wodurch er sich in der virtuellen Welt umsehen und in Echtzeit bewegen kann.

GRUNDWISSEN VR II

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Art ⁄⁄ Coding ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality

Author:
Publ. 01.4.2018

GRUNDWISSEN VR – eine Artikelserie zur Aufklärung des Virtual Reality Phänomens:

WAS MACHT VIRTUAL REALITY MIT UNSERER PSYCHE?

Der zweite Teil der Grundwissen VR – Serie beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, Was macht Virtual Reality mit der menschlichen Psyche? Bei der Nutzung von VR findet eine gefühlsmäßig Verschmelzung statt, denn der User beginnt schon ab kürzester Zeit sich mit der virtuellen Welt, insbesondere seinem Avatar, zu identifizieren. Doch diese Identifikation und die Selbstwahrnehmung bzw. die Wahrnehmung seines Ich-Avatars wird nicht mit der VR Brille zusammen abgelegt! Das Gehirn hat sich so sehr an den virtuellen Zustand gewöhnt, dass der Benutzer ihn mit ins echte Leben trägt, was sich selbstverständlich auch auf sein Verhalten auswirkt.

BEISPIEL: Wer in VR einer Minderheit angehört, wird im echten Leben toleranter. ODER: Wer in VR ein Superheld ist, verlässt die virtuelle Welt sozialer, selbstloser und hilfsbereiter.

Diese Beispiele klingen ja eigentlich ganz nett, aber wie sieht das ganze bei Ego-Shooter Games und in Kriegsszenarien aus.?!

Bei einem Experiment, bei dem Leute mit VR Headset auf einem virtuellen, schmalen Brett balancieren, das über einem tiefen Abgrund hängt, empfinden die „Probanden“ auch noch lange nachdem sie die virtuelle Gefahren-Welt verlassen haben, ein bedrohliches Gefühl. Die meisten trauten sich sogar nicht von dem Brett in den virtuellen Abgrund zu springen, obwohl sie wussten, dass sie sich in der echten Welt nicht mehr als 30cm vom Boden entfernt befanden.

Man kann also feststellen, dass die virtuelle Realität eine enorme Überzeugungskraft auf den Menschen auslöst! Man hat die Möglichkeit, echte Adrenalin Kicks zu verspüren, jedoch sind auch die Ängste und Bedrohungen echt! …Und wie sich gezeigt hat, halten diese Emotionen auch noch nach Verlassen der virtuellen Welt an und üben Einfluss auf den menschlichen Körper und Geist aus.

Virtual Reality… ein Hackangriff auf die menschliche Psyche

GRUNDWISSEN VR I

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Art ⁄⁄ Coding ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality

Author:
Publ. 01.3.2018

GRUNDWISSEN VR – eine Artikelserie zur Aufklärung des Virtual Reality Phänomens : 

WAS IST VIRTUAL REALITY?

 Der erste Teil der Grundwissen VR – Serie beschäftigt sich mit der elementaren Frage, Was ist Virtual Reality eigentlich? Das Internet ist gepflastert mit den unterschiedlichsten Beschreibungen und Deutungen von VR. Bevor man sich jedoch auf eine gängige Definition einlässt, bedarf es einer etwas vorsichtigeren Annäherung an den VR-Begriff. Die Idee dahinter besagt, dass künstlich erzeugte 3D Welten mithilfe aufwendiger Technik, versuchen eine Realität so realistisch wie möglich darzustellen bzw. nachzubilden. Der Anwender soll das Gefühl haben sich inmitten einer virtuellen Welt zu befinden und auch Teil von dieser zu sein.

Wesentliche Merkmale lassen sich zusammenfassen:

  • VR ist sowohl eine (Informations-)Technologie, als auch ein Medium
  • VR bildet eine Schnittstelle zwischen Mensch und Maschine
  • VR Welten werden elektronisch simuliert und sind computerbasierend
  • VR bietet ein dreidimensionales und immersives Erlebnis
  • VR ermöglicht eine Interaktion zwischen dem Menschen und seiner virtuellen Umgebung inkl. deren Akteure
  • VR täuscht die Sinne und blendet die reale Welt aus

Schlussfolgernd könnte eine Definition von VR folgendermaßen aussehen:

GRUNDWISSEN VR

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality

Author:
Publ. 01.2.2018

GRUNDWISSEN VR – eine Artikelserie zur Aufklärung des Virtual Reality Phänomens

Der Begriff „Virtual Reality“ oder auch „VR“ ist in aller Munde, scheint sogar schon so inflationär ge/ver/braucht worden zu sein, dass er direkt in unserem alltäglichen Wortschatz gelandet ist. Dennoch scheint nur ein Bruchteil der Gesellschaft zu wissen, was VR nun wirklich (WIRKLICH!) ist.!

„Ja da setzt man so eine große, komische Brille auf.“

„Das ist doch irgendwas mit Phantasiewelten, oder.?!“

„…auf jeden Fall was technisches.“

„GRUNDWISSEN VR“ soll Licht ins Dunkle bringen. Im Rahmen dieser Artikel-Serie sollen die grundlegendsten Fragen hinsichtlich Virtual Reality geklärt werden, nämlich:

– Was ist Virtual Reality? – Was macht Virtual Reality mit unserer Psyche? –

– Wie funktioniert Virtual Reality? – Welche Hardware benötigt man für ein VR-Erlebnis? –

– Wo wird Virtual Reality eingesetzt? –

Augmented Reality Guide – PART IV

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Augmented Reality ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality
Tagged with: // // // // // //
Author:
Publ. 07.28.2017

AUGMENTED REALITY Guide -what you need to know- PART IV

AR FOR YOU!

The last part of the article series „Augmented Reality Guide -what you need to know“ gives an introduction about AR options for you as an individual, concerning the own creation of AR content as well as the diverse consume of AR content.

So first of all, HOW CAN I CREATE MY OWN AR CONTENT? – Of course, there are a lot of different apps, softwares and hardware devices which vary in price and quality but if you are a beginner in AR, want to experiment a bit, get a feeling of AR production and do not want to spend a lot of money, favourable apps would be: Zappar, Blippar, EmotionsAR or Aurasma. They are not just free, they are good to understand and easy to use. Aurasma, for example: you just need to login, upload your desired images, add and specify the overlay as well as positioning and after you have finalised all necessary data, you save your project and that’s it!

After covering your AR production, the following is about YOUR AR EXPERIENCE. I was researching for the the most popular and immersive AR apps –of course, just the free ones- and here is a resumé:

If you are into discovering new products, brands or sales you should try Zappar or Layar. Just scan certain product codes or advert and it will begin to move, inform and motivate you for interaction. This kind of marketing is an upcoming trend and is really building up a relationship between the product or brand and the consumer (read more about AR in Marketing in part III).

You want to experience AR in a creative and imaginative way? –Check out:

Ink Hunter: to try different tattoos on preferred places of your body and get a very clear idea of how it would look like.

Amikasa: to design and plan floors or single rooms in 3D. By using furniture and decor from real brands you can incorporate your individual style to create a personal dream interior.

Gabsee: to create your own avatar that is representing you in Augmented Reality. Personalize your avatar with specific clothing, give him a face by taking a selfie and let him do whatever you want.

And for those who want to enjoy AR in a playful way in the frame of a game: Next to the most popular AR gaming App Pokémon Go, there are other variations, too. Their concepts and basic ideas are similar to pokémon go but they vary in figurative content – to make a long story short: there are not pokémons jumping around your environment but rather zombies, dinosaurs or ghosts. Check out Zombies Go, Ghost Snap or Claw Hunter.

Augmented Reality Guide – PART III

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Art ⁄⁄ Augmented Reality ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Uncategorized ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality
Tagged with: // // // // // // //
Author:
Publ. 07.26.2017

AUGMENTED REALITY Guide -what you need to know- PART III

AR RIGHT NOW!

In the frame of this AR article series, part III is about the current status of AR inside the modern society, as well as the previous (private and) commercial use.

When you are confronted with Augmented Reality, the first buzzwords you are thinking of might be something like „technical innovation“, „complex algorithms“, „future trends“ or „new digital options“. But we have already made our first AR experiences as kids, for example, the children’s books with folding 3D models to learn about different objects and educate dimensions und proportions.

Nowadays big companies like Microsoft, Google or Apple are making demands on „AR“ and put their expensive products to the foreground of proceedings because they have already identified the big potential of AR technologies – In regard of entertainment as well as in information.

Augmented Reality opens us plenty of opportunities! The main categories where AR is being used for right now are not only the children’s 3D books or the animal selfie masks… There are so much more examples and fields, like:

Companies and brands use AR for their MARKETING to create an interactive experience for their customers and speak to their target group in an entertaining and playful way. They even use it in retail and build up whole AR customer service assistances which provide advice to the clients, convoy them during their brand experience and actually generate an active and lively shopping adventure.

But in general, the demand of AR in the field of INFORMATION DESK AND GUIDANCE is increasing and I am not only speaking of virtual signposts at every street corner or navigation assistance; also the tourism, as well as the arts&culture scene take more and more advantage of the new information tool AR. Especially cultural institutions, museums or galleries try to attract the audience with Enhanced Reality to arrange their visits more exiting or communicate their content in a more practical way.

And here we are at the next big field, in which AR is demonstrating its big potential: EDUCATION. With the aid of new AR training programs, technicians can practice their crafts, get ready for „real-life“ -field service or engineering missions. Actually, medicine students and upcoming doctors do benefit from new AR programs & training – they do not only learn in a very active and efficient way, the users also get feelings for inner structures, proportions and have the possibility to exercise postpositive practical cases. The surgical ward is already using AR during real operations or surgical interventions to get a better view of internal organs etc. At the moment, Augmented Reality is also getting more and more introduced in school education, teaching and classes. And of course, it does… Every kind of content can get transmitted in a more dynamic, playful, lifelike and practical way.

In contrast to the more experimental use of AR in education, its use in the GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT sector seems to be very established; and also the creative heads of the DESIGN AND CREATION INDUSTRY discover all the new opportunities and adopt them into their work – especially in space or product design, AR lend itself to visualise projects, present their ideas or give others an understanding of new plans.

AR enables us to a plenty of creative, entertaining and informative possibilities. It offers chances to get a deeper knowledge and comprehension, to understand things better, to learn easier and to experience more intense!

Here you can see a collage with diverse examples of contemporary use of Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Guide – PART II

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Art ⁄⁄ Augmented Reality ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality
Tagged with: // // // // //
Author:
Publ. 07.25.2017

AUGMENTED REALITY Guide -what you need to know- PART II

HOW DOES AR WORK?

The second article of the „AR“ series covers the question: How does AR work?

In the course of the adoption of smartphones in our society, people are not just informed about new trends or technological innovations, they are even surrounded by them (-if they want or not); One of the first commercial success stories in AR was written by Pokémon Go, which gave the people a first and easily accessible impression of AR with the aid of their smartphones. So everybody is experiencing AR content but nobody really knows how it works.

The more immersive and dynamic AR experience is the one you are doing with a real headset (f.e. HoloLens). In general, AR works in conjunction with digital devices (tablets, smartphones, headsets etc.), that contain software, sensors and projectors which trigger digital displays onto physical objects.

The AR process uses a camera with „scanning mode“ that is able to generate a data base of captured shapes and corners (by pointing the camera in the room and let it analyse their proportions). Then the camera detect trigger objects from its database and let digital objects appear in the position of the scanned -on target- object.

And that is Augmented Reality behind the scenes.

Augmented Reality Guide – PART I

———— Filed under: Allgemein ⁄⁄ Augmented Reality ⁄⁄ Design ⁄⁄ Digital ⁄⁄ Virtual Reality
Tagged with: // // // // //
Author:
Publ. 07.24.2017

AUGMENTED REALITY Guide -what you need to know- PART I

WHAT IS AR?

The first blog post of this AR article series is about the definition of Augmented Reality, as well as its differences to Virtual or Mixed Reality.

So, first of all- What is „Augmented Reality“? – Augmented Reality (or Enhanced Reality) is a technology that lays computer-generated images over a user’s view of the real world . In simple terms:

digital elements are added to your common point of view OR

virtual objects are anchored in real space

So AR „upgrades“ the existing reality through a computer based extension and modifies your cognition of reality, as well. The most typical or „most-known/used“ extensions of AR -so far- are little information boards, virtual signposts, videos or 3D objects –like the Pokémons of 2016 hyped game Pokémon Go!

Well, the next question is- What are the differences between „Augmented“, „Mixed“ and „Virtual Reality“? – Usually the poeple think that AR distinguishes from MR but as we see, Augmented Reality is kind of a „Mixed Reality“. In contrast to AR or MR, „Virtual Reality“ leaves out the dependance to actual reality – it is a fully computer generated simulation of new environments and worlds. Furthermore, the aspect of interacting with the animated objects or worlds is completely omitted.

So, let’s summarise:

VR – Virtual Reality – is a fully immersive experience // a computer generated simulation of new surroundings without interaction of the physical world around you

MR / AR – Mixed / Augmented Reality – is the integration of three-dimensional virtual objects, you can interact with, in real space