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Showing posts from August, 2014

Leaping ahead with gesture recognition for VR head sets

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Leap Motion CTO David Holz recently announced on their blog the launch of a Virtual Reality Headset Mount for their hand-tracking controller that works with Oculus VR's Developer Kit 2 . For those not familiar with the Leap Motion controller, see one of my earlier posts about it or visit the Leap Motion website . As one sees in the video, the controller mounted to the front of the Oculus will allow immersive applications and games to track the hands and fingers. Now I have seen this setup before where a developer took a Leap Motion controller, an Oculus Rift Dev Kit, and some 'Arkansas chrome' aka duct tape to create this same type of experience, but it is great to see Leap Motion give some design to the mount and software support in their V2 SDK for head units. This is a huge win for bumping up the levels of immersion for a relatively low cost. The VR mount costs $19.99, requires Leap Motion’s $80 controller, and of course a $350 Oculus Rift Developer

Virtual reality in your pocket

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The recent boom in popularity for virtual reality headsets has brought about a variety of both professionally designed and DIY (Do It Yourself) Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). I personally have seen casings of all different shapes and sizes that turn the standard smartphone into a virtual reality HMD and these made from a variety of materials like wood, plastic, and even cardboard. While I give credit to engineers and makers from the SVVR and SFVR meet ups for doing it before it was cool, it was Google that really pushed the cardboard HMD into the blogosphere during their Google I/O 2014 Keynote. Google Cardboard , as it is appropriately named, is the firm's attempt at a do-it-yourself VR headset. Literally made of cardboard, the remarkably low-cost virtual reality goggles combine a split-screen image from a smartphone, delivering impressive graphics for the low price of almost free. Combined with positional sensor data from the phone, it's possible to look aroun

Motorcycle riding in the 21st Century

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For me there are very few things more enjoyable than riding a motorcycle. My then new '96 Honda CBR 600 F3 brought me the closest to flying I have ever achieved and introduced me to a 'road family' made up of other riders that look after each other. Riders come from all backgrounds so it was only a matter of time that  In the past year, I have been exposed to some pretty cool innovations for motorcycle riders and helmets that not only provide the protection you need, but add in some seriously cool features. Skully Systems Skully Systems is a West Coast company that is the maker of the AR-1. The AR-1 includes a full Heads Up Display (HUD) that gives directions, a GPS display that gives you turn-by-turn directions, and there will be more functionality added as the Skully Systems team works on the device. The helmet even has a rearview camera built-in, making it easier and safer than ever to see what’s happening behind you when you change lanes or back up. The AR-1 will a