SIGGRAPH’s five-day conference was one of the largest educational conferences focusing on computer graphics and interactive techniques. The event featured virtual reality and augmented reality as the emerging technology in many different industries. With the tagline, “Render the Possibilities” attendees saw how virtual reality and augmented reality could affect their industry.

Research and Students Light a Future Path for AR and VR
VR and AR are emerging industries in both the economy and in research. University students are researching different technologies to help build standards and innovating to improve the field. SIGGRAPH showcased student work in the VR Village and Emerging Technology at the exhibition hall and in the research track of the conference.

Research and experimentation are important to developing and diversifying the industry. The students from around the globe were showcasing their research and projects with emerging technology and ideas. This is very useful as the industry develops not only the platform but the tools and accessories needed to make VR and AR successful.

Students are the future of the industry and they will bring these ideas and projects into their new careers, hopefully, in the VR and AR market.

Companies Are Thinking About How AR and VR Will Affect Their Products

NASA Space Operations Engineer and Keynote Speaker Z. Nogin Cox spoke of the future of exploring other world and how that future included VR and AR. The emerging technologies would speed up the process of space exploration as planning tools and a way to experience other worlds first hand.

Larger companies showcased their answers to VR at SIGGRAPH. NVIDIA announced their latest GPU, NVIDIA Quadro. Along with their VRWorks and IRay programs, NVIDIA is focused on VR with their latest developments.

It is hopeful to see larger companies brand and expense products for VR. The larger the industry in the experimental stage the better. This will help define standards for what the industry should look like.

Companies are also smart to start thinking about VR and AR now in their future plans. As Cox said in her speech, VR and AR can be used as tools to advance goals and products, saving money. VR and AR are new platforms and can aid in many industries.

 

VR and AR Companies Are Looking at Both Markets 

Companies that are invested in VR and AR are commonly looking to develop for both markets. AR and VR share a lot of the same use cases and tools. At SIGGRAPH, many companies talked about a future for both. While HMD manufactures like Oculus, Meta, HTC and EPSON are focused on either AR or VR, businesses that create tools, accessories and content are looking at both industries for the future.

Google was the largest company committed to both platforms. Google Tango was a prominent at SIGGRAPH.  Students showcased their work of a virtual, changing garden using VR and Google Tango and members of the Project Tango team talked during multiple panels and courses.

Tango was shown as a tool for both VR and AR content. This is how other tools and accessories are finding reuse in the VR and AR industry like glove controllers, motion capture cameras and various haptic controllers. Companies are finding VR and AR partnerships and clients as the platform emerges.

 

Learn more about becoming a client today or email hello@greenlightvr.com to meet up with an analyst at SIGGRAPH 2016.