XR for Business

How an end user experiences a new mode of technology is almost as important — if not more — than how the tech works on the inside. Because, let’s face it; it could be an amazing bit of code, but if the human mind does not find it simple or easy to use, it’s a non-starter. Austin McCasland is a UX prototyper working with Google, and he and Alan chat about the finer points of UX design for AR. Alan: Today’s guest is Austin McCasland, a designer and developer in immersive computing. Austin has written multiple courses across VR and AR design and development. He’s designed and developed Paint Space AR, named by Apple as one of the best apps of 2017 and currently works full time at Google as an AR Interaction designer. Austin employs a user-first synthesis of technical understanding and UX design to create effective and useful products in emerging technology. I’m really, really excited to welcome Austin to the show. Austin, welcome to the XR for Business Podcast.

If you need well-researched info on the trends and changing tides of emerging tech to feel confident dipping your toes into the XR sea, SuperData’s Carter Rogers has you covered. As their chief analyst, Rogers specializes in turning data into actionable intelligence, tailored to the needs of businesses who are just starting to explore the space. In today’s episode, he chats with Alan about what all the data can mean. Alan: Today’s guest is Carter Rogers, and he’s the principal analyst at SuperData, a Nielsen company. He regularly advises Fortune 500 brands and Triple-A game publishers on how to succeed in the interactive media space. As SuperData’s lead XR analyst, Carter is responsible for the company’s reports on immersive technology. A sought-after authority on interactive media industry, Carter has presented at every event around the world, including Casual Connect, the LA Games Conference, and the VR/AR Global Summit. His commentary has also appeared in USA Tod

What better publicity could a VR company ask for, than to have an Avenger demo your product in prime time, on one of the most-watched talk shows in America? That’s exactly the kind of lucky break Beat Saber had, and today’s guest – Zambezi Partners co-founder, and long-time occupant of the XR space, Jenna Seiden – was instrumental in making that happen. She regales Alan with the tale at the top of this new episode of the XR for Business Podcast. Alan: Today’s guest is Jenna Seiden and she’s an entertainment and emerging technology consultant in VR, AR artificial intelligence, and IOT, and she’s a social impact investor. Jenna has a proven executive leadership in entrepreneurship, with demonstrated startup and high growth business experience. She has broad experience in traditional film, TV, digital media, augmented reality, virtual reality and video games. She has an innate ability to lead diverse groups, including creative, financial, and engineering teams. Sh

If you didn’t think our 3-episode-a-week release schedule was dizzying enough, welcome to the XR for Business Podcast’s new weekly news rundown! The space is evolving so fast, Alan is devoting a few minutes each week just to talk about the newest, most interesting use cases hitting the trades! This week, XR is taking us everywhere, from the surface of Mars, to ritzy Audi showrooms, to the svelte form of Bobby, a teddy bear 3D-scanned in real-time by Samsung’s new feature on the Note 10. NASA has used Microsoft’s HoloLens AR system to design its 2020 Mars rover.The U.S. Army bought 100,000 HoloLens headsets to study how AR can help soldiers get ready for battle.Walmart, Amazon’s rival, is testing new store managers with AR exercises.Boeing uses AR to guide workers who build and service planes. So does Airbus.Google has revived its Google Glass project for enterprise applications.RealWear, a startup based in Vancouver, Wash., recently raised $80 million for a head-mounted AR system t

We talk a lot about the business use cases of XR on this podcast, but any good business comes with a great fitness plan or exercise room. XR is no different, and VRdōjō founder Michael Eichenseer runs Alan through a few of the cardiovascular benefits to the technology. And that’s just the first six minutes! Many other topics are touched on in this episode – virtual writing spaces, remote assistance, spatial learning, his own XR makerspace, and more. Alan: Welcome to the show, Michael, how are you doing? Pretty good. How are you? Fantastic. Thank you so much for joining me on the show today. It’s going to be a really exciting one. Let’s tell everybody at home. What is your vision for virtual augmented reality? Was the best virtual reality or a AR experience is what is the best thing that you have done? And explain to the listeners why that is so. Michael: For me, it’s definitely the fitness aspect of VR. As a gamer, I definitely enjoy the fact that I can play a game,

The power of XR will never be able to destroy the good ol‘ desire to go out and shop, but that doesn’t mean that XR couldn’t be used to improve the shopping experience. Tracey Wiedmeyer and Alan discuss a few ideas, from browsing the catch of the day in a VR tropical wonderland, to using VR and AR to test out retail layouts before you build them. Alan: Today’s guest is Tracey Wiedmeyer. Tracey is the chief technology officer and co-founder of InContext Solutions. They’re delivering a mixed reality platform that is the world’s largest brands and retailers are using to streamline their merchandising process and go to market strategy much faster. Tracey is also the former president of the VR/AR Association chapter in Chicago, Milwaukee and a board member for the Information Research Technology Institute at Sam Walton College of Business. Tracey is also a member of the Forbes Technology Council. You can learn more about InContext Solutions at www.incontextsolutions.com.

Tony Stark’s flashy, nanotech gold-titanum suit of armour might be a thing of fantasy, but some of his other powers are on the cusp of reality, with the power of the Internet of Things. Praemo Board of Director’s member Paul Boris uses his years of experience in the XR space to explain how such a marvel of computing could be possible.

A good friend of Alan’s, publisher of the online XR news publication, VR Voice, drops by the show for a general chat about the future of the space, including the potential for XR to help train workers in a future where retirement is less common, saving money by designing hospitals in VR before brick meets mortar, the video game crash of 1983, and a little Fruit Ninja. Alan: Today’s guest is a good friend of mine, Bob Fine. In 2011, Bob launched the only printed magazine covering social media, The Social Media Monthly. In January 2014, he launched his second print titled The Startup Monthly in May 2016, he launched — what I love — VRVoice.co, a content vertical on all things virtual reality. In addition to his publishing endeavors, Bob continues to provide I.T. strategic planning consulting services to both private sector and non-profit communities. Bob has over 10 years of additional work experience as a systems and sales engineer with various companies, including CMGi, Hughes N

Alan and his guests often espouse investing in XR on this podcast, but that comes with the implicit understanding that you should expect a return on that investment. Cameron Ayres from Sector 5 Digital discusses strategies for maximizing that ROI. Alan: Today’s guest is Cameron Ayres, the director of innovation at Sector 5 Digital, a digital agency specializing in augmented reality and virtual reality applications for the enterprise. His primary role is developing the strategy and implementation of emerging technology, to best enhance digital projects. Sector 5 Digital helps companies transform their brands by creating brilliant digital content for marketing, communications, sales, and entertainment. Clients include many Fortune 100 clients, including American Airlines, Bell, IBM, Intel, and many more. You can learn more about Cameron and Sector 5 at Sector5Digital.com. Cameron, welcome to the show. Cameron: Thanks for having me, Alan. Alan: My pleasure. I’m so looking forward to this

These days, more and more students can — and do — opt out of animal dissection in science classes, and not just because formaldehyde smells awful. As fewer kids are morally comfortable with chopping up an amphibian in the name of their education, an alternative will be needed. VictoryXR’s Steve Grubbs offers a solution through VR, and chats with Alan about how XR can be used to enhance education in other ways, too. Alan: Today’s guest is Steve Grubbs, founder and CEO of VictoryVR, one of the world leaders in virtual reality educational product development. To date, they have created over 240 unique VR experiences, spanning over 50 different learning units, with educational partners like Carolina Biological and Oxford University. They have been able to develop brand new educational encounters for VR users around the globe. Steve is also a member of YPO and was recently featured in an article entitled Virtual Reality Is Transporting Students to the Next Frontier in Science Educati

XR technologies are undeniably a leap forward in humankind’s mechanical evolution. But our brains – the way they work – haven’t quite evolved in pace with them, so XR solutions are hardly solutions at all unless they work within the confines of how we think and react. Alex Haque of LumiereVR waxes philosophical about how to design XR with that in mind. Alan: Today’s guest is Alexander Haque, the founder of RetinadVR, whose mission was to help pioneer virtual and augmented reality through powerful data. RetinadVR was acquired recently by LumiereVR, in July 2018. Alex is now the COO for LumiereVR, which is bringing quality VR content to the masses through masterful curation and distribution. You can learn more about Alex and Lumiere by visiting LumiereVR.com. Alex, welcome to the show. Alex: Hey, thank you so much for having me, Alan. Pleasure to be here. Alan: It’s my absolute pleasure. Alex: Yeah, thanks for having me. You’re one of my favorite LinkedI

Princess Leia’s desperate holographic plea to Obi-Wan Kenobi might have been a vision of the far flung future in 1977, but today, volumetric capture is making that a reality. Using cameras and the AR cloud to map and replicate an object in three-dimensional space, volumetric capture has lots of practical use cases – Raj and Alan talk about a bunch of them. Alan: Today’s guest is Raj Puran, director of client XR Business Development and Partnerships at Intel. Raj is a 25-year veteran of the semiconductor and software industry with Intel Corp. He is currently director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, focusing on growth areas of compute in virtual, augmented, and extended realities. Raj has spent the last four years of his tenure on building business opportunities, use cases, experiential marketing with partnerships in location-based entertainment, museums, education and other commercial XR segments. Prior to moving into business development, Raj has held several posit

The web page is a deceptively simple invention, but its creation — and more importantly, its cross-programmability — made the World Wide Web the technological powerhouse it has become. Gabriel Rene founded VERSES to encourage similar similar developments in spacial computing. Alan: Today’s guest is Gabriel Rene, an architect and founder of The VERSES Foundation. He’s a technologist, entrepreneur, researcher, media and music producer, whose 25-year career in the technology, telecom and entertainment industry has granted him the knowledge and experience to consistently invent unique business verticals, and to navigate the novel challenges of the emerging global digital entertainment, marketing, e-com, mobile and spatial technology markets. aAs a deep technology pioneer, mobile executive, and corporate strategist, Gabriel has built multiple innovative technology companies, developed groundbreaking enterprise and consumer software, and forged strategic partnerships with multiple For

Chicken Waffle! Now that we have your attention, check out this episode of XR for Business. Centertec CEO Bill Tustin joins Alan to talk location-based VR “retail-tainment.” Fun, exciting XR technologies are revitalizing America’s malls, and taking kids on field trips across the stars or through the pyramids; places they could never go in real life. Alan: Today’s guest is Bill Tustin. Bill has owned a location-based VR location for over three years. He’s worked for 25 years in the casino banking industry, teaching them how to implement technologies that increase their revenues, create great customer experiences and have fantastic ROI. He has used that experience to create a successful location-based VR place with multiple revenue sources, including XR educational content and XR programs. His company just made a seed investment in Chicken Waffle — crazy name! — but it’s an XR solution provider that develops innovative solutions with high-quality branded ex

From headsets to haptic suits, there is going to be a lot of accessories and apparel in XR to chose from, including some that expand senses you didn’t even know were XR-compatible. Antony Vitillo – AKA Skarred Ghost – drops in to discuss different devices with Alan, their use cases, and what companies should consider when they go shopping for some. Alan: Today’s guest is Antony Vitillo, better known as Skarred Ghost. Antony is an XR consultant and author of an amazing blog called The Ghost Howls. He also runs a consulting company called New Technology Walkers, where they develop VR solutions and advise companies about how best to use VR and AR. Antony recently traveled to the fourth annual VIVE Ecosystem Conference — VEC — in Shenzhen, China. If you’re not already following Tony, you can learn a lot by connecting with him on LinkedIn and subscribing to his newsletter at skarredghost.com. Tony welcome to the show. Antony: Hello, Alan! Thanks for this opportunity. Alan

Many scenarios that might be improved by an augmented reality heads-up display shouldn’t require an overly arduous selection process; most gizmos will do if you’re checking a weather app while jogging. The same can’t be said for picking out a device to help oil rig workers work safely and efficiently in the middle of the Permian Basin. Shell’s VR incubator lead Michael Kaldenbach talks with Alan about the things his team had to consider when selecting the right device for the job. Alan: Today’s guest — Michael Kaldenbach – is an augmented, mixed, and virtual reality incubation lead at Shell, the global oil company. He is a driven, goal-oriented, resourceful, and creative person, who really understands the usefulness of this technology, and bringing how to bring it to the market. He’s chosen the family motto of Arctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, as it accurately reflects how he approaches any challenge or goal: “victory through perseverance,” or “Fortitudine Vin

DJ Smith is the co-founder of The Glimpse Group, an XR technologies accelerator that’s doing startup incubating in a whole new way. Listen as Smith explains to Alan how Glimpse works, and some of the tech companies that are already beginning to grow under its umbrella. Alan: We have an amazing guest today: DJ Smith is the co-founder and chief creative officer at The Glimpse Group. The Glimpse Group is a holding company for a portfolio of 10 startups, focused on virtual and augmented reality industries. At Glimpse, DJ’s responsibilities include overseeing the production of all the VR and AR content, as well as leading efforts to locate new subsidiary companies. In addition, DJ is the organizer of the New York virtual reality meetup. NYVR hosts monthly events focused on virtual reality technology and the premiere venue for the industry networking collaboration within New York City. NYVR is the second-largest virtual meetup in the world, with over 6,000 members. Prior to entering the VR/AR ind

If picking out a car off a lot is like picking out a handful of eggs from a basket, then assembling your perfect vehicle – fine-tuned to your specifications, BY you – is like picking out a few hundred grains of sand from the Sahara desert. At least, that’s how ZeroLight’s Barry Hoffman sees it. Hoffman shares this with Alan, and other philosophies about XR as a great asset to the automotive industry. Alan: Today’s guest is Barry Hoffman from ZeroLight. Barry is the chief strategy officer of ZeroLight, a leading real-time visualization company in the automotive industry. He has a background with telco, gaming, automotive, and data science, and interactions with CRMs being the major thread in his career. At ZeroLight, Barry is responsible for their US operations, and also leads strategic partnerships and ZeroLight. This company, just so you know, is really incredible. They’ve taken virtual and augmented reality for the automobile industry to the next level; from AR apps where you

Aviation itself is one of humankind’s great technological marvels – something that can be easy to forget when we’re wedged between passengers in coach on some redeye flight. Neutral Digital’s Greg Caterer is using another one of our technological revelations – XR – to reinvent the airline industry, everything from designing aircraft, marketing at trade shows, and making the flight more comfortable for the passenger. Alan: Today’s guest is Greg Caterer. Greg is the chief operating officer at Neutral Digital, an end-to-end immersive content creator, focusing on the luxury travel sector. Neutral Digital is an aviation-focused content creation house at the cutting edge of immersive interaction solutions; they deliver augmented reality, virtual reality, digital design, architectural visualization, in-flight entertainment solutions, and apps and websites for the aviation industry. In a nutshell, they deliver technology for clients’ campaigns. The Neutral Digital team consists of

The current generation of 4G devices are great, if you want to chat faster, share photos, or stream a movie on the go. But for real-time spatial computing technologies — like XR, for example — that just won’t cut it, especially when it could mean life or death. Terry Schussler is the director of Immersive Technology at Deutche Telekom, and he’s working to bring 5G into the XR domain, and expand the capabilities of mixed reality technologies. Alan: Today’s guest is Terry Schussler, “entreprenerd,” technology architect, passionate software designer, writer, speaker, trainer and all-around awesome guy. As a software innovator, Terry’s focus has been making software smarter for users, while leveraging technology to enable new forms of communication. During the development of over 200 commercial software products, reaching over 50 million users on desktop, mobile and tablet devices, Terry has delivered numerous technology innovations; artificial intelligence a