Agenda

Description

In 2019, the USA TODAY NETWORK team has an ambitious goal – produce a dozen emerging tech projects this year. In this case study presentation, Ray will dig into the AR projects the NETWORK has currently released and best practices for creating AR experiences that stick with readers.

Drawing on his experience in gaming, Ray will lay out the process in which his team approached a variety of AR initiatives for the NETWORK, everything from the 321 LAUNCH app bringing real-life rocket launches to life to the interactive features launched alongside podcast, The City, showing the devastating effects a scandalous 6-story tall pile of waste had on Chicago in the 90s. Most recently, he and his team worked closely with the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, collaborating with the 27th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design team and its engineers to shoot each set of Oscar-nominated costumes to give readers an immersive up close & personal look at the award-worthy designs.

These are just a few examples of how Ray and his team are creating sticky AR experiences for news audiences and through this case study presentation he can dig into the technical, creative and journalistic requirements for successful AR activations in media.

Speakers

Ray Soto

Director of Emerging Technology , USA Today

Description

USC's JOVRNALISM has combined photogrammetry, 360, audio, AR -- and worked within Snapchat Lens Studio limits -- to create interactive, immersive experiences around homelessness, immigration and more. This session discusses how using the technology -- which is meant for light content -- can be used for serious, non-fiction storytelling. (One example: http://bit.ly/JOVRNALISM-HR-01)

Speakers

Chaitanya Shah

Creative Technologist , USC JOVRNALISM

Jesse Ryan

Multimedia journailst , USC JOVRNALISM

Robert Hernandez

Professor of Professional Practice , USC Annenberg School of Journalism

Ralston Louie

Interactive Developer and Designer , University of Southern California

Description

Social VR platforms like Facebook Spaces can help community builders and purpose-driven organizations innovate the way they engage their members and bring people together. Find out how ARVR Women uses social VR to elevate the visibility of their members and add value to the group.

Speakers

Iva Leon

Co-founder , ARVR Women and Allies

Description

Extended reality (XR) is the best medium for teaching individual students with interactive visuals. We typically lose attention within eight seconds, and only 20% of what we learn is from text. Experiential learning introduces elements of the virtual world into the real world to make learning more hands-on, but not everyone has an MR or VR lens. However, we do have AR devices, in a mobile form.

It is predicted that mobile users will adopt the use of MR and VR lenses in the near future. In the meantime, there should be a mechanism in place to allow learners to use the mobile devices they already have to consume content. This type of mechanism would give users confidence in the technology and help them graduate to future technologies with ease.

We will present a mechanism that enhances the learning process with the help of XR technology and explain how we use technology to promote experience-based learning irrespective of the type of device learners have. Make teaching inspiring and personal.

Speakers

Ranjith Yengoti

Chief Operating Officer , HoloPundits, Inc

Vinod Dega

CEO and President , HoloPundits

Description

Two years ago, Martha Mendizabal, cofounder of TecnoLatinx XR Lab, and former Wall Street derivatives broker, transitioned from investment finance to social entrepreneurship. Martha will share personal insight and experiences that have focused her work over the past 20 months.

This session will explore how shared value partnerships between business and social ventures have accelerated TecnoLatinx’ mission and impact; What solutions TecnoLatinx uses to generate education and employment opportunities in underserved communities; How students and teaching-artists are driving EmTech knowledge transfer that puts computing power in underserved communities; and how her team works to establish new use cases of artist expression while celebrating the experiences, power and spirit of diverse communities in Los Angeles.

Speakers

Martha Mendizabal

Co-Founder, Head of XR Education , TecnoLatinx XR Lab

Description

I will talk about the ROI on these type of interactive educational experinces and how they can help the schools in their community with their stem intiatives thru AR/VR.

Speakers

Description

According to a recent survey, there are over 1.4 million transgender adults in the United States. This doesn’t include the massive number of individuals under 18 years old that are transgender and non-binary. The number of transgender and non-binary individuals who are coming out is increasing every day. With increased awareness, education, and visibility individuals will continue to come out as their true selves. VR and AR companies have a massive opportunity with this community as a vehicle in a transformation of self. Dr. Kristie brings 12 years of clinical expertise and best practices of working with the transgender population. She will discuss new opportunities for developers with an understanding of transgender and non-binary users.

Speakers

Kristie Overstreet

Psychotherapist, Clinical Sexologist , Therapy Department

Description

Users aren't just watching your content, they're feeling it with their wearables. Brain patterns and heart rate are XR storytelling's new inputs. Peek inside the world's first VR & AR content channel powered by a brain-computer interface and heart rate to learn about a new study on XR's therapeutic impact on anxiety.

Speakers

Sarah Hill

CEO | Chief Storyteller , Healium

Description

Due to its ability to transport people into places and experiences beyond their reach, XR has tremendous applicability outside of enterprise solutions and gaming. Particularly, immersive media can be used to connect family members of all ages no matter their travel budget, time or mobility constraints. In VR people can hang out together, share memories and experiences, travel to new worlds, engage in health and wellness activities, and so much more.

In this session, we’ll discuss the research from dozens of focus groups with consumers of all ages conducted by AARP Innovation Labs and how we took that research, applied design thinking, and took a user centered approach to develop the new VR platform, Alcove. We’ll share how XR is a powerful tool for families to stay connected and build relationships when they can’t physically be together.

We’ll also share how through the development of this platform we’ve engaged the ecosystem of startups that deliver consumer content beyond simple entertainment and gaming, and how we, as an industry, can create virtual and mixed reality content that is valuable and accessible to all.
Additionally, we’ll discuss learnings and tips for building applications that incorporate the needs and considerations of people all ages, and explore the golden opportunity this industry has in addressing non-traditional consumer segments.

Speakers

Cezara Windrem

Innovation Catalyst & Head of VR , AARP Innovation Labs

Description

AR/VR Garden promotes human and bio-diversity, inclusion, empathy, cimate justice, and wellness. It started a few sketches of flowers created with Tilt Brush. I tweeted a link inviting anyone to remix or add to the garden. My friends were sure I'd recieve hate symbols and offensive drawings. I begged them to trust in humanity; I was not wrong! People around the world added to the VR Garden. As mentor at the Teen Tech Lab at the downtown library, members created AR embroidered patches of flowers for their own drawings in the garden. Our idea to match the AR Flower Patches to other teen's drawings and music samples will be executed this year for teens at libraries. Performed live in NYC, and Los Angeles, AR/VR Garden has recently visited Southeast Asia to draw with school children and underserved women in Cambodia, and Malaysia. This summer VR Garden will create a digitally immersive interactive exhibiton using AR and work with school children in China to use AR to activate their virtual reality garden. Creating a regional garden in 2019, will create a case study to propagate ARVR Garden globally.

Speakers

Paige Dansinger

Founder , Better World Museum