MEDIVIS is an XR application in surgery. It creates the 3D models of the human body (organs) through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, and then the 3D models can be used in AR as the environment. The application provides 3D realistic structure visualization for the human body through a VR environment, and the user can zoom the visualization (model).
Attractive Reasons
MEDIVIS provides two primary services: an AR-based surgical support platform and a VR/AR-based health education platform. The application combines two stages (training and working) with the same interface, which smooths the transaction for people from a student to become a surgeon. The teaching and reality tools intergrade together is a highlight which attracts me.
Another advantage of the application is that it offers medical students without qualifications to get real surgy experience. Every surgeon has the first time conducting the surgy for a realistic patient, but using the AR/VR platform beforehand can reduce the nervous or unskilled situations that may happen in real surgy. This improvement would increase the success rate for the surgy overall, which saves more lives.
Engaging Reasons
Compared to other XR applications, the highlights of MEDIVIS listed below make it stand out:
The application enables more medical students to have realistic chances to practice. By contrast, the number of medical students is more than the traditional practice materials they can conduct training.
Compared to the monitor screen or textbook, which only provides a 2D view, the application provides a 3D visualization of the human body (organs), which makes students benefit from the AR visualization as the real world is in 3D. Students obtain more intuitive interaction without relying on their imagination.
The application only needs a single glass to implement the provided features. The original devices used to support surgery, teaching, and training are sets of multiple large items. The application achieves better performance overall and is more convenient to use.
Highlights Features
Two main features are well done:
Reusable is a critical feature provided by the application. In the healthcare industry, every case is unique, and one limitation for practitioners is the experiences (illness cases) cannot be saved for further review in a traditional way. The AR application makes the model once and can keep it in the database to share for future reference.
Sharing the same view/opinion synchronously with other students makes abstract concepts in medical subjects easier to understand. With the 3D environment, students can get a deeper understanding of concepts, and communicating with others leads the learning experience to a new level. For example, the application could make students stand in the blood vessel to investigate around and look at the same parts together to discuss.
Improvable Features and the Way to Implement
Delay for realistic surgy may cause serious consequences. The devices for supporting surgery are connected wirelessly. The delay for using a cable is an order of magnitude reduction. The cable connection can make the platform more stable as well. Using high-band cables to connect devices when doing a realistic surgery instead of a wireless connection is necessary to improve delay and provide a more stable application.
Real-time scan modeling provides no pain discovery for patients would be a further improvement. This feature can benefit right before the realistic surgery to provide surgeon feedback for the patient and evaluate the risk of conducting the surgery, which reduces the danger of surgery. At the same time, creating a customized profile for patients is a benefit for further decision-making. The real-time investment needs more computing power and an efficient algorithm. Adding high-performance computing units and implementing a customized algorithm for this device would be the next step to improve the application.
Conclusion
In healthcare, the XR application brings a more intuitive way to better help both patients and doctors through its 3D visual interaction. It realizes the 3D existence in the real world, which greatly makes up for the lack of information caused by the lack of one dimension.
Do you still remember the wonders of exploring Google Earth for the first time? The amusement you get when you get to see the place you live, in 3D, or when you are experiencing the first-person view via street view in a whole different country you’ve never visited. Now imagine that, in Virtual Reality! That’s exactly what Google Earth VR is about, you get to put on a VR headset and travel the world in the comfort of your own home.
Google Earth is a program that utilizes satellite imagery to render accurate 3D representations of our planet Earth. It allows users to traverse the world to view these 3D images by controlling the rotation of the globe and zooming in and out to have a closer view. The fantastic street view functionality is also added to the program, allowing users to stand on the street and soak in the view from a first-person perspective [1]. The VR version of the software was introduced back in 2016 [2], and it is currently free on Steam [3], which means any VR headset owner can hop onto this amazing experience without any additional cost.
Given how the original Google Earth works and functions, it makes a whole lot of sense that the experience of using it in VR would be nothing less than incredible. I have tried it out on HTC Vive before and the experience was simply breathtaking. The immersion of catching amazing views around the Earth is greatly complimented by the intuitive controls and functionalities the program provides to travel the world.
Controlling the Earth [4]
Figure 1: View of Google Earth VR Tutorial
When booting up the program for the first time, users are greeted by an outer-space view of Earth and a quick guide on how to control the program. The software shows an actual representation of both your controllers to easily show you how to control the software. Let’s run through some of the basic controls together to gain a better understanding of them.
Rotate the earth by holding the button on the controller and dragging the globe around.
Fly towards the pointed direction by pointing the controller in the desired direction and moving the joystick/pressing the touchpad.
Change your orientation to place the Earth below or in front of you with a press of a button, this allows you to change your perspective of viewing the Earth. Having the Earth below you give a natural perspective view of the place but having the earth in front of you makes searching for a desired location easier.
See featured places, saved places, and search for places by opening the menu and selecting from the user interface.
Change the time of day by dragging the sky while holding the trigger button.
Street View is available when a tiny globe shows up at the controller and users can hold the globe closer to their eyes to have a quick glance or press a button to enter street view fully.
Teleport to a new place by opening a tiny globe on one controller and using the other controller to select the new location to teleport to.
With these controls, this VR experience enables users to travel to any part of the world and view the place from any angle as if they are there in person.
Why I absolutely loved Google Earth VR
Google Earth VR is a one-of-a-kind experience that makes you realize the potential that VR has for the future. It is the perfect demonstration of integrating VR into an existing piece of software to increase the immersion for its user. The original software allows the user to have a bird’s eye view of different places on the Earth, but it is confined within a two-dimensional computer monitor. With VR, you can simply rotate your head around to have a good look at the environment, this greatly enhances the immersion of the user. The way you control your position in Google Earth feels incredible too, you get to fly around to different places like an eagle or plant yourself on the street to experience being there in real life. I fell in love with this piece of software when I traveled to places on Earth I have never visited, such as the peak of Mount Everest or the Eiffel Tower, and caught the breathtaking views from those places.
The other reason Google Earth VR excites me so much upon using it for the first time is imagining the potential it has. If Google has the potential to model the entire Earth in 3D and have people access them in VR, imagine the future applications where we can put our own human model in a whole metaverse that’s a perfect replication of the Earth we currently have, and we can traverse anywhere in an instant and experience other countries’ culture from the comfort of our own home. Even now, people can use it to plan their travel to a different country by using it to check those locations and have a mental map of the places they are visiting. Parties doing urban planning can also potentially use this technology to experience in person what their future buildings and roads will be like.
Why is Google Earth VR engaging?
I believe that you as a reader would find the prospects of seeing different places on Earth in VR exciting too. Some reasons that make it exciting are its vastness of it and how unbounded it is. With the software of this scale, users would first be in disbelief that they can visit every part of the Earth, even their own home. Once they realized that it is entirely possible, their imaginations would run wild thinking about the next location to visit. Google Earth VR doesn’t bind its users to certain places but gives them the limitless potential to decide where they would like to go next, one can say that the only limit is the user’s imagination. Furthermore, people are compelled to explore around because of a very simple reason – Earth is beautiful. There are so many good sights that most people won’t be able to experience in real life throughout their lifetime, but this VR experience allows them to catch a close representation of it.
We can learn a few things about creating an engaging VR experience from this. One of them includes making the users feel that the VR software contains limitless possibilities, this pushes them to use their creativity and imagination when interacting with the software. This engages the users because they will feel more involved in the VR world that they are in. A perfect complement to that is a beautiful VR environment that captivates the users to remain in it.
Great features in Google Earth VR
The controls in Google Earth VR deserve high commendation as it not only allows the users to control their position in the software easily but makes it feel extraordinary to traverse around. It starts from the software’s choice to use the actual representation of the controllers instead of some kind of virtual hands. This makes it easy to indicate to the users what each button on their controller does. They also enhanced the experience by attaching stuff like a tiny globe to the controller that the user can hold closer to choose where to teleport to or access the street view, this approach of adding flairs to the controller creates a big impact because the controllers are the closest interactable object to the user that users will constantly look at.
The way users use the controllers is also very intuitive, especially the feature that allows the user to fly toward the direction it is pointed at, it’s straightforward but creates an amazing experience of soaring through the skies for the users. I also especially enjoyed the feature of adjusting the time of day by dragging the sky to control the position of the sun and moon, as lighting has a very huge impact on the visuals of a location and users can get to see how a place looks at different times of the day.
Lastly, I was amused by this feature in Google Earth VR where they limit your field of view to a small circle when you are moving around. I later found out this feature is “comfort mode” and is done to reduce the potential of VR motion sickness, this feature is toggleable because doing so removes the full immersion in exchange for a more comfortable experience for people prone to motion sickness [4].
What features can be improved and how?
Despite the amazing feats that Google Earth VR has achieved, it still struggles to fully represent our Earth as users will sometimes see blocky textures, texture pop-ins, and less detailed places. Understandably, this is more of a hardware limitation of the VR headset and limitations from the satellite scanning capability, but for a 3D rendering of the real world, the immersion breaks when users see these occurrences. Hopefully, as the development of VR hardware and software progresses, we will be able to achieve a closer and more detailed representation of our Earth in the VR world.
The other lackluster part about Google Earth VR is the difficulty in finding specific locations or points of interest. The software has a search location feature but typing in VR is difficult as you must point towards the letters on a keyboard and select them one by one which can be quite time-consuming. One way to improve the search experience is to perhaps add voice-to-text functionality commonly found in smartphones so that users can type in search fields more quickly. Besides that, the software doesn’t offer a lot of recommendations on point of interest and place labels such as those found in Google Maps, it does show road names, but it disappears when you get too close to the surface, which makes it hard for users to find interesting locations to look at when using the software. Good geographic knowledge can be very helpful for the user to look for their desired locations but adding more indicators and labels to this 3D rendering of the Earth can improve the experience when searching for places. This feature should be toggleable as having visual indicators is undesirable sometimes as it might break immersion.
Conclusion
Google Earth VR is a breathtaking experience every VR headset owner should absolutely try. It’s simply amazing to visit every corner of the world to see what this beautiful Earth has to offer, and this experience is perfectly complemented by well-thought-out VR interaction designs. It is exciting to live in times where VR technology is greatly advancing, and Google Earth VR is undoubtedly one of the cornerstones that shows the vast possibilities VR technology has to offer.
[1] R. Carter, “Google Earth VR Review: Explore the world,” 04 October 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.xrtoday.com/reviews/google-earth-vr-review-explore-the-world/. [Accessed 20 January 2023].
[2] M. Podwal, “Google Earth VR – bringing the whole wide world to virtual reality,” Google, 16 November 2016. [Online]. Available: https://blog.google/products/google-ar-vr/google-earth-vr-bringing-whole-wide-world-virtual-reality/. [Accessed 20 January 2023].
[3] “Google Earth VR on steam,” [Online]. Available: https://store.steampowered.com/app/348250/Google_Earth_VR/. [Accessed 20 January 2023].
[4] A. Courtney, “Google Earth VR controls – movement, Street View & Settings,” 13 March 2022. [Online]. Available: https://vrlowdown.com/google-earth-vr-controls/. [Accessed 20 January 2023].
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic over the past few years, the use of AR in the retail sector grew rapidly. It is even estimated that by the year 2025, up to 4.3 billion people would be using AR on a frequent basis. Top reasons cited by more than 40% of global consumers for not shopping online are — not being able to see products in-person and not being able to try things out before making a purchase. With AR and VR, fit uncertainty can be reduced, increasing confidence in purchase by providing a more immersive shopping experience.
Shopify AR
An example of how consumers can use Shopify AR
Shopify is an e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sales systems. It allows retailers to set up online stores and provides many different services and solutions for the convenience of both retailers and consumers. One of the services Shopify provides is Shopify AR, bringing a new dimension to customer service with the Augmented Reality (AR) experience.
Introduced in 2018, Shopify AR allows retailers to create interactive and personal AR experiences for their consumers on iOS devices, where products can be viewed from all angles and scale via the web browser, Safari.
Immersive Shopping Experience
According to a research conducted, the four broad uses of AR technologies utilised in the retail settings – to entertain customers, educate customers, help customers evaluate product fit, and enhance their post-purchase consumption experience. Shopify AR has use cases at every stage of the customer journey that retailers can leverage on.
Rebeca Minkoff shoppers can virtually ‘place’ 3D models in their environment with AR
One of the features is showcasing the product from different angles and scales via any iOS device with a camera and Safari. The consumer would also be able to place the object in their environment using AR technology, to visualise how the product would look and feel like if it were there. This simple feature entertains customers, due to its ability to transform inanimate 2-dimensional objects into 3-dimensional, animated and interactive objects, which creates fresh experiences that entertain and captivates customers. Additionally, by having the physical environment as a background to the virtual products, consumers can visualise how products would appear in their actual environment and context, helping consumers to give a more accurate evaluation about the given product. The brand, Reveba Minkoff also reported that there are 65% more likely to purchase when they utilised this feature on their website.
A traditional retail display reimagined in AR.
Shopify AR allows retailers to go beyond showcasing their products and having the consumers place them in their environment. Firstly, Retailers can choose to recreate a traditional retail displayed in the virtual setting. There would be no need to consider the physical restraints of space and inventory, and consumers would be able to explore the virtual space and products from the comforts of their home. Being a rather new technology, engaging AR displays would also be an avenue to enhance marketing campaigns and product launches.
Secondly, retailers can also create their own immersive local AR experience to enhance the shopping experiences of customers. For example, in a collaboration between the Jordan Brand, Snapchat, Shopify, and Darkstore for a pre-release sneaker during the NBA All-Star game in February of 2018, customers invited to the exclusive event were prompted to scan a mobile Snap code that reveals the new sneakers. The sneakers can then be purchased and delivered to them on the same day.
Demonstration of how a Gramovox floating record player is installed using AR animation.
Lastly, the platform can also be utilised to enhance consumers’ post-purchase experience. It can help to put products into context and provide more valuable and personalised information with clear and simple graphics. For instance, after a customer receives a product, an interactive tour can show them how to assemble and install the product they just purchased. In the video above, each part of the installation process is slowly animated to add a new, 3D visual that helps customers better understand the instruction manual included.
If brands and retailers can offer this post-purchase experience, customers could get more immediate and long-term value from the product, which improves their purchase experience and general satisfaction.
Why do you like this XR application?
As an avid online shopper, having the added AR experience would greatly enhance my online shopping experience. On most e-commerce platforms, only 2D pictures are shown, in much better lighting and it would usually be placed in environments that I may not be using them in. Hence, the product images shown may not be an accurate depiction of the product itself. Due to prior experiences of receiving products that are not the same as what was depicted, even with the simplest feature of being able to look at the product from all angles, zooming in to take a look at product texture and details would be of great help. I would also be more likely to make a purchase if I could see how the product would look like where I would like to use them, especially for furniture and larger items.
The feature is also easy to use, as I could easy switch between the AR and object mode with the click of a button. If I need to move the object, all I had to do was pinch it with 2 fingers and I could move it as I desired. The AR mode as shown in the image allows me to imagine the product in my own space and interact with it. If I find that it is a right fit, I would also be more likely to make a purchase, as compared to not having the AR experience. If I like how the product fits in my space, I can also take a picture using the button on the right to save the image.
What features are well done?
In general, Shopify AR has a simple interface and is easy to use. As mentioned earlier, the feature that consumers can use to switch between AR and the object has a simple interface. Both the AR and object functions fits the mental model of how these functions would behave and does not have any other functions that may confuse the user. This makes it intuitive to use, with little to no affordance.
The barrier to entry for retailers to use the simple AR functions are low, as they can easily embed the feature in their own website. Hence, it makes it much easier for smaller scale retailers to integrate simple AR features onto their own websites, without having to invest the time and effort to create their own applications (e.g. Ikea Place).
It is also easy for consumers to use it, since Safari and an iOS device is all that are needed, and additional downloads or installs are not required.
Potential Improvements
While Shopify AR greatly enhances the customer experience, there is still room for improvement.
Firstly, Shopify could try to include beauty categories, providing users with the option to see how they look like in different hair colours, hair styles, makeup and nails.
Secondly, Shopify could also provide templates to lower the barrier to entry for retailers of smaller scale to create their own virtual shops and spaces. I have observed that most retailers that have collaborated with Shopify for virtual or virtual-local experiences are those of larger brands, as they have the resources to create these spaces for their potential consumers. However, smaller retailers tend to not have AR experiences, or simply opt for the simplest features, discounting potential customers of their full immersive shopping experience.
Thirdly, if Shopify AR could to be integrated with e-commerce platforms with large user bases like Shopee and Lazada, it would benefit both sellers and buyers on the platform. The simplest features of Shopify AR would provide consumers with a much better shopping experience, especially for larger items like furniture. This could also potentially reduce the need for customers to return furniture of the wrong size, increasing customer satisfaction.
Lastly, Shopify could extend this feature to non iOS devices and other web browsers. Since 71.8% of mobile phone users use the Android operating system, while only 27% are iOS users. By extending this feature to accommodate Android systems, the Shopify AR user base would rapidly increase, which allows the retailers to reach out to more potential consumers, and consumers would also have a better shopping experience.
Conclusion
The rise of Augmented Reality technology, sped up by the pandemic over the past few years, presents great potential for AR technology to be used in the retail industry. While there is room for improvement, the user experience of Shopify AR has been great in enhancing user’s shopping experience. More research can be conducted to find out more about the impact of AR technology on various aspects of consumer behaviour, to further improve on the usage of AR technology in the retail sector.
References
Augmented reality brings a new dimension of engagement to the customer experience. (2018, November 15). Retrieved January 18, 2023, from https://www.shopify.com/sg/blog/augmented-reality-commerce
Augmented Reality in Retail A Business Perspective. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2023, from https://www.byteplus.com/en/blog/detail/Augmented-Reality-in-Retail-A-Business-Perspective-
K, S. (2020, May 27). Retail in a new dimension. Retrieved January 16, 2023, from https://medium.com/scapic/retail-in-a-new-dimension-503249c4e46e
Laricchia, F. (2023, January 17). Global Mobile OS Market Share 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272698/global-market-share-held-by-mobile-operating-systems-since-2009/#:~:text=Android%20maintained%20its%20position%20as,the%20mobile%20operating%20system%20market.
TAN, Yong Chin; CHANDUKALA, Sandeep R.; and REDDY, Srinivas K.. Augmented reality in retail and its impact on sales. (2022). Journal of Marketing. 86, (1), 48-66. Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business.
Lost Judgment is an is an action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG Studio), published by Sega and released in 2021. It is a spin-off of and is set in the same universe as RGG Studio’s flagship franchise, Yakuza, and is the sequel to Judgment, which came out in 2018. The game is a single-player experience featuring an expressive combat system and is also heavily story-driven, touching on topics such as bullying, justice and the importance of knowing the truth.
The game has a realistic art style and mostly uses 3D models and assets. It is set in 2 cities the player is able to roam around in. The first is Kamurocho, a shady entertainment district based off of Kabukicho, a real red-light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo. During the game’s night time, Kamurocho has many bright lights and signs which provide a contrast the dark roads and alleyways, doing an excellent job at selling the city’s culture of nightlife.
The second city is Isezaki Ijincho, based on Isezakicho, a shopping district in Yokohama. Ijincho is much bigger and has a variety of environments such as a high school, a park, and a bar district. It has a very vibrant and varied color scheme that suits a lively city.
However, I feel that Lost Judgment’s biggest strength aesthetically lies in its animations. Yagami’s fighting styles consist of moves inspired by various martial arts such as Aikido, Boxing and Kung Fu with stylish and over-the-top movements that are fun to execute and watch. Each fighting style also has its own combat music to make the player feel energized, and every attack feels impactful and weighty, making the combat not just fun to look at but also satisfying to play.
Technology
Lost Judgment was developed in RGG Studio’s Dragon Engine, which was originally developed for Yakuza 6 in 2016. The game was originally a Playstation exclusive, but was eventually ported to PC and is now available for purchase on Steam. This has also allowed the game to be modded more easily, as RGG Studio’s engines are highly scalable, and players have been able to import old models and animations from the older games in the series, as well as modding animations from Lost Judgment into RGG Studio’s other titles.
Mechanics
Lost Judgment’s primary gameplay loop comes from its combat system, where the player can switch between 4 distinct fighting styles and perform combos on enemies. The system’s appeal mainly comes from the wide variety of moves the player can use, which allows for very expressive and varied combat experiences. There are also heat actions, which consume heat, a resource the player gains by damaging enemies. Heat actions are special moves that deal big damage and have cinematic shots of their animations. Furthermore, certain moves can apply certain effects to enemies like stun, fear and agony, which can allow the player to perform special heat actions.
Story
Lost Judgment follows the story of Takayuki Yagami, a private detective investigating Akihiko Ehara, a criminal accused of both sexual harassment and murder. The main draw comes from the mystery, as the initial evidence used to accuse Ehara of sexual harassment acts as an alibi for him during the murder as the 2 crimes seemingly take place at the same time, which would allow him to get away with murder on a much lighter sentence. As Yagami works to uncover the truth, the case eventually leads him to the school Ehara’s son once went to, where he discovers a link between Ehara and a series of murders committed against bullies in Kamurocho and Ijincho.
Lens 50: Character
When it comes to character, games by RGG Studios are widely known for having extremely serious and climactic stories while also including silly and over-the-top moments, and Lost Judgment is no exception to this. For instance, the player can perform a heat action on enemies afflicted with fear where Yagami will perform a Kabedon on them, a move associated with a confession of love in Japanese culture, causing the enemy to pass out from fear in response.
Lens 79: Freedom
In Lost Judgment, players are free to roam around the cities of Kamurocho and Ijincho, and are rewarded with interesting substories and activities for doing so. The only instance where the player may not be free to roam the city is during a main mission, where the game has a fixed path and sequence of events it wants the player to follow, so it restricts them to a certain area or level.
Another aspect of the game which gives freedom is its combat system, where the player is free to tackle combat encounters in many ways due to the wide variety of moves and fighting styles. Together with the animations, this makes the game’s combat feel incredibly satisfying and entertaining.
Lens 87: Character Traits
As a private detective and ex-lawyer, Yagami has a strong sense of justice and regards the truth very highly. This can be seen in his actions and dialogue throughout the story. Although he does not go through much of a character arc in this game, his personality can be largely attributed to the events of Judgment, as much of his growth as a character was written in the first game.
The rest of the game’s cast are also quite likeable and fun, and are generally regarded quite highly among fans for their interesting and charming personalities.
Lens 68: Moments
Many of the key moments in Lost Judgment are climactic boss battles against powerful enemies that are also significant to the story. These are elevated by the intense soundtrack, as well as the dynamic intros that RGG Studios is known for. All of these serve the purpose of hyping the player up for the encounter and do a great job at it.
Magicplan is an AR mobile application that can be used for interior design. Typically, in an industry that utilizes pen and paper or a computer to draw out floor plans and design rooms, Magicplan provides a convenient alternative that can be used on the go. Users can “add a room” to the floor plan, and by selecting the “Scan with camera” option, users will be brought to an interactive AR screen where they can scan the corners of their rooms. Magicplan will then calculate the room’s length, breadth and height and produce a floorplan, with up to 95% accuracy.
Why is Magicplan engaging?
Magicplan has an intuitive and interactive design that makes it beginner friendly. Instructions are readily available on the AR screen for first-time users. It allows people who are interested in interior design to have a unique platform to try designing their rooms to their liking without having to go through the hassle of using measuring tapes and other physical equipment. Users are also now given a chance to plan out the rough design of their house, before engaging a professional interior designer. This benefits both parties as users can better articulate their vision for the design and designers will have a platform to input and share their opinions. Doing so reduces the chances of misunderstanding, which will be problematic in the future if the house is furnished wrongly.
What is Well Done about Magicplan?
Clear markings and measurements placed on objects in the environment
As users are scanning the room, Magicplan shows the measurements of the room on the objects in the AR environment. This makes it very intuitive for users the know which measurement is for which part of the room, rather than having the measurements on a side menu at the side of the AR screen.
The application also marks out exactly where the start and end points are, allowing users to double-check and ensure that the marked points are correct. If users are unsatisfied, they can easily delete that point and mark it again.
Measurements between some marked points
Realistic visualisation of the room (3D View Mode)
After the user has finished scanning the room, they will be able to design the floor plan accordingly. They can add furniture to their floor plan and adjust the size to their liking. After finishing the design in 2D, users can switch to the 3D mode and view how the room will look like. This was a game-changer in an industry that mainly used pen and paper during the initial design stage. Interior designers are now able to show how their client’s rooms were going to look before any renovation even begins. This allows clients to have a physical visual image of the end product of the room, rather than having to leave it to their imagination.
Connect to Bluetooth sensors
While Magicplan can measure the length of the room via AR, it is only 95% accurate. That may not be good enough considering that the next step after designing the room is to go through an expensive renovation. Mistakes in measurements can result in the wrong number of wall tiles used or buying a wardrobe that is too big for the room. All these are expensive mistakes that users would like to avoid. To improve the accuracy of the measurements to 100%, Magicplan allows users to connect a wide variety of Bluetooth lasers to aid in the measurements. This helps to double-check all measurements and ensure a mistake-free design phase.
Possible improvements?
Corner detection
One of the major flaws that I came across as I was trying Magicplan, was the application’s inability to detect a corner. As I am scanning my room, I could not accurately mark the first corner of the room. It was always slightly above or below the corner. I am not sure if it was due to the poor lighting of my room, but I think that this will affect the user experience. The clear and distinct marking of corner points that I mentioned as a “well done” feature, will end up backfiring. If the marking isn’t exactly at the corner, users will want to rescan that corner continuously till it is exactly where they want it to be. The problem is further exacerbated as all other points use the first corner point as a reference. So, if the first point is slightly above the corner, the lines drawn between corners will look elevated on the AR screen. This may affect the accuracy of the measurements, especially the height. A possible way to avoid this is for the application to have the ability to detect a corner automatically.
Conclusion
Magicplan is an interesting and ground-breaking application that aids in interior design and construction. It utilizes the potential of AR to improve an industry that mainly uses pen and paper. Although there are some kinks that need to be ironed out, it is useful application for anyone who is interested in interior design or has a profession in that field.
References
Augmented reality apps archives. Indovance Blog. (2022, August 11). Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://www.indovance.com/knowledge-center/tag/augmented-reality-apps/
Extended reality in construction – a new frontier for the AEC Industry. Indovance Blog. (2022, September 7). Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://www.indovance.com/knowledge-center/extended-reality-in-construction/
Magicplan Help center. Magicplan Help Center. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://help.magicplan.app/
For this post, I have chosen to discuss the VR application Half-Life: Alyx. It is a first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The game is set in the Half-Life universe and is designed to be played in virtual reality (VR) and it was released in March 2020.
One of the reasons why I like Half-Life: Alyx is that it is a great example of how VR can enhance the immersive experience of playing a first-person shooter. The game’s use of VR technology allows players to physically interact with the game world in a way that is not possible with traditional first-person shooter games. For example, players can reach out and grab weapons, ammunition, and even other objects that one could carry (e.g. boxes, crates, etc) and use them to fight enemies. This physical interaction adds a level of realism and immersion that is not possible with traditional first-person shooter games.
Another reason why I like Half-Life: Alyx is the game’s story and characters. The game’s story is engaging and well-written, with a compelling narrative that kept me invested throughout the game. The characters in the game are also well-developed and likable, with unique personalities and motivations that make them feel like real people. The game’s voice acting and motion capture also add to the immersion and realism of the game’s characters.
The game’s level design is also well-done, with a variety of environments that are visually stunning and well-crafted. Each level is full of details and secrets that make it feel like a living and breathing world. The game’s use of physics-based puzzles also adds to the game’s immersion and makes the gameplay feel more realistic, even more so thanks to its high quality physics system.
One feature that could be improved in Half-Life: Alyx is the game’s enemy AI. While the game’s enemies are challenging and provide a good challenge, their behavior can sometimes feel repetitive and predictable. Additionally, the game’s combat can feel a bit clunky at times, with some weapons feeling less responsive than others.
Another feature that could be improved in Half-Life: Alyx is the game’s replayability. The game is a linear experience and once the player finishes the game, there is not much reason to go back. Some additional modes or game mechanics that would allow players to explore the game’s world and story in new ways would be a nice addition.
Overall, Half-Life: Alyx is a fantastic example of how VR can enhance the immersive experience of playing a first-person shooter game. The game’s use of VR technology, engaging story and characters, well-done level design, and physics-based puzzles make it one of the best VR games available even with its flaws.
