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Three Expedition 60 crewmates aboard the International Space Station spent the day servicing a variety of research hardware. Back on Earth, three different rockets are preparing to replenish the orbiting lab with a new crew and more science and supplies.

NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague have been working on an array of science gear today supporting numerous advanced microgravity experiments.

Koch installed the HERMES facility researching the dynamics of asteroid and planetary surfaces with no atmospheres. She then checked out the Photobioreactor that explores microalgae as a means to support hybrid life support systems.

Hague was over in the Kibo laboratory module this morning configuring backup software for the Japanese robotic arm that maneuvers external experiments. After lunch, Hague replaced gear inside the Combustion Integrated Rack to support safe flame and fuel research in space.

The orbiting laboratory is gearing up for a high traffic period at the end of July. Two new Russian spaceships and a U.S. cargo craft will be occupying three different ports bringing the station crew up to full speed.

Saturday will see the launch and arrival of three new Flight Engineers aboard the Soyuz MS-13 crew ship. Astronauts Drew Morgan and Luca Parmitano and cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov will lift off Saturday at 12:28 p.m. EDT from Kazakhstan and dock to the Zvezda service module at 6:50 p.m.

Next, the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship is scheduled to launch from Florida at Sunday at 7:35 p.m. Hague and Koch will be at the helm of the robotics workstation in the cupola to capture Dragon on Tuesday at 11 a.m. with the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Finally, Russia’s Progress 73 (73P) space freighter will replace the Progress 72 when it departs the Pirs docking compartment July 29. The 73P is due to blast off July 31 on a short two-orbit trip before automatically docking to Pirs with food, fuel and supplies for the station inhabitants.

ILMxLAb and Fable Studio will duke it out for ‘Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Media.’

Both ILMxLAB’s Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Story and Fable Studio’s Wolves in the Walls: It’s All over have both been selected as finalists in “Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Media” at this year’s 2019 Emmy Awards, joining a distinguished list of accomplished immersive experiences honored during the long-running American awards program.

The news came via announcements made by each studio on Twitter, much to the delight of passionate VR fans across the web. Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR story, is a narrative-driven interactive sci-fi experience that puts players in the shoes of a seemingly average smuggler who, after being captured by Darth Vader, discovers he/she is capable of harnessing The Force. Players then embark on a short, but exciting adventure during which they’ll explore the lost catacombs of Vader’s Mustafar base and engage in lightsaber battles against ancient droids and Stormtroopers, all in an attempt to escape the clutches of the nefarious Sith Lord.

ILMxLAB has been hesitant to call this a full game, instead referring to it as a type of interactive cinematic experience that focuses on the life and motivations behind one of the galaxies most feared villains as opposed to just combat. The result is a surprisingly emotional journey that gives us a rare behind-the-scenes look at Vader.

“I raised a question, ‘What does Vader do when he’s not Force-choking people?’” stated writer and executive producer David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, Man of Steel). “What does he do when he walks into his meditation chamber, and his shoulders slump, and he doesn’t have the weight of the Empire on him for that moment? What does he think about? We tried to start to get at that in that [spying] scene as well.”

Fable Studio’s Wolves in the Walls: It’s All Over, is a two-episode experience that takes users into the mind of Lucy, an imaginative 8-year-old girl who, despite the disinterest from her family, is convinced the walls of her home are filled with wolves. Stepping into the role of Lucy’s imaginary friend, users assist in searching for evidence that will help Lucy expose the howling-threat to her family, each of whom presented as “visual metaphors” based on how Lucy perceives them. For instance, Lucy’s mom, dismissive and skeptical, looks down upon Lucy from a great height as she ignores Lucy’s plea for attention. Meanwhile, Lucy’s father practices music in a massive concert hall, completely out-of-touch with his daughter.

It’s an emotional experience, one that explores the difficulties of coping with loneliness, isolation, and unhealthy family dynamics. Part one and two feature 20 minutes of story; part 3 would have introduced an additional 20 minutes of content.

Last year’s Emmy’s included seven nominations for various immersive content, with Oculus Studios’ Henry taking home the award for “Outstanding Original Interactive Program” and Scatter’s VR documentary Zero Days for “Outstanding New Approaches: Documentary.”

Featured Image Credit: ILMxLAB / Fable Studio

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The popular Russian-made app returns with improved AI photo-editing, but there’s a catch.

FaceApp’s infamous old-age filter is back and looking better than ever. The popular photo filter app delighted users back in 2017 with an old-age filter that gave them a clear glimpse at what time has in store. Two years later and the app has once again returned, this time with improved AI-assisted photo editing technology that provides an even more accurate portrayal of your 80-year-old self; that is if you’re willing to give up a considerable amount of access.

Available free via the App Store, FaceApp’s old-age filter is once again a hit online, with everyone from Terry Crews to Drake taking the time to post seasoned versions of themselves on social media. 

Should I be concerned?

However, as with the original 2017 release, Russian-based developer Wireless Labs is drawing concerns from security experts over the amount of data users are forced to give the company in exchange for access to their app and filter.

“You grant FaceApp a perpetual, irrevocable… royalty-free… license to use, adapt, publish, distribute your user content… in all media formats… when you post or otherwise share,” stated UK-based Digitas strategist James Whatley in a now-deleted tweet.

Put simply, the app asks for permission to your entire photo library, at which point they would then have free range to use your likeness in any way they see fit. Unlike Apple’s first-party app, FaceApp uploads these photos to the cloud for processing, a fact that is never clearly communicated to the user in the terms and conditions. Even after you’ve deleted the app, the company would still have royalty-free access to your likeness, online handle, even your actual name.

This could be an especially large concern for the many celebrities who’ve so far participated in the #faceappchallenge, many of whom having built their entire career around their unique image and brand.

Maybe, maybe not..

However, several other security experts have since called shenanigans on Whatley’s claim, stating that Wireless Labs only accesses photos that users have specifically selected for editing.

As pointed out by TechCrunch, however, FaceApp is able to access selected images even when a devices photo access is set to Never. While Wireless Labs has remained quiet in regards to their use of cloud servers, the company has addressed several other privacy concerns surrounding the app.

So, are Russian developers stealing your name and likeness for commercial use? The answer is unclear; regardless, the fact still remains that the rapid development of facial recognition technology will only continue to raise concerns over security. Based on the current rate of adoption, your face could soon serve as your primary access to sensitive information. Now more than ever we need to be increasingly wary of who is given access to your likeness.

Personally, I find myself continuing to gravitate away from even the more established AR and AI photo-editing apps, including Snapchat and Instagram. But, then again, I’ve never had much of a desire to see a wrinkled, sagging version of myself.

The post FaceApp’s Old-Age Filter Is Back, Should I Be Worried About The Russians? appeared first on VRScout.

In den nächsten Wochen sind die Entwickler von Daimler Trucks mit einem mobilen Simulator unterwegs, in welchem Lkw-Fahrer die neuen digitalen Fahrassistenzsysteme des Actros ausprobieren und erleben können. Der Simulator befindet sich im Fond einer V-Klasse.

Den ganzen Juli sind die Entwickler mit dem Simualtor auf Autobahnrastplätzen entlang zentraler Verkehrsachsen im Raum Stuttgart unterwegs. Die Rückmeldung der Tester fließt direkt in die weitere Entwicklungsarbeit bei Daimler Trucks ein.

Der mobile Simulator ermöglicht den Daimler-Experten, die Fahrer in ihrem gewohnten Arbeitsumfeld anzutreffen. Dies gewährleistet zum einen belastbarere Testergebnisse, und zum anderen können die Entwickler in kürzerer Zeit mehr Lkw-Fahrer für die Untersuchungen gewinnen. Bei der Simulation kommen modernste Technologien rund um virtuelle Realität mit 3D-Modellen sowie Mess-Sensoren zum Einsatz.

Positives Feedback der Lkw-Fahrer nach ersten Probeläufen
Dr. Christian Ballarin, Leiter Advanced Engineering Daimler Trucks für Fahrerassistenzsysteme, autonomes Fahren und Konnektivität bei Daimler Trucks: „Das Feedback der Lkw-Fahrer nach ersten Probeläufen ist sehr positiv. Die Fahrer freuen sich, dass wir sie aktiv in die Weiterentwicklung

der Bedien-Systeme, die sie tagtäglich in ihrem Berufsalltag verwenden, einbeziehen – und damit auch über die entgegengebrachte Wertschätzung. Ein großer Pluspunkt unseres mobilen Testlabors ist, dass wir damit zu den Fahrern kommen und nicht umgekehrt. Indem die Fahrer in ihrem beruflichen Umfeld testen, ist ihr Feedback noch authentischer. Dies stellt einen enormen Mehrwert für unsere Entwicklungsarbeit dar.“

Untersuchung der Anwenderfreundlichkeit der Menüführung
Die Lkw-Fahrer tragen während des Tests eine spezielle elektronische 3D-Brille, in welcher sie das Lkw-Cockpit samt Fahrsituationen virtuell sehen. Zusätzlich halten die Fahrer das dazugehörige Lkw-Multifunktionslenkrad physisch in Händen. Lenkrad und 3D-Simulation sind miteinander gekoppelt. In diesem ersten Schritt der neuen Testreihe untersuchen die Daimler-Ingenieure hauptsächlich die Anwenderfreundlichkeit der Menüführung in zukünftigen Cockpit-Bildschirmen sowie die Akzeptanz des Portfolios unterschiedlicher Apps bei den Lkw-Fahrern.

Auswahl der Teilnehmer erfolgt per Zufall
Zwei Experten von Daimler Trucks sind während der Tests im mobilen Simulator mit dabei und beobachten bzw. protokollieren die Reaktionen und Aussagen der Lkw-Fahrer. Zusätzlich zeichnen Sensoren die Bewegungen der Fahrer auf, was weitere Rückschlüsse auf die Nutzerfreundlichkeit der Systeme zulässt. Ein Test dauert ca. 20 Minuten. Die Auswahl der Teilnehmer erfolgt rein zufällig vor Ort auf den Rastplätzen durch die Daimler-Entwickler. Die Tests sind vollkommen anonym.

Quelle:

Daimler Trucks

Lkw-Fahrer können neue digitale Fahrzeugsysteme in mobilem Simulator testen

Investments span consumer and enterprise / commercial segments

Asia Pacific spending on augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) is expected to reach $7.5 billion in 2019, representing an increase of more than 100 per cent from the previous year.

According to IDC findings, investments are expected to grow at an annual rate of 81 per cent until 2023, spanning consumer and enterprise / commercial segments.

The analyst firm also predicts a “considerable increase” in AR/VR spending within distribution and services and the public sector, resulting in combined spending of $30.7 billion by 2023. Other key sectors of growth include personal and consumer services, retail, education and healthcare.

“As new enterprise grade hardware hits the market and several enterprise software companies that offer content development and design tools such as Adobe, PTC and Autodesk add AR/VR capabilities to their platforms, many enterprises are exploring use of AR/VR for a variety of use cases such as training, maintenance, digital prototyping, architectural designs, retail showcase and remote collaboration,” said Avinav Trigunait, research director at IDC.

“As organisations prepare for the future of work, the lines between digital and physical continue to blur and commercial spending is expected to further gain momentum over the next few quarters as more projects come out of pilots and hit production driving both headset volumes and more importantly software and services spend.”

According to Ritika Srivastava – associate market analyst at IDC – “robust growth” in AR hardware, software and services spending will drive overall AR spending “quite ahead” of VR spending by 2023.

“AR/VR technology can deal with most of the requirements of the future of businesses in this millennials workforce from facilitating better corporate training experiences to improvise collaboration, giving shape to new ideas to product design and development,” Srivastava added.

“Furthermore, industries like personal and consumer services, construction, education, retail and healthcare provider are expected to be potentially disrupted by this technology with the combined spending of $29.5 billion by 2023.”

Quelle:

https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/663768/customer-spending-augmented-virtual-reality-doubles/

Trigunait said hardware will account for more than half of all AR/VR spending throughout the next four years followed by software and services.

The largest category of hardware spending will be VR host devices, but AR viewers will have the highest growth rate over the forecast period, at an annual rate of 200 per cent.

Meanwhile, AR software will be the second fastest growing category, enabling it to overtake VR software spending by 2023.

Die Angst und das Schmerzempfinden bei einem medizinischen Eingriff kann man bei Kindern offenbar deutlich abmildern, wenn sie mithilfe einer VR-Brille in eine andere Welt abtauchen. Ein Faktor ist dabei entscheidend für den Erfolg.

Von Elke Oberhofer

Inwieweit sich Kinder mithilfe der virtuellen Realität (VR) von schmerzhaften oder angsteinflößenden Eingriffen ablenken lassen, hat ein Team aus den Niederlanden untersucht (Anesthesia Analgesia 2019; online 23. Mai). In der Metaanalyse von 17 Studien waren die Effektstärken deutlich, sowohl für die Reduktion von Angst als auch von Schmerzen.

In sechs der ausgewählten Studien hatte man die VR bei der Versorgung von Brandwunden eingesetzt, in zwei während eines zahnmedizinischen Eingriffs. Jeweils vier Studien hatten sich auf venöse Zugänge beziehungsweise Maßnahmen im Rahmen einer onkologischen Behandlung (beispielsweise Lumbalpunktion, Portzugang oder Chemotherapie) fokussiert.

In allen Studien hatten die Kinder während des Eingriffs ein HMD (Head-Mounted Display) getragen, wodurch sie die Illusion erhielten, sich in einer virtuellen Welt zu befinden. In einer weiteren Studie wurde die VR-Brille ausschließlich vor dem Eingriff genutzt, nämlich zum Angstabbau vor einer elektiven Operation unter Allgemeinanästhesie.

Stärkste Wirkung bei Verbrennungen Bei 14 der in die Metaanalyse untersuchten Studien handelte es sich um randomisierte kontrollierte Studien, wobei die VR der jeweils üblichen Versorgung gegenübergestellt wurde. Letztere konnte auch konventionelle Ablenkungsmaßnahmen wie Fernsehen oder Musikhören enthalten. Im Schnitt waren pro Studie 38 Kinder beteiligt; die Teilnehmer waren zwischen 4 und 21 Jahre alt.

Bei den Studien zum Schmerz (n = 14) war die mithilfe von Fragebögen beziehungsweise visuellen Analogskalen erfasste Effektstärke ausgeprägt, mit einem SMD (standardized mean difference) von 1,3 (95%-KI 0,68–1,91; p < 0,001). Die schmerzlindernde Wirkung wurde von außenstehenden Beobachtern bestätigt.

Alter ist entscheidend

Wie die Forscher um Robin Eijlers von der Kinderklinik des Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam betonen, nahm der Effekt jedoch mit zunehmendem Alter der Kinder ab (pro Lebensjahr um 0,26). Am besten funktionierte die Intervention bei Kindern mit Brandwunden, gefolgt von Kindern, bei denen Blut abgenommen werden sollte.

Bei den onkologischen Maßnahmen zeigte sich dagegen in puncto Schmerzen kein signifikanter Unterschied zur Vergleichsgruppe.

In sieben Studien wurde (auch) der Effekt der VR als Angstlöser untersucht. Die Effektstärke war auch hier beachtlich (SMD 1,32; 95%-KI 0,21–2,44; p = 0,2), und auch hier wirkte die Intervention bei jüngeren Kindern besser als bei älteren. Ihren Zweck erfüllte die VR speziell auch bei der Angst vor onkologischen Maßnahmen (SMD 0,53).

Für Eijlers und Kollegen ist die angstlösende Komponente der VR insofern bedeutsam, als antizipatorische Ängste vor einer medizinischen Intervention nicht nur Stress, sondern auch Schmerzen während der Maßnahme verstärken können.

Die Tatsache, dass vor allem jüngere Kinder auf die VR ansprachen, erklären die Forscher damit, dass bei ihnen das „magische Denken“ oft noch sehr stark ausgeprägt sei. Dadurch seien sie in der Lage, sich vollständig von einer Fantasie in Bann schlagen zu lassen. Bei der VR wird das Eintauchen in die imaginäre Welt dadurch verstärkt, dass man im jeweiligen Szenario nicht nur die Position, sondern auch Raumorientierung und Perspektive wechseln kann.

Was schränkt die Studie ein?

In den einzelnen Studien kam allerdings sehr unterschiedliche Software zur Anwendung; außerdem viele verschiedene medizinische Maßnahmen, bei denen der VR-Effekt untersucht wurde. Das schränkt die Generalisierbarkeit der Befunde ein.

Fazit: Die Virtuelle Realität lässt sich in der Pädiatrie möglicherweise dazu nutzen, Ängste und Schmerzen bei Kindern im Zusammenhang mit medizinischen Maßnahmen abzubauen. Vor dem Einsatz in der Praxis sind weitere Studien zur Objektivierung der Effekte erforderlich..

Quelle:

https://www.aerztezeitung.de/medizin/krankheiten/kindergesundheit/article/992287/weniger-angst-schmerzen-bann-virtuellen-fantasie.html

Foto:

Vor allem jüngere Kinder sprachen auf die VR an. Bei ihnen ist das „Magische Denken“ noch ausgeprägter. © Newman Studio / Getty Images

The same technology that’s revolutionizing video games is being used to develop new drugs and fight some of the world’s deadliest diseases.

Chemists at C4X Discovery are using the virtual reality technology behind popular game Fortnite to visualize the structure of complex molecules. The tool, called 4Sight, has already been used to create a drug that is now in development to treat addiction.

Biochemists are also using the technology to develop drugs to tackle other diseases, such as cancer and Parkinson’s.

Visualizing molecules

Scientists traditionally used physical models to visualize drugs. But 4Sight allows drug developers to grab hold of virtual molecules and see how they move and respond to stimuli.

The key to drug design is finding the right shape for the molecule to fit inside the targeted protein pocket. If you get the wrong shape, the molecule could fail to attach or even lodge in a different pocket, causing side effects.

„Moving molecules around that are very complicated is so much easier by grabbing them than by trying to use a mouse on a keyboard,“ says Craig Fox, chief scientific officer at C4X Discovery.

The company claims that the technology could help to reduce the margin of error during the drug discovery process and enable scientists in different locations to work on drug models in the same virtual room.

„It takes about 10 to 12 years to take a drug from the concept to the market,“ says Fox. „It’s often described as trying to find a needle in a haystack.“

It’s also exceedingly expensive. It costs $2.6 billion on average to develop a new prescription medicine that gains market approval, according to the Tufts Center for Study of Drug Development.

Gamification

Anything that helps speed up the development process and make it less laborious for scientists is welcome. That’s why C4X Discovery hired former video game developer Phil Muwanga for the job of lead coder.

„The software is the same as a game,“ says Muwanga, „we have a user base, we’re trying to get them to do tasks over and over again. And we’re trying to do it in a fun and intuitive fashion.“

4Sight enables scientists to visualize the unique 4-D data (measuring space and time as well as length, width and depth) that C4X Discovery has accumulated on small drug molecules.

„We are making a scientific tool that scientists will use to improve their daily lives,“ says Muwanga. „That being said I am from the games industry and I do treat this as a game — people interact with it in the same way.“

Other applications

Virtual reality has shown its potential in other areas of health care.

It’s been used as a tool for medical training, with students learning about the human anatomy through simulation. Surgeons can use it to prepare for complicated surgeries, and it’s even been used as a tool for pain relief.

The global market for artificial and virtual reality in health care is projected to reach $5.1 billion by 2025, according to a 2017 report by Grand View Research.

The biggest pharma companies recognize potential of virtual reality tools. Novartis is using them in the drug design process, and Pfizer has experimented with applications from clinical trial design to manufacturing.

„We believe immersive technologies can in the future provide cognitive behavioral assistance and even telehealth,“ says Jim Mangione, Pfizer’s director of emerging technologies.

Quelle:

https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/06/25/business/virtual-reality-scientist-drug-discovery/index.html

Foto:

Scientists will be able to reach out and touch the molecules virtually
4Sight is more sophisticated than the typical ball-and-stick model

The VR tool could be used by scientists in different locations at the same time