IMM Senior Thesis – Fall 2018

I attended the Dust or Magic panel with Jesse Schell and other speakers who discussed the future of VR, specifically its appeal towards children. I’ve had a growing interest in VR and knew quite little before attending this event. I saw it mostly as another medium through which games could be enjoyed. The panel discussed AR as well, which I’d only been exposed to through Pokemon Go before. Because of this talk, I not only have a better understanding of VR and AR, but I now know about many more applications than just games.

What struck me as most interesting was Jesse Schell’s equally educational and entertaining programs he was making at Schell Games. In the end, VR is supposed to be an exciting experience and as it is young, many people are still experiencing it for the first time. The industry is new and this leaves VR a topic for much debate of where it should head next.

Some new things I learned at the panel were the limitations of the technology. One of the main reasons why VR hasn’t taken off is because of accessibility. The Oculus Rift and other consoles that are specifically built for VR are hundreds of dollars, and out of many consumers’ price ranges. Some solutions like the Google Glass have been created, but they cannot compare to a native VR console. Another thing I learned was the view limitations with AR glasses. The field of view is only as big as the screen you have, which can lead to cutoff and an unimmersive experience. Out of VR and AR, VR is certainly further along and we will be seeing much more growth in the coming years. I was also surprised to learn that VR is on the same course as the television, something I couldn’t imagine not owning. If this takes off the same way the TV does, the future of VR sure looks bright.

Although I do not intend on using VR in my senior thesis project, this panel has definitely provided me with some insight going forth into next semester. Just because a new piece of technology hasn’t gotten big, doesn’t mean it’s not going anywhere. I’ve talked to a few people about incorporating Alexa in my project, and one of the biggest reasons for not using Alexa was privacy concerns. Voice UI is growing and is entering the homes of more and more new families. Experimentation and pioneers of the industry are the most valuable assets of new technology right now. Without experimentation, there will be no growth. This is something I will keep in mind during the development phase of my project.

A few weeks ago, I attended the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando, Florida. This event is basically a massive convention, trade show, and networking event all in one for the theme park and attractions industry. Everyone from the CEOs of massive roller coaster companies to owners of small arcades attend this event, and even people like me of course.

There are so many incredible technologies on display here, such as the latest and greatest in VR, full ride simulators, and even a British robot that you could hold a full conversation with. I was particularly excited to visit and talk with companies who have done work with Disney, such as Birket Engineering, Aerophile S.A.S, Dynamic Dark Rides, and Doppelmayr Garaventa Group.

There was also an awesome AR/Projection mapping experience which was found in the form of an interactive sandbox. The projector was overhead pointed down onto the sandbox and you were invited to dig and create piles and alter the landscape of the sand, and that caused the projected landscape to change in real time. I considered the possibility of implementing something using technology like this into my project, but realized that my current goals are already extremely high, so this may be a bit too much at this point.

Another very exciting part of the expo was the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) mixer which I was able to attend thanks to my employment with SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment through Sesame Place. I was able to talk to and network with people from Universal Creative, Nickelodeon Universe, and even Walt Disney Imagineering. I discussed my thesis project with some of these people and received very positive feedback and some good advice. The positive feedback from these individuals that I aspire to work with one day made me even more excited to continue to work on my project and to make it as perfect as I possibly can. It was suggested that for stability and consistency of my projection alignment on such a small scale, I use short throw projectors attached to braces that hold them in place, and build a housing for them to keep them from being eyesores. This suggestion absolutely changed the way that I have been thinking about my project, because before now, the projector has always been an outside source, removed from the project, but if I build around it, my final product will be more consistent, more aesthetically pleasing, and more “magical” as they would say at Disney.

For my industry I went to the New York Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Exposition. This convention went on for three days and I was able to attend the final day. I talked to several people at their booths and got to see a lot of cool developments the industry is making in VR and AR (though there were significantly more VR booths).

For the VR booths one that stuck out to me were a VR classroom that allowed students to construct molecules in a 3D environment. Another booth was more entertainment based, a new VR bar had opened in Brooklyn and they wanted to show off a bunch of VR games and get the public used to using the equipment.

For the AR there was a set of AR glasses that allowed a person to examine and move through various scans of the human body to try and find illnesses. There was also a AR company that used iPads and paintings to educate people on the forgotten/ignored events that shaped history.

In regards to my own thesis project, this expo mainly made me think about how many ways VR/AR can be used. There were booths focused on medicine, education, social awareness, entertainment, marketing, etc. Since this is still a very new field there’s so many industries trying to figure out how it can help them advance. The VR arcade booth also reinforced how much VR and playing VR game excites people. Everyone wanted to play the wide variety of games and the games with the tightest controls were the most popular.

For my industry event I attended the Dust or Magic conference. The event was a group of adults who take technology and use it to make learning for kids more fun. While I was there I participated in a workshop event where they took cups with words the contribute to the thinking/creative written on them and stacked the cups into a pyramid based on what the groups thought was the most important flow. After that I listened to two presentations, the first one given by a woman who covered how technology and interactive storytelling can take different forms and how her group goes about providing entertainment for families through technology and storytelling. The second presentation focused on analyzing the way children think. It covered different learning methods, how children currently interact with technology, and how to hook them on technology that will not just entertain them but also educate them. Given how my thesis project will take both of these factors into account to some degree, it was great listening to these lectures as I got to hear the words of people who do this for a living.