Anyone else get super bored when exercising? Not just me? (If you are one of the people who don’t — congratulations, you’ve beaten the system!)

For those of us who do, I’m sure we’ve all tried watching TV while exercising, blasting upbeat music, even propping up our phones to watch YouTube while on the treadmill. Of course, lots of people do like running or cycling outdoors so they can enjoy the fresh air and take in some real scenery.

But what about when you just don’t have the time to get ready and go out to exercise? Or the weather is really bad? Or there’s nowhere suitable near where you live?

How about VR exercise?

Now, while the idea of trying to run with a VR headset does not seem super appealing, I have tried it myself and let me tell you, the immersive experience does make it all the more bearable; and even a little fun! Particularly when it’s in a competitive setting, you can forget that you are not actually there, and focus on trying to win the race, and you’re out of breath before you even know it.

One company called Zwift has made just such a product. A VR cycling game which connects you to others in group rides and provides structured workouts and great scenery to ride through. You need to have an actual cycling machine in order to use it, so it’s not accessible for everybody at the moment, but highly recommended for any cycling enthusiasts who have the means!

Can VR revolutionize the fitness world?

Studies have also shown the potential that VR technology holds in the fitness sector. In one study, two groups were asked to lift weights, one while immersed in VR, and the other as a control. The VR group showed a 10% lower pain intensity and were able to lift for longer. (source)

Being able to do more strenuous exercise and for longer is a life-saver for those with no time (or motivation!).

Now, if only headsets would become a little thinner and lighter, it will really feel no different to going for a run outdoors with sunglasses on :)

Who wants to join us for a friendly race in VR?

Ready? Go! VR Fitness was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’ve all seen videos of (or directly experienced) thrilling entertainment in VR, such as roller-coaster simulators or interactive games, but how many of us have experienced the plight of a refugee or visited a war-stricken country in VR? The potential uses for VR are many and varied, but one that has started to gain more attention is the use for raising humanitarian aid. Though data and use case examples are still limited, some projects have started to stand out and gain interest.

Doctors Without Borders

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an organization that provides humanitarian aid and medical care to refugees in more than 70 countries, and has held exhibits since 2016 to showcase the stories and difficulties of refugees around the world to audiences in the US. The exhibit itself is currently running in San Antonio, Texas, and 360° videos can be viewed on their website for those who cannot make it.

The videos follow the MSF team through refugee camps and communities of displaced people and tell their stories and those of humanitarian workers in those areas in an immersive documentary form. The exhibit itself places participants into a 360° dome and makes them choose which items they would take if they had to suddenly flee their home, making it an interactive and memorable experience for all. The event is free, and highly recommended for those who can make it.

How VR moves our hearts

The possibilities for VR to evoke empathy in people are manifold. The immersive nature of VR means that once you put on that headset, you are transported to a different world, and the things you see there feel like your own personal experiences. As humans, the way we perceive the things happening in virtual reality are just like the way we perceive our own experiences, therefore making it easier to imagine the plight of those in trouble, and understand their situation almost as if it were happening to us ourselves.

We talked a bit in a recent piece about how it is this very immersivity and feeling of really experiencing the things we see in VR that can also cause a lot of discomfort and mental anguish in negative situations. But when used for social good as in the case of MSF, VR can be an empathy machine with the power to change people’s perceptions and call them to meaningful action.

Possibilities for the future

In 2015, one VR production company, Vrse, previewed a film called “Clouds Over Sidra”, a similar endeavor which documented the lives of people in a UN refugee camp in Jordan. $3.8 billion was raised after the UN showed this at fundraising events, and it is said that one out of every six New Zealanders who watched it donated, which was twice the normal number who donate. Read more here. Other VR documentaries including one which followed a large earthquake in Nepal also helped to raise donations for relief.

Though there are arguments against the humanitarian aid industry using more and more empathy marketing strategies to gather funds, the fact is that there are people in need all over the world, while many of us who live comfortable lives cannot begin to imagine their plight. In experiencing what they are going through and feeling it as our own experience, we can all learn a lot more about what is really going on in the world, and try to contribute to creating solutions. And wouldn’t the world be a wonderful place if everyone could have more compassion and a will to help others?

We hope that more and more people will take the opportunity to have these experiences, and that more companies and organizations will continue to provide the opportunities. Virtual reality is undoubtedly great for entertainment, but as with all new tech, we should also think long and hard about how we can use it to make the world better for everyone.

The MSF exhibition is being held until November 11th at San Antonio, TX. More info can be found here: https://www.forcedfromhome.com/

VR for Social Good was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Although it has now become a cliche description for the ideal remote work style, I think most would agree that the idea of being able to work while sitting on a beach with a tropical juice on hand sounds like a pretty nice way to live. How about if we made that a little more ambitious, and say that you could work from the moon, or underwater, or even in a secure glass cabin with dinosaurs roaming around outside? Does this sound crazy? Well, maybe it is, if we were talking about making this happen in the physical world, but when we are talking about working in VR, anything we can imagine becomes a possibility — yes, even the dinosaurs!

VR allows us to work remotely, and it also allows us to choose our environment, meaning that those who want to sit on a beach and work, can, and those who like the idea of sitting on a beach to work but don’t like the idea of having to squint at a screen under the bright sun, also can. And, those who want to sit on the moon and work, can too. It doesn’t have to be so extraordinary either; you could just opt to paint your office pink, or decorate it with lots of plants.

Our mission at Second Earth is to enable every person to envision and realize their ideal lifestyle. This will be made possible through a variety of services, the first of which, COMN, is aimed at providing idealistic working environments — and by this, we do not just mean being able to work at the beach, but also that it will be the ideal environment for concentration, productivity, collaboration, and management, as well. Second Earth is the name of the platform, or “world”, which these services ride on, and it is powered by virtual reality and blockchain technology for maximized immersion and security.

What is so great about working in VR?

COMN is our flagship product, and is, in essence, a service which provides a variety of rooms, or spaces in which you can conduct meetings, collaborate with others, or work alone for improved concentration. Use is not limited to any one group of people — whole companies can use the system for meetings in order to provide improved remote work options to employees and cut rent and transportation costs. Freelancers and nomad workers can also use the service to collaborate with others and carry out projects with improved efficiency and productivity.

You may ask, is it really that different from working remotely on a laptop and conducting meetings through teleconferencing software? The answer is, yes! It is completely different. The level of immersion that virtual reality offers is incomparable to traditional teleconferencing and messaging tools. Anyone who has tried out VR will know that it really feels like you are there in that space, and that the things around you are real. This makes communication so much easier and more natural. Add to that the fact your whole environment in VR is in 3D, meaning that you can generate as many windows and screens as you want and place them in any position around you, completely freely. You can grab pictures and project pieces and move them around at will, and you can compare a multitude of documents without having to switch windows. All while talking to the person standing next to you, regardless of the fact that they could be on the other side of the world.

Why do we think this will work?

Regular work-at-home, among the non-self-employed population, has grown by 140% since 2005, nearly 10x faster than the rest of the workforce or the self-employed, and 4.3 million employees (3.2% of the workforce) now work from home at least half the time. A study of 261 companies who implemented telework found that 53.5% of companies saw marked improvements, from increased productivity to improved lifestyles for their employees, and the ability to hire top-class personnel. With the number of co-working spaces expected to increase to over 26,000 in 2020, the shift to remote work and flexible lifestyles is becoming ever more prevalent.

The previous section gave us a glimpse into how work in VR is even more effective than simply working from home on a laptop. Then why have companies and freelancers not already started moving to VR work? The simple fact of the matter is that VR is not yet mainstream. However, this does not mean that it won’t become so. VR is in a stage known as the “early adopter stage”, meaning that it is a technology that still has incredible potential to grow. The advances in VR technology over the past year alone have been exponential, and in just a few short years it is expected that VR hardware will be light and accessible enough to become mainstream.

We at Second Earth are very excited to be a part of this new movement. Everything that we are currently designing for our VR office is being designed with the technology of the future in mind. We have researched extensively and understand the projections and how the industry is moving, and we are confident that our VR office will cater perfectly to the specifications of the VR technology available at the time of release. We believe that VR work is here to stay, and to prove such, we will begin working and collaborating in our own VR offices as part of our internal test run from November. We look forward to meeting you on the moon ;)

To read more about the technical makeup of Second Earth and for more information about use cases, market data, and revenue projections, check out our white paper on our home page here!

Second Earth in Context was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Everyone likes to focus on the positives of virtual reality, whether that be the increased opportunities for learning, working, shopping, or even health management. Virtual reality is indeed set to change our lives for the better in many unprecedented and innovative ways, and it is a future worth looking forward to.

However, with increased opportunities will also come negative downsides. One of the negative downsides associated with VR that is gaining attention is the increased potential for online sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is already prevalent in online forums and the the comment boxes and direct mail boxes of females (and sometimes males) online. The anonymity of having a username and avatar to hide behind tends to make people feel like they can do whatever they like and treat others however they want. This all becomes so much more problematic when it meets the world of VR, which is more immersive and “real” than any online experience to date.

When is real “too real”?

One reporter, Eva Wolfgangl, documented her encounter with sexual harassment on the popular social VR platform AltSpace. She described entering the virtual room curious to see what all the hype was about and being immediately met with a man who started to physically harass her avatar as she could hear his “heavy breathing” through the audio connection. She explained how it was the very “real”-ness that VR allows us that caused her to feel genuine discomfort, confusion, and even fear.

She then went on to discover that was not the only woman who had had such an experience in VR social spaces. One quick internet search will bring up various articles and personal accounts of women describing similar situations; and one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that, due to the highly immersive quality of VR it all feels too real, and often violating.

How should we approach this new issue?

The problem with cases such as Eva’s is that there are currently no laws governing sexual assault in virtual reality. Most laws concerning sexual assault require actual physical harassment to have taken place. Similar cases in a text-based social application called LamdaMOO in the 1990’s and in the popular social virtual game Second Life in 2003 ended without prosecution based on this same fact. Furthermore, how should we go about policing which deeds are considered purposeful acts of sexual harassment and which are harmless? Who can watch over every social interaction and decide when lines have been crossed? And how can we even go about stopping these acts from happening when the perpetrators have complete anonymity and freedom from any legal intervention?

Some countermeasures taken by AltSpace after the aforementioned event, and consecutive reports of negative experiences were the closing down of their most popular meeting space, and the introduction of a “Concierge” who watches out for unsuitable behaviour. There are also plans for users to be able to create their own rooms and invite only people they choose to meet.

How about Second Earth?

At Second Earth, we have a similar system in place whereby each user will have their own “My Room”, to which they can invite only people of their choosing. Furthermore, there is the option to choose any of the private meeting spaces we provide, to which you may also limit entrance to users of your choice, or members of a pre-registered group or community, such as your company or your friends.

One feature we also plan to include is the ability to block or mute users who may be causing you or others trouble, and turn on your “personal space” settings so that any avatar that comes to close to your own avatar will “disappear” from sight.

Social spaces, whether real or virtual, will always come with a plethora of problems just simply based on the fact that all kinds of people exist in the world and everybody has different boundaries and ideas of wrong and right. There will always be gray areas, and there will always be those that think they can do what they like because they are behind an avatar or basically [insert any other reason for bad behavior]. At Second Earth, our vision is to create a world that allows for social interaction and innovative collaboration, and which is safe and enjoyable for everyone involved. We will continue to stay up-to-date on the problems that VR users highlight, and come up with creative ways to solve these problems and create the best experience for everyone.

The Dark Side of VR was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

While we have introduced several features that we plan or hope to introduce into our general COMN collaboration space, we also aim to produce a personal space for each user, their very own “room” within the virtual space of Second Earth.

My Room is a new addition to our production plan as the user’s very own space, made available to each and every individual in Second Earth. In our vision, users would be able adapt their Room regarding size as well as individualised features and designs, in accordance with their usage/pricing plan, thus giving them the freedom to adjust it to their personal preferences, needs and circumstances. Of course, a private meeting in one user’s room would also be possible.

Being able to change your wallpaper or background, placing and moving different decoration items and furniture, watching movies or listening to music- — we are playing with different options to furnish each room with options that would them comfortable, yet convenient.

What would you like to have included in your own room?

Drop us a line and maybe your idea will become a reality :)

Keep following us on this blog and our SNS for more information, updates and behind-the-scenes stories on our production and development process!

My Room in COMN was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When a defining feature of virtual reality (VR) is the technology’s potential to expand our known reality and transport us to new and exciting environments, it is no wonder that people would want to “reach for the stars”. Taking a step beyond, here comes an art piece showcasing a “dance with the stars”.

Pairing contemporary dance with VR through motion-capture, Celestial Motion is a never-before-seen virtual dance experience that explores the movement of the human body against the backdrop of celestial spheres. Best enjoyed as a Youtube 360-degree experience with a Google Cardboard, this short piece is the result of The Guardian’s VR efforts and the artistic input of the Alexander Whitley Dance Company, in association with Sadler’s Wells Dance House in London. Shot in two stages, the groundbreaking art performance took form with the help of creative technologist and lead developer Luca Biada and production studio FENYCE in London: The performance of the costumed dancers was captured in Youtube Space’s 360 green-screen studio, while the motion capture section was filmed at Queen Mary University.

Celestial Motion was adapted from Alexander Whitley’s original stage performance “8 Minutes”, while incorporating new immersive elements and imagery. Switching between snippets of the dancers in their human form and them depicted as sketch-like figurines, Celestial Motion transports the viewer into unknown spheres, with a background of beautiful astronomical constellations as well as breathtaking shots of the sun. The viewer can enjoy the performance from several angles, switching frames and angles for an interactive experience. Although both the digitalised dancers in human form and their ethereal figures perform the same dance, the stark difference in depiction as well as the immersive powers of 360-degree VR caption allows for a completely new dance experience…

Celestial Motion can be regarded as another great example of VR’s immersive powers of visualisation. Switching between sketches and digitalised depictions of the dancers, this art piece transcends traditional dance performances to include beautifully crafted motion-capture pieces that are skillfully transformed to the screen with the help of VR.

Interested? Click here to enjoy “Celestial Motion”!
(Note: For a more immersive experience, viewing with a Google cardboard headset on the YouTube app is recommended)

With VR, the potential to expand our notion of art, of movement, even space has been newly defined. “Reaching for the stars” does not seem to be such an overstatement anymore…

For Second Earth, the goal is to create a world free of boundaries, incorporating connections indifferent of space and time, a new way of living that can overcome the restriction of real life.
With Celestial Motion, a new exploration of human movement and visual art has been released. Maybe your new avatar in COMN will be a rough sketch of astronomical lines…?
So much is possible in VR.
We are looking forward to exploring where our vision can take us. Stay tuned for updates on our journey!

Celestial Motion. was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“VRing” our way towards the development of the virtual reality (VR) collaboration space COMN, we have been testing and fine-tuning to get closer to the most user-friendly and beneficial service possible. In this context, the voices of those who might be using the service in the future are an invaluable source of information.

Remember the short trials we conducted some time ago to get a first rough impression for our VR office? As the cicadas were shrilly singing (more like: “crying”) and the summer heat was blazing outside, our participants were invited into a new virtual world, far removed from their somewhat tough surroundings. Of course, we got first-hand impressions and reactions regarding our service, but — almost as importantly — we got to see some giggles, truly wonderful reactions and praise.

Scroll down for some short behind-the-scenes tit-bits and episodes from our demo shoot!

What would “work” be without a bit of “play” on the side?

Japanese people are famously strict and serious about their work. Would it be easy to convince people to take part in a VR trial? … While, indeed, many participants were embarrassed at the thought of putting on the headset and have their reactions to an unknown VR experience filmed and documented, they were also eager to get an first-hand impression of virtual reality. For many, it was their first experience with VR and we were acutely aware that some might not enjoy it as much as we’d like. However, though some appeared slightly frightened as they were floating along the glass floor of a skyscraper in VR, everyone seemed to truly enjoy entering a new and exciting virtual world. VR’s truly immersive powers, case in point!

“Work&Play” took on a different meaning during our shoot. The shoot was fun in itself since, across the board, reactions to the demo were highly positive and prompted very promising, and outright funny, reactions — with a surprised “Ooooohhhhhh” in different pitches, volumes and involvement at the helm of our funny-reactions-reel. We were proud to introduce people to an unknown VR world, making them smile and wonder at the possibilities it was offering.

The shoot had a very “on-the-fly” and “indie” feel to it, but everyone turned out to be amazingly spontaneous and generous with their time — behold the Japanese’s interest in all things new and technological!

We will continue to work hard on our service, while never losing sight of the fun of developing and testing it. We look forward to sharing new developments and stories, episodes and inside-talk with you so stay tuned for more information!

Cicadas and blazing heat outside, virtual reality inside was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Far removed from the beginnings when clothes shopping was reserved for only the rich who could afford buying clothes rather than making their own garments, the evolution of retail shopping is gaining speed.

The evolution towards new forms of display and fitting started out in 1967 with Jean-Claude Bourdier and the film company “Audi-Visuel France” who used mirrors and reflections to project the head of customers onto the bodies of mannequins in the Parisian Au Printemps. Customers were able to “try on” dozens instead of a mere handful of outfits by using projections and optical illusions.

Further down the line, augmented reality (AR) has made it possible for customers to project clothes onto their own bodies in special shopping kiosks, or even their own bedroom. For instance, Zugara works with common web cameras and Kinects to transport users into their preferred shopping environment. Additionally, it allows social sharing and analytics which has the power to dramatically increase purchase intent.

And the next step?

Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to transform our shopping experience in a never-before-seen way.

In traditional branch stores, VR can make up for stock shortages and aid them even in catching up to online shops regarding choice and variety. However, same as traditional branch stores, online shops are also poised to profit from VR: Retailers would be able to depict clothes from several angles, choosing whichever background or lightning you prefer and showing real-time animations. Clothes can even be moved by the virtual touch… Further, since there are no space limitations, there are also no limitations to showcasing the products in all of their variety.

It seems to be only a matter of time before the technology will take over clothes shopping. There are obvious flaws to traditional shopping, namely time loss and stress that follow travelling to brick-and-mortar stores, but also to online shopping since the products cannot be touched or otherwise experienced, and VR shopping is set to fill this void.

Before, projections were limited to stationary models and buggy technology. Now imagine that you could project clothes onto your own body, with its specific measurements and movements. We would be able to e.g. visualise how sports clothes fit our moving bodies, in 3D and from all angles. Invite your friends to join your shopping spree and get their feedback, wherever they are. For customers, thus a whole new approach to product exploration is made possible, a social experience enabling deep involvement and immersion. Moreover, for the brand, the immediate “wow!” effect is set to increase brand image and engagement, an immeasurable gain in today’s tough competitive landscape.

However, it is also a fact that VR clothes shopping, just as the VR technology itself, has still not reached maturity. Even though VR headsets are no longer restrictively expensive, shopkeepers are faced with high introduction costs as their products need to be shot with special photographic techniques in order to make them compatible to VR.

Nevertheless, recognising the technology’s potential, several brands such as Ikea or Saturn have already worked with VR and, given the obvious strong points and benefits, it seem no big stretch to say that it cannot be much longer before clothes shopping will become a new virtual adventure.

Retail Shopping in Virtual Reality was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

New features in consideration for COMN

Moving towards the in-house testing stage of development, work on our very own virtual collaboration space COMN is in full swing.

While some parts of development are hush hush, others we are keen to give you some teasers about. Read on for a short overview of (some of) the features that are being tested and reviewed for incorporation into COMN.

Pen

While, so far, writing on the virtual whiteboard was restricted to using the controller in order to write with the pointing laser, a pen function is currently being tested as a possible addition to the tool box. Users would then be able to take a compatible pen in order to mimic writing movement on a desk or the like — the letters would be transferred into the VR space as handwriting on the whiteboard. Just like magic :)

Voice command

It is not only writing which is set to become more convenient in COMN. In our test-runs, we are experimenting to see if, with just a few voice commands, key functions in COMN can be started and controlled by the user’s vocal stimuli. And you would not have to lift a finger. It’s magic! :)

“Occurrences”

But not just key functions in COMN are set to be manipulated by voice command. We all know that meetings can be dreary and monotonous. We are (literally) playing with several options to change up the pace. Ever wanted to spice up your meeting by introducing some magic in the form of a blizzard, meteor or dragon? Just say the word ;)

While for many, VR in itself is magic, we are test-running features which could introduce actual magic into VR ;) Some features are still being tested and fine-tuned, while others are still in the consideration stage. We see a lot of potential in COMN! How about you?

Curious yet? Interested in testing COMN and feel some magic yourself?

Keep following us on this blog and our social media to get updates and information on trial opportunities!

SecondEarthUpdate: Feel the magic! was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Virtual Reality (VR) -

Moving from science fiction to cool gaming gadget to consumer good in lightning speed, the technology has proven in the past years that it is gearing up to change the way we work, interact and live.

And that does not only go for entertainment or gaming.

In 2017, Kalorama outlined that the VR healthcare business is booming: What was a $525 million business in the US only in 2012, has grown astonishingly to an estimated $976 million today.

Why is it so successful?

VR is all about visualisation, immersion, interaction as well as full control and manipulation. In healthcare, this can open up incredible opportunities. Here are just a few fields in which VR is transforming health and wellness care.

Pain Management

In an attempt to apply digital medicine to the perception of pain in relation to different illnesses, a programme at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in association with AppliedVR deploys VR to help patients manage their pain. VR is proven to distract patients from their pain and to shift their attention away from painful or uncomfortable procedures such as needle insertion. However, not only does this experiment apply directly to pain management, it is also an attempt to alleviate the perceived stress the confines of their hospital bed put on the patients and to find out how much of pain is purely mental and which part of it has a physical cause.

Training and Education

Even in our modern times, medical education is often still based on traditional methods of basic training with books and tests and procedures practiced irregularly (sometimes only once) on body parts in special centers. Sometimes, no operation room is available for training, sometimes tools are missing, sometimes there is no senior surgeon on hand to guide the student… VR solutions such as Osso VR allow medical students to practice procedures repeatedly, in an environment modelled after the reality of modern medical centers, possibly with the guidance of a specialist surgeon far away.

However, it is not only surgeons that can be educated by VR. In an attempt to utilise VR as a visual storytelling device, BioLucid designs virtual “tours of the body” to show vital mechanisms and connections in the body. This understanding can stimulate health literacy, patient engagement and therapy adherence. Patients enter an educational environment to support their understanding of how their behaviour can help their recovery.

Rehabilitation

Finally, even after immediate medical treatment, VR can be used to help recovery and rehabilitation. VRHealth is providing immersive VR experiences that engage patients in physical therapy without them even realising it. For instance, a VR game is designed so as to let patients interact with targets in a slicing motion in order to engage the shoulders and test their mobility. The physician present can then change the parameters of the game to adjust the exercise in a way that best facilitates recovery.

As the use cases above have shown, VR is set to revolutionise healthcare and even the perception of health. For several use cases, it is possible to create a better, more stimulating environment that helps learning, but also actively supports recovery.

For Second Earth, one part of our vision is to create a platform that supports real-life solutions in virtual reality. How about a brainstorming session or a seminar with like-minded people in COMN? Connecting people from all over the world in an environment specifically tailored to their needs is what we are striving for.

What will be the next revolution VR prompts…? Maybe it will be born in COMN!

Join our journey to find out how our vision is unfolding!

VR as a Digital Medicine Revolution was originally published in Second Earth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.