Our carefully curated selection of the most inspiring news and stories about metaverse delivered to your inbox bi-weekly.
The ultimate 3D platform for offering Aha! moments to clients
It’s not always a walk in the park to communicate the benefits of your products or services to your clients. PowerPoint slides or videos usually don’t allow your clients to dive deeper into your product’s technical properties or uncover what lies beneath the surface.
Our partner, JigSpace’s award winning 3D presentation platform offers a wide variety of features that let you tell the story of your product visually, interactively, and memorably! In a step-by-step manner, your target audience can explore your product in 3D; zoom, rotate, and access new information about specific details.
4 positive ways the metaverse can impact your business
Forbes lists four examples of how organisations can benefit from the Metaverse, the next evolution of the internet. Various interactive and immersive technologies, such as 3D, AR, and VR and their integrations to different systems, play a significant role in both current and future business operations, spanning from marketing activities to HR processes.
Read more on Forbes
Retail AR experiences powered by Google and Adobe
Rock Paper Reality (RPR) utilizes Google’s Geospatial Creator and Adobe Aero to bring a location-based AR customer experience to Paper Tree, a San Francisco-based origami shop. Through QR codes, the customer can explore origami in augmented reality.
“It gets the viewer up close, where they can see incredible detail. The 3D animation of the Peace Sphere literally brings the Origami to life, enhancing its design.” says Linda Mihara, Manager and part-owner of Paper Tree.
By creating in-store AR experiences marketing or brand teams don’t need to spend that much money on physical assets and transportation of advertising items.
Read more on XR Today
Stereoscape’s Kenneth Korhonen talked about the role of XR in green transformation at MPD 2023
Stereoscape was well represented at the Manufacturing Performance Days event in Tampere on June 5-7 2023. In addition to showcasing different AR-solutions at the joint stand with our partner TeamViewer, Stereoscape’s Director for Industrial XR Solutions Kenneth Korhonen also participated in the panel discussion “Digitalisation for Green Transformation” where he talked about how XR solutions support the green transformation.
Stereoscape’s partner JigSpace featured in the Apple Vision Pro announcement
Our partner JigSpace, known for their 3D design platform by the same name, was featured in the Apple Vision Pro announcement. The announcement broadcast showcased JigSpace’s collaboration with Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake.
Read more on JigSpace.
We wish everyone a good summer! 🌞
The whole Stereoscape team wishes you all a very sunny and relaxing summer. Our bi-weekly newsletters will have a summer break but you can follow our LinkedIn page, where we will share interesting stories about virtual solutions throughout the whole summer.
[Interview] Dell engages customers with Stereoscape’s interactive content at MWC 2023
In our newest blog Stereoscape’s Creative Strategist Janne Itäpiiri shares his experiences from Stereoscape’s recent collaboration with Dell and MultiTaction to create eye-catching content for the Barcelona Mobile World Congress.
The biggest closing ceremony of Finnish schools was held in the metaverse
Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE organised the biggest closing ceremony of Finnish schools at metaverse platform Roblox on 3 June 12-17 pm. The event was titled “Päättärit x Yle Summeri & YleX” and featured a different program every hour. The main centre point of the event was the marketplace (“Tori”) where participants of the ceremony could hang out, play, take selfies with celebrities and attend gigs of Finnish artists. A new version of the summer hymn Suvivirsi was performed by Yle Summer host Elo.
Read more on YLE.
Findings from TCS Futurists: Digital twins will become commonplace across business and society by 2035
Based on a study conducted in the Delphi Technique, TCS Futurists have prepared The Digital Twindex which illustrates the reasons behind exponential adoption and interest of digital twins today.
Respondents in the study see that healthcare (52%), mobility (52%) and retail (47%) industries will be the fastest adopters of digital twins. Connected, real-time healthcare and efficient energy management are perceived to be use cases that will most benefit human lives.
Read more on TCS.
The new 3D animation for Outokumpu shows how Oil and Gas industry benefits from stainless steel
Outokumpu and Stereoscape continue their fruitful collaboration by creating an informative and visually stunning 3D animation showing how oil and gas companies benefit from using stainless steel.
7 ideas for a successful trade show marketing strategy shared by JigSpace
In their blog 3D design platform developer JigSpace shares 7 tips for making trade shows successful. The blog explains, among other things, how an automation company Automata has benefitted from using immersive 3D presentations which enabled more engaging presentations and reduced costs of product transporting.
Read more on JigSpace.
Metaverse used by Space Force to predict effects of spaceport congestion
The US Space Force has made simulations of space launch operations by replicating them in a digital 3D reality, which in recent years has often been referred to as the metaverse.
By using the technology Space Launch Delta 45 attempts to tackle the challenges of growing spaceport congestion and increased launch rates.
“So we launched a rocket and we were able to tell geospatially what was within that domain and within that area, taking in direct sensor feeds”, explains Jennifer Arnold, head of NVIDIA’s federal business.
NVIDIA’s Omniverse collaboration platform was one of the platforms used to merge the real-world telemetry data from rockets and Maxar’s satellite imagery data.
Read more on Spacenews.
[Interview] Why did Tamro create a virtual tour with Stereoscape?
Why would a pharmaceutical operator need a virtual tour of its activities? In our newest blog Tamro’s events producer Saana Lehmussaari shares the vision for and insights from the creation of a virtual tour of its Tampere site.
Europa Experience, an interactive exhibition enables its visitors to discover how the European Union works
The European Union offers its Paris visitors an interactive and immersive exhibition where they can see how the European Union works and how they can shape its future.
The exhibition features a 1500 m2 multimedia space on three floors including an immersive 360 film, multiple multimedia stations, an augmented reality space and a role-play game area where participants can step into the shoes of an MEP.
Read more on the European parliament website.
2.4% of US GDP could be contributed by Metaverse by 2035, study shows
A new study by Facebook owner Meta Platforms claims that the metaverse could contribute $760 billion or about 2.4% to U.S. annual gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035. Defense, medical and manufacturing sectors as well as entertainment use cases could be the major factors providing economic gains according to the study.
Read more on Reuters.
Finnish research shows that VR training has positive impacts on promoting safety culture
Preliminary research results obtained in SLIVeR (Safety Learning in Immersive Virtual Reality) research project show that training in virtual reality positively impacts attitudes of improving workplace safety. The experiment utilised Virtuario’s VR learning environments.
These learning results were reported instantly after the experiment:
- The motivation to improve workplace safety increased
- Ability to observe workplace hazards became stronger
- Benefits of doing hazard spotting were seen more clearly after the training session
- A sense of control to promote safety behaviour was reported only among those trainees who used a VR learning environment with a high level of interactivity
It was also reported that participants using the VR training environment with a high level of interactivity were more self-imposed to promote workplace safety compared to those using an environment with low level of interactive during a two-month reference period.
These research results are preliminary and haven’t been peer reviewed yet. Stereoscape is part of the SLIVeR project as a funder.
The first-ever Metaverse Beauty Week to be held this summer
Beauty brands are showcasing themselves at Roblox, Decentraland and Spatial at a five-day festival during June 12-16. The festival carrying the tagline “Reality Gets a Makeover,” is designed by creative agency Cult. The attendants can expect different kinds of activities such as treasure hunts, try-ons and NFT wearables.
“We want consumers to experience beauty in a way like never before. “The premise of our messaging is that it’s time for beauty to have a reset”, says Daisy Haywood, creative brand manager at Cult.
Read more on Marketingdive
New AR Features for businesses and events revealed by Snap
Snap has revealed that there will be new augmented reality features coming to AR Enterprise Services (ARES) technology suite and Snapchat.
New additions to ARES are AR mirrors which enable businesses to offer AR experiences at their physical stores and events allowing customers to virtually try on products and find more information about them.
Snapchat, on the other hand, will feature AR Compass and 3D map features for festival attendees for easier navigation. Number of venues and tours will also allow attendees to see AR content through Snapchat’s camera making it possible to interact with the on-stage visuals.
Read more on Adweek
Stereoscape at Murros 2023 and SolverX
Next week Stereoscape is participating in two tech events. Murros 2023, taking place on April 18 in Kerava’s Keuda-talo, focuses on utilisation of new technologies in vocational education and training. Make sure to pay a visit to Stereoscape’s stand to test the newest virtual training solutions. You can also watch the event live on YouTube or attend it remotely via Keuda Metaverse.
Check out the program here.
You can also meet Stereoscape’s experts in SolverX taking place in Wanha Satama, Helsinki on April 19-20. SolverX is a tech event where companies present their ideas or challenges on stage. After the pitch, they can find a suitable partner from the audience for their business challenges. Stereoscape’s experts Toni and Tomi are available to discuss the versatile use cases of virtual technologies.
Read more on SolverX website.
Visitors of Swiss Museum of Transport can experience cliff diving with Varjo headset
Visitors of the Swiss Museum of Transport can take part in a cliff diving experience in mixed reality with the Varjo XR-3 headset. The experience is part of the “Water – Breaking the Surface” exhibition enabling people to step into the shoes of Red Bull athletes. The Red Bull Cliff Diving experience is considered a highlight of the experience taking place on a 27-meter-high cliff in Sisikon. The exhibition will be open daily all year round.
Read the Varjo case study to learn more.
7 metaverse related events to attend in 2023
XRToday has listed their top 7 metaverse-themed events taking place around the world this year. The events are a great way for different companies, especially those which are at an early stage of metaverse adoption, to learn about the potential of metaverse for their business. Traditionally the majority of these kinds of events have enabled participants to attend them remotely as well.
Read more on XRToday.
Latest industrial metaverse trends – Kenneth Korhonen’s trip to TeamViewer EMEA Partner Summit
Stereoscape’s industrial solutions expert Kenneth Korhonen travelled to TeamViewer EMEA Partner Summit 2023 in February. On his trip to Manchester, Kenneth discussed the latest industrial metaverse trends with various experts and got new and interesting insights about the topic, which he now shares with us on Stereoscape’s newest blog.
Tommy Hilfiger opens up a multi-metaverse hub
Tommy Hilfiger opens a space within Decentraland with connections to other popular metaverse platforms such as Roblox, Spatial, DressX and Ready Player Me.
The hub, designed by virtual retail tech developer Emperia, will include different kinds of in-hub offerings and content, for example digital fashion, artwork from artist Vinnie Hager, AR virtual try-on offerings, an AI fashion creation competition and a photobooth. Through the hub Empiria can also track user activity of how the visitors interact with different metaverse offerings.
“Tommy Hilfiger has always been a brand that brings people together through fashion, art, music and entertainment. Today, Web3 and metaverse platforms are supercharging the brand’s ability to do that at an exciting scale”, comments Martijn Hagman, CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe.
Read more on Vogue Business
Metaverse fundraiser launched by Comic Relief
Comic Relief US has launched the “Solarpunk Simulator” virtual experience on Roblox serving as a fundraiser for real-life programs battling poverty in America.
In the fundraiser, the teams on Roblox collect parts of a spaceship together. The team with most parts wins and will be awarded an access to a special concert by social media sensation BoyWithUke on 7th April.
“Children and young people have a deeper understanding [than adults] that they have the power to make change,” says Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief US.
Read more on AP News
VR training platform for laboratory technology students of Stadin AO
We are happy to present one of our latest projects: Stadilab, VR training platform for laboratory technology students of Stadin AO.
“In the VR training environment students can safely learn about challenging and dangerous laboratory practices”, says Johanna Hemminki, Expert in Digital Pedagogy, City of Helsinki, Stadin AO.
The virtual environment was created with Simlab which allows fast content-creation thanks to its node-based programming.
Stereoscape partners with Rooom, a tech startup specialising in enterprise metaverse
We are happy to announce that Stereoscape is now an official partner of Rooom, an award winning tech startup specialising in enterprise metaverse and offering a web-based all-in-one platform for virtual experiences.
With our collaboration, we now extend our offering with top quality metaverse products enabling our clients to build stunning showrooms, showcase products in 3D, host or complement events and make all the organization facilities more accessible with 360 tours. All this and even more in one platform!
Top retailers enter the metaverse
Top retailers such as Walmart, H&M and Taco Bell are leveraging the immersive technology to provide their clients with new ways to connect with the brand.
Walmart’s new metaverse experiences on the Roblox platform enable users to access fashion, style, beauty, and entertainment items as well as participate in interactive piano experiences, dance challenges, trivia and a motion-capture concert.
Taco Bell, on the other hand, has launched a wedding-themed contest in their Las Vegas Wedding Chapel on Decentraland. Out of over 300 couples who have applied to the contest, Sheel Mohnot and Amruta Godbole have said “I do” on February 24.
Read more on RIS.
Stereoscape at Koulutusjohdon foorumi, an event dedicated to learning in metaverse
Koulutusjohdon foorumi event was held on 15th of February at Helsinki XR Center. The theme of the event was learning in metaverse, more specifically VR and AR based learning solutions. Koulutusjohdon foorumi featured keynote presentations by learning experts as well as an area enabling visitors to try different solutions in practice. The event was targeted to rectors, teachers and other forward looking experts such as entrepreneurs offering training services.
The event also enabled the visitors to try different virtual learning solutions such as VR training and AR assisted instructions. At Stereoscape’s booth our experts Iiro, Toni, Sanni and Krista showcased our demos. The demos included for example a virtual farm which teaches safe working methods and a lab environment where trainees learn different laboratory related safety, chemical and equipment practices.
World’s Smallest VR Headset announced by Bigscreen
Virtual reality startup Bigscreen announced that the world’s smallest headset, the Bigscreen Beyond, will be released in the third quarter in 2023. The headset is six times lighter than the rival headsets featuring also bespoke face guards and shapes enabling users to improve comfort over long periods of use. The kit can be preordered for $999.
“As passionate VR enthusiasts, we built the VR headset we wanted for ourselves. Today’s leading VR headsets have doubled in weight compared to headsets from 2016. We built Beyond because we felt VR was too heavy, bulky, and uncomfortable”, says Darshan Shankar, Bigscreen Founder and Chief Executive about the coming headset.
Read more on XR Today
“What could CEOs do now?” – McKinsey’s guide about the metaverse released
In a recently released article, McKinsey explains why attitudes towards metaverse should be optimistic and what kind of factors suggest that the metaverse is truly a CEO issue. Metaverse related obstacles are also discussed. In the end of the article writers also share their three steps suggesting what CEO’s should do now – why, what and how.
Read more on McKinsey
[Interview] Stereoscape’s Kenneth Korhonen and the benefits of AR tools for industrial companies
In our newest video blog Stereoscape’s Director of Industrial XR Solutions Kenneth Korhonen tells about why industrial companies should be excited about AR tools and what value they bring to their business.
Rhythm City, Warner Music Group’s social music metaverse has opened
Warner Music Group announced on Monday 31st January that their social music metaverse has been opened. Created in collaboration with Gamefan, the virtual world aim’s to introduce people to different artists via the social roleplay platform. Oana Ruxandra, WMG’s Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development emphasises the importance of boosting engagement between artists and fans, and this can be achieved in metaverse.The platform is developed on Roblox.
Footage of a realistic virtual diving experience demonstrates the power of immersive VR
A solo VR developer “Khena B” is working on a virtual reality diving game enabling players to explore underwater world. Recently released footage of the yet unnamed title planned for PC VR demonstrates how immersive VR can provide more and more realistic simulations of real world experiences. Virtual hands create believable waves on the water surface. In the underwater players can experience realistic floating particles and detailed physics, for example while handling stones.
10 inspiring tips for marketers to seize new digital opportunities in 2023
In our newest blog Stereoscape’s Immersive Marketing expert Sales Manager Olli Kettunen shares his New Year’s tips for staying proactive and keeping a positive attitude to boost business and create new opportunities.
AR Lunar New Year Campaign launched by McDonald’s
McDonald’s has partnered with content creator Karen X Cheng in a campaign focusing on AR and metaverse themes to celebrate Lunar New Year. The campaign’s aim is to engage McDonald’s audience to participate in important global celebrations. Cheng is known for her very popular YouTube videos including a dance video for the metaverse.
Read more on VRScout
Metaverse Seoul launched
South Korea’s Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that its Metaverse platform is now open. In Metaverse Seoul users can access different public services and resources in VR. The platform features access to famous attractions, possibility to read official documents, file complaints, and talking to officials.
Read more on XRToday
Immersive Holidays from Stereoscape!
The whole Stereoscape team wants to thank all the clients and partners for great collaboration this year. We also want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Let’s make 2023 even more awesome.
Presentations that will make you forget Powerpoint
Back in 2019 Stereoscape created an interactive presentation for F-Secure. More than just a traditional PP presentation, the solution communicates F-Secure’s wide product portfolio in a visually appealing way with an interactive touch. We are working on several similar presentations at the moment, which we will share at the beginning of next year.
Why Everyone’s Talking About ChatGPT?
ChatGPT has impressed experts with its writing ability, proficiency at complex tasks and ease of use. The tool lets you type questions using natural language that the chatbot answers in conversational language. The bot remembers the thread of your dialog, using previous questions and answers to inform its next responses.
It is the latest evolution of the GPT – or Generative Pre-Trained Transformer – family of text-generating AIs.
Read more on Guardian
“Metaverse” grabs second place as “Word of the year”
Oxford Dictionaries recently announced that “goblin mode” has been selected as its word of the year. For the first time this year’s winning phrase was chosen by public vote, from among three finalists selected by Oxford Languages lexicographers: goblin mode, metaverse and the hashtag IStandWith.
Metaverse lost to goblin mode, which went viral in February. According to Oxford’s research, usage of the term metaverse “increased almost fourfold from the previous year in the Oxford Corpus,” driven in part by Facebook’s rebranding to Meta in October 2021. In the video pitch for “metaverse” released in November, Oxford noted that the term dated back to the science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, released in 1992.
Read more on Metaverse Insider
Serlachius virtual art gallery by Stereoscape
Art workshops and museum tours in a virtual art gallery? In our blog Stereoscape’s experience designer Sannimari Honkanen talks about creating a virtual art gallery where participants can experience the museum space and look at and discuss art works together.
Hyper-realistic Biggie in VR Concert Next Month
In honour of The Notorious B.I.G.’s 50th birthday, Meta is hosting a VR concert experience next month that aims to bring together a host of musical guests alongside a realistic avatar of the Brooklyn-born rapper, who left this mortal coil back in 1997. The digital event, dubbed “Sky’s the Limit”, will premiere exclusively on Meta’s Horizon Worlds VR platform as well as Facebook on December 16.
Read more on NME
Immersive VR film let’s you train like an astronaut
Available now via the Meta Quest TV app, Supersonic Flight – Space Explorers: Special Feature puts you in the cockpit of a T-38 supersonic jet, the same aircraft used by NASA to train astronauts for spaceflight. The film makes excellent use of 360-degree camera technology to immerse you in a one-of-a-kind experience that would normally be out of reach for the general public.
Read more on VR Scout
VR tour of Outokumpu steel mill
We are happy to present one of our latest projects: a 360º video for Outokumpu. Stereoscape created a virtual reality tour of a steel mill, where visitors get a feeling of being inside the mill, moving along with the hot metal. Read more and watch the immersive video on our website.
BeatSaber + The Weeknd
Meta’s VR rhythm game Beat Saber has received a new song pack featuring the music of Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd. Popular block-slashing rhythm game Beat Saber, which was originally released in 2018, is still one of the best gaming experiences for VR headsets. The release of The Weeknd’s music pack continues a steady trend of high-profile music coming to Beat Saber, including packs from Lizzo, Skrillex, BTS, Green Day, Timbaland, Linkin Park, and Imagine Dragons.
Read more on Road to VR
Meta sold 471000 Quest 2s in Q3
Meta has sold 471000 Quest 2s in Q3. This means Meta has passed the 10-million milestone of in-market VR devices, which has been a key goal for Meta to stimulate VR’s flywheel effect. According to Mark Zuckerberg, that’s the critical mass to jumpstart an ecosystem. But this milestone is overshadowed by Meta Reality Lab’s Q3 revenue declines, for which there are several reasons. One is macroeconomics and consumer spending. Discretionary spending is down and VR is certainly in that boat. Meanwhile, Meta continues to build for the long haul. MRL net losses are projected to widen in 2023, but the more important part is that it’s using today’s dollars to build tomorrow’s business.
Read more on Medium
New website now live
We are happy to announce that the new Stereoscape website is now live. Long in the making, we are hoping that this update will provide a more client centric, visually interesting and clear experience for our current and future website visitors. We want to ensure the communication of our product portfolio – immersive marketing, experiential learning and connected working – is top quality. You are more than welcome to get familiar with our new website and send us feedback about your experience.
Stereoscape chosen as a partner for City of Porvoo’s virtual museum
The City of Porvoo organised a pitch in order to find a trusted partner for creating and implementing a virtual museum for Porvoo. Among the six contenders, Stereoscape was the one chosen for the job.
Stereoscape’s role is to build an interface, which will enable the city and museum staff to change and update the exhibitions, artworks and their descriptions. The future virtual museum visitors can access the virtual space via desktop.
Immerse Global Summit brings industry leaders to Madeira
Over 100 leading companies connected to immersive technologies and their business application attended last week’s Immerse Global Summit on Madeira. The speakers included companies from Nokia to Balenciaga, Accenture to Armani, and Forbes to Deutsche Telekom. Stereoscape team made picks of the keynotes and discussions.
One of the hot topics was the rise of the enterprise metaverse solutions. This is something that Stereoscape CEO Heli Nelimarkka believes will be one of the main trends in coming years. “The future of metaverse for corporations is creating their own 3D virtual showroom on one of the existing platforms and start building their metaverse existence from that. It will be a gradual process, not something that happens overnight. We are talking evolution, not revolution”
Stereoscape is already working on several platforms that are suitable for corporate metaverse needs and will happily assist you in creating your own enterprise metaverse home. If you want to discuss our enterprise metaverse solutions or just want to know more, you can contact us here.
Apple CEO Tim Cook on his European tour last week predicted augmented reality (AR) technology will have a profound impact on our lives in the near future. Apple are currently developing their own VR and AR headsets, due for release in 2023.
Read more on MacRumours
Meta live streams conference on 11 October
Meta Connect has released the schedule for its annual one-day digital conference that explores the future of virtual and augmented reality and the building of metaverse. Featuring a keynote from Mark Zuckerberg, you can tune into the conference in traditional 2D or in VR mode through Meta Quest 2.
Read more
https://metaconnect.com/en-us/
Finnish music video among first in the world to be created with artificial intelligence
Finnish band Sin Cos Tan last week released Endless, one of the world’s first music videos created by artificial intelligence (AI). Director Juho Lähdesmäki believes AI tools will change the creative sector permanently.
Read More on Pledge Times
VR game Bonelab released today
Los Angeles-based developers Stress Level Zero today launch their highly-anticipated VR game Bonelab, following up from 2019’s popular Boneworks. The trailer promises an immersive dystopian experience with realistic tools and weapons. The game is available on Meta Quest 2 and PC VR headsets via Steam.
Read more on VR Scout
Scientists predict resolution revolution for VR displays
Today’s virtual reality headsets are still somewhat clunky to wear and lacking in resolution, acting as a stumbling block on the way of wider acceptance of VR in the mass market. Scientists believe improved resolution and wearability can be achieved in the near future with innovations in optics and micro-displays.
Read more on Science
Chinese headset eyes European and Asian markets
Chinese headset manufacturer Pico is releasing a new light-weight and technically improved VR headset to the consumer markets. TikTok-owner ByteDance is behind the company that is set to compete directly with the established Quest 2 headset in Europe and Asia. Available for pre-order at relatively affordable €429, the headsets start shipping on October 18th.
Read more on Road to VR
