AWE 2024: VIVE Ultimate Tracker Wins Best Interactive Product
Extended Reality
3-minute read
The annual Augmented World Expo (AWE USA 2024), the premier event for the XR industry, is set to take place from June 18 to 20 with great fanfare. Among the buzzworthy news is the announcement by Oculus founder Palmer Luckey, who will unveil a new head-mounted display (HMD) at the AWE conference. Additionally, the organizers have released the list of nominees for the Auggie Awards, celebrating the best product innovations in the augmented world.
Last year, we covered the XR Prize Challenge "Fight Climate Change," which showcased many impressive proposals. This year, the fight against climate change has been incorporated into the Auggie Awards, with the XR Prize now highlighting the best product solutions for environmental sustainability. With technological advancements, four new awards have been added to the Auggie Awards to honor outstanding contributions in various fields. These include the Best Climate Change Solution Award, Best Content Creator Award, Best Education & Training Solution Award, and Best Web3 Implementation Award.
Following HTC's success in 2023 with the lightweight VR glasses VIVE XR Elite, which won the Best Headworn Device award, this year they are nominated again for two awards with VIVERSE for Business in the Best Use of AI and Best Collaboration Tool categories. Additionally, the highly acclaimed VIVE Ultimate Tracker, a product that enhances interactive VR experiences, is nominated for and won the Best Interaction Product award.
Let's now take a closer look at some of these nominated services and products and see if we can uncover any exciting new developments among the nominees.
VIVERSE for Business
VIVERSE for Business, nominated for two awards, offers a different experience than what regular users might encounter in VIVERSE World. Designed specifically for business scenarios, this VR platform emphasizes real-time interaction, realism, and customization. Notably, VIVERSE for Business integrates metaverse AI technology to provide speech-to-text and real-time translation features, allowing users to interact and communicate without language barriers. Additionally, it can automatically generate meeting summaries and to-do lists after the meeting, which are then emailed to all participants, enhancing collaboration in the virtual world.
Proto Hologram
While we may not have Doraemon's "Anywhere Door" just yet, Proto Hologram makes us believe that such technology isn't confined to science fiction movies. Nominated for the Best Climate Change Solution, Proto Hologram is the world's first single-user holographic transmission device, capable of projecting life-sized 4K quality holograms within a specially designed box. Its nomination is due to the potential of this technology to replace traditional air travel, significantly reducing the carbon emissions associated with frequent flyers.
This is a collaboration between Proto Hologram and Spotify in 2022, but it seems not as three-dimensional as the Shinjuku East Exit Cat. (Source: Proto Hologram) Shapelab
Anyone who has used 3D modeling software knows how complex it can be, especially for those who struggle with spatial awareness. Shapelab addresses this issue by offering an immersive 3D creation experience in VR, with intuitive controls that mimic sculpting in the real world, making it an ideal choice for beginners. The polygon mesh design engine of Shapelab allows users to easily create detailed and realistic 3D models, even handling large and complex objects with ease. Recently, the VR content platform VIVEPORT announced that Shapelab would be included in the VIVEPORT Infinity subscription plan, which is excellent value!
Highly praised by those who've tried it. (Source: Shapelab) Infinite Kitchen Touch
The high-end tactile gloves HaptX Gloves, which we've previously covered, have been nominated for the Best Interaction Product award with a rather special project. The 'Infinite Kitchen Touch' VR kitchen simulation experience allows users wearing HaptX gloves to design and customize their own kitchen in virtual reality. Not only does it look incredibly realistic, but the gloves also provide precise tactile feedback for every interaction, from selecting cabinet materials to adjusting appliance positions and even operating virtual stoves and faucets. This could be the future of showroom demonstrations.
WowMouse App
Remember the buzz when Apple Vision Pro's demo video was released, featuring gesture controls that allowed smooth operation with just a pinch of the fingers? Doublepoint has launched a free app for Android smartwatches called 'WowMouse,' which transforms the smartwatch into a novel interactive tool through Bluetooth connectivity. It seamlessly integrates gesture control technology, turning your fingers into a mouse, allowing you to control various HMDs, smartphones, tablets, and even computers with simple pinch gestures.
Seems also suitable as a page-turner for e-readers. (Source: Doublepoint)
You’ll Feel Spatial. That is this year's AWE theme — can you feel the theme from the products mentioned above? Due to space constraints, we can't detail every nominated product. If you're interested, you can explore the list of nominees for the 19 awards on the official website.
