Amazon exploring AR furniture stores / Doctors use VR to train for trauma care / Experiencing assisted suicide in VR — Inside VR & AR

Sources close to Amazon say that the internet giant is exploring the possibility of physical appliance and furniture stores that integrate augmented or virtual reality. The AR/VR feature would allow customers to see how items would look in their own home before purchase. Sources also say that Amazon might also open its own electronic stores with a "heavy emphasis" on Amazon products and services, like Echo speakers and Prime Video. The company currently operates five brick-and-mortar bookstores and has plans to expand the concept. — ENGADGET 

Doctors in Ohio are using VR to train for trauma care. The VR experience is new for residents training for trauma care at the OhioHealth Grant Medical Center. A team at Ohio University filmed three different VR scenarios to familiarize students with the sights and sounds of bays in the trauma center. Dr. Thanh Nguyen, a trauma services physician at the hospital, foresees a vast library of scenarios. "The goal eventually is to have hundreds of patients to teach different scenarios, like, 'This is what a gunshot victim looks like,' 'This is what a stabbing looks like,' 'This is what a car accident looks like,'" Nguyen told the AP. — US NEWS

“The Last Moments” lets viewers experience assisted suicide in VR. The project offers a VR experience of someone going through the thought process of choosing whether to go through assisted suicide. The experience takes place in the Dignitas clinic, a Swiss facility that specializes in assisted suicide. Viewers need to make a decision in order to see how the rest of the scenario plays out. “The Last Moments” is currently touring film festivals and will be made available on YouTube 360 once the tour is over. — THE MERKLE 

Adobe showed off a trio of retail enablement apps that use AR to visualize analytics. The company has been showing off a series of demonstrations that use the Microsoft HoloLens to display customer traffic paths, smart mirror displays and voice agent digital displays. Adobe has been aggressively moving from developing creative applications to address business needs of its media-creating customers. The company sees AR as a bridge between its analytics division and its experience in the development of graphics. — ZDNET

A new short film from London filmmaker Magali Barbé imagines how lonely AR can be in the future. Titled “Strange Beasts,” the short film starts with viewers being introduced to an AR game called Strange Beasts. The game allows users to create their own creatures and pets to play with, where imaginary creatures can interact with one another. Toward the end of the video, it is revealed how life is much emptier than it seems. You can watch the video here. — THE VERGE

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