The AR Roundup: November 2020

Every month I round up the latest news in augmented reality. Here is what happened in AR between November 1-30, 2020.

Numbers

Forecasts

• Pokémon Go has surpassed $4 billion in lifetime revenue according to SensorTower, generating $1 billion in the first 10 months of 2020 alone (SensorTower)

Reported

• Signal Theory reports its National Geographic Instagram filter was captured 4 million times, shared 872,000 times and reached over 77 million total impressions in less than 3 months (Signal Theory)
• 19 Crimes and PTC report The Living Wine labels app has been downloaded 5.5 million downloads since July 2017 and its use has resulted in 40% increase in volume of cases sold (PTC)
• SpringCity Increases Productivity by 40% with M400 Smart Glasses (Vuzix)
• Roblox reports it now has 31.1 million daily users who have spent an average of 2.6 hours per day in the game this year (The Verge)
• 33M people watched a Lil Nas X concert in Roblox (Twitter)

Featured Video: Niantic gives a sneak peek of its 3D map of the world being built by Niantic Explorers

This video shows how Niantic has integrated the 6D.ai technology into its platform to build a 3D dynamic map of the world that is shared across devices and can be built concurrently by multiple players. (Source: Niantic)

Money

Funding

• Facebook joins the Blender Development Fund (Blender)

Hardware

• Zappar surpasses Kickstarter goal for the all-new Zapbox (Twitter)

Platforms & Tools

• Apprentice.io Raises $24M Series B Led by Insight Partners to Scale Intelligent Pharma Manufacturing System (PR Newswire)
• Tencent Music Entertainment is backing Wave to bring virtual entertainment to China (TechCrunch)
• Epic acquires Hyprsense specializes in expressive digital avatars (The Verge)
• Genies raises $3 million from Bandai Namco for Asia expansion (VentureBeat)

Applications & Solutions

• Messaging giant Snapchat to acquire Israel’s Voca.ai for $70 million (Calcalist)
• Image Recognition Leaders Slyce, Catchoom, and Humai Merge to Create Partium (Partium)
• Flipkart acquires AR firm Scapic to boost user experience (CNBC)

Featured Tweet: UX Designer Alexandria Heston sparks a thread on Twitter discussing AR headsets inability to render black

News

Hardware

Launch Announcements

• OpenBCI announces the launch of Galea, a hardware and software platform that merges next-generation biometrics with mixed reality (Road to VR)
• Oppo shows off concept rolling phone and AR glasses (The Verge)
• JVC Reveals Enterprise XR Headset with 120-degree FOV & 2.5K Resolution Per Eye (Road to VR)
• Rokid and CNPC Launches World’s First 5G Explosion-Proof AR Headband X-Craft (Pandaily)
• Guardhat Releases Smart Glasses Based Solutions for Front-Line Workers (PRNewswire)
• AR ‘Mario Kart’ Ride to Open at Japan’s Upcoming Super Nintendo World (Road to VR)
• Noveto Systems previews SoundBeamer 1.0, a new "sound-beaming" device (AP)

Updates

• Intel shuts down its AR/VR volumetric capture stage (Protocol)
• HoloLens 2 Development Edition is now available to purchase directly from the Microsoft Store in the United States (Microsoft)
• Microsoft is collaborating with Analog Devices and SICK AG to create commercial devices using Azure Kinect’s 3D Time of Flight (ToF) depth technology (Road to VR)
• Nreal Light Sales Expanding to Japan in Partnership with KDDI (Road to VR)
• FORM announces availability of its FORM Smart Swim Augmented Reality goggles on Apple.com (Auganix)
• Amazon’s smart glasses get an upgrade, as its smart ring is discontinued (TechCrunch)
• Lynx MR Headset Delayed to Late 2020 but Aims for Lower Price, Ultraleap Hand-tracking (Road to VR)

Rumors, Patents & Relevant Research

• Cornell stretchable sensor could redefine soft robotics and virtual reality (Slashgear)
• Apple has revealed that their Over-Ear Headphones will have the ability to establish Voice Communications between two Headsets (Patently Apple)
• 'Apple Glass' may help users see better in low light using radar and LiDAR (Apple Insider)
• Apple Wins Patent for Mixed Reality HMD & Glasses that uses IPD Measurements to Ensure Proper Eye Alignment for viewing content (Patently Apple)
• Apple Invents a Series of Possible Future Handheld & Finger Set Accessory Controllers for Future HMD and/or Glasses (Patently Apple)
• A Google Patent points to their Soli Motion Technology being used with Future Chromebooks and Wearables (Patently Apple)

Platforms & Tools

Launch Announcements

• PTC’s Vuforia AR Enterprise Suite Coming To Magic Leap 1 (Magic Leap)
• Google launches Soli Sandbox (Google)
• Panasonic collaborates with Phiar to bring real-world AI-driven Augmented Reality navigation to its automotive solutions (Auganix)

Updates

• 8th Wall showcases use of SLAM + Image Targets together in one WebAR project (8th Wall)
• Microsoft Edge Insider channels can now be installed on Windows 10X and HoloLens 2 (Windows Central)
• Taqtile Releases Updated Workforce Enablement and Remote Assistance Platform (ARPost)
• Collaboration Tool Spatial’s Latest Update Adds 40+ Seat Auditorium & Better File Support (VRFocus)
• Sketchfab announces native integration with PolyCamAI (Twitter)

Rumors, Patents & Relevant Research

• Google announces the release of the Objectron dataset, a collection of short, object-centric video clips capturing a larger set of common objects from different angles (Google)
• Flexible expressions could lift 3D-generated faces out of the uncanny valley (TechCrunch)

Featured Creator: Creative Technologist Marc-O-Matic talks Crypto Art, Virtual Galleries and Selling Digital Art

News

Applications & Solutions

Consumer

• Merge Cube AR Teaching Tools Coming To Instagram And Facebook (VRScout)
• ‘Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’ Adds AR (VRScout)
• Xesto is a foot-scanning app that simplifies shoe gifting (TechCrunch)
• John Lewis launches augmented reality “Virtual Christmas Tree” feature (Charged Retail)
• Fable Studio teases AI virtual character Lucy on Zoom and other platforms (VentureBeat)
• WWF launches immersive augmented reality app to bring the forest into your home (WWF)
• New LiDAR-enabled app Slitscan lets you create AR art (Twitter)
• Capture3D LiDAR-enabled app goes into Beta (Twitter)
• SiteScape, real-time 3D scanner, goes live in the App Store (Twitter)
• Curiosity hosts AR attraction XR Wonder Park in Shinjuku, Japan (Curiosity)

Enterprise

• Newcastle University deploys Vuzix M400 Augmented Reality Smart Glasses for research and training (Auganix)
• Valmet deploys Vuzix Augmented Reality Smart Glasses at CMPC industrial pulp and paper plant (Auganix)
• Disney Uses Augmented Reality App to Train Rise of the Resistance Cast Members (Blog Mickey)
• Mill Scout AR app brings visualisation to set (VRWorldTech)
• Resonai offers enterprises an AR-AI concierge for commercial buildings (VentureBeat)

Marketing

• Manscaped's Brand Hype Grows into Augmented Reality via Snapchat Lens (Next Reality)
• Snoop Dogg's Cali Red Wine Gets An AR Upgrade (iHeart)
• Modelo USA uses WebAR to show off its apparel collaboration with RSVP Gallery Chicago (Twitter)
• 19 Crimes debuts a new volumetric AR experience in its Living Wines app (Twitter)
• Co-op launches Augmented Reality experience for annual Payout drive (Prolific North)
• Isobar Good initiative supports ‘ShareJoy’ campaign by Google HK (The Drum)
• Coca-Cola's Iconic Christmas Truck Gets an AR Makeover (LBBonline)
• Officeworks brings Santa photo-ops back for a socially-distanced Christmas (BandDT)
• Membit Augmented Reality Launches a Holiday Experience at New York City’s Hudson Yards (EINpresswire)

Featured Quote: Adobe's Head of AR on the smartphone as a powerful AR machine

"It's going to be the primary device for a while for consuming," Adobe's head of AR, Stefano Corrazza says of the iPhone 12 Pro, "but also for scanning and 3D content, it's a very powerful machine." (CNET)

Fashion & Beauty

• Versace SS21 Collection show features 3D scanning (Twitter)
• Ralph Lauren’s Polo Player Goes Scannable and AR for the Holidays (WSJ)
• L’Oréal rolls out a line of ‘virtual makeup’ (TechCrunch)
• Google Duo adds L’Oreal lipstick filter to glam up your video calls (9to5 Google)
• Perfect Corp. and ULTIMA II Launch Hyper-Realistic AR & AI Virtual Insta-Makeover on the Brand’s Website (BusinessWire)
• ARthentix uses augmented reality to save you from buying fake sneakers (Input Mag)

Music

• AR brings David Guetta DJ set into your home (Yahoo)
• Watch the AR concert that opened up the 2020 League of Legends World Championship (The Verge)
• Rita Ora delivers AR performance for EE's latest campaign (Mobile Marketing Magazine)
• Rita Ora's AR avatar enters UK homes with EE (Mobile Marketing Magazine)
• Kylie Minogue delivers AR experience on Instagram (Mobile Marketing Magazine)
• Craig David & KSI Perform ‘Really Love’ In Your Home Using AR (VRFocus)
• Verizon and Snapchat team up for first-ever 5G Landmarker Lens featuring the Black Pumas (Verizon)
• This New K-Pop Girl Group Has Human and Virtual Members (VICE)
• Justin Bieber is the first to use Genies new avatars for Amazon Music (Twitter)

Film & TV

• "His Dark Materials" App Will Bring Out Your Daemon (Nerdist)
• HBO Rolls Out 'His Dark Materials' WebAR Experience To Bring Characters to the Real World (Next Reality)
• Dreamworks Delivers A Furry AR Selfie Lens on Snapchat for Release of 'The Croods: A New Age' (Next Reality)
• True Crime Reality TV Comes to Augmented Reality for Apple iPhone via CrimeDoor (Next Reality)
• Google brings ‘The Mandalorian’ to AR in its new app (TechCrunch)
• Amazon's New Augmented Reality App Highlights Dog Reality Stars from Prime Video Series 'The Pack' (Next Reality)
• NBA offers top 30 prospects gifting lockers, augmented-reality draft experience (The Score)
• The visual effects secret behind "The Drew Barrymore Show" (Viacom)
• Oprah shares the visual effects used in her Barack Obama interview (Twitter)
• Eurovision Junior 2020 uses immersive broadcast AR (Twitter)
• Verizon adds AR balloons to this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Twitter)
• Verizon's Parade Portal lets viewers virtually go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (Twitter)
• China's streaming app iQYI debuts Dimension Nova a "virtual idol variety show" (BBC)
• WWE's Paul Bearer returns to the ring as a hologram (TMZ)
• CGI-Based Influencer Miquela Launching Snapchat Show (Variety)

Art

• Judy Chicago’s first virtual artwork is an AR smoke sculpture (The Spaces)
• ARTECHOUSE debuts NHKS4220 Bar Illusion (Time Out)
• KAWS, Olafur Eliasson and More to Unveil Augmented Reality Works in Beijing (Hypebeast)
• The Met’s Art at Your Place? Instagram AR Brings It Home (Met Museum)
• The Smithsonian debuts 10 beta AR experiences (Twitter)
• Augmented reality app to showcase New Hampshire art (NHBR)

Journalism

• GQ Portugal bring its cover to life with AR (Twitter)
• Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How (The NY Times)
• Celebrating The Sacred Story Of Migaloo For NAIDOC Week 2020 (Huffington Post)
• What caused two devastating crashes of the 737 MAX airplane? (USA Today)
• How the ABC produced the Mt Resilience Augmented Reality experience (ABC)
• National Geographic launches new dinosaur AR experience on Instagram (National Geographic)
• Explore NFL Thanksgiving matchups in augmented reality (Yahoo Sports)

Human Impact & Ethics

• Stanford Research Shows VR Users Can Be Identified Using Only 5 Minutes of Motion Data (Road to VR)
• The WHO launches an Augmented reality PPE course on the WHO Academy mobile learning app (WHO)
• Google’s Project Guideline uses AI to help low-vision users navigate running courses (VentureBeat)
• Dots is a gesture-recognition system for people with disabilities (Deezen)

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