Brief Reality: Meta, HoloLens, Wikitude Among Auggie Winners

With so many companies announcing news or demonstrating technologies at the Augmented World Expo 2017, it can be a challenge to see it all. In fact, we are still unpacking some of our in-depth on-site coverage. So, this edition of Brief Reality is focused on the news we did not cover last week.

Meta Leads AR Pack of Auggie Award Winners

Winners of the eighth annual Auggie Awards were announced during AWE 2017 last week.

Meta Company, who unveiled their new Meta Workspace operating environment, claimed Best in Show among augmented reality nominees, though Microsoft HoloLens secured the Best Headworn Device award.

Tools that enable augmented reality experiences claimed a number of awards. ZapWorks by Zappar claimed Best Authoring or Publishing Tool, while the SLAM SDK from Wikitude earned Best Developer Tool and Leap Motion Orion captured the Best Interaction Software Tool.

Other noteworthy winners included Best Campaign for the Mixed Reality Easter Egg compiled by FLARB LLC and AfterNow, and Best Game or Toy, going to augmented reality educational game Happy Atoms.

Arloopa Helps WWF Save Endangered Leopards

Last month, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) of Armenia, with an assist from Arloopa began the "Take a Photo with the Leopard" campaign to raise awareness of the Caucasian leopard, which was classified as a critically endangered species.

Scanning ground markers or banners from the campaign with the Arloopa app for iOS or Android renders an animated 3D leopard on the devices camera view. Users can capture the leopard in photos, videos, and animated GIFs or view the beast through a headset.

The campaign generated more than 4,000 scans, with participants sharing photos and videos under the #LeoAlive hashtag, according to a news release distributed by Arloopa at AWE 2017.

Deep Optics Demos Tunable Lens for AR/VR Optics

Israeli optics startup Deep Optics gave attendees at AWE 2017 a look at their tunable lens technology that will enable auto-focusing capabilities for AR/VR headsets.

The technology promises to create immersive experiences while eliminating side effects such as blurred vision and headaches.

"Our tunable lenses dynamically change their focal power and position, allowing us to effectively cover a large field-of-view, a critical requirement from AR/VR HMDs," said Yariv Haddad, co-founder and CEO of Deep Optics. "Our aim is to continue our partnerships with tier-1 players in the AR/VR market."

Every Tuesday, Next Reality gives readers a rundown of the augmented and mixed reality news briefs from the preceding week that we didn't cover already. This way, you'll never miss anything of importance in the Next Reality landscape, and will always know what's going on with new augmented and mixed reality tech and applications. You can browse previous Brief Reality reports, too, if you'd like.

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