New Explorations in Immersive 3D Virtual / Digital Media

Germanium by G Element

Germanium is a platform for easily creating 3D in-building applications. Germanium-powered applications help people perceive, locate, manage and share information within a building easily and productively.

With Germanium, finding places will be a breeze, especially when you are visiting a building for the first time. Shoppers will be able to locate shops easily in large shopping malls. Library users can be intelligently guided to their desired books inside libraries. Hospital visitors will be able to locate wards and clinics assuredly before reaching the hospital for a visit.

For the enterprise, Germanium aims to change the way information and assets are managed inside a building. Workers will be empowered with productive information of resources and assets distributed across office buildings. Hospitals will be able to track disease outbreaks more effectively. Building and security solutions will become more integrated and comprehensively managed.

Twinity by Metaversum

Twinity is the first 3D multi-player virtual world based on the real world with an integrated social network. Twinity members, or Twinizens, will be able to connect with family, friends and business associates around the globe in a fully immersive and emotive environment. Twinity will unite and create social and business opportunities not previously imagined. Twinity will also begin to merge real-world information, references, business and media in corresponding virtual world locations.

Unified user platform by KPB Technologies

The project will combine the functions and applications from different virtual worlds for different usages.

Users can navigate through the whole Singapore in true first-person 3-D view. Information will be organized with reference to the actual locations. Users can also walk through 3-D shopping malls combined with live-feed videos showing promotional activities and information as well as make use of the 3-D library facilities to check the availability of the latest periodicals and to reserve various reference books or hard-to-find articles. This will help save traveling time and make it more efficient to share the library resources.

MagicStitch™ by Visual Factory

National Heritage Board’s Cybermuseum project will be using Visual Factory’s MagicStitch™ platform to provide a virtual 3D environment where digitized objects can be emplaced in virtual showcases, galleries and museums.

The development of such a system will provide museum professionals a “CAD-Like” tool to more efficiently plan and organize exhibitions; for amateurs, art galleries and private collectors to create their own virtual museums; and for schools to use it as a learning tool for the teaching of arts, heritage and immersive 3D media.

MagicStitch™, is an attractive platform for fast and easy deployment of 3D immersive applications. Professional and non professional users can now create their own virtual spaces, social networks, e-commerce applications, and much more.

MagicStitch™ is native 3D software and supports multi-platforms such as Windows, Linux and Macintosh and can work with wide range of 3D data formats. MagicStitch™ aims to be the de-facto standard for the next generation 3D Operating System.

Frameworks for Virtual Worlds by Sun Microsystems

Combining Sun Microsystems’ leading edge technologies, Sun SPOT (small programmable object technology) and Project Wonderland, the project aims to break new grounds in the creation of new dynamic virtual worlds that allow seamless immersion and interaction with the real world. For example, a wave of your hand in the real world could correspond instantly with your avatar waving in the virtual world. Voice communication is equally realistic as virtual parties can phone outsiders to the virtual world for private calls or conference group calls.

These technologies could be applied in conducting real world-virtual world conferences and command centers, in real-to-virtual world classrooms, virtual demonstrations and exhibitions, among others.

Via Open Source technologies and leveraging R&D, uniform frameworks will be established for virtual worlds in the areas of sensory and telemetry, for simulation, as well as to develop a design and implementation methodology. By contributing to the Open Source movement, the project encourages adoption and build communities in today’s connected world. This will provide the crucial tipping point to encourage the growth of interactive digital media (IDM) ecosystem with Singapore as the hub.

Topaz Virtual Shopfront and Social Network Suite by QALA Singapore

The project aims to develop an integrated virtual shopfront for retail merchants which can be used to interact with consumers who are using the same social network application.

The project will benefit retail merchants as it opens up new avenues to reach out to their customers. It also allows them to use the Topaz Virtual Shopfront and interact with a new breed of consumers who are gradually progressing towards a virtual world in their shopping and merchandising patterns.

The consumers form the other major beneficiary of this project. This group benefits primarily from having an alternate source of information on products and services which are location specific as well as interact directly with the retailers.

In addition from the social network point of view, the added element of location sensing allow the consumers to not only communicate directly with retailers but also among other like minded consumers in the same retail mall who have similar purchasing profiles.

Integrating real and virtual economies by First Meta

First Meta is developing a suite of products that enables hundred millions of gamers and virtual world users to feely spend their virtual money in the real world. Imagine paying for your coffee with your game currency, or withdrawing real cash from your game account at an ATM. These products also allow merchants and companies to conduct business in the virtual world and easily monetize their earnings. First Meta’s products will enable commerce in virtual worlds the same way credit cards enabled commerce on the Web, as well as unleash billions of dollars of virtual wealth into the real world.

MARIKO by Thales Technology Centre Singapore

The project aims to develop a semantics-based simulation platform that facilitates the linkage between real environmental information with simulated information to form a realistic and enhanced virtual representation for the purpose of creating new forms of applications.

As such, Mariko will demonstrate its effectiveness in the maritime domain through virtually enhanced sailing scenarios, open to the public on the internet. In particular, Mariko targets sailing enthusiasts wishing to enhance their sailing experience.

To cater for these users, Mariko offers several value adding services, such as:

• Suggesting the optimum trajectory between points of a chosen route based on forecasted environment data like weather, tide and bathymetry.
• Plotting the actual route of the vessel by acquiring its real time position.
• Suggesting route optimization at sea based on the evolution of weather and sea conditions.
• Debriefing the sailing trip for future improvements.

Innovation in New Media types

V-Gloves by VeeV Interactive

This project is to develop an advanced and affordable haptic device that can be integrated on an IPTV platform. It will offer direct manipulation of virtual objects through hand gestures such as touch, grasp, swing, hold etc. The device will run on Personal Computer or set-top box connected to the Television set with applications that provide immersive environments particularly, in education and training.

For example, children can learn how to ‘hold’ and ‘use’ tools to draw, paint, colour and create pictures or budding musicians can learn how to ‘play’ instruments such as piano, drums etc. Such educational applications will help to develop children’s motor skills.

The device can also be used for training applications such as industrial crane and train operations which can help to improve training safety.

Station F-11 by PGK Media

TV viewing will take a futuristic turn with the introduction of Station-F11 a converged broadcasting and media development centre which will develop the next generation of interactive and participation TV in Singapore. Real time interactive TV games with dynamic avatars, E-medical IPTV application to remotely monitor outpatients, live 3G participation TV shows are just some of the new “Programmes” that will be tested and made freely available on Channel-F11, the experimental channel covering IPTV, Digital TV and Internet TV multiple platforms.

Co-Space TV project by ETi ServTouch

Co-Space TV project will support R&D enhancement to develop FULL High Definition 1080P supportable video streaming network based on Peer to Peer technology. This network provides high quality video rendering which could make Peer-to-peer multicast/unicast an attractive proposition for large-scale streaming and video distribution over the Internet.

It will be easier for large volumes of High Quality video contents to be “moved” around, especially in today’s online society which is driven by User Generated Content (UGC) and social networking (e.g. YouTube, Facebook and MySpace). Besides, with the infrastructure for Singapore’s Next Generation National Broadband Network which will be ready in 2010, this research will help Singapore to become leading centre for High Definition video streaming on a broad scale.

Our demand drivers have a growing need for hosting and streaming of LIVE events and archive video contents to PCs and home entertainment devices.

This project aims to develop the infrastructure and devices required to bring the fast expanding and vast library of video based contents (vidcasts) which is available on the internet directly to the living room.

Light UP Singapore by QALA Singapore

The project aims to develop a platform which captures real-time video streams from IP Cameras and combines that with Location Based Interactive services over a WIFI network. The deployment of such a platform will allow diverse applications and tools to be developed providing benefits to consumers and enterprises in specific areas and verticals such as:

Education
A location based interactive system over the campus’ wireless network brings innovative digital educational contents and the Internet into an open classroom concept. This provides a state of the art learning environment that allows students and teachers to fully embrace technology and enjoy learning without boundaries as information and academic contents can be pushed to students as they move physically across a learning environment.

Enterprise
Where location based interactive system provides tracking abilities to logistic requirements and needs. This includes the tracking of inventory, locating of machinery parts and tooling within warehouses or multi-storey commercial buildings.

Government
Where location based interactive system provides more insight into organizational data and processes, to help develop new applications that transform operations. It also creates higher awareness and use of assets through real-time simultaneous tracking of thousands of WIFI devices, permitting location-based security implementation, high-value asset tracking and business policy enforcement.

Healthcare
Where location based interactive system provides integration with telemetry systems and asset tracking systems giving hospitals the ability to track not only assets such as wheelchairs but also patients and further allowing RF devices attached to patients to return the location and other vital patient information such as temperature or blood pressure.

Hospitality
Where location based interactive system provides push concept advertisement and service announcements to guests and consumers as they commute within the premises. It further allows interactive booking or reservation systems as well as location based concierge systems to be implemented.

Manufacturing
Where location based interactive system provides asset tracking in the manufacturing process. It also allows close monitoring of production line segments which when integrated with location based camera monitoring services provides valuable feedback to management.

Transportation
Where location based interactive system provides a more effective workforce management process for mass rapid transportation systems. This includes security alerts form hand held mobile devices, enabling pinpoint location tracking as well as improvements in customer service via supplying travel information and announcements in real time to commuters.

Large scale Mixed Reality platform by MXR Corp
Mixed reality is one of the fastest growing areas in recent years. This project will enable users to experience a completely unique experience in attending exhibitions, in designs, city planning, and military visualization. The R&D breakthrough in this project will enable large-scale mixed reality applications used in military, city planning, large design firms, and exhibitions, which allow multiple users to visualize the contents in 3D dimensions.

Example A:

MXR is currently developing a Mixed Reality marketing tool for Cisco Systems, Asia as part of Cisco’s regional marketing campaign across countries in Asia Pacific. http://www.cisco.com/web/TW/learning/ciscoexpress/mxr.html.

This project, called “Cisco City” is a unique marketing tool which allows the visitors to construct 3D city on the tabletop depending on how well they answer the questions. The more questions they answer correctly, the higher they will build their building and hence the whole Cisco City. “I hope to turn this pilot project into a global best practice in terms of marketing innovation for wider adoption across Asia Pacific and beyond”, says Mr. Joseph Lee, Director of Advanced Technologies, Cisco Systems, Asia.

Example B:

Visitors to the Real Estate show room can “see” and “flies-thru” the virtual building and flats. Viewing through the screen, users can use their fingers to “touch” the 3D flat that is popping up on the brochure to change the decoration and design. If you want to have a better idea before going down to the showroom, simple download and print out a brochure to view and edit your own flats at home, with your families. Need the remote sales executive to help? They will be popping up on the brochure as well and advise you further.

Rich Media Infused Ubiquitous Systems

Dynamic Vehicle Allocation by Stratech Systems
Stratech’s Dynamic Vehicle Allocation system seeks to develop solutions to substantially improve taxi services and operations based on its intelligent Vision technology.

Taxi commuters can expect shorter queue time at taxi stands with this new system, which monitors taxi stand’s status with the use of media like video and images. The system then sends the information in real-time to the taxi operators for them to better deploy their taxi fleet to meet commuters’ demand. Commuters can also make better informed travel plans by accessing taxi stand information via the Internet or mobile phone.

With this system, taxi operators can also look forward to improving their operational efficiency and service levels.

Some 15 students will be trained under this project.

The technology could potentially break new ground in areas such as location-based services, mobile computing, intelligent transport systems, smart sensors and software.

AdMe by PGK Media
Sending an electronic birthday card from a hand phone, a picture of a favourite pet or a home video clip to hundreds of video billboards along main streets of Singapore will become a reality with ADMe, a user-centric out-of-home advertising platform which will enable the public to access and send user generated content to a network of interactive human sized video billboards in real time. The billboards will also feature advanced video and motion sensors to support engaging interactive applications.