IMMERSION 2015 PREMIER SPONSORS:

     

To sponsor IMMERSION 2015 contact the conference team.

IMMERSION 2015 EXHIBITS, HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS and DEMOS:

Although all speaker spots are now closed a small number of exhibitor spots are available. If you would like to exhibit at IMMERSION 2015 contact the conference team with a brief summary of your proposed exhibit along with your related credentials or background.

EXHIBIT : Google Cardboard

Visit new places, play immersive games, fly through space and more.

Google Cardboard is a virtual reality (VR) platform developed by Google for use with a fold-out cardboard viewer (headset) in which a mobile phone is placed. Intended as a low-cost system to encourage interest and development in VR and VR applications, Cardboard is used extensively by learners of all ages in Immersive Education Initiative clubs, camps and classes.

At this exhibit attendees will be able to use Google Cardboard with their own Android phone or iPhone. Attendees can also purchase their very own Google Cardboard upon registering for IMMERSION 2015 which they can use during the special "Immersive Meals" afternoon lunch social events on Wednesday 9 September (Sept 9) and Thursday 10 September (Sept 10).

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP: See the corresponding Google Cardboard hands-on workshop below during which attendees create their very own Google Cardboard viewer.

This exhibit compliments Google's IMMERSION 2015 keynote Google Virtual Reality — Cardboard VR and Beyond

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

EXHIBIT : Oculus Arcade

Enter the Oculus Arcade! See for yourself why Facebook recently purchased Oculus for $2 BILLION. Become immersed in Oculus Rift games, virtual worlds, demos, experiments and cutting-edge projects now under development specially for the Rift.

The Oculus Rift is a new virtual reality headset that lets players step inside their favorite games and virtual worlds. The Rift uses custom tracking technology to provide ultra-low latency 360° head tracking, allowing you to seamlessly look around the virtual world just as you would in real life. Every subtle movement of your head is tracked in real time creating a natural and intuitive experience.

The Oculus Rift creates a stereoscopic 3D view with excellent depth, scale, and parallax. Unlike 3D on a television or in a movie, this is achieved by presenting unique and parallel images for each eye. This is the same way your eyes perceive images in the real world, creating a much more natural and comfortable experience.

Attendees can also experience Oculus Rift during the special "Immersive Meals" afternoon lunch social events on Wednesday 9 September (Sept 9) and Thursday 10 September (Sept 10).

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

EXHIBIT : Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos)

Join us...in virtually celebrating and exploring Latino cultural heritage through this holiday for honoring the dead and the cycle of life and death. Learn different aspects of Día de los Muertos and how it is celebrated and practiced through an immersive learning altar installation, a 3D printed object altar exhibit created by the University of Texas at El Paso in collaboration with the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum. Also learn how immersive technologies such as 3D printed learning objects are being used to share Día de los Muertos with people from around the world, and to preserve this culturally significant holiday.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a day of celebration for the people of Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Central America, and more recently for Mexican Americans. Rather than grieve over the loss of a beloved family or friend, they choose to commemorate the lives of the dearly departed and welcome the return of their spirits. The history of Day of the Dead is embedded with Pre-Hispanic and Spanish customs. These customs shaped the common elements of traditional Mexican Dia de los Muertos. Today, Day of the Dead has been increasingly popular with Latinos in the United States. Though many of the traditional elements have remained, how and where Day of the Dead is celebrated has changed.

This workshop compliments the Smithsonian and Disney IMMERSION 2015 keynote The Art & Culture of Storytelling and the PRESERVING THE PAST module.

WORKSHOPS PASS or ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that workshops are only available to attendees who have registered for either an IMMERSION 2015 Workshops Pass or an All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

EXHIBIT : 3D Printing

3D printing (also called additive manufacturing) describes a variety of processes used to make a physical three-dimensional objects.

According to Immersive Education Initiative director Aaron E. Walsh, 3D Printing is the "inversion of immersion" because the technology enables real-world (physical) 3D objects to be created from virtual 3D objects.

3D Printing is used to create models and prototypes for new product design and testing, and to build finished goods in low volume. Educators use the technology to elevate research and learning in science, engineering, design and art. Hobbyists and entrepreneurs use 3D Printing to expand manufacturing into the home — creating gifts, novelties, customized devices and inventions.

This exhibit consists of 3D printed objects that represent artifacts and exhibit pieces from the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum (LVM). Created by The University of Texas at El Paso, the 3D printed objects in this exhibit will also be available during the IMMERSIVE MEALS social and networking lunch events.

This exhibit compliments the THE AGE OF IMMERSION module and the FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF IMMERSION module.

Attendees can also handle and examine 3D Printed objects during the special "Immersive Meals" afternoon lunch social events on Wednesday 9 September (Sept 9) and Thursday 10 September (Sept 10).

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

EXHIBIT : Leap Motion Controller

The Leap Motion Controller senses how you naturally move your hands and lets you use your computer in a whole new way. Point, wave, reach, grab. Pick something up and move it.

The Leap Motion Controller doesn't replace your keyboard, mouse, stylus or trackpad. It works with them, and without special adapters. With the Leap Motion software running, just plug it into the USB on your Mac or PC, and you're off.

All that wide open space between you and your computer is now just for hands and fingers. The Leap Motion Controller senses almost every little move they make, and every big one, too. Technically speaking, it's 8 cubic feet of interactive, three-dimensional space. But some say it's simply magic.

This exhibit compliments the FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF IMMERSION and IMMERSIVE EDUCATION module.

Attendees can also experience the Leap Motion Controller during the special "Immersive Meals" afternoon lunch social events on Wednesday 9 September (Sept 9) and Thursday 10 September (Sept 10).

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

EXHIBIT : Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) Placita Immersive Experience

"Enter my semi-permeable body, pliable. I register the colors of multi-colored, papel picado flags that hang across la plaza, and the brick pathways below my feet. I hang back momentarily to hear the quiet, to breath my presence in. I am both here and there. There, surrounded by blue sky, cobbled pathways, art and music. The distant sound of a hummingbird. Here, in my room of blank walls and mismatched coverlets and scattered clothes. There, I am dressed like Spring. My flowing skirt, the color of peaches, graze my legs, my short-sleeved shirt is tight across my waist. Here, I wear sweat pants and an old t-shirt, and I am wrapped in a worn-out shawl to keep the cold at bay. If I stand in this virtual space a bit longer, I will surrender to the potential pleasure of this virtual cartography. I will reach ambiguity--the space where art is born, where reality and memory are blurred. I breathe. Wait. I am present now.

I reach my arms to the sky and I fly across a blue sky. Below me is the ocean, a sprinkle of buildings, and the cafe where I've held poetry readings and workshops for the past year and a half. This virtual world, intended for collaboration, entertainment and education, has served our group of writers well. The engaging surroundings of La Placita and the hacienda-style buildings, artwork and music exhibitions feel like something out of our memory, or the stories of our elders, or the pueblos we've visited in Mexico, or lived in across the U.S. borderlands. As I fly pass La Placita, I am reminded of San Elizario, Texas, one of the first presidios in Texas established in 1789. The setting evokes a real feeling of nostalgia in me and a need to write about my abuela. I stop flying and sit in a familiar spot outside the Sin Fronteras Cafe, and I begin to write. I am present now."

This exhibit is a 360 degree immersive interactive experience of the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) in the virtual world of Second Life. Individuals will engage the immersive environment through the use of Oculus Rift Head sets, microphones and audio headphones. Several options for movement through the space are available including traditional mouse/keyboard, gaming controller or Leap Motion. The experience is focused on immersive community engagement highlighting the transmedia Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival and exhibit. This experience also features a special preview for Immersive Education (iED) members of a new Oculus Rift Día de los Muertos interactive feature for the upcoming Día de los Muertos Festival.

This exhibit compliments the ART AND CULTURE module.

Attendees can also experience the Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) Placita during the special "Immersive Meals" afternoon lunch social events on Wednesday 9 September (Sept 9) and Thursday 10 September (Sept 10).

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

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HANDS ON WORKSHOPS

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WORKSHOPS PASS or ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that workshops are only available to attendees who have registered for either an IMMERSION 2015 Workshops Pass or an All Access Pass

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP : Google Cardboard

Build your very own Google Cardboard Virtual Reality (VR) viewer (headset) in this workshop, and then use it visit new places, play immersive games, fly through space and more.

Google Cardboard is a VR platform developed by Google for use with a fold-out cardboard viewer (headset) in which a mobile phone is placed. Intended as a low-cost system to encourage interest and development in VR and VR applications, Cardboard is used extensively by learners of all ages in Immersive Education Initiative clubs, camps and classes.

In this hands-on workshop attendees will build their own Google Cardboard viewer, and use it with their own Android phone or iPhone. Note that in order to participate in this workshop attendees must purchase their own Google Cardboard upon registering for IMMERSION 2015.

Attendees can use their Google Cardboard headset during the special "Immersive Meals" afternoon lunch social events on Wednesday 9 September (Sept 9) and Thursday 10 September (Sept 10).

This workshop compliments Google's IMMERSION 2015 keynote Google Virtual Reality — Cardboard VR and Beyond, the AGE OF IMMERSION module and the IMMERSIVE EDUCATION module.

WORKSHOPS PASS or ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that workshops are only available to attendees who have registered for either an IMMERSION 2015 Workshops Pass or an All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP : Immersive Bent's Old Fort (Minecraft)

On November 19, 2014, the Immersive Education Initiative announced that Bent's Old Fort, a unit of the United States National Park Service located on the Santa Fe Trail in Colorado's Otero County, would be reconstructed virtually in the video game Minecraft and also as a fully immersive 3D virtual reality (VR) environment.

One of several new activities under the Initiative's Immersive Arts and Culture program, Immersive Bent's Old Fort is being developed in collaboration with the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service, the City of La Junta Colorado, Otero Junior College, and Colorado's East Otero School District.

Through the Initiative's Learn to Earn program students in Colorado, working in collaboration with Stanford University's Architecture Design Program, actively participate in reconstructing the fort in both Minecraft and virtual reality (VR).

Immersive Bent's Old Fort, along with corresponding history curricula and teaching materials, will be available free of charge to the general public and to schools around the world once complete. Online virtual tours of the immersive fort will be available to schools as a complement to the in-person tours currently conducted on-site at the fort by National Park Service rangers.

During this exclusive hands-on workshop attendees will have the opportunity to experience the very early stages of Immersive Bent's Old Fort in Minecraft, and also arrange for early-access to the Minecraft rendition of the fort (and corresponding corresponding history curricula and teaching materials) for their schools and organizations.

Additional details and media (images and videos) are available through the official official Immersive Bent's Old Fort website at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/fort

This workshop compliments the ART & CULTURE module and the IMMERSIVE EDUCATION module.

WORKSHOPS PASS or ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that workshops are only available to attendees who have registered for either an IMMERSION 2015 Workshops Pass or an All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP : Virtual Harlem "Motion Capture on the Cheap"

This hands-on workshop will teach participants how affordable, low-barrier technology is used to motion capture authentic dances of the Harlem Renaissance in order to impact student learning. As they learn about the pilot collaborative efforts of the University of Arizona Libraries' iSpace and the Africana Studies department participants will get hands-on motion capture experience using Xbox Kinects and iPiSoft motion capture software.

Virtual Harlem is a collaborative learning network whose purpose is to study the Harlem Renaissance, an important period in African American literary history, through the construction of a Virtual Reality and virtual world scenarios that represents Harlem, New York, as it existed between the 1920-30s. Virtual Harlem is a learning environment in which students studying the Harlem Renaissance can experience the historical context of its literature.

The immersive Virtual Harlem environments contain iconic locations such as the Cotton Club, the Apollo Theater, Marshalls Hotel, museums, art galleries and the Harlem Branch Library. In addition to these famous locations, there are also interactive elements, collaborative possibilities, music of the period and opportunities for students to create projects related to the period and to role play.

Virtual Harlem is one of the earliest full VR and virtual world environments created for use in the humanities, and one of the first for use in an African American literature course.

This workshop compliments the ART & CULTURE module and the PRESERVING THE PAST module.

WORKSHOPS PASS or ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that workshops are only available to attendees who have registered for either an IMMERSION 2015 Workshops Pass or an All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP : Storytelling Through Animation

This workshop, conducted by Michigan State University in collaboration with the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum featuring Katie Fico from the Disney Animation Studios, and sponsored by Toon Boom Animation, will take participants from the creation of original storyboards and character creation through animating their stories to produce an animated short.

The focus will be on representing cultures, traditions as well as innovations while being conscious not to fall into stereotypes. Participants will be introduced to the 12 principles of animation set forth by the early Disney animators (documented in the book The Illusion of Life: Disney Animationn) as they learn how to apply those principles to create an engaging and empowering animated story. Featured characters and storyline themes for this workshop will feature the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum's Day of the Dead collection and animation short.

Participants must come with the following software on their own laptops to participate, or they can simply watch:

Toon Boom Harmony/Studio Software will be provided to partipants.

This workshop compliments the ART & CULTURE module and the FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF IMMERSION module.

WORKSHOPS PASS or ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that workshops are only available to attendees who have registered for either an IMMERSION 2015 Workshops Pass or an All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

HANDS-ON WORKSHOP : The Process of Designing Immersive Spaces

Often times one of the most daunting tasks for museums, libraries, schools and companies is to create an interactive immersive environment, whether it be a simple interactive online gallery, VR game, augmented reality app or fully immersive online or dome experience. Many institutions and non-profits have great ideas and a lot of enthusiasm, but often find themselves a bit befuddled when it comes to the actual production process of manifesting their ideas. Often times it is due to the fact they have never had experience with producing such a project and are not acquainted with the vocabulary or collaborative process needed to make such a project into a reality. So where does one even start? During this hands-on workshop participants will be taken through the process of how to identify what themes, objects, assets as well as technologies will work based on target end user demographics. This workshop also covers various aspects for designers and educators to keep in mind when creating an interactive immersive experience including how to find artist/designers, software and platforms as well as how to campaign for administrative support and outside funding including grants and corporate gifts. Workshop partipants will also receive advice on working with students when projects have real-world clients and deadlines. All of this while participants build their own micro immersive environment.

Participants must come with the following software on their own laptops to participate, or they can simply watch:

Unity 3D (Free)
Autodesk Maya 2016 (Free for students and faculty through Autodesk website)
Garage Band or Audacity (Free)
Microsoft Word or Mac Pages
Adobe Photoshop or Gimp (Free)

This workshop compliments the ART & CULTURE module and the FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF IMMERSION module.

WORKSHOPS PASS or ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that workshops are only available to attendees who have registered for either an IMMERSION 2015 Workshops Pass or an All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

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DEMONSTRATIONS (DEMOS)

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ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that demonstrations (demos) are only available to attendees who have registered for an IMMERSION 2015 All Access Pass

DEMO : 3D Virtual Reality IES (Imaging, Evaluation and Suggestion) Diagnostic System

Thoughts are abstract and difficult to express and even more difficult to portray. This work in progress project, aims at delivering a New Age IES system (Imaging Evaluation and Suggestion system) with a focus on understanding and monitoring neurological processes, inner working of the brain, cognition processes and (visceral) thoughts, in a tangible manner.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive method to record electrical activity of the brain along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current within the neurons of the brain. In clinical contexts, EEG refers to the recording of the brain's spontaneous electrical activity over a period of time as recorded from multiple electrodes placed on the scalp. Diagnostic applications generally focus on the spectral content of EEG, that is, the type of neural oscillations that can be observed in EEG signals.

Going by the alpha name ThoughTouch, the concept behind this IMMERSION 2015 demonstration is to build on a customized 3D CAD modeling based tool and interface it with an EEG based wireless input device. Besides a unique machine learning component added to ThoughTouch, will help it to decipher, analyze, visualize & compare better non tangible concepts such as learning using 3D printer integration, and help predict for e.g. in a classroom scenario early on which students are having/will have trouble with various courses so that we adjust the lessons and stimuli given to them accordingly.

ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that demonstrations (demos) are only available to attendees who have registered for an IMMERSION 2015 All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

DEMO : Mob Scene Filter — Privacy Protection in Videos by Changing Facial Appearance

Mob Scene Filter (MSF) aims to prevent identification of an individual identity by changing one's facial appearance. Currently, image processing techniques, such as the mosaic and the blur, have been used to prevent identification of a person's identity. These techniques, however, make people difficult to understand the context of the video, because the facial expressions of the characters and the background in the video are masked. Thus, there is an inherent need for an advanced privacy protection technique that protects privacy but still maintains the context of the video. So, we focus on changing the facial appearance of characters in videos for protecting their privacy without compromising on the information from facial expressions. Then, we propose a system called MSF that changes not only the facial textures but also the arrangement of the facial regions and their size. The system first identifies a face and facial features in a video. Then, the system superimposes another person's face on those identified faces, and transforms the size of facial regions and the arrangement. Humans mainly use the arrangement of the facial regions to identify others, and so we modify the facial regions for altering face identification effectively.

ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that demonstrations (demos) are only available to attendees who have registered for an IMMERSION 2015 All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

DEMO : Neurofeedback-enhanced Video Games ("Neuro-Games")

Playto is a Hong Kong based designer and developer of neurofeedback-enhanced video games that enable children to develop and master foundational life skills. The company's first game, GlowMaster, trains children how to enter a highly focused state at will. GlowMaster, is a self-administered, self-motivating training regimen consisting of more than 50 unique half hour game play sessions. GlowMaster is an arcade-quality action game that children play willingly, for sheer enjoyment. As children progress from level to level, the game becomes more challenging and the rewards more enticing – keeping the child motivated to play again and again during the two to three months required to embed the new skills deeply enough that the child can deploy them for years to come.

GlowMaster ships with a Neurosky MindWave Mobile headset. The headset monitors brainwave activity, measuring the depth and duration of focus. Whenever the child achieves a highly focused state, the aircraft that the child is piloting has its fuel replenished. During the refueling state, the aircraft glows brightly. This visual feedback (the "glow"), combined with positive and encouraging messages from the game, reward the child for improving focusing skills.

Clinical trials have demonstrated how GlowMaster can positively impact children's understanding and use of attentional skills. Anecdotal reports from children who participated in the trials include accounts of how effective the "glow" mnemonic can be in the everyday deployment of focusing skills. One child reported that she "made her teacher glow" whenever she felt her attention wandering. Another child reported "making the ping pong ball glow" in order to better focus on his table tennis lessons.

ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that demonstrations (demos) are only available to attendees who have registered for an IMMERSION 2015 All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

DEMO : 3D Language Learning — Live your Language!

V.I.E.W. (Virtual Immersive Educational Worlds, Inc.) promotes 3D learning in the field of Language Learning, offering both a live, synchronous, multi-player online platform that includes voice and text chat and a more self-contained, asynchronous app that allows for self-paced learning with non-playable characters (NPCs). During IMMERSION 2015 attendees will receive a live demonstration of these products along with an overview of their academic, pedagogical underpinnings.

ALL ACCESS PASS REQUIRED: Please note that demonstrations (demos) are only available to attendees who have registered for an IMMERSION 2015 All Access Pass

Contact the IMMERSION 2015 conference team to exhibit or to sponsor IMMERSION 2015.

MORE TO COME!

Please note that new exhibits, hands-on workshops and demos will be added in the weeks leading up to IMMERSION 2015. Get exclusive IMMERSION 2015 updates, alerts and breaking news in your email inbox:

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