The world of Virtual Reality (VR) became a lot more accessible about two weeks ago when The New York Times sent a Google Cardboard to 1 million subscribers.  I haven’t been homesick yet during my three months here in Madrid, but I definitely felt I missed out on a cultural event when my Instagram and Facebook feed was filled with people using the device…photo after photo was posted of a cardboard box over my friends’ eyes with their head tilted back and there jaws dropped open out of amazement.  I was definitely missing out…

Photo Courtesy: Developers.google.com

The New York Times created a new app (NYT VR) and has taken Virtual Reality to the next level.  They are now using VR as a platform to tell their stories in a more interactive way— which has the potential to change the way stories are communicated.  Plus, by developing this app they have made a statement that the world of VR is emerging and it is a platform that we need to pay attention to.

The New York Times isn’t the only one noticing the power VR has in telling stories…brands like MINI are also creating content with VR to tell their stories in a way that isn’t just selling the car, but is engaging consumers in an actual story…that of course still includes a MINI.

MINI partnered with The New York Times campaign making their content viewable through the NYT VR app.  In an interview with Lee Nadler, MINI’s Marketing manager that I read on Brandchanel (click to read the full interview).  He stated: “This is a platform now that can reach many more people, not only on high-end head sets but with Google Cardboard.” Plus, he said “What we found is that VR in many ways allows you to engage with people on a much deeper level than many other media.”

The New York Times and MINI are changing the game in the way we experience content, and investing heavily in this medium (a challenge for VR is the content can be costly and takes more time to create). I can’t wait to see what else they produce and who else joins them in this space. 

In the mean time, I have added the Google Cardboard to my wish list of what I want my parents to bring me over the holidays...I can’t wait to experience this content first hand.

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            3D Printing is the technological ability to recreate exact replicates of 3D images into actual physical objects. In other words, people can now literally recreate into physical form whatever comes to their mines in a matter of hours. Such a capability is surely going to revolutionize several industries and with that it will have a significant impact on our lives.

Believe it or not 3D printing started and has been around since the 1980’s. However, it’s taken the industry close to 30 years to perfect and bring this technology to light because of the enormous amount of R&D that is required to create patents, plus the long amount of time it takes to officially get those patents finalized by the government. Not to mention the complexity of a 3D printer, it took companies quite a bit of time to create a prototype in order to be used to create other prototypes.

 

            This technology is not without its controversies. Some in the manufacturing industry claim that the government will not be able to enforce copy right laws on to owners of 3D printers in order to prevent them for eventually using a manufactures designs to produces their own products at home. Furthermore, recently in the news consumers with the use of 3D printers have been able to print fully functional fire arms without a license or serial number to trace the weapon which may assist criminals in getting away with crime.
           

           One of the interesting things we discovered about 3D printing was that there are companies now using the technology to print full size houses and buildings even at a cheaper cost than the norm because of the reduction in labor and materials needed. But let’s ask the bigger questions, how will this affect the cement industry? How will it affect the shipping industry and overall global trade? There are certain chain reactions that we need to be aware of so that we are better prepared to handle some of these changes in the future.

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How do you think it feels to see your father under trauma especially when you haven’t seen him for a long time and you are at an age when you need his love and attention the most?

I personally haven’t experienced this but a close friend of mine spent most of her childhood without much of her dad’s attention because he had served in the army fighting wars and just couldn’t leave those moments of bloodshed behind.  He was traumatized and it was difficult for him to be the father he was set out to be because he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

source: http://ict.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ptsd-headset-still.jpg

To give an end to this suffering, technology has something to offer….

Yes I am talking about the use of virtual reality in preventing and helping cure PTSD.

PTSD – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

We all have internal fears towards some situations or environments based on our past experiences. But in some cases, this fear is so extreme that it haunts them in their day-to-day lives, creating mental stress of unbearable levels and changing their normal human behavior. This is called as PTSD. The characteristics of PTSD are intrusive thoughts and flashbacks, anger, isolation, emotional numbing, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, survivor guilt, hype, suicidal feelings and thoughts, alienation, negative self-image.

A few years back, doctors thought about the application of Virtual Reality to treat this disorder acclimatizing patients to the situations by exposing them to a series of imitated virtual situations to create a sense of mental adaptation. Although the therapy is still undergoing trials involving a few Vietnam War Veterans of the US Military, doctors have seen a significant reduction in symptoms of PTSD after just 13 exposures.  This is giving doctors a ray of hope in the direction of treating PTSD through Virtual Reality.

The current project is aimed at treating Iraq & Afghanistan war veterans where a game named “Full Spectrum Warrior” imitates cities and war environments customized to the individual needs of every patient.

Maybe you and I cannot relate to these technology advancement but it is my friend and many who have suffered from this trauma of their loved ones who will truly benefit from this technology.

I feel working on this technology is totally worth it as it makes the world a better place to live…. After all we have a responsibility to help the people who fight for us and have sleepless nights so that we can sleep in peace.

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One of my favorite things in life is traveling. I love to discover new places, see new sites and experience different cultures and perspectives.

Unfortunately, the problem with traveling is the time one has to invest. You have to look for a ticket, prepare your luggage, arrive to the airport at least one hour before your flight departs, eat plane food and sit next to someone for hours who takes your armrest!! And above all that, if you are lucky (which I often am) your flight connection is canceled, so you have to sleep in the airport and somehow it is always when this happens, your luggage is lost (yes I know, Murphy's Law)

But don’t worry…Facebook is working on a solution.

Last year, Facebook bought Oculus as max already talk about in this post

Oculus Rift connects a bunch of sensors to your head and you carry in your hands fancy remote controls all giving you connection to interact with your virtual environment.

I personally don’t like the idea of having something on my head, especially if it comes along with a bunch of cables and if the display doesn’t have embedded speakers. 

So why do you think Facebook bought last year Oculus, the leader in virtual reality for $2 billion?

Last week, I was very excited to see what Facebook’s CTO Mike Schroepfer revealed ahead of the Dublin Web Summit: A teleportationstation.

The web is now excited and speculating about the possible implication of the teleportation.

For this to work, it has to be a full body experience like capsule. It has to be something where all your 5 senses are immersed, where you can see, hear, feel, smell and touch what is around you all using Virtual Reality.

And then what is the next step? What if I could go for example on a business trip and also interact with the world surrounding me, not only feeling my environment but literally teleport my body and being able to physically interact with the world around me.

If Facebook is able to make teleportation work, I would say the 2-billion-dollar purchase of Oculus will be worth it.

In a previous post, I spoke about the recent progress in 3D printing of sternums and more generally about organs. 

What if I could print a body in the other part of the world, enter in the teleportation station and teleport my conscience inside of this empty body, exactly like in the movie avatar? Wouldn’t it solve transport frustration and also reduce greenhouse gas emission.

If you are also enthusiast and excited about this topic, please share your opinion in the comments, I would love to hear what you think. 

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A few weeks ago (although it might have been a little longer) I had an interesting conversation with my Innovation professor. Ever since, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of writing about Amanda Palmer and Nanotechnology.

Why is that?

Well, I have thousands of “not so rational reasons” for that, but let me give you one that I believe is worth considering.

  

I will confess it…I felt challenged. Every now and then my ego does the same old trick. I couldn’t help it; this seemed like mission impossible and I DESPERATELY HAD to find a link between these two.

Amanda is a badass, self-made artist that has built a career based on trust. Throughout the years, she’s managed to develop a very tight community of people she can completely rely on for everything: from instruments to food, shelter and hugs…she can get anything she needs, anywhere in the world, within a matter of hours. It’s like having a super fast 3D printer at your service, 24/7. In her own way, she has created a very convenient virtual reality.

Yet, by now you might wonder…what does Mrs. Palmer have in common with Nanotechnology?

The answer is simple…EVERYTHING AND NOTHING!

In the era of “think different”, “outside-of-the-box”, “diverse” and any other adjectives you can think of, she decided to do something very simple, yet powerful…

She asked for help!

No shame or nasty obligation, but rather a practical matter. If I need something, I ask around. As simple as that!

A couple of months before coming to business school I got a copy of her book. I read most of it within a couple and days and, suddenly, it hit me…

During my PhD I spent 5 years working in a chemistry lab, thinking that I was going to save the world with nanomaterials, and I never asked anybody for help! Even worse, the fear that somebody will “steal my ideas” kept me up at night.

Dude….seriously? How stupid was that?

What if? What if I had asked for help any time I could not figure out what was wrong with my experiments? What If I wouldn’t have been so afraid of sharing my ideas? What If I hadn’t listened to the jealous professor?

What if I…simply…had asked for help?

Ever since I left my academic days behind I have noticed how little people know about Nanotechnology and how foolish we (scientists) were, inside of our science bubble, by thinking that we were about to change the world with tools most people don't even know about.

So let me tell you about my first business school lesson:

The spell is broken my friends, the end of the jealous scientist is near…

Fellow “nanotechies”, start working together. The world needs more Nanotech, more Amanda-like actions and, more importantly, less well-kept secrets.

For real…

Photos from PhotoPin and the author's private collection

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