If there was still any question why Facebook paid all of that money for Oculus, today’s F8 keynote provided some extra explanation. From AR to social VR and more, the company laid out its plan for the immediate future that involves blending the virtual world with real life. If you missed the hour-long talk earlier today, don’t fret: We’ve compiled all the big news in a 10-minute clip.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!

Facebook teased how it would create social experiences in virtual reality, and now it’s ready to take things one step further. It just launched a Facebook Spaces beta that lets Oculus Rift owners hang out together (up to four at once) in VR. You can create an avatar that’s as realistic or fanciful as you want, draw 3D objects and show off your personal videos and use 360-degree video backgrounds to liven up your chats. There’s even a selfie stick to take virtual self-portraits. And if a friend can’t use VR, you can bring them into the conversation using Facebook Messenger video calls.

Developing…

Click here to catch up on the latest news from F8 2017!

There’s no doubt that virtual and augmented reality are quickly gaining in popularity. From expensive options like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift to more affordable options like Daydream View and Samsung Gear VR, virtual reality really is accessible to everyone. With devices starting to ship with AR capabilities and Microsoft’s Hololens on the horizon, augmented reality is gaining steam as well.

CVR 2017 is Canada’s biggest virtual and augmented reality conference and will be in Vancouver from May 5th through 7th. The three-day conference will showcase the latest and include presentations and hands-on demonstrations from the likes of NASA, Ford, and Microsoft.

Check out the full press release below and let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook if you’re planning on attending.

CVR 2017, Canada’s Biggest Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Conference is Coming to Vancouver from May 5th-7th

Three-Day VR/AR/MR Convention Featuring the Latest in Cutting-Edge Entertainment and Presentations from Tech Giants Including NASA and Ford

VANCOUVER, April 11, 2017: The Virtual and Augmented Reality community will descend on Vancouver during the month of May as today Archiact announced CVR 2017. The three-day event, which goes from May 5-7, will showcase a world-class selection of top industry experts, the latest technologies, and hands-on demonstrations of the latest products. The event will be open to industry professionals on Friday and the general public for two days over the weekend.

“We are excited to bring back CVR to Vancouver for another fantastic virtual reality show,” said Anne-Marie Enns, Executive Producer of CVR. “This really is a collection of the best and the brightest products in virtual, augmented and mixed reality – all under one roof. CVR is the biggest AR/VR conference in the Pacific Northwest and it will allow the general public to try out the newest, cutting-edge products right here in Vancouver.”

CVR 2017 is sponsored by BCLC, Creative BC, VEC, Microsoft, YDeams and Cloudhead Games among others, and will feature speakers from some of the biggest companies in the world including NASA, Ford, Delta Airlines and Super Ventures. Representatives from these companies will speak about topics such as solving problems in outer space with VR, designing the future of Virtual Humans, and featuring the latest evolution in entertainment.

“I’m very excited to be presenting at the CVR 2017, the Canadian’s premier VR/AR/MR conference,” said Evelyn Miralles, Lead VR Innovator, NASA, “VR’s a technology that has been with us at NASA for several decades used for astronaut space training. But the technology has now come of age and it’ll be changing the way we interact with people and the environment around us.”

In addition to the VR/AR companies participating, the industry event will be kicked off by welcome remarks from Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson.

CVR 2017 will be held May 5-7th, 2017 in West Exhibition Hall A of the Vancouver Convention Centre. The show hours are as follows:

• Friday, May 5 (Industry Only): 9:00am-6:00pm


• Saturday, May 6 (Expo Days): 10:00am-6:00pm


• Sunday, May 7 (Expo Days): 10:00am-4:00pm

For more information on CVR 2017, such as ticket or specific show programming information, please visit: www.cvr2017.com.

About Archiact
Archiact is a premium virtual and augmented reality studio headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with an additional office located in Shanghai, China. Archiact specializes in virtual reality game development, publishing, and custom business solutions. As the host of CVR, North America’s first consumer-facing VR/AR/MR conference and expo, Archiact actively powers the growth of the virtual reality industry for both businesses and customers alike. Founded in 2013, Archiact is now one of the world’s largest dedicated immersive reality studios.

“The concert will be broadcast from multiple vantage points including the front row and on-stage to provide unprecedented access for fans,” NextVR said in a statement. Finally, you’ll be able to see the George Hamilton of metal (Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna) and guitarist Scott Ian’s lengthy beard up-close-and-personal. All that and you won’t have to get kicked in the head by a passing crowdsurfer or spend an evening pressed up against the rail separating fans from the stage.

Better yet? Beer from your fridge will be cheaper than the venue’s and you won’t have to worry about getting bounced for smoking. The free broadcast is even sweeter when you can pull your Daydream View or Gear VR headset off after Anthrax leaves the stage and not feel obligated to stick around for Killswitch because you dropped cash on a ticket. If there’s a downside, however, it’s that regardless of how cool VR is, you won’t be able to get caught in a mosh tonight.

The researchers hooked subjects up with a medical-grade eight-channel muscle simulator (EMS) installed in a backpack. That’s controlled over USB by a VR simulator that works with Samsung GearVR, hand-mounted trackers and a motion capture system. “The major potential here is that this is something you can have with very little hardware,” Lopes explains.

They attached electrodes to users’ forearms and biceps, which automatically apply a mild electrical shock when they touch or lift a virtual object. That tenses the activated muscle, repulsing the users hand and making them feel they’re pushing against a wall or picking up a heavy cube (see the video, below).

It took the team a while to create a realistic simulation. At first, they applied a current to the users’ muscle proportional to their force, “just strongly enough to prevent it passing through [a wall],” the team wrote. However, one participant said that it “felt like a magnet pulling the hand backwards,” in a not-very-realistic way.

Eventually, they arrived at two different simulators. In the first, they cut off the EMS intensity at a certain limit. That allowed users to penetrate simulated objects by about 10cm, a good simulation for foam or other soft things. In the second case, they used a short EMS pulse that actually propelled the user’s hand backwards, never allowing them to push through the wall or other object. (The shocks aren’t intense enough to hurt users, by the way.)

The technology isn’t exactly new, as it has been used for physical therapy and exercise stimulation for years (think of those janky ab stimulators). There are even some companies trying to develop it for entertainment purposes, like the team behind the Teslasuit, which also uses electric muscle simulation. However, Lopes thinks it should be very low profile tech that can even be integrated into regular textiles. “There’s a need for physicality in VR,” he told Fast Co. “The next step is bigger force, more physical sensations.”