A London-based startup has raised £285,000 to launch a platform that turns real-life objects into virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) visuals.
Reality Zero One has closed a funding round backed by its founders and private investors to bring the new digital capture platform to market.
With the technology, it’s possible to create 3D representations of people and objects, which can then be used in VR and AR applications, said the company.
Reality Zero One’s problem-solving tech
Despite the fact that the mixed and augmented reality market is set to top $215 billion by 2021, creating 3D objects for use within the medium hasn’t been an easy task.
This is something that Reality Zero One is looking to change with its new offering. It consists of a 3D capture device, software, and supporting cloud infrastructure.
Developers can use the new hardware and software combo for object creation, content management, and publishing in VR and AR spaces.
Reality Zero One says that users are able to, “capture, create, and publish ultra-realistic 3D objects at the push of a button without the need for further training, calibration, alignment or post-processing.”
Rob Eastham, co-founder of Reality Zero One, believes that his company’s technology can transform the way developers create VR and AR experiences. “This last decade, we’ve seen a spectacular fall in the cost of reading a single genome. We’re about to see the same thing happen to the cost of creating digital replicas of real-world objects,” he said.
Our platform fills a clear gap in the market for creating ultra-realistic, simulated 3D objects that are ready to use in any VR or AR environment.
Bright future
Reality Zero One explained that it is refining the system and preparing for mainstream launch, having concluded initial trials at the end of March.
Eastham and co-founder Chris Dryden believe that the technology could one day be used in areas such as education, arts and heritage organisations, e-commerce, fashion, and food.
The company is also planning to design and build a commercially available 3D-capture system, allowing it to offer an end-to-end solution for the creation of VR models. The product is currently in alpha, but a waiting list is open to those who want to sign up to the beta.
Internet of business says
Reality Zero One is enabling non-experts to more easily create and distribute VR content. This is central to the drive for increased VR and AR adoption in both the consumer and enterprise worlds.
These models do an incredible job of replicating the real objects from which they’re taken – work that would take a digital artist hours to carry out to the same standard.
Digital reproduction techniques such as this have been employed to great effect before in films and video games, yet the most immersive VR and AR experiences often come from graphics that don’t strive for photorealism (and fall short), but instead adopt a simpler art style that’s more suited to today’s hardware capabilities.
However, Reality Zero One’s system certainly has its place for viewing standalone objects, particularly in the retail and education sectors. Scanning and reproduction techniques such as this will also play an important role in VR and AR platforms as they evolve – especially in training applications, where it’s important to replicate real-life situations as closely as possible.