How AR and VR is Changing the Museum Experience?

Have you ever wanted to explore an ancient pyramid in Egypt, have a conversation about the theory of relativity with Albert Einstein or understand the enormity of a Tyrannosaurus Rex? As augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) become more accessible to the general population, your wish might now be possible. AR and VR exhibits are increasingly becoming a main attraction at major museums and art galleries across the globe. But how is this type of interactive technology being used to increase a museum’s audience engagement and ultimately help children and adults retain valuable information in an educational atmosphere? Many museums are offering innovative and exciting ways for patrons to enjoy exhibits. The use of interactive elements and new technologies in a museum environment is not a new concept. “Museums have historically been a place for physical artifacts,” explains IEEE member Todd Richmond. “Emerging technology has been used over the years – audio recordings with explanations, interactive displays, video pieces. AR/VR will continue this trend, both likely used in slightly different ways.”

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AR AND VR IN MUSEUMS?

While both AR and VR have their benefits, the two technologies offer different types of engagement experiences. It’s important for a museum curator to understand these technologies in order for children and adults to be fully captivated or immersed in the experience. “VR’s strength is embodiment and immersion,” explains Richmond. “So instead of looking at a physical display or video screen that recreates a time, place and/or objects, a user will be able to be inside that time/place.” The benefit of using VR in museums means guests can feel like they’re walking in someone else’s shoes, understand their different viewpoints and engage in those interactions rather than just observe in a traditional setting.

“AR is slightly different in that it can overlay information, people and/or objects on the physical space,” says Richmond. “So, museums and classrooms can be inhabited by a combination of physical spaces/objects and digital representations of information, details or people/objects.” Utilizing AR in museums means that digital experiences can become context-aware based off the user, change for different times of the day, or even adapt to different spaces. Museums often use AR for interactive scavenger hunts that encourage exploration throughout a space.

HOW TO KEEP ENGAGEMENT LEVELS HIGH WITH AR/VR TECHNOLOGY

Once an AR/VR technology is established in a museum, users must be able to easily interact and stay engaged with the curated story line and technology. “Right now, AR/VR is novel, so you can gain attention rather easily,” says Richmond.” That said, once you have someone’s attention, you need to keep it, and to do that the experience needs to be compelling, entertaining and useful. ”But as AR/VR becomes an increasingly popular trend in educational environments such as in museums, Richmond is hopeful the technology will improve to increase engagement and offer an interactive way to learn. “We’re still in the early days of immersive mediums, so the types of experiences that are both engaging and have efficacy are challenging to create,” says Richmond. “But as with any medium, the more we experiment, the better we get.”

Unfolding the Crisis of Residential Project Delays: Is the Problem all Pervasive?

Highlights

* Delhi-NCR and Mumbai are major contrib utors of delayed projects
* Affordable and mid-income projects do not account for much of the delayed projects except in select cities like Kolkata and Pune

The story of the residential ma rket is uncomfortable when looked at from a buyer’s perspective. Contrary to the already published reports indicating that the real estate sector is struggling with billions of USD worth of delayed residential projects in the top seven cities of Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, it is has been observed that the problem lies with only the upper middle income and premium category projects.

JLL Research takes a closer look at the problem of ‘project delays’ and for this purpose, a period of five years from the launch of the project has been considered to estimate the delayed/stalled residential projects. To elaborate, the residential projects laun ched on or before 2014 and still ‘under-construction’ have been referred to as delayed/stalled projects and the total number of flats/apartments in these projects are categorised as delayed/stalled residential units.

Now, let us understand the current market dynamics before painting the entire sector with a single brush.

Mumbai & Delhi-NCR: The two cities account for 84% of the total delays

It is the common perception that the entire residential sector is reeling under the pressure of delayed projects. JLL’s study demystifies this. The aggregate data shows that total number of residential units classified as delayed/stalled in the top seven cites stands at 4.54 lakh. However, as high as 84 per cent of these units are present in two major metro cities: Delhi NCR (62%) and Mumbai (22%). Needless to say, these two cities had always been on the radar of investors due to the promising returns and the scope for expansion that they offered. The percentage share of rest of the cities is in single digit.

Even at the city level, it is important to note that in Delhi, around 3/4th of the residential units are delayed/stalled and one out of every three residential units in Mumbai falls in the same category. For rest of the cities, this proportion is not significant. Hence, the delay in project completion is concentrated in NCR Delhi and Mumbai not a trend across all the top 7 cities of India – a reality that needs to be brought to light!

Where are the funds trapped?

In monetary terms, the delayed/stalled projects stand at a whopping INR 4.62 lakh crore and Delhi NCR and Mumbai again account for nearly 90% of this value. The large proportion of delayed projects being concentrated in these two cities is alarming!

However, as we move forward we will see that the trend of delay varies not only geographically but also across different types of residential projects.

Having said that, the question remains: Is the delay endemic across all categories of residential projects?

JLL data says ’No’.

We classify the houses with prices up to INR 75 lakh as affordable and mid segment category for all cities except Mumbai. Due to the high real estate prices, the threshold of affordable and mid segment in Mumbai is INR 1 crore. While the total value of delayed/stalled projects is INR 4.62 lakh crore, it would be misleading to say that it is across the entire spectrum of housing categories. The reality is not all that grim as the funds are mainly stuck in projects belonging to the upper-mid and premium categories. This is reflected in the average price of residential units across cities. For instance, the average price of delayed residenti al units stands at INR 1.99 crore for Mumbai as compared to INR 95 lakh in Bangalore, INR 94 lakh in Hyderabad and INR 87 lakh in Chennai.

Do We Trust Artificial Intelligence Agents to Mediate Conflict? Not Entirely

We may listen to facts from Siri or Alexa, or directions from Google Maps or Waze, but would we let a virtual agent enabled by artificial intelligence help mediate conflict among team members? A new study says not just yet.

Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Denver created a simulation in which a three-person team was supported by a virtual agent avatar on screen in a mission that was designed to ensure failure and elicit conflict. The study was designed to look at virtual agents as potential mediators to improve team collaboration during conflict mediation.

Confess to them? Yes.  But in the heat of the moment, will we listen to virtual agents?

While some of the researchers ( Gale Lucas and Jonathan Gratch of the USC Viterbi School Engineering and the USC Institute for Creative Technologies who contributed to this study), had previously found that one-on-one human interactions with a virtual agent therapist yielded more confessions, in this study “Conflict Mediation in Human-Machine Teaming: Using a Virtual Agent to Support Mission Planning and Debriefing,” team members were less likely to engage with a male virtual agent named “Chris” when conflict arose.

Participating members of the team did not physically accost the device (as we have seen humans attack robots in viral social media posts), but rather were less engaged and less likely to listen to the virtual agent’s input once failure ensued and conflict arose among team members.

The study was conducted in a military academy environment in which 27 scenarios were engineered to test how the team that included a virtual agent would react to failure and the ensuring conflict. The virtual agent was not ignored by any means. The study found that the teams did respond socially to the virtual agent during the planning of the mission they were assigned (nodding, smiling and recognizing the virtual agent ‘s input by thanking it) but the longer the exercise progressed, their engagement with the virtual agent decreased. The participants did not entirely blame the virtual agent for their failure.

“Team cohesion when accomplishing complex tasks together is a highly complex and important factor,” says lead author, Kerstin Haring, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Denver.

“Our results show that virtual agents and potentially social robots might be a good conflict mediator in all kinds of teams. It will be very interesting to find out the interventions and social responses to ultimately seamlessly integrate virtual agents in human teams to make them perform better.”

Study co-author, Gale Lucas, Research Assistant Professor of Computer Science at USC, and a researcher at the Institute for Creative Technologies, adds that some feedback from study participants indicates that they perceived virtual agents to be neutral and unbiased. She would like to continue the work to see if virtual agents can be applied “to help us make better decisions” and press “what it takes to have us trust virtual agents.”

While this study was conducted in a military academy with particular structures, the researchers are hoping to develop this project to improve team processes in all sorts of work environments.

“Conflict Mediation in Human-Machine Teaming: Using a Virtual Agent to Support Mission Planning and Debriefing” by Kerstin S. Haring, Jessica Tobias, Justin Waligora, Elizabeth Phillips, Nathan L. Tenhundfeld, Gale Lucas, Jonathan Gratch, Ewart J. de Visser, and Chad C. Tossell was presented at The 28th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication on October 15 in New Delhi, India.

Online Threats Multiply During the Festive Season. Here’s How to Stay Safe: Kaspersky

Globally, festivals tend to be notorious for a spike in nefarious online activities. Cyber criminals may take the opportunity to lure unsuspecting users through inviting offers and swipe them clean of their money. With Diwali approaching, every Internet user is a potential victim of cyberthreats like phishing scams which may also include financial phishing emails which are used by cybercriminals who are out looking for financial information and account details – and ultimately money – they are increasingly adept at hiding in the noise, targeting their attacks and exploiting human emotions, such as fear and desire. Other potential threats include password theft, bank credentials theft, spyware, etc.

Brands selling an array of products – from jewellery and clothing to electronics and even holiday packages – tend to register a significant percent of their annual sales during Diwali. Users are on a buying spree and in a mood to celebrate, making it way easier to lead them on. Hackers, phishers and malware spreaders thrive in this environment and use legitimate-looking messages to bait users.

Global cyber security provider Kaspersky makes it extremely simple for users to stay safe in this very hazardous digital eco-system by making its bestselling security products even more rewarding. From October 1 – November 15 2019.

Kaspersky offers giveaway schemes on its Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) for Mac & PC and Kaspersky Total Security (KTS) products. For each purchase of KIS, the buyer gets an assured movie voucher worth INR 250 and for KTS, the voucher value is INR 500.

Apart from this, there will be attractive weekly rewards, and 2 Mega Award winners will bag an astounding 3 Nights/4 Days trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, inclusive of roundtrip airfare and accommodation (T&C applied)

Said Mr. Purshottam Bhatia, Digital Sales Manager – Kaspersky, “Kaspersky always puts the customer at the heart of every decision. We realize that the need for digital vigilance is at its highest during Diwali, so we wanted to make it more attractive and fulfilling for the consumers to get our KIS and KTS packs. We hope that every user of the Internet makes the most of this offer. Each page you visit, including your email, is a potential threat. We wish all our consumers a very Happy and Safe Digital Diwali!”

Mr. Shivshankar Kharade, Tangible Sales Manager, Kaspersky (South Asia): “We would like to wish all our consumers Best Wishes for this Festive Season. We hope and pray that this festive season brings you great joy and safety just like Kaspersky ensures your cybersecurity with our product range and amazing offers for all our consumers.”

Being cyber-safe has never been simpler, or more rewarding. Make sure to get yourself Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac & PC (KIS) and Kaspersky Total Security (KTS) for your devices at work and home. Gift yourself and your loved ones a gift that keeps giving all year long. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to keep your fingers crossed. You may just win attractive modern gadgets or even be on that plane to Dubai!

Seeing Plastic Waste as a Resource: Covestro Plans to Promote Circular Economy

With a long-term program, Covestro plans to place a strong focus on the circular economy and to be a creative force for the entire plastics industry. In particular, the company aims to use raw materials from sustainable sources such as waste, plants and CO2 as much as possible in production. The aim is to achieve the greatest possible departure from fossil resources such as crude oil. Above all, used plastics must be recycled systematically and to the greatest possible extent. Covestro intends to develop new technologies exactly for this purpose. Overall, the company wants to shape the transition from a disposable economy to a circular economy with as many partners as possible and expects this to open up entirely new business opportunities.

“The great challenges of our time, such as climate change and the increasing consumption of resources by the growing world population, make truly sustainable ways of living and economies an indispensable necessity. The linear patterns in consumption and production based on one-time use have become obsolete – we must rather strengthen the idea of recycling and consistently align our actions accordingly, ” stresses Covestro CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann.

According to Steilemann, the plastics industry in particular can and must drive the change to achieve a circular economy. “Our company wants to be a pioneer in this process – for the benefit of the environment and society, but of course also for the benefit of our customers, who want to join us on our path to the circular economy.”

Moving carbon in circles

In order to promote the circular economy, Covestro has taken a first step in establishing a global strategic program to establish circularity throughout all areas of the company. It will then be backed by concrete and measurable objectives. The materials manufacturer has already taken several steps in this direction. For instance, it has recently been using alternative raw materials instead of crude oil to move the important element carbon virtually in a circle. Especially when it comes to using CO2 as a new raw material, Covestro sees itself as a pioneer and, with its innovative technology, is now in the grand finale of the prestigious German President’s Award.

However, the greatest potential for closing cycles is likely to lie in the recycling of plastic waste. In order to be able to make greater use of it than before, waste disposal systems must be considerably improved and redesigned. Covestro wants to contribute to this above all by developing new recycling technologies. The aim must be to use the most energy-efficient methods possible to convert used plastics back into their molecules. In a joint project, for example, the company is conducting concrete research into the reuse of soft polyurethane foam, which is used to make mattresses.

On top of this, Covestro intends to increasingly design plastics from the outset so that they can be effectively recycled. At the same time, plastic products must last as long as possible and be used to avoid waste.

Plastics as problem solvers

"Society, but also industry, must produce less waste. Above all, waste has to be disposed of systematically and must no longer end up uncontrolled in the environment," says CEO Steilemann. "Plastic waste in our oceans is essentially the result of inadequate waste management. Plastic in itself is not the problem and should not be prohibited. On the contrary, high-quality plastics are a problem solver and are urgently needed – for renewable energies, new forms of mobility and sustainable construction, for instance."

In order to stop the flow of plastic waste into the bodies of water, Covestro is also involved in the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a worldwide company network that has been active since early 2019. In the new Circular Plastics Alliance, the company is also working with numerous other businesses and organizations to promote the recycling of plastics in Europe.

Overall, Covestro wants to cooperate with as many players as possible in all areas of the value chain in order to find the best solutions for the circular economy. The company assumes that a recycling-oriented economy will also lead to new business opportunities. New value creation paths and new business relationships beyond the existing B2B business are potential opportunities.

At the world's largest plastics trade fair, K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Covestro will be presenting many prime examples of products and technologies that can help close material cycles in various sectors. Together with its partners, Covestro has for example developed a concept for manufacturing new electronic components from used polycarbonate. Covestro will also be hosting a special theme day at its booth on October 23 dedicated to the topic of the circular economy.

Recession the Best Time for An Organisation to Grow, says Jason Jennings at BFW’s Manufacturing Day 2019

Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd (BFW), a leader in the manufacturing sector in India, organised the Manufacturing Day 2019 with the theme “Towards Agile Manufacturing”. Mr. Jason Jennings, an eminent international speaker and an Authority on Leadership, Growth, Culture & Innovation, delivered the keynote address titled “Innovation & Reinvention with focus on Manufacturing”.

Mr. Jason Jennings shared the wealth of his knowledge he acquired over many years researching for his bestselling books. He screened more than 220000 companies studied more than 80000 companies and interviewed more than 18000 CEOs, MDs, Owners and Highly successful entrepreneurs. Based on his learning he enumerated 6 leadership secrets of the best agile and people driven companies in the world.  He said that these companies are purpose driven built around doing well by doing good, they exist to grow so as to attract and engage with the right people, they are not afraid to let go of yesterday’s bread winners, they make a lot of small bets, they simplify and systematize everything and these companies are led by good stewards.

Mr. Jennings said that in most developed nations manufacturing contributes to about 50% of GDP. In India this number is just 15%, by boosting manufacturing’s contribution to 25% as envisioned by the government, millions of families will acquire middleclass status, bringing India on par with China and making the country an economic superpower.

Mr. Jennings advised the vast gathering of CEOs and decision makers to spend a minimum of 50% of their time talking to customers as this would bring them in tune with every strata of business. He said that recession is not to be feared as it is the best time for a business to grow. According to him letting go of people during an economic slowdown is bad for an organisation as it releases a great knowledge base that the company will require when the economy picks up.

Mr. Jennings said that millennia today are not just concerned with just food shelter and clothing, they want something more, they want to feel good about what they do for a living, they want growth, they want to feel wanted, they want to achieve their full potential. Only companies that are mindful of their employee needs will sustain over time as people, not technology is the real differentiator.

In preparation for BFW’s Manufacturing Day 2019, Mr. Jennings interviewed 32 Indian CEOs across industry verticals to understand the prevailing business environment in India. Based on his findings, Mr. Jennings keynote address is customised to assist Indian industry in a global scenario.

Mr. Ravi Raghavan, CEO & MD, Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd said “Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd, a leader in the manufacturing sector in India, conceived the idea of Manufacturing Day, with an objective to bring together all leading stakeholders, key decision makers, thought leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs on  single platform, to facilitate exchange of knowledge, flow of ideas,  learnings and inspiring intellectual discussions through engaging panel sessions & presentations.  In a nutshell, BFW Manufacturing Day provides an environment for all stakeholders to network and discuss various aspects related to manufacturing knowhow”.

BFW’s Manufacturing Day 2019 also saw two high powered and intense panel discussions on Sustainable Mobility – The Opportunities and The Future of Manufacturing – Smart Automation. Industry leaders including Mr. Naveen Munjal, MD, Hero Eco Group, Dr. S Devarajan, Sr. VP, TVS Motor Ltd, Mr. Kamal Bali, President & MD, VOLVO Group, India, Mr. James Mckew, Regional Director, APAC, Universal Robots, Mr. Rajendra Abhange, Director Technical, Gabriel India Ltd, Mr. Bhaskar Mandel, Executive VP, Country head Digital Industry, Siemens Ltd led the panel discussions. Over 350 top CXOs, leading stakeholders, key decision makers, thought leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs from across industry verticals will attended the power packed sessions at the mega event.

Mr. Jason Jennings

Jason Jennings is a researcher and one of the most successful and prolific business authors in the world. The more than 1,200 motivating and inspirational keynote speeches and seminars he’s delivered around the world have consistently and positively changed lives, careers, and companies forever.

He travelled the globe in search of the world’s fastest companies for his landmark book, It’s Not the Big That Eat the Small – It’s the Fast That Eat the Slow and, within days of its release, it hit the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and New York Times Bestsellers Lists, USA TODAY named it one of the top 25 books of the year and it was eventually published in 32 languages.

Mr. Jennings and his research teams identified the world’s ten most productive companies for the bestseller, Less Is More. That was followed by, Think BIG – Act Small, which profiled the only ten companies in the US to have organically grown both revenues and profits by double-digits every year for ten consecutive years. His book, Hit the Ground Running – A Manual for Leaders, reveals the tactics and strategies of the ten new CEO’s who created the greatest amount of value during their first five years on the job. His New York Time’s bestseller, The Reinventors – How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical Continuous Change, reveals the secrets of those leaders and organizations that have successfully reinvented and transformed themselves. His latest book for his publisher Penguin Random House is, The High-Speed Company – Creating Urgency and Growth in a Nanosecond Culture.

Mr. Jennings’ books are consistently described by critics as, “extraordinarily well researched, insightful, crisply written, accessible, intriguing and a vital resource for everyone in business.

USA TODAY has called Jason one of the three most in-demand business speakers in the world. Jennings is well-known for the exhaustive research that goes into customizing every speech or workshop that he delivers. Before taking the stage, he’s poured over every bit of information available about the company, will have spent time interviewing the CEO or business owner and conducted another dozen telephone interviews with other leaders within the firm.

In preparation for BFW’s Manufacturing Day 2019, Mr. Jennings interviewed several Indian CEOs across industry verticals to understand the prevailing business environment and come up with a prescription to help Indian companies in a global scenario.

Engineering Students from India, UK to Showcase their Innovative Ideas at QuEST Ingenium in Hyderabad

Highlights

* Projects to be evaluated based on innovation, relevance to industry and society, and marketability
* Industry experts from GE Power, Medtronic, MAN Truck & Bus India Pvt. Ltd. and QuEST Global are part of the jury
* Winning team to get first-hand engineering experience at the Bombardier Transportation facility in the UK and an exciting cash prize

QuEST Global, a global product engineering and lifecycle services company, will host innovative project ideas from engineering students across India and the United Kingdom at their flagship annual applied engineering contest, “Ingenium”. The winner of Ingenium 2019 will be selected after evaluating projects presented by the finalists from India and the UK at the grand finale to be held on October 19, 2019 in Hyderabad. The projects will be judged based on innovation, relevance to industry and society, and marketability by the jury consisting of industry experts from GE Power, Medtronic, MAN Truck & Bus India Pvt. Ltd. and QuEST Global.

The projects that will be presented at Ingenium finale are spread across Software & Digital, Power, Healthcare, Automotive, Embedded & Electronics and Mechanical streams. The finalists were selected after screening more than 6,500 registrations submitted by final year students from over 800 engineering colleges across India and the UK. The project ideas submitted by aspiring engineers were around solving the various challenges around digital transformation and Industry 4.0. The winners of coveted competition in the engineering community will be entitled to a jackpot of exciting prizes, including a visit to the Bombardier Transportation facility in Derby, the UK, along with a cash prize and an opportunity to work with QuEST Global.

This year, QuEST Global’s endeavors in nurturing engineering talent is being supported by Bombardier Transportation and Siemens Digital Industries Software. Ramesh Loganathan, Professor, Co-innovation and Head of Research Outreach, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad will be the chief guest of the event. The project presentation by the finalists will be evaluated by an eminent panel of judges which include Parag Marathe, Executive – Engineering, GE Power & Site Leader, Hyderabad Technology Center, Divya Joshi, Site Director - Medtronic Engineering & Innovation Centre, Hyderabad, Ashish Dugar, Chief Technology Officer, MAN Truck & Bus India Pvt. Ltd., and Venugopalan C. V., Chief Engineer, QuEST Global.

The finalists for Ingenium 2019 are as follows:

* University of Kent, United Kingdom
* Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Tamil Nadu
* P.E.S. Institute of Technology (PESIT), Karnataka
* Marian Engineering College, Kerala
* Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab
* Jayawant Shikshan Prasarak Mandal Jayawantrao Sawant College of Engineering, Maharashtra
* Dayanand Sagar College of Engineering (DSCE), Karnataka
* Akshaya College of Engineering and Technology, Tamil Nadu.
* SCMS School of Engineering Technology (SSET), Kerala
* Vishnu Institute of Technology, Andhra  Pradesh
* Vel Tech Multi Tech Dr. Rangarajan Dr. Sakunthala Engineering College, Tamil Nadu

Robert Leclerc, Head of Global Engineering at Bombardier Transportation said, "Bombardier and QuEST Global look back on a successful partnership, which is also based on QuEST’s attractiveness for talent. Therefore, we are happy to support their engineering innovation platform, Ingenium - an event to unearth hidden talents among the student community. And, we look forward to further build up on our partnership to grow the Bombardier presence in the railway industry, with 500 million passengers that our products transport daily, in 200 cities around the globe.”

“Every year, we get to see top engineering talent participating in the event, and we are proud to facilitate global exposure for them by providing them with an opportunity to be hired by world’s leading engineering companies. This year, we have successfully completed Ingenium in Japan and the UK, which has evoked tremendous response from industry pioneers and students in these countries,” said Dr. Ajay Prabhu, Chief Operating Officer, QuEST Global. “In the coming years, we are planning to launch Ingenium in the key global markets where we operate from and build regional talent pool in these regions and improve the industry academia connect. By taking Ingenium globally, we aim at encouraging engineering students from across the globe to solve complex engineering problems in the society and across various industries.”

Aiming to build enthusiasm and passion for engineering among the academic community, Ingenium is a global confluence for budding engineering talent to showcase their path-breaking ideas that could leave a lasting positive impact on this world and lives of people. The event has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and has also become one of the most strategic ways through which QuEST Global hires its future engineering talent to solve complex engineering challenges to its customers.