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Singer Jewel Is Offering Mental Health Support In VR

From vrscout

Mental health support is just a headset away.

Do you remember Jewel, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who graced us with such memorable songs as “Who Will Save Your Soul” and “You Were Meant For Me”? Well, she’s back, and she’s dishing out some much-needed mental health support to the VR community.

Recently, the multiplatinum music artist appeared on the news show CUOMO to chat about Innerworld, a VR metaverse she co-founded that offers evidence-based mental health tools and peer-to-peer support to those struggling with various mental complications, from anxiety and depression to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).



The platform offers a variety of beneficial resources and is monitored by a team of human operators as well as an artificial intelligence (AI) system that keeps a lookout for keywords that may indicate immediate self-harm.

“What I’ve done in the Foundation for the past 20 years is a peer-to-peer model, and we actually see a lot more profound results than one-on-one,” said Jewel. “I think psychotherapy is great, but it isn’t something everybody has access to. And meditation is incredibly important and there are so many great meditation apps out there but what I’ve learned is that meditation puts you in position to change, but then you need behavioral tools to start to change actual habits.”

Credit: Innerworld

“I had been tasking myself to come up with solutions that were genuinely scalable. And for me, VR was really where I was focusing,” she added. “We have a lot of people who use this as a supplement to their therapeutic work and we have people who don’t have access to therapeutic or other traditional service. They are getting incredible results, and there are people from all over the world—which is what’s so amazing about VR.”

Innerworld is available for free in VR on Meta Quest, PC, and iOS devices. For more information visit inner.world.

Feature Image Credit: Henry Laurisch

Chipotle Is Launching A Fitness-Inspired AR Experience

From vrscout

Complete exercises and read meditative prompts for a chance at some free guac.

In an official release, Chipotle, the popular chain restaurant, announced that it has partnered with Snap Inc. to launch a new augmented reality (AR) Lens for the Snapchat app that will encourage you to get up and moving with a series of “Chipotle-inspired exercises.” According to Chipotle, this is the first Snapchat Lens created by a restaurant that promotes physical wellness.

Credit: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

The interactive experience will launch on Friday, January 13, aka “Quitter’s Day.” According to data obtained by Strava, roughly 80% of those who make a New Year’s resolution will abandon their goals by the second week of January. To help motivate your AR workouts and meditative sessions, Chipotle is offering free guac to 100,000 participants.

Along with the Snapchat Lens, the company is offering a new lineup of healthy Lifestyle Bowls (available exclusively in the U.S. and Canada) in a bid to attract GenZ and Millennial customers.

Credit: Snap Inc.

“We created seven new Lifestyle Bowls that embrace Gen Z and Millennials’ modern interpretation of wellbeing,” said Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer at Chipotle. “We’re making new year’s resolutions fun by gamifying the experience and offering balanced meals made with real ingredients that you feel good eating.”

Chipotle’s “wellness-orientated” AR Lens will be available on January 13th, 2023 via the Snapchat app, which is available for free on iOS and Android devices.

Feature Image Credit: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

Gorillaz Will Perform An AR Concert In NYC & London

From vrscout

2-D, Russel, Murdoc, and Noodle are back and bigger than ever.

Ahead of the release of their 8th studio album entitled Cracker Island, the virtual band Gorillaz will perform an augmented reality (AR) concert in New York City and London during which the band members will appear as enormous, skyscraper-sized virtual avatars.



The event will take place this weekend and will be accessible via the Gorillaz Presents app available free on iOS and Android. The Grammy award-winning group will perform their new single “Skinny Ape” at Times Square in NYC at 2:30 pm ET on December 17th and in Piccadilly Circus at 2:00 pm GMT on December 18th.

The location-based AR experience is powered by Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, which allows developers to tether digital content to real-world locations covered by Google Street View. This musical AR event will blend virtual elements with reality, immersing spectators in a unique mixed reality experience.

This isn’t the first time the fictional band has experimented with immersive technology. Back in April 2017, Gorillaz launched their own mixed reality app that offered fans an interactive tour of their “unique” estate. Prior to that, the group released a 360-degree music video for their song “Saturnz Barz.”

Those lucky enough to find themselves in NYC or London this weekend can download the Gorillaz Presents app for free via the App Store and Google Play. After the “live” performance, you can watch the show in-app any time you’d like.

Image Credit: Google x Gorillaz

Snapchat Is Adding Paid Power-Ups To AR Lenses

From vrscout

Additional monetization options are on the way for Snapchat’s augmented reality Lenses.

Today marked the start of Lens Fest 2022, Snap’s annual developer conference centered around its global community of augmented reality (AR) creators. The company kicked things off with a bang earlier this morning with the reveal of a new feature that allows select developers to sell premium upgrades to their AR Lenses.

According to Snap, users can purchase additional content—such as digital goods, effects, and tools—using Snap Tokens, Snapchat’s official in-app currency. The company is currently testing the feature with a closed group of creators and developers as part of an initial pilot program.

“AR is core to the Snapchat experience today, and over time, we see even greater opportunities for hardware to bring it to a new dimension,” said the company in an official update. “Our ambition is that AR can be even more natural through glasses that let you use your hands to interact with AR around you.”

“The advanced hardware and software, distribution channels, and ways we support growth through the Snap AR platform all work together to fuel the creativity and businesses of our global AR community,” added the company.

Participating Lenses will begin rolling out over the next few weeks throughout select locations in Australia and New Zealand, according to Engadget. You’ll find them in the Lens Carousel and Lens Explorer on your Snapchat app, available for free on iOS and Android devices.

Over the past two years, Snap has invested heavily in its catalog of AR Lenses as well as its line of Spectacles AR glasses. According to the company, AR studio Paper Triangles generated roughly $4 million developing Lenses for a number of major brands in 2021.

This past September, the company announced that it was shifting its long-term focus toward community growth, revenue growth, and AR technology after reducing the size of its team by 20%. For more information on Snap’s restructuring visit here.

Image Credit: Snap Inc.

This Unique AR Fashion Show Features ‘No Clothes’

From vrscout

The one-of-a-kind show served as a showcase for Doddz’s new AR fashion line Defy.

If you’re a fan of augmented reality (AR) technology, then odds are at some point you’ve stumbled across the work of Doddz, a popular AR creator who’s worked with everyone from Disney and Facebook to Doja Cat and Drake on a variety of incredible AR experiences.

The multitalented developer has also partnered with big names like Shaquille O’Neal and Anthony Joshua on unique interactive fashion pieces.

Credit: Defy

Yesterday, Doddz took their fashion ambitions even further with a one-of-a-kind runway show at London’s Kacheete. Created in partnership with Snapchat, the show served as a showcase for Doddz’s new AR fashion line, Defy. Instead of physical clothes, however, guests used the Snapchat app to project digital clothing over the models in real-time.

“It’s a fashion show with no clothes,” said Doddz during a recent interview. “The audience holds their phone up to the models and applies the clothes digitally in real-time, which creates a more immersive experience for the audience. These digital garments produce 97% fewer emissions to produce and the sale of just one Defy product provides 20 meals for a food bank in the UK.”

Credit: Defy

“The initial idea was an educational experience for the public on how AR can work for other brands, but as the show picked up speed and outside interest, it evolved into the launch of a digital fashion brand of its own,” added Doddz. “Now more than ever there’s the need for actual solutions to some of the fashion industry’s issues rather than pointing out the same problems, and I believe digital fashion can help.” 

With the arrival of AR headsets just a few years away, immersive technology is poised to be the next big thing in fashion. We’ve already seen major companies begin to explore how AR can be used to enhance existing clothing or create entirely new ensembles.

Credit: RTFKT Studios

For example, digital fashion house RTFKT recently launched a collection of Nike NFT hoodies. Each NFT comes with a physical hoodie featuring a unique QR code that, when scanned, reveals a pair of digital wings. Prior to that, the studio released its RTFKT x Nike Dunks Genesis CryptoKicks, a pair of physical sneakers with their own NFT counterparts.

For more information on Doddz’s digital fashion brand and various other AR projects visit here. You can check out some videos from yesterday’s event as well via Doddz’s Instagram.

Feature Image Credit: Defy

VTuber App Lets You Create An Avatar With Your Smartphone

From vrscout

Those in Europe can download the app for free via the Apple Store and Google Play.

CUSTOMCAST is an all-in-one mobile app that allows you to create your very own virtual entertainer, aka ‘VTuber’, using a smartphone or tablet. You can control your avatar using facial tracking and even broadcast live to audiences around the world with ease.

Developed by Dwango and S-court, the app allows you to customize premade 3D avatars using a variety of accessories, face types, hairstyles, skin colors, and clothing. You can then use your smart device’s camera to control your digital persona with facial tracking, lip sync, and various poses/expressions.

There’s also the option to customize your virtual background. If you have an iPhone with a True Depth camera you can even project your avatar over the real world via augmented reality (AR). Once you’ve finished customizing your digital persona you can connect to the Niconico Live app and begin broadcasting.

CUSTOMCAST is now available free in Europe via the Apple Store and Google Play in the following languages: English, Japanese, and Chinese (Traditional/Simplified). You can also purchase additional customizations via the in-app store or subscribe to the CUSTOMCAST official channel for exclusive perks.

In celebration of its European launch, the company has partnered with the popular visual novel series Nekopara to offer new avatar clothing based on fan-favorite characters.

We’ve talked about different types of VTuber software in the past. That said, CUSTOMCAST is one of the first to offer users an all-in-one experience that includes everything from character customization to broadcasting.

Image Credit: CUSTOM CAST Inc.

This VR Gallery Is Comprised Entirely Of Stolen Art

From vrscout

Get up-close and personal with missing works of art from Rembrandt & Van Gogh.

In October 1969, an altarpiece by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio mysteriously vanished from the Oratory of San Lorenzoin Palermo, Sicily. In 1990, two men posing as police officers stole 13 works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, including several paintings and sketches by Rembrandt. 10 years later, the Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England was infiltrated by a lone thief who made off with Cezanne’s View of Auvers-sur-Oise.

These types of high-profile art heists have become commonplace within the art world. So much so that one company has decided to fight back against thieves using the power of modern VR technology.



First reported by FastCompany, The Stolen Art Gallery is a one-of-a-kind VR app from Brazilian tech firm Compass UOL that immersed you in a virtual art gallery comprised entirely of stolen art from world-renown artists such as Caravaggio, Cezanne, Manet, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh. The educational VR experience allows you to get closer than ever before to 5 stolen paintings from the aforementioned Masters.

Using a custom avatar, you can interact with each piece using a variety of useful tools. There’s a magnifying glass you can use to more closely inspect the art as well as a virtual tour guide there to provide additional details about each painting. Those in VR also appear to have access to several additional options, such as markers; presumably to add your own additions to each piece.

“Initially when we thought about the environment of the museum, we thought about building something similar to a typical museum: fancy building with a lot of content around the art pieces,” said Compass CEO and cofounder Alexis Rockenbach. “We ended up choosing a completely different approach, a minimalist approach, where you in this dark space where the only thing you really are paying attention to is the art piece.”

“Exploring things that help you to interact with other people on that specific element that are not able to be done in the physical world are perhaps the most interesting thing that we will see coming,” he added.

The Stolen Art Museum is available now in VR on the Meta Quest though you will need to signup for access. Don’t worry, it’s 100% free. The experience is also available in standard 2D via compatible iOS and Android devices. The app currently supports two languages: English and Português.

Fore more information visit compass.uol.

Image Credit: Compass UOL

You Can Now Delete Your Furniture Using IKEA’s AR App

From vrscout

Create an interactive 3D replica of your personal space using the IKEA Kreativ Scene Scanner.

It was back in 2019 that IKEA first introduced the ability to preview furniture in AR using its IKEA Place app. Gone are the days of having to visit a store in-person to shop. Using a smartphone device, you can actually layer photo-realistic 3D models of existing IKEA products over the real world.

IKEA Kreativ is a new digital design tool from the Swedish home furnishings retailer that utilizes a combination of spatial computing, machine learning, and mixed reality technologies to deliver a unique mixed reality shopping experience. Not only can you position new IKEA furnishings and cycle through various alternatives, you can now delete your own furniture from the real world.

Built directly into the IKEA app, the IKEA Kreativ Scene Scanner allows you to create interactive 3D replicas of your personal space using a remote sensing method called LiDAR. After scanning the room using a compatible iOS device, you can then delete your current furniture and replace it with new IKEA furnishings, including couches, tables, and beds, each of which features accurate dimensions.

If you don’t have access to a compatible iOS device you can instead upload a series of photos to the IKEA website at which point they’re automatically assembled into an interactive 2D replica. Once processed, you’re then free to delete and replace furniture at your leisure.

In addition to the Kreativ Scene Scanner, IKEA also introduced 50 new 3D showrooms featuring IKEA products and design ideas you can sample in realistic spatial settings. Of course, each of the products featured can be purchased directly through the app for maximum convenience.

“Ingka Group is passionate about helping people create a better life at home, and we continuously look to add value to our customers’ experience, both on and offline,” said Parag Parekh, co-acting Chief Digital Officer at Ingka Group, one of several companies responsible for the scanners core technology.

“Through the innovative, intuitive technology of Geomagical Labs and simple digital experience, we believe IKEA Kreativ will break down barriers to shopping for home furnishing, empowering people to go from inspiration to reality and design their perfect home.”

The IKEA Kreativ Scene Scanner can be accessed by downloading the official IKEA iOS app or by visiting IKEA.com. According to IKEA, the experience will be available for Android users sometime in the near future. For more information visit here.

Image Credit: IKEA

Snap & Vogue Launch AR Fashion Exhibit

From vrscout

You can also “try on” clothing in AR using the Snapchat app, anytime, anywhere.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Snapchat and British Vogue are coming together to launch Vogue x Snapchat: Redefining the Body, an incredible AR exhibition curated by Editor in Chief, British Vogue and European Editorial Director, Vogue, Edward Enninful OBE (Order of the British Empire).

The AR exhibit features high-end fashion designs brought to life using custom Snapchat filters. Textiles transform into innovative digital AR experiences that tell stories about heritage and diversity or echo a global movement.

The groundbreaking event will be hosted in Cannes, France at the Centre d’art La Malmaison. Snap and Vogue will showcase clothing designs from seven of the world’s leading fashion brands and designers; Balenciaga, Dior, Gucci, Kenneth Ize, Richard Quinn, Stella McCartney, and Versace. 

Anyone attending this event will be able to walk through an incredible custom design room and unlock the creative vision of these fashion leaders in inclusive design using powerful AR Snapchat try-on experiences. 

Each designer will work in one of six custom environments that will complement their physical fashion and using custom Snap Lenses, the designers will be able to bring their works to life in a way that is inclusive and accessible for everyone.

Here’s what you can expect from each designer (as provided by Snap):

Balenciaga: 

  • The French maison’s exhibition room is swathed in opaque darkness. Dense black curtains line the space, which houses two spotlit looks from Balenciaga’s 50th Couture Collection, and nods to the design of a historic dressing salon.
  • The pieces are part of Balenciaga’s first Couture collection since 1968, the year the maison’s founder retired.
  • Attendees can scan the room’s Snapcode to instigate different perspectives of the monochromatic environment.
  • There will also be a custom Balenciaga AR experience, with try-on Lenses available to wear the shocking-pink opera coat showcased in the exhibition. 

Dior: 

  • In the courtyard of the Centre d’Art La Malmaison, a three-metre-high statue of a model wearing the revolutionary Dior New Look of 1947 welcomes guests to Redefining the Body.
  • Standing on a five-pointed star – a symbol of divine providence that inspired the superstitious founding couturier to open his house in 1946 – she holds the iconic Lady Dior bag, an emblem of elegance for nearly three decades.
  • The Snapchat Snapcode reveals Dior petites mains skillfully hand-sewing details on this statue as she steps off her star-edged plinth, unifying time-honed craftsmanship with digital technology. 

Gucci: 

  • In its exhibition room, the Florentine house replicates the white grid and illusionistic funhouse mirror set design of the Exquisite Gucci runway show. 
  • On podiums, mannequins display looks from this masculinity-exploring collection, which imagined the suit as a sartorial prompt. 
  • Using the Snapchat Lens, Snapchatters can use their phone screen to warp its dimensions, unearthing colorful portals in a palette that reflects the atmosphere of the Exquisite Gucci show
  • Snapchatters will be able to wear Gucci’s tailoring, faux-fur coat, aviator-style sunglasses and beret, revealed in moving tessellated grids.

Kenneth Ize: 

  • Kenneth Ize – whose 2013-founded brand champions West African craft – has collaborated with Nigerian multimedia artist Jelili Atiku on an exhibition space featuring vivid reproductions of his paintings and public performance pieces. 
  • Within this exhibition room, colorful wall hangings and upholstery are created using Aso oke – a handwoven Nigerian fabric pivotal to Ize’s designs. 
  • Mannequins display vivid one-off gowns, which reflect Ize’s commitment to craft. 
  • Through the Snapchat AR experience, viewers can experience Ize’s West African story, brought to life through sound, and wear his tactile creations, which will ripple and unfurl before their eyes.

Richard Quinn: 

  • A geometric grid of florals and polka dots, the exhibition room of British designer and this year’s BFC / Vogue Designer Fashion Fund winner Richard Quinn is swathed in the prints idiosyncratic of his 2016-founded brand.
  • Lenses will reveal a magical garden, where blue roses magnify through a mist, growing before your eyes and giving Snapchatters the opportunity to watch as Quinn’s opera coat and wide-brimmed balaclava appear on their bodies in an interactive swirl of sparkle. 

Stella McCartney: 

  • The 2001-founded British house’s exhibition room is transformed into a grotto of giant colorful mushrooms, where mannequins display cascading ruffled dresses from the brand’s spring/summer 2010 collection.
  • The space is rooted in Stella McCartney’s spring/summer 2022 collection and campaign theme, Fungi Are The Future Of Fashion And Our Planet, with the designer having been inspired by these incredible organisms’ potential for offering more sustainable solutions from medicine to material innovation.
  • The Big Mushroom will transform to showcase digital bees pollinating mushroom spores using Scan technology, and the try-on AR feature will unveil a headdress garlanded with mushrooms alongside a gown growing from fantastic fungi.

Versace: 

  • Gilded tiles, Baroque columns, and Versace’s Medusa capture the Italian brand’s feeling of modern opulence within its exhibition room.
  • On display are bondage-inspired pieces from the brand’s now-legendary autumn/winter 1992 collection, ‘Miss S&M’.
  • Snapchat brings the experience to life, letting Snapchatters wear buckled looks that morph into writhing snakes as the mythological Medusa is brought to life, and transforms into the viewer themself.

Along with physical fashion being used to unlock phenomenal AR experiences, the exhibition’s facade will also be digitally “wrapped” by designers using Snap’s impressive Landmarker technology, transforming the building’s exterior.

“It has always been important to me to make fashion accessible for all. Using augmented reality, Vogue x Snapchat: Redefining the Body is an exhibition that invites everyone – regardless of race, gender, sexuality and size – to experience and enjoy fashion from some of the world’s very best designers and luxury brands,” said Enninful in an official press release, adding “It doesn’t get better than that.” 

During an SXSW 2022 panel called Future Fashion: Physical Form’s Challenge, panelist Samuel Alexander, CEO of C2C Fashion and Technology LLC, talked about how the clothing we wore was more than just a fashion statement; it reflects who we are as people.

He envisioned the day he’d be able to tell that story in a more rich and meaningful way and saw AR technology from companies like Snap Inc. as the key to unlocking that layer.

“We are thrilled to partner with Vogue to empower hundreds of millions of Snapchatters around the world to digitally experience fashion from top designers and brands,” said Evan Siegel, Co-Founder and CEO of Snap inc. “Through this exhibition, and augmented reality more broadly, we hope to introduce new levels of accessibility, creativity, and expression to the fashion and design world.” 

Vogue x Snapchat: Redefining the Body will also see Vogue and Snapchat partnering with DressX to create a capsule collection for the exhibition. This collection will include limited-edition Vogue x Snapchat merch and will be available on the DressX site and at the exhibition for guests to “try on” in AR.

Each of the AR fashion experiences was developed in collaboration with Arcadia, Atomic Digital Design, and Snap’s newly established Paris AR Studio which is focused on empowering and educating the next generation of creators in an effort to inspire the world about the possibilities of augmented reality across art, education, and culture. You can also try on some of the outfits at home by visiting Snapchat’s Lens carousel or in the Dress Up tab in Lens Explorer.

Vogue x Snapchat: Redefining the Body launches today. For more information, click here. 

Image Credit: Snap Inc.

Report: Apple Recruits Hollywood Directors For VR/AR Headset

From vrscout

Rumor has it the company may also be working on VR FaceTime.

According to The New York Times, Apple is enlisting the help of the Hollywood elite to help bolster its catalog of immersive content for its long-rumored VR/AR headset. This will supposedly include mysterious video content from celebrated director Jon Favreau (The Lion King, Ironman, The Mandalorian).

Citing three people close to the project, the publication claims that Favreau is developing original content for the mixed reality device based on Apple TV+’s new “documentary” series, Prehistoric Planet, for which Favreau serves as executive producer. According to sources, this mixed reality content will be available next year when Apple’s VR/AR headset launches sometime in 2023.

Credit: John Salangsang / Shutterstock

While Apple has yet to confirm or deny these reports, it’s worth noting that Favreau has a history of using immersive technology as part of his filmmaking process. Back in 2019, we talked about how the star director used VR technology to create and preview virtual environments for his 2019 remake of The Lion King. That being said, it would make sense for Apple to seek the help of Favreau in developing immersive content.

According to Mark Gurman, Bloomberg’s official Apple reporter, the company’s VR/AR headset and RealityOS platform is just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. In addition to the long-rumored hardware, Gurman claims that the company is also working on VR integration for FaceTime, Apple Maps, and a variety of other apps.

Director Jon Favreau and his team immersed within their virtual set. / Credit: Wired

“While third-party apps are a key ingredient of this project, Apple is also planning a slew of its own apps,” says Gurman in his report. “That includes a VR version of FaceTime that can scan a person’s face to replicate their movements in a Memoji, a new VR version of Maps, and rOS variants of core Apple apps like Notes and Calendar. Also in the works is a way for the headset to extend a Mac’s display, bringing it into 3D.”

This past week rumors began circulating about the potential reveal of Apple’s combination VR/AR headset and “Reality Operating System” during the company’s annual WWDC developer conference. Unfortunately, the event came and went with no mention of VR or AR, let alone the highly-anticipated mixed reality device. That said, we did learn about a new MacBook Air as well as several exciting software updates for a variety of iOS devices.

Here’s hoping we learn more about Apple’s VR/AR device in the coming months.