Virtual and Augmented Reality have existed for a long time but were stuck to the research world or to some large manufacturing companies. With the appearance of low-cost devices, it is expected a number of new applications, including for the general audience. This book aims at making a statement about those novelties as well as distinguishing them from the complexes challenges they raise by proposing real use cases, replacing those recent evolutions through the VR/AR dynamic and by providing some perspective for the years to come.

'Butler and West are fast becoming my favourite detective partnership... Addictive reading!' Alison Belsham, author of The Tattoo Thief Nothing is as it seems, for Butler and West.One spring evening, a mother and her children are brutally attacked in their home. The unprovoked and violent assault leaves DS Robin Butler and DC Freya West in the dark - the luxury items were left untouched and there is no apparent motive. The investigation's only lead is Andrew Grace, the husband who was not home at the time. He and his business partner have created unique virtual reality software which is valuable and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Robin and Freya are stonewalled by uncooperative witnesses at every turn but when a woman linked to the work of Andrew and his co-founder is kidnapped, the need for progress becomes critical. Failure to solve the case will result in murder. Meanwhile, Robin and Freya's unresolved feelings have come to the surface and they must finally face facts. But is it too late? In a case where nothing is as it seems, are Robin and Freya doomed to never find the truth? A tense and thrilling instalment of the Butler & West series that fans of Cara Hunter, Jane Casey and Susie Steiner will love. Praise for Louisa Scarr'Scarr delivers an immensely satisfying mystery, both timely and timeless, but her real magic lies in Butler and West themselves... This one will break your heart a little bit.' Dominic Nolan, author of Vine Street 'Compelling, fraught...I tore through it! Loved it.' Rachel Blok, author of The Fall 'Before you know it, you're chapters in and can't stop.' Fliss Chester, author of A Dangerous Goodbye 'A punchy and pacy police procedural with heart.' Jo Furniss, author of All The Little Children 'One of the best detective series there is. Smooth, thrilling and full of emotion... a must-read!' James Delargy, author of Vanished 'The latest Butler & West is a tense mystery packed with all of the 'will they, won't they' chemistry that I so love about this series. A triumph.' Heather Critchlow, author of Unsolved 'Excellent mystery... Reminiscent of Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway series... will leave you wanting more.' Reader review 'This is one of the best police procedural books I've read of late. The partnership Freya and Robin have is so well done... I'm going to have to read more so I know what happens.' Reader review 'Another absolutely unputdownable case for detectives Robin Butler and Freya West. The plot is incredibly clever and twisty and kept me reading until the early hours. Can't wait for the next instalment, highly recommended!' Reader review 'Excellent. It had plenty of twists and turns and kept me guessing. I wholeheartedly recommend this series.' Reader review 'Wow, another brilliant book by this author. I stayed up well into the night last night to finish it... a great series and I can't wait for the next instalment.' Reader review 'Enthralling... This murder mystery was a thrill from beginning to end. The characters are strong and are vividly drawn. So cleverly written and the pacing was on point.' Reader review 'Love the Butler and West novels. Great writing and premise. Amazing characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing.' Reader review

Over 90% of children and adolescents play electronic or computerized games, and 25% play for three hours a day or even longer. Although some degree of video game playing is normal, excessive playing can negatively impact schoolwork, kids' social lives, and even their health. Pause and Reset is aimed at parents concerned about the role of gaming in their children's lives. In this informative, reader-friendly book, addiction expert Dr. Nancy Petry sheds light on what constitutes problematic video gaming and what does not, how to determine whether a child, adolescent or young adult may be "addicted" to gaming or developing problems with it, and when to seek professional help. Setting this book apart from others on the subject, the author also provides accessible explanations of the latest science behind how gaming addiction impacts children, adolescents, and families; she also explores the question of whether gaming may have positive effects in certain situations. Finally, Dr. Petry offers three simple, easy-to-implement steps parents can take to reduce and reverse the harmful effects of gaming: Record, Replace, and Reward. Pause and Reset also provides exercises and worksheets to support parents' efforts to help their kids.

With the explosive growth in mobile phone usage and rapid rise in search engine technologies over the last decade, augmented reality (AR) is poised to be one of this decade's most disruptive technologies, as the information that is constantly flowing around us is brought into view, in real-time, through augmented reality. In this cutting-edge book, the authors outline and discuss never-before-published information about augmented reality and its capabilities. With coverage of mobile, desktop, developers, security, challenges, and gaming, this book gives you a comprehensive understanding of what augmented reality is, what it can do, what is in store for the future and most importantly: how to benefit from using AR in our lives and careers.
Educatesreadershow best to use augmented reality regarless of industryProvides an in-depth understanding of AR and ideas ranging from new business applications to new crime fighting methods Includes actual examples and case studies from both private and government applications"

The implementation of virtual environments in education has been rapidly increasing in frequency after the COVID-19 pandemic. As these technologies rise in popularity, it is essential to understand the roles digital technologies play in fostering connections and learning, the affordances of digital texts and spaces for virtual classroom experiences, the difficulties educators have faced and how these practices have been crafted to meet these challenges, and more. Innovations in Digital Instruction Through Virtual Environments advances knowledge about the pedagogical decisions and lived experiences of researchers and educators both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It features research from those who have worked to sustain and develop digital/media pedagogical practices. Covering topics such as active learning environments, emotional labor, and textual engagements, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

With the advent of the internet and handheld or wearable media systems that plunge the user into 360 video, augmented-or virtual reality-technology is changing how stories are told and created. In this book, John V. Pavlik argues that a new form of mediated communication has emerged: experiential news. Experiential media delivers not just news stories but also news experiences, in which the consumer engages news as a participant or virtual eyewitness in immersive, multisensory, and interactive narratives. Pavlik describes and analyzes new tools and approaches that allow journalists to tell stories that go beyond text and image. He delves into developing forms such as virtual reality, haptic technologies, interactive documentaries, and drone media, presenting the principles of how to design and frame a story using these techniques. Pavlik warns that although experiential news can heighten user engagement and increase understanding, it may also fuel the transformation of fake news into artificial realities, and he discusses the standards of ethics and accuracy needed to build public trust in journalism in the age of virtual reality. Journalism in the Age of Virtual Reality offers important lessons for practitioners seeking to produce quality experiential news and those interested in the ethical considerations that experiential media raise for journalism and the public.

Feature Creatures The galaxy hosts a staggering array of aliens both bloodcurdling and benevolent. The pages of Starfinder Alien Archive 3 are packed with creatures designed for use with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! From starmetal dragons and the spiral-winged irokirois to living holograms and body-snatching flayer leeches, the creatures in this codex will challenge adventurers no matter what strange worlds they're exploring. What's more, player rules for a variety of species let players not just fight aliens, but be them! Inside this book, you'll find the following: * Over 100 bizarre life-forms both classic and new, from bioluminescent cephalumes and quantum-entangled oozes to natives of hyperspace and living asteroids. * More than a dozen races with full player rules, letting you play everything from a life-hungry undead creature to a sapient swarm of tiny insects. * New alien technology to help give your character an edge, including armor, weapons, magic items, and more. * New rules for gaining a creature companion that can accompany you as a pet, a mount, or even a fearsome combatant!

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Second International Conference on Augmented and Virtual Reality, AVR 2015, held in Lecce, Italy, in September 2015. The 32 papers and 8 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 82 submissions. The SALENTO AVR 2015 conference brings together a community of researchers from academia and industry, computer scientists, engineers, and physicians in order to share points of views, knowledge, experiences, and scientific and technical results related to state-of-the-art solutions and technologies on virtual and augmented reality applications for medicine, cultural heritage, education, industrial sectors, as well as the demonstration of advanced products and technologies.

Virtual worlds are increasingly incorporated into modern universities and teaching pedagogy. Over 190 higher education institutions world-wide have done teaching in the virtual world of Second Life (SL). This book is based on the first Scandinavian project to experiment with the design and testing of teaching platforms for life long learning in SL. In 2007 it created a virtual island or 'sim' in SL called 'Kamimo Education Island'. The project generated a number of courses taught in Second Life, and instructed educators in the use of SL. This book disseminates the experiences and lessons learned in that project and from other educational projects in SL. The book identifies the gaps in traditional forms of education. It provides a roadmap on issues of: instructional design, learner modelling, building simulations, exploring alternatives to design and integrating tools in education with other learning systems.

An accessible, nontechnical overview of active touch sensing, from sensory receptors in the skin to tactile surfaces on flat screen displays. Haptics, or haptic sensing, refers to the ability to identify and perceive objects through touch. This is active touch, involving exploration of an object with the hand rather than the passive sensing of a vibration or force on the skin. The development of new technologies, including prosthetic hands and tactile surfaces for flat screen displays, depends on our knowledge of haptics. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Lynette Jones offers an accessible overview of haptics, or active touch sensing, and its applications. Jones explains that haptics involves integrating information from touch and kinesthesia-that is, information both from sensors in the skin and from sensors in muscles, tendons, and joints. The challenge for technology is to reproduce in a virtual world some of the sensations associated with physical interactions with the environment. Jones maps the building blocks of the tactile system, the receptors in the skin and the skin itself, and how information is processed at this interface with the external world. She describes haptic perception, the processing of haptic information in the brain; haptic illusions, or distorted perceptions of objects and the body itself; tactile and haptic displays, from braille to robotic systems; tactile compensation for other sensory impairments; surface haptics, which creates virtual haptic effects on physical surfaces such as touch screens; and the development of robotic and prosthetic hands that mimic the properties of human hands.

Within the rapidly-growing arena of 'virtual worlds', such as Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs), individuals behave in particular ways, influence one another, and develop complex relationships. This setting can be a useful tool for modeling complex social systems, cognitive factors, and interactions between groups and within organizations. To study these worlds effectively requires a cross-disciplinary approach that integrates social science theories with big data analytics. This broad-based book offers a comprehensive and holistic perspective on the field. It brings together research findings from an international team of experts in computer science (artificial intelligence, game design, and social computing), psychology, and the social sciences to help researchers and practitioners better understand the fundamental processes underpinning social behavior in virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft, Rift, Eve Online, and Travian.

Named a Best Book of the Year by the Economist, Wall Street Journal & Vox 'The father of virtual reality' (Sunday Times) explains why virtual reality presents the ultimate test for humanity. 'Essential reading, not just for VR-watchers but for anyone interested in how society came to be how it is, and what it might yet become' Economist Welcome to a mind-expanding, life-enhancing, world-changing adventure. Virtual reality has long been one of the dominant cliches of science fiction. Now virtual reality is a reality: from the startling beauty of lifelike video games to the place where war veterans overcome PTSD, surgeries are trialled, and aircraft and cities are designed. VR is, in fact now, the most effective device ever invented for researching what a human being actually is - and how we think and feel. More than thirty years ago, legendary computer scientist, visionary and artist Jaron Lanier pioneered its invention. Here he blends scientific investigation, philosophical thought experiment and his memoir of a life lived at the centre of digital innovation to explain what VR really is: the science of comprehensive illusion; the extension of the intimate magic of earliest childhood into adulthood; a hint of what life would be like without any limits. We are standing on the threshold of an entirely new realm of human creativity, expression, communication and experience, and as we use VR to test our relationship with reality, it may test us in return. 'Vivid and absolutely extraordinary' Evening Standard

There are dramatic global challenges that urge us to examine our identities and the need for intercultural dialogue to overcome differences and bring the world together around the concept of a global human module. Dialogue is important to give the world an agenda for action based on tolerance, mutual respect, and fairness. These actions can only succeed if people are clear about the foundations of cultures and civilizations, which can only be reached through dialogue. It is essential to solve how we can reach the next level of technology with inclusion, peace, and dialogue in the era of the metaverse. Dynamics of Dialogue, Cultural Development, and Peace in the Metaverse provides relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the metaverse. It explains the strategic role of trust at different levels of the information and knowledge society. Covering topics such as digital culture, peace training, and religion in the metaverse, this premier reference source is an essential resource for business leaders and executives, politicians, government officials, sociologists, students and faculty of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

A comprehensive overview of developments in augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality-and how they could affect every part of our lives. After years of hype, extended reality-augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR)-has entered the mainstream. Commercially available, relatively inexpensive VR headsets transport wearers to other realities-fantasy worlds, faraway countries, sporting events-in ways that even the most ultra-high-definition screen cannot. AR glasses receive data in visual and auditory forms that are more useful than any laptop or smartphone can deliver. Immersive MR environments blend physical and virtual reality to create a new reality. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, technology writer Samuel Greengard offers an accessible overview of developments in extended reality, explaining the technology, considering the social and psychological ramifications, and discussing possible future directions. Greengard describes the history and technological development of augmented and virtual realities, including the latest research in the field, and surveys the various shapes and forms of VR, AR, and MR, including head-mounted displays, mobile systems, and goggles. He examines the way these technologies are shaping and reshaping some professions and industries, and explores how extended reality affects psychology, morality, law, and social constructs. It's not a question of whether extended reality will become a standard part of our world, he argues, but how, when, and where these technologies will take hold. Will extended reality help create a better world? Will it benefit society as a whole? Or will it merely provide financial windfalls for a select few? Greengard's account equips us to ask the right questions about a transformative technology.

Develop AI-powered apps and games for HoloLens and mixed reality headsets This is a complete guide to programming AI-powered mixed reality apps with the Windows Mixed Reality platform. Step by step, Dawid Borycki guides you through every type of mixed reality development, from simple 2D to cutting-edge apps for Microsoft HoloLens and immersive headsets. First, you'll learn to write UWP 2D apps that adapt for any Windows 10 device, transfer camera images to machine learning services, and use mobile sensor readings to control headset content. Then, building on these skills, you'll master every facet of building cross-platform 3D apps that link augmented reality content to real objects. Advanced Microsoft technology expert Dawid Borycki shows how to: Set up a mixed reality development environment with all the tools you'll need, including HoloLens and Mixed Reality simulators Write Universal Windows 2D apps for all Windows 10 devices, and adjust their views and capabilities to specific hardware Render media streams, acquire video from world-facing cameras, and detect human faces in those images Generate descriptions of what the user sees, and present them via text or speech Build AI-powered voice-controlled apps with Microsoft Cognitive Services (MCS) Master core concepts and techniques for building 3D mixed reality apps with Unity Format 3D objects with materials to create holograms Add interactions to holograms based on user input Integrate HoloLens capabilities, including air gestures, spatial sound, and mapping

This sweeping introduction to the science of virtual environment technology masterfully integrates research and practical applications culled from a range of disciplines, including psychology, engineering, and computer science. With contributions from the field's foremost researchers and theorists, the book focuses in particular on how virtual technology and interface design can better accommodate human cognitive, motor, and perceptual capabilities. Throughout, it brings the reader up-to-date with the latest design strategies and cutting-edge virtual environments, and points to promising avenues for future development. The book is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the reader to the subject by defining basic terms, identifying key components of the virtual environment, and reviewing the origins and elements of virtual environments. The second part focuses of current technologies used to present visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic information. The book concludes with an in-depth analysis of how environments and human perception are integrated to create effective virtual systems. Comprehensive and splendidly written, Virtual Environmentsand Advanced Interface Design will be the "bible" on the subject for years to come. Students and researchers in computer science, psychology, and cognitive science will all want to have a copy on their shelves.