Post 12. Virtual Reality: New and Improved!

WHAT IS THE FOVE 0?

Fove is a Tokyo-based new company producing virtual reality gear that got its start-up money through a Kickstarter campaign in 2015. The company aimed to raise $250,000 in order to develop it's product, but it ended up raising over $450,000 on the site. Now, the company is  backed by Samsung (Lamkin, 2015)! The Fove 0 is the first headset produced by the company.

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT FOVE?

My first blog post was on the Samsung Virtual Reality gear and how it related to other gear, so what makes Fove special? Well, the Fove 0 headset does not require the user to turn their head in order to see around the virtual reality world, but it claims to be the first VR headset that can track your eyes AND you head so that you can look up and down with just your eyes and see different parts of the VR world, much like real life. Like the HTC Vive (another VR device), the headset also tracks your body position and the position of your hands as they relate to the room using base stations. The company calls this "Immersive Position Tracking" and claims that it gives you a more full sense of presence within the virtual reality world (Fove.com). The company also maintains that the product offers a display with 42% more pixels than other virtual reality gear, and more realistic eye contact with virtual characters and other players . Fove currently has over 25 million monthly users (mostly in Japan) and prices for the Fove 0 start at about $599 USD (Fove.com). Below is the company's advertisement for the device which includes some amazing uses for the Fove (like allowing a grandmother to virtually experience her granddaughter's wedding from her bed).

HOW DOES IT WORK AND HOW DOES IT RELATE TO COMPUTER SCIENCE?

This device uses infrared sensors as eye monitors inside the headset. Basically the device inputs eye movement from the eye sensors and body movement from the base stations and sensors outside the device, and outputs information from the virtual world in the form of video and audio. The device combines software engineering with graphics, and other computer science areas to give its users an incredible virtual experience. 

References

Lamkin, Paul. "FOVE VR Gets Investment Boost from Samsung Ventures." Wareable. N.p., 15 June 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.


FOVE inc. "Home - FOVE Eye Tracking Virtual Reality Headset." FOVE Eye Tracking Virtual Reality Headset. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.