NEWS
► Apple's Vision Pro headset launched with over 600 new apps. Apple Vision Pro is powered by visionOS, which is built on the foundation of decades of engineering innovation in macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Apple Vision Pro features ultra-high-resolution displays that deliver more pixels than a 4K TV for each eye. Players can access games on the App Store, including more than 250 titles on Apple Arcade.
► Neuralink implants brain chip in first human. The first human patient has received an implant from brain-chip startup Neuralink on January 28 and is recovering well, according to the company's founder Elon Musk. "Initial results show promising neuron spike detection," Musk said in a post on social media platform X.
► Meta will share data with researchers studying online wellbeing. Ahead of a major congressional hearing about children’s online safety, Meta has announced a collaboration with the Center for Open Science, a nonprofit dedicated to transparency in academic research. As part of this pilot program, Meta says it will share “privacy-preserving social media data” with select academic researchers who study wellbeing.
► Google’s new AI is learning to diagnose patients. The team behind Google DeepMind has proposed a new AI model called AMIE (Articulate Medical Intelligence Explorer). The model could use information from patients to provide clear explanations of medical conditions in a wellness visit consultation. Vivek Natarajan is an AI researcher at Google and lead author on the recent paper. He says that while AMIE isn’t designed to replace human physicians, he does believe a similar AI could play a role in assisting both physicians and patients.
► Blink showcases contact lens for ocular communications. Blink Energy has unveiled an impressive milestone in ocular communications technology, sharing a look at its BlinkIT signalling contact lens. The company has stated that it aspires to make contact lenses and ocular technology more “efficient and user-friendly than ever before”. It says it wants to build towards a working ocular platform with advanced energy and communications features.
► Oura smart ring can now track your ability to withstand stress. Health tech brand Oura is rolling out a new feature called Resilience that will create an assessment of a person’s ability to handle “physiological stress”. The tool is coming to the Oura Ring and can be accessed on the official app, where it will be located underneath the sleep monitoring readout with an on-screen rating.
► Consumer Reports conducted a survey in the U.S. about AI Chatbots. The survey results indicate that 13 % of Americans use chatbots to have a conversation with someone. Of the people surveyed; 37% stated their reason for using chatbots is to have fun, 60% have not used any health, mental health, fitness, or nutrition app in the past six months and 69% have not used an AI chatbot in the past three months.
► AI robot startup Figure in talks for funding round led by Microsoft, OpenAI. US-based startup Figure AI, specialising in humanoid robots, is reportedly in discussion with Microsoft and OpenAI to lead a funding round to secure $500 million.
► Horizon is now one of the top 10 most-used apps on Quest. In a conference call with investors on the latest, quite positive quarterly results, Mark Zuckerberg revealed an interesting detail: Horizon is growing quickly too. It's now in the top 10 most-used apps on Quest with an exciting roadmap ahead.
PERSPECTIVE
► Meta hopes Apple Vision Pro will reignite VR/AR industry. While Apple promises to make an entertainment and work gadget, Meta hopes this will help its metaverse as well. If the Apple Vision Pro really does reignite the headset industry, we can expect many more companies to jump in with their own offerings. There’s no shortage of excellent headsets on the market right now, but there is very limited content for these headsets.
► Two days with Vision Pro: Apple's almost convinced me to part with $3,500 by transforming everything I do. Whatever you've heard or read about Apple's new Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, nothing quite prepares you for seeing it in person, putting it on, and experiencing for the first time Apple's vision for spatial computing. It's a new approach to the digital experience.
► Pioneering Medical VR Companies Of 2023. In recent years, the intersection of virtual reality and healthcare has become increasingly prominent. In 2023, several medical VR companies have emerged as frontrunners in leveraging the tech for various medical applications, ranging from training simulations to surgical assistance.
