Is Augmented and Virtual Reality the next big thing? we find out the ground reality with the leadman at VRnxt.
VRnxt is an Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR) startup based out of Kochi that provides end to end solutions through virtual simulation, immersive design, architectural visualization. It employs AR and VR as communication tools for the Architecture Engineering Construction (AEC) industry. They believe that their solution has the ability to replace costly, static physical mock-ups for a fraction of the cost with greater results. Varun Priyan, the Chief Wizard at VRnxt, talks to FWD Business on virtually everything about Augmented and Virtual Reality.
Virtual Reality as a concept has been around for quite some time now. Tell us about VR and your tryst with it.
My first brush with Virtual Reality was the Aerosmith music video, Amaze. The video featured a kid traveling into the virtual world. As a curious schoolboy, the video caught my attention. But nothing much happened in the VR space after that apart from a few flashes here and there. The US military has been using VR in training facilities for its commandoes. But the whole expense of a VR setup was so high that it never took of commercially. All of this changed in 2012, when a 19-year-old Palmer Luckey launched a crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter for his VR console that he called Oculus Rift. This campaign took the tech world by storm. The Kickstarter campaign raised US$ 2.4 Million, 974% of its original target. Occulus has been pioneering the VR revolution ever since.
So how did you get into the VR/AR space?
I was working with Cisco for the last 7-8 years. In fact, I am a Cisco Certified Internetworking Engineer (CCIE). Sephin, our CTO last worked with HCL technologies and has been heavily into game designing for about 8-10 years while Aju, our Art Director worked with Tenzi FM. At some point in our careers, we realized that we were getting too comfortable and also bored with what we were doing. We wanted to move out and start off something on our own. As keen technology enthusiasts, we have always been fascinated by Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). And with the technical know-how and skill sets that we possessed, we knew that we could make a mark.
What is the difference between Augmented and Virtual Reality?
In Virtual Reality, once you wear the headset, your real world transforms into the virtual world, Augmented Reality is the physical world augmented with more information which would basically mean the adding additional features like image recognition.
So what exactly does VRnxt do?
Varun Priyan, the Chief Wizard at VRnxt
We knew quite early that both Augmented and Virtual Reality had a vast marketing side to it and that’s what we wanted to cash into. These technologies have opened up a whole new arena called experiential marketing. Experiential marketing facilitates more interaction of the consumer with a product, something which is not possible with regular marketing tools like promo videos, fliers, brochures and so on. We started off with Augmented Reality and in fact, were the first ones to do an AR- based event in Kerala. While we continued with AR events, we were also constantly experimenting with VR. With the developments in the VR space, we got into it in a fullfledged way.
Right now at VRnxt, we are developing Virtual Reality as a tool for Architecture Engineering Construction industry. Today must buyers have to make the choice of their residential spaces relying solely on hazy descriptions, brochures or video walk- throughs. The most that a builder can provide is a mock-up apartment but how many mock-up apartments could one possibly build? That‘s where we come in with our VR and AR solutions. Our solutions will allow the prospective buyer have an almost- real experience of the space without having moved from the builder’s office. That’s a lot of manpower and time saved. But we don’t limit our solution to architecture. We have also ventured into auto, having developed the content for one of the major automobile firms in the country. The pplications of VR can be numerous and that’s what we are looking at. he aim is to be the number one content developers for VR and AR in India.
So do you use the original Oculus Rift in your solutions?
When we approached clients initially with the Oculus Rift supported system, they were apprehensive. The headset was bulky to start with and carrying a computer around did not seem like a great idea. Google’s pathbreaking Cardboard showed that the rather bulky Oculus Rift could be replaced by a simple headset with no reduction in the quality of the experience. With the cardboard, you can now use a phone to give you the VR experience, making it portable as well as compact. We built on this idea to design a more sophisticated version of Cardboard that is made of plastic and lets you adjust the focal length. This headgear of ours can sell for as low as rupees two hundred. With our cardboard and a phone that has a gyroscope, you can have a complete VR experience.
What has been stopping the VR juggernaut from rolling faster?
Technology takes its time to evolve. Over the years, the processing power of our computers and mobile phones have multiplied manifold. These advancements have helped in making VR more accessible to consumers. Even with the screen resolutions, pixel density has also increased in a big way over the last few years. Technical insufficiency was what slackened the progress of VR. But since Oculus, things have changed.
Globally, what are the developments taking place in the VR scene?
Oculus had built a Software Development Kit (SDK) along with its headset. Enthusiasts from all over the world have used the SDK to develop a lot of VR content. Oculus is soon coming out with a true consumer version of the Rift. And there is already a lot of VR content ready to go into it. Apart from Oculus, we also have players like Sony, HTC researching heavily into the VR space. So if you have a solution that can be employed into the VR space and provides utility for brands., then you can definitely sell it.
How is the market warming up to this new idea?
We have to admit that the Kerala market is challenging. We wanted to start off in Kochi as all of us are here. We are selling our solutions at price width that anyone can afford. To back us, we also have solid statistics which proves that lead generation with our engaging experiential marketing is a 100 percent better than the regular ones. But yes, the market is warming up to the idea very slowly. But we already have a few clients. We believe that getting paying clients in Kochi is quite an achievment. We shall be moving into other parts of the country and the middle-east very soon.
What are the opportunities that you see for yourself in the AR- VR space?
Honestly, it is too early to make a prediction. However the fact that VR and AR are going to make major inroads in the next 1-2 years cannot be disputed. There are a limited number of players in the VR space. It is mostly untread territory and takes a good deal of experience and right skill sets to get into VR. Opportunities are immense; the industry is supposed to be worth 20-30 billion in the next 3-4 years. All the latest processors are VRsupported and evn Android is soon going to come up with a version that is VRoptimised. Content is what would drive the whole system. That’s where people like us come in. An analogy would be the launch of Android fueling a flurry of apps. But with VR, it is a lot more complicated as there is both hardware and software development that has to happen. Having started off early, we believe that we already have a head start. Today, we are easily among the best VR content providers in India. We have a working solution, a great team and even a few ‘paying’ clients. A few VCs have expressed interest to fund us, but we are in no hurry. We are looking to take slow and sure steps towards the future 4
Text: Varun Kannan Photos: VRNXT