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At VRDC Fall 2017, learn how VR helps foster creativity and furthers science

Virtual Reality Developers Conference organizers highlight a pair of great VRDC Fall 2017 talks, one about how VR can bolster cognitive skills and another about how it helps people open up creatively.

June 20, 2017

2 Min Read
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Good news, VR enthusiasts: Virtual Reality Developers Conference organizers have a pair of great sessions in store for you at VRDC Fall 2017, which takes place September 21-22 at a bigger, better venue in San Francisco!

Organizers are proud to host Aldis Sipolins, head of VR and game design at IBM Research, as he presents a VRDC Fall 2017 talk on "Why Virtual Reality and Machine Learning are Good for Science." 

Check out this talk to get your first look at cutting-edge research using machine learning to enhance memory in VR. Subjects play a color memory game while sensors (brain activity, eye-tracking, heartrate) record data, and personalized machine learning models use this sensor data to predict memory. A follow-up study seeks to enhance memory in real-time and uncover the neural signature of presence.

Sipolins is a leader in the field, and his talk will cover the basics of machine learning, cognitive neuroscience, and the psychology of presence as they apply to VR. Don't miss it!

Plus, VR experience designer Jim Toepel will be giving a great talk on "Fostering Creative Play with 'Mindshow'" at VRDC Fall 2017. Mindshow is designed to work as story creation software, and so during the past year the Mindshow design team has had to teach players how to embody different creatures, act with their pre-recorded selves, respond to improv prompting, explore their playspace and frame their own camera shots.

Any one of these things can derail a self-conscious player. Toepel (a former Kinect game designer) will walk through the design philosophy and practice that led to the Mindshow first user experience and sandbox creation system. Come learn how to design systems that can elevate the average player into a creator, producer and performer! 

And of course, VRDC Fall 2017 organizers look forward to announcing many more talks for the event in the weeks to come. Don't forget to register early at a discounted rate

Since tickets sold out for the first three VRDC events, VRDC Fall 2017 will offer more sessions and move to a bigger location at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, CA September 21-22.

For more information on VRDC Fall 2017, visit the show's official website and subscribe to regular updates via Twitter and Facebook.

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