Create virtual reality worlds without experience and special hardware

The software developers at Frameless have developed an app that allows users to create virtual reality worlds without experience or special hardware.

The vision of the Viennese start-up: at some point, virtual reality should be deeply embedded in our everyday lives. In the beginning, it will be adapted by mass media such as ORF, the property sector and industry. The two founders Annette Mossel and Hossam Elsifary want to convince these three parties with their app.

The basic idea is to scan VR environments in real time using just a mobile phone and add information directly in the app - with images, sound, text, videos or 3D models. For example, a holiday flat should become a VR experience in just a few moments, making the decision to rent it for a few days much easier. Journalists can also use an app to capture entire scenes in VR. These indoor and outdoor spaces can then be enriched with important information. Viewers can then immerse themselves in the action.

Create VR experiences without special hardware

"Until now, recording real VR environments has required dedicated, expensive hardware, specialists who can operate it and manual creation using computer software and computing power," explains Elsifary. With Frameless all you need is an app.

Previously funded with around 250,000 euros from private sources, the FFG and the Vienna Business Agency, Frameless has been testing three use cases with different partners since the beginning of the year. The app is already in the beta version: "We are testing our prototype in direct use with future customer groups," says Mossel. The final version of the app is due to be released in September.

First customers: ORF, property platforms and industry

Together with ORF, the aim is to bring the locations of news events into virtual reality and, together with embedded information, create captivating news. Future ZIB viewers will be able to take a close look around current sporting events, crime scenes or war zones.

In collaboration with a Viennese property platform and a flat management company in San Francisco, Frameless is working on the implementation of VR tours for properties. The 360-degree experiences are intended to give a clearer impression of the property and thus reduce the number of guided tours on the one hand and narrow down interested parties on the other. The Frameless founders are not yet allowed to reveal any details about the project.

The third use case moves away from end consumers and towards industry. Together with ARIOT, a Viennese company specialising in augmented reality solutions in the industrial sector, Frameless wants to better document inspections and maintenance of systems. The aim is to capture the entire production site and highlight important details.

Fee for companies, freemium for users

The business model for the B2B app is based on a monthly fee - however, it is not yet clear exactly what the model will look like. The planned consumer app will basically be free of charge, although additional functions can be purchased according to the freemium principle.

Technical challenge

"We use the latest methods from image processing as well as our new robust localisation process to convert indoor and outdoor areas into virtual environments," says CTO Annette Mossel, explaining the technology she has developed. In addition, "algorithms designed and optimised for mobile devices are used for rapid data processing". The highlight: the app can combine several scans of interiors to create an entire flat, for example. "That's the main part: linking the recorded panoramas together in a spatially correct way," explains Mossel.

Source: Trendingtopics