The boundary between the physical and digital worlds is rapidly disappearing. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), extended reality (XR), and robotics are no longer developing in isolation, but are converging into one integrated ecosystem. This shift marks a broader trend: the transition from isolated digital experiences to a continuous, spatial digital layer that is woven into the physical world.

Neural Lab has unveiled AirTouch, a gesture-based control system designed to simplify and enhance human-computer interaction. The product, showcased at the Venetian Expo during CES 2025, offers a touch-free interface that transforms standard webcams into gesture control devices. Requiring no proprietary hardware, AirTouch is positioned as a universal solution for intuitive interaction, eliminating the need for traditional input methods such as remotes, controllers, or keyboards.

Spaid, a company specializing in Geospatial AI, has announced it will present two new technologies at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. The company will showcase its CES Innovation Award-winning platform, “AI2RE: Image to 3D Geospatial AI Metaverse,” and demonstrate its “OpenAI-Integrated Geospatial Data Platform.”

The Rocking Reality Team wishes everyone a happy Christmas and a great 2025  

The Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Construction and Property Management, together with the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences at its Köthen campus, has awarded Formitas AG the contract for comprehensive Building Information Modeling (BIM) coordination for a new research facility. The Interdisciplinary Research Center for Sustainable Food Production (InFonaL) is planned to occupy approximately 19,000 square meters of campus space and is expected to be operational by 2026.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute have developed a tool, EgoTouch, that uses AI to transform the user’s skin into an interface for controlling augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) environments. This innovation, described in a recent paper, employs a machine learning model to interpret touch interactions by analyzing visual cues such as shadows and skin deformations captured by standard cameras integrated into AR/VR headsets.

The Amsterdam police have launched a new campaign in the Red Light District to try to solve the cold case of Bernadett “Betty” Szabó, a 19-year-old sex worker who was murdered in 2009. The campaign, running for a week, seeks to attract attention to the case through various means, with a prominent feature being a hologram inspired by Betty. This hologram, a first for the Amsterdam police, portrays a lifelike version of Betty, asking passersby to come forward with any information that might help solve her murder.

​​​​Members of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have agreed on priorities for standards and capacity development in areas from artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse to sustainable digital transformation at the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) which closed today in New Delhi, India.

Formitas AG is involved in the curriculum of the new BIM advanced training master’s program at the Münster University of Applied Sciences. The first full-fledged, part-time master’s degree program “BIM – Building Information Modeling” begins in the winter semester of 2024/25 with a standard period of study of four semesters. The BIM experts at Formitas were involved in the design of the course structure and will contribute basic and practical know-how for the first three semesters of the master’s degree.

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have developed a system that enhances the sense of social presence in online interactions by sharing biosignals, such as heart rate, between gaming partners. The system, called “BioShare,” was designed to address the lack of meaningful social interactions in online communication by allowing players to share real-time physiological data during gaming sessions.