Excuse the Disruption

Efficio Debuts at Fosterly's VR/AR and Creatives Study Hall

What if there were no limitations based on hardware or device? What could you do in 3D?

That’s the question Abantech was asking at the Fosterly's VR/AR and Creatives Study Hall, where the company showcased Efficio to a limited audience. The event was sponsored by Fosterly in collaboration with DiscoveryVR.com, part of the Discovery Channel communications network and was organized by Adam Zuckerman, Founder of Fosterly.

Efficio is Abantech's Intelligent Fusion Middleware that allows any spatially aware device - from simple sensors to complex Human interface Devices - to interoperate with each other or for use with any downstream software system. That means that, among other things, 3D applications, and gaming platforms can be opened up to all devices and any customer, overriding current hardware based protocols.

But during the Study Hall, Abantech was looking to hear ideas that went beyond gaming.

“The whole point of Fosterly’s meet up is to connect with other entrepreneurs working in VR,” said Greg Melencio, Abantech’s CEO. “We had a chance to hook up with a 3D film production company – an industry we haven’t worked with before. We already have some projects in health care and custom solutions, but we kicked around some new ideas there as well.”

One of Abantech’s primary goals is to collaborate with device and/or system developers to leverage the opportunities Efficio presents. Efficio does more than connect devices – it enhances their capabilities. For example, a user can work with any commercial-off-the shelf CAD application can work directly with the 3D environment. An NUI device can provide a biometric scan in the field to help understand the extent of an injury. Rapid prototyping the potential applications of these devices in a way that makes them inherently versatile is a key benefit of Efficio.

Efficio can intelligently fuse data from multiple endpoints – systems, sensors, GPS – to create and manage an operational context against which systems can interoperate. One such example is that the data collected can be provided as a composite view within 3D software, thereby providing more than insights or analytics: decision-makers can have comprehensive situational awareness, in real time.

“We’re excited by the potential we see in our software,” Melencio adds. “But what’s so great about this event is the chance to hear what other people are doing and talk about what we could do - together.”

Virtual Reality Sidelines Guess Work on Injury Assessment

When a player is hurt on the field, the team’s doctors and coaches have little science to go on. But that could all change, thanks to an innovative start up in Virginia – Abantech and its Vital Visuals project.

The Vital Visuals project, winner of New Wave’s 2017 Code-A-thon for Augmented Reality technology development in Healthcare, integrates the capabilities of existing systems and products – in this case, Kinect and HoloLens.

Sports medicine, physical therapy and prosthetic medicine are the big winners in this smart new solution delivering real time results:

• Full Body Check of Patients Major Joints
• Biometric Physiology Scan
• Multi-device Coordination
• Dynamic patient distance measuring

“If this capability could be incorporated to work with Microsoft’s new HoloLens Viewer,” said Greg Melencio, CEO of Abantech, “any locker room could be elevated to a digital medical imaging center.

Though the project was conceived using a sports medicine construct, Abantech’s solution is aimed at any physician or facility that needs immediate real-time assessment of the extent of a patient’s injury.

By overlaying the patient’s skeletal structure on a VR representation of the injured individual, physicians can “see” the extent of damage from the injury, instead of solely relying on the patient’s verbal cues.

Developed over a 24 hour period, Abantech’s solution delivers more than a proof of concept. The company demonstrates the crossover capabilities of VR technologies to provide solutions to numerous industries including health care. The Vital Visuals project blew away the competition, offering the most creative VR solution to an existing real-world problem.

As a company, Abantech is focused on business-smart integration technology, offering a patented middleware application called Efficio. Efficio serves as a conduit between NUI interfaces that normally cannot interact with one another. Efficio also allows users to skip 2D modeling and rendering , and work directly in 3D.

Efficio’s flexibility and versatility is key to the potential for problem solving in any number of industries. Efficio is cost effective as well, following a model that allows companies to retain, rather than replace, existing IT assets.

Tech Basics

Kinect is motion sensor technology, a Natural User Interface (NUI) originally developed for Xbox. Kinect eliminates the need for an intermediary device, such as a controller. It responds to voice commands and uses facial recognition software.

Microsoft HoloLens is the first fully untethered, self-contained, holographic computer. It projects holographic images into a real world environment, without limiting peripheral vision.

Siminars: Next Generation Webinars from Agora and Efficio

Enhancing communications is an ongoing priority every company and Virtual Reality is a natural fit. That’s why we’re partnering with Agora to deploy Efficio on their new Siminar platform.

Siminars are the next step up from Webinars, using VR applications and devices to allow 3D interaction between attendees. Remote teams of employees, sales calls with clients, discussions with vendors will replicate face to face engagements in a VR environment.

Gone are the days of sharing a flat 2D slide presentation. If you’re discussing the architectural structure of the Eiffel Tower, participates can experience it walking up the steps. A sales call can becomes a 3D product demo. A team meeting on product packaging has 365 degree visibility.

The Efficio Factor

Abantech’s middleware is what makes the Siminar concept practical for deployment and adoption. It creates a device-agnostic environment – in other words, no one is tied to any particular system or device. If the design team in California uses a Vive controller but the Marketing team in NY prefers a Kinect NUI – no problem.

With Efficio, any Natural User Interface device can interact with each other in a 3D environment – removing barriers and increasing functionality. Sound is spatially fused, adding realism to the simulated environment. Users are immersed, as opposed to sitting in conference room checking their email.

Efficio’s Bring Your Own Device integration reduces the Total Cost of Ownership too – retaining existing tech investments instead of forcing replacement to a standardized system. The potential for innovation tools and environments is almost unlimited.

In an article on Medium, Agora had this to say:

But the Siminar is just the first step. Efficio makes it easy to build almost any multi-user virtual reality application on top of the Agora platform. It could allow 3D modelers to work on assets together. It could allow interior designers to place furniture around a space. It would allow building contractors to share 3D progress updates with clients. And that’s the beginning. Training, education, sales, collaboration and even eventually an entirely virtual office can take place on Agora using Efficio.”

Efficio: A Device Agnostic Platform for 3D

When we started Abantech, we wanted to see beyond what was being done.

Every start up says,that, right? If we wanted to push boundaries, we had to start by looking at what was already in the market. What we realized was there were all these great platforms, applications, interfaces and devices – and none of them talked to each other. The conclusion – there was a lot of lost functionality.

Now AutoCad can utilize a NUI interface, responding to gestures and voice commands. Users can work directly in 3D – no more rendering. Gaming engines aren’t tied to singular devices. Modeling rises to a whole new level, capturing and combining data from sensors, databases, GPS to provide comprehensive insight and analysis.

As more data from more sources become available, the system grows more situationally aware – increasing its function and the devices it used.

Not every innovation creates disruption, but Efficio changes the way we think about and use 3D technologies. The potential for advancement in how we solve problems, engage with customers, communicate with colleagues, design applications, collect information – it’s all impacted.

Efficio is the tool that innovators have been waiting for – disrupting existing limitations, allowing makers and developers to take their ideas to the next level. Efficio brings together two separate schools of thought: Immersion and simulation from the gaming industry with 2D modeling and data capture from business and industry. Finally, it offers new potential.

Abantech’s middleware expands the capabilities of every application and device it touches. Efficio can literally capture spatial data from multiple sources and fuse it into a real-time 3D model. As a result, companies will discover an entirely new weigh to look at their processes, productivity and profit.

Business Benefits

• No replacement costs; current applications and devices are retained
• No additional training or learning curves for employees. In fact, applications are easier to use.
• BYOD – Bring your own device goes to the next level.
• The total cost of ownership is low.
• Tech employees engage with cutting edge technology, adding to job satisfaction and aiding retention.
• The potential for competitive advantage is high.

Efficio is a simple way to integrate VR capabilities into your operations, provoking creativity and innovation to discover the potential of 3D solutions.

Lean Start Up Model: Learn from Customers

Abantech was founded on Lean Start-Up principles. Though we enjoy cool code, we understood from the beginning that any product we made has to have value in the marketplace.

It’s not whether we can code it – it’s whether customers want or need it.

That’s the tightrope every tech startup walks. We need to innovate, but not for the sake of our own interests. Our industry has the potential to positively impact the world more than any other.

Technologists provide cross functional solutions to virtually every industry – from space exploration to weather monitoring, healthcare to telecommunications.

Expanding adoption of VR solutions is the logical next leap.

At Abantech, we assembled a core team of experts in VR, AR and MR design and development. We sought and welcomed the guidance and advice of experienced mentors. We established a process and built a product that we share with prospective customers. We measure their reaction and learn from their input. Then we make our application better.

This is a solid foundation for our firm. This is how we work. This is how we grow.

Build. Measure. Learn. Repeat.