VOSTOK VR PRESENTED ITS VISION OF METAVERSE DURING MEDIACORP FUTUREPROOF EVENTS

In October and November 2022 Mediacorp organized two large-scale events dedicated to media innovations, Web3 and Metaverse. Due to our long-term strategic partnership VOSTOK VR was invited among key speakers to share more on its experience in Web3 and Metaverse both for Government and Commercial companies.

Both events were huge success attracting hundreds of professionals from all over Singapore and ASEAN region. Our Head of Metaverse, Vitaliy Nechaev, was among the speakers and presented 5 typical business cases for businesses in Metaverse.

Vostok VR was recognised by KPMG in latest Real Estate Innovation Report

Happy to announce that Vostok VR was included into latest KPMG report on “Real Estate Innovation”. Our projects in VR/AR for Real Estate was highly recognized and helped us to be included as one of the leaders in this field.

Quote from KPMG:
”VostokVR had caught our attention in our search for innovations in the Real Estate and/or Construction sector. We are pleased to confirm that you have been selected and officially been included as one of the global innovations captured in our publication!”

INTRO TO VIRTUAL PRODUCTION DURING COVID-19

COVID-19 pandemic limits our ability to travel and gather large groups of people including both talents as well as big production teams. It is not possible to move all your meeting & presentation inside Zoom calls. Necessity is the mother of inventions and multiple customers have approached Vostok VR in 2021 to step into Virtual Production, including this case.

But what exactly is Virtual Production? In short, it’s a top modern concept for any kind of brand to be more engaging by moving your event into fantastic digital 3D worlds in real-time. The image above illustrates the concept when we film talent (or talents) on a green screen and create a CGI environment they can be and interact with, thus overcoming the limitations of travel.

Virtual productions offers many possibilities including:

• Full control over 3D background;

• Live video calls and viewer interactions on set;

• Comparable lower cost vs traditional physical events, whether we have a pandemic or not.

There are two ways of making virtual production:

• 3DOF (like in a project we created here) when camera location is fixed and CGI (computer background) is generated on top of filmed footage.

• 6DOF. This setup requires you to install active IR markers to be able to track both talent and camera view inside the 3D space. The marker-based approach ensures the accuracy and reliability of the system. Depending on the studio, markers can be both installed inside the floor or ceiling.

To summarize, virtual production is a definitely new concept that will live much longer than COVID as it allows to boost production quality significantly without need of large crew travels & large business seminars.

6 WAYS ENTERPRISES USING AI & ML IN SINGAPORE and UAE (PART II)

In our previous blog post we have discussed three potential ways of how Enterprises in Singapore and UAE can benefit from using ML, Computer Vision and AI. Here we want to add three more potential use cases.

Market research and Customer segmentation

ML business applications help businesses in setting prices; as well as assist businesses to provide the best goods and services to the areas in demand at the appropriate time by dividing customer in segments and predictive inventory planning.

For instance, retailers utilize ML to predict the inventory that will sell the most in which of its outlets depending on the the demographics of that area, seasonal conditions influencing a certain outlet, and other data points – including the trending news on social media. This ML application can be used by most of Fortune 2000 companies! From the finance industry (when ADCB bank asses your risk potential) to Grab/Careem deciding on what promo voucher to send to you.

Fraud detection

The AI and in particular machine learning has ability to decipher patterns – and to immediately detect anomalies that manifest outside those trends – makes it an excellent tool for identifying illegal activities.

In fact, businesses in the financial sector have successfully been utilizing ML in this aspect for many years. Most of industries that could benefit from use of this technology would be: retail, insurance, travel, gaming and financial services.

AI in Food Management

May come as a surprise, AI can even be used in the food industry!

AI and machine learning can benefit a large field of the food industry. The main use of AI is the numerous possibilities to optimize and automate processes. They also help to save a lot of money and reduce any kind of human errors that can possibly occur in the industry.

AI and machine learning can contribute to the development of restaurants, bars, and café businesses as well as in food manufacturing. The advanced AI technologies and Depp Learning tools can be used for improving the quality of the production of fruits, vegetables, animals by analyzing and performing various computations to generate data and information about the best methodologies.

Final Thoughts

At Vostok AI we see that AI & ML business applications are rapidly being used in businesses for many great reasons. They lower the cost, improve accuracy. reduce errors and fast-track the work process, for both the customers and employees.

This is why more innovation-oriented companies in Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi are looking for ways to incorporate machine learning to drive new business opportunities that will make their brand stand out of their competitors. Contact our team today to know more about how AI can benefit your business or industry.

6 WAYS ENTERPRISES USING AI & ML IN SINGAPORE and UAE (PART I)

This article will give a brief overview of typical use cases we see in our practice when discussing AI projects in Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or other market in ASEAN & Middle East.

For instance large FMCGs use machine learning to send the right goods and products to the best stores before it runs out of stock. The healthcare industry is utilizing machine learning business applications to achieve more accurate diagnoses and provide better treatment to their patients. From other side medical researchers are also using ML/AI as many introduce newer and more effective medicines with the help of this technology. Many use cases are emerging from all sectors as machine learning is being implemented in logistics, manufacturing, hospitality, travel and tourism, energy, and utilities. Below are seven most interesting cases we see in our practice.

Real-time chatbot systems (using Natural Language Processing)

Chatbots are one of the foremost forms of automation. You probably have encountered them in banks (for instance DBS is using them), e-commerce (Lazada, Zalora are among them in Singapore) and even air companies (check our case study for AirAsia). The first generations of bots were designed to follow specific scripted rules that instructed the bots on what actions to execute based on certain keywords.

However, NLP (natural language processing) and ML (machine learning), which are another part of the AI technology body, enable chatbots to be more productive and more interactive, thus creating better service for Enterprise customers

Product recommendation engines

Another common use case is use of ML to power the customer recommendation engines built to deliver customized experiences and improve the overall experience. At the start algorithms analyze data points about each customer, including customer’s previous purchases, demographic trends, purchase histories of other customers, an organization’s present inventory in order to know what services and products to offer as recommendations to each individual customer. There are few examples of businesses in ASEAN and Middle East whose business models are based on recommendation engines: Zalora, Lazada, Carefour (check their Frequently Bought Together), and so on. Even food deliveries companies like Grab Food and Talabat using it.

Image classification and image recognition

Few years ago Fortune 2000 companies have started turning to neural networks, deep learning, Computer Vision (CV) and ML to assist them to make meaning of images. The application of this machine learning technology is wide – from brand’s intention to create fancy AR mask for IG/Snapchat, to the enabling of security teams to detect illegal activities in real-time, or store tracking number of unique customers and creating store “heatmap”.

The end of PART I. See other three use cases in our next post.

How To Market Your AR App

Creating your augmented reality shopping app is just the first step to a successful AR strategy. The augmented reality experience increases conversions, but only for customers who use it. To maximize the utility of your AR app, we recommend you lead customers into it from your existing channels. Below we list a few tips and best practices for directing customers into your AR channel.

Use the app in any events, stores and showrooms

If you have retail locations or product launch events, chances are its hard to fit all of your products and customization in there. Using the AR app to display customization options or products that aren't available in your product launch events can be a great use of the app, and also shows the customers that they can also use the app when they get back home. Great example is FarEast Organisation AR project which will be shown both online (web-version), as well as AR version published on AppStore & Google Play. Read full case study here.

Create a landing page to highlight the app

A webpage devoted to the app will guide your customers to understand the value of the app, as well as give you a chance to highlight some your best AR practices to ensure they find the experience easy-to-use. For instance Samsung created full-scale landing page for S20 FE launch which also explained game mechanics and reward system - check here.

Mention the app in your existing marketing efforts

Letting customers know about the app in your newsletters, retail stores, social media platforms can be a great way of getting customers engaged with your new digital platform. As a good example was promotion created by Samsung Asia for the AR application “Galaxy AR City” created by Vostok VR - you can read more in the case study.

Include CTA to download app on your Returns page

If a customer is checking your returns page, they may be having doubts whether the product is a good fit for their day-day life. Pointing them to your AR app could give them just the information they need to feel comfortable making a purchase.

Include CTA to download app on the page that lists your physical locations

If a customer wants to visit a retail location, but doesn't live close to any of them, directing them to the app can be a great way of providing them the information they need to make a purchase.

Integrate deep links into your product display pages

Triple-powered apps come with a deep linking infrastructure that allows you to link directly to a specific product within your app. In many cases, these links will work even if the app isn't already installed. Including these links on your product pages, incorporated in a 'View from home’ button, is the most powerful way of directing users to your content within the app.

Market your app directly on any App Store

Aside from crowding users into your app from your existing channels, one of the easiest ways to acquire new app users is to advertise directly on the App Store with Search Ads. Cost is less with Search Ads than with other advertisement channels, and this also allows you to directly target potential customers who are ready to download an app.

Utilize your customer service

If you have a customer service team, chances are they are used to answering questions like 'how will this look with my existing products?' or 'what are the returns policy?'. Instructing these team member to point customers to your AR app, potentially with a deep link to a specific product, can be a great way of getting the AR experience into the hands of targeted customers who needed it most.

Check out our CEO Vitaliy Nechaev's interview with Supply Chain Code on the topic of Impact of Immersive Technologies

Recently our CEO & Founder of Vostok VR, Vitaliy Nechaev was invited to speak with the founder of Supply Chain Code, Mr Paul Lim, on the current trends in the application of Immersive Technologies such as VR and AR in the commercial setting and how this could be applied in the logistics and supply chain environment.

The topic involved in and around the Brunei’s technology innovation on Supply chain industry using the current available VR & AR technology to better increase the efficiency and quality of the service. How this could bring in more investment and better quality of service involved in the Brunei area.

Our CEO was honoured to speak about Brunei, a country that he has not yet visited, but looking forward to the opportunity to visit in the coming Vostok VR’s ASEAN Expansion.

Check out the interview for yourself above

Vostok VR in collaboration with AGAM Studio create the first Tamil Volumetric drama

Award - winning AGAM Studio launched the first Tamil Volumetric Drama in Asia with holograms, to the public in Singapore on February 20th. Key figures of the Performance art and cultural circle attended this event, more importantly Minister of Culture of Singapore, Mr. Edwin Tong was the one to open the curtains to this great collaboration art piece between AGAM studio and Vostok VR, bringing the future of Performance Art in the form of Volumetric drama and holograms.

The experience was able to bring the audiences the ability to interact with performance props and watch the actor perform before your eyes- all from the comfort of your homes.

Viewers can watch the digital play via a free app. Those who own a VR equipment will be able to interact with the digitally-simulated three-dimensional palace and dungeon settings.

Check the Straits time article by clicking on this link.

Vostok VR opened new regional office in MENA Region

Award - winning AR/VR company started in Singapore 6 years ago and since then it has expanded to multiple markets in the ASEAN region. Now in Vostok VR is looking to expand even more, with their new regional office in Dubai, UAE.

Company's Managing Director mentioned "I was always curious about Dubai, as in my vision it has many similarities to Singapore. The country is relatively small, with large proportion of expats and foreign talents, and always pushing the boundaries of what is possible. So opening the office here was just a question of time. And COVID (which boost our business a lot) was one of the key factors to accelerate our development in the region"

Currently Vostok VR is the only certified Oculus ISV partner for Enterprise solutions in Oil & Gas sector in UAE.

Opening office in UAE is a key strategic move that helps us to be prepared to cater AR/VR solutions for upcoming Expo 2020 event in October of this year.

Vostok VR Partners up with the world leading VR Company

Good news to kick off 2021 on path of growth, Vostok VR, a startup operating in Singapore, Malaysia & Dubai, has become part of the Oculus ISV Program for the Asia-Pacific Region. The Oculus ISV Program is a program that works with enterprise developers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to engage with Oculus. The goal of the ISV program is to accelerate customer adoption of VR solutions built for Oculus enterprise products.

“This is a great milestone for us. Since by being able to be qualified as one of the vendors in Q4 of 2020, we have proven that our solutions and services have been appreciated by Oculus. We are hoping that this will open a wider opportunity for Vostok to develop better VR and AR solutions.” said by one of the Founders of Vostok VR, Vitaliy Nechaev.

Vostok VR is a VR company that specialized in virtual employee training and digital transformation that targets three major industries: Energy Sector, Government agencies & Automotive industry. These three sectors will look to aim for digital transformation acceleration and transferring their business to the new norm, post-Covid industry.

VR holds a vast potential to drive a successful business. It has been proven to help companies to grow, specifically in terms of productivity, collaboration, and training of the workforces. From this partnership, Vostok VR will be offering more internationally standardized solutions and services throughout our capabilities, so that Indonesia can fully embrace digital transformation.

Malaysia’s first Tier 1 aerospace engine component manufacture gets the VR treatment.

When UMW Aerospace entered into a 25 +5 year agreement with Rolls-Royce Plc to make and assemble aircraft fan cases, they became the first Malaysian Tier 1 aerospace engine component manufacturer.

This means they are the first Malaysian company to provide components directly to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In this case, the OEM is Rolls-Royce, and the fan cases are for the Trent 1000 and 7000 engines that power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A33 neo aircrafts. The Trent engines are considered the most advanced on the market in aerospace engine technology. They provide high level fuel efficiency with minimal noise.

To commemorate the achievement, Vostok VR created a multi-module 6DOF interactive virtual reality film that combines 360-degree video, interactive VR and Tilt Brush sketches to feature UMW production facilities. The experience familiarizes viewers with UMW’s history and past projects. It is the first part of a large scale project for Vostok VR and UMW Group, in collaboration with Entropia Global.

The showcase was launched during Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM), a government sponsored event that promotes financial and investment literacy.

More than 1,500 branded UMW Google Cardboards containing the QR codes for the non-interactive 360-degree video were distributed at the event. Select VIP guests viewed the non-interactive synchronised VR playback version.

The official interactive VR experience was opened by President and UMW Group CEO, Badrul Feisal Abdul Rahim alongside Chief Minister and Menteri Besar of the State of Kedah, Mr. Mukhriz Mahathir.

Vostok VR partnered with Mediacorp to open its first VR incubator

Vostok VR was invited by Mediacorp to showcase the latest VR technologies and development to their employees. This was to engage employees in experiencing VR first hand and understanding how Virtual Reality can be implemented into various departments.

2 different VR showcases were presented, Dangerous Bridge using HTC Vive Pro and various projects done by Mediacorp/Vostok VR using Samsung Gear VR.

360 videos showcased using Samsung Gear VR

Dangerous Bridge running on the HTC Vive Pro

Some of projects featured includes Missing VR (8 series drama we done for Channel 5), Date Gone Wrong and Dementia (complimentary VR experiences done for CNA) etc.

The VR incubator ran for a month, with over a 100 employees coming over to dive into the VR world for the first time.

Singapore Business Federation selects Vostok VR to present Singapore in VR at CAEXPO 2018 in China

During CAEXPO 2018, Vostok VR presented a VR project for Singapore Business Federation that promoted different innovative industries such as Toursim, Finance and Healthcare.

Our setup was opened and highly praised by Mr. Koh Poh Koon, who is currently a Minister of State in the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Vostok VR was enrolled in Shell Idea Refinery to find the way how VR will benefit Oil & Gas companies

"Shell Singapore aims to be a “living lab” of energy innovation for the nation. We hope to testbed and potentially commercialise digital and clean energy solutions relevant to Singapore, and the IdeaRefinery is a key programme supporting this goal.

We work with the government, academics and industry specialists, and partner with companies and organisations to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. We share ideas and expertise to help encourage innovation.

By connecting innovative energy-impact startups with our partners, the IdeaRefinery aims to help build a vibrant startup ecosystem in new energy solutions, in support of Singapore’s ambition to be a sustainable and smart nation. “

Vostok VR was selected for this incubator program by Shell for early-stage tech startups with promising technology for in the energy sector. The Geology VR solution in particular, was the one selected as it helps companies to save cost and provide efficiency.

Read more about the project here

Mumbrella Awards Shortlist

The ​Mumbrella Asia Awards celebrate the best, bravest and most effective media and marketing work from across the region. The 2018 awards will be judged by 200 industry experts, mainly client-side marketers,​ in a robust two-round process that includes live judging. ​Mars AMEA Vice-President of Marketing, Nicole McMillan, joins as jury chair this year to oversee proceedings. New categories this year, in what are arguably Asia’s most rigorous and difficult to win industry awards, include Media Brand of the Year, Best Mobile Advert of the Year, Best Marketing Team/Marketer of the Year and Independent Agency of the Year. The fifth annual awards ceremony on November 15 in Singapore will see​ hundreds of senior marketing, creative, media, communications and advertising professionals come​ together to champion game-changing work.

Vostok VR was nominated for Nido Fortigrow VR project under Most Engaging 360 Video/Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality Work. We will be up against PHD, InMobi and Blippar.

Check out the Nido Fortigrow Project that was nominated here

Innovating Virtual Reality TV, the Next Media Game Changer

Vostok VR is leading the way in storytelling by incorporating virtual reality in mainstream media.

In collaboration with Mediacorp, the award winning 360 degree film company created  a series of mobile accessible experiences that completely immerse the viewer in the midst of the popular TV crime drama, Missing.

Vostok VR founder Vitaliy Nechaev and team utilized innovative techniques to virtually place the audience alongside actors Pierre Png and Rebecca Lim as they solved mysteries across Thailand and Singapore.

The company is one of the few studios in Asia with the ability to create any type of VR moving shot. Twenty-two people were involved in the over 40 hours of filming for Missing VR, making it the largest VR production in South-East Asia.

At times, the crew used up to six different devices. For example, the combination of a rover, a wirecam and a dolly simulated an enhanced production value camera fly-through effect. Meanwhile, all action scenes were monitored with in-house developed live 360 streaming technology to enable the director and production team to monitor the full panorama in the media village.

Nechaev and crew navigated multiple challenges to authentically represent the plot and feel of the series. Multiple low-light scenes would not have been possible without Vostok VR’s high image quality FIDEL I cinematic camera. Extra attention was paid to location as some scenes were set over 20 years ago in the ever changing cityscape of Singapore. Binaural recording with special microphones created a natural feel and ambient environment.

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Approximately 400 hours of post-production work shaped the more than 1 TB of recorded data into a series of 8 VR dramas that compliment the traditional 15 television episodes.

 “I believe that Missing VR is a stepping stone for Mediacorp to try new formats and to build proof-of-concepts that can be shared with other channels,” said Nechaev. The technology is currently being used by Vostok VR in other branded projects across Asia as the company prepares to collaborate with the Discovery Channel on educational content and Spanish avant-garde artist and cyborg activist Moon Ribas, as she explores humanity’s relationship with seismic activity.

Missing VR is available on the white-labeled Chameleon VR application currently accessed by tens of thousands of customers across South-East Asia. The content is aired alongside other company productions like Happyland360, a unique documentary featuring a Manila slum, and the short film Abandon, set in Bangkok.

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Vostok VR Focuses on South Korea with Government Support

Vostok VR is poised for significant expansion in South Korea. The virtual reality company’s growth in the region is aided by its participation in the K-Startup Grand Challenge 2017, an extremely selective competition that promotes collaboration between domestic and foreign startups.

“We were chosen out of more than 1500 global teams,” said Vlad Nechaev, the 360 cinematic film company’s Business Development Manager for South Korea. “We proved that it was the right decision to invite our team to come here.”

The competing startup teams from 118 different countries vied for a space in the government’s technology startup incubator program. Vostok VR was chosen as one of the final 49 companies. Finalists received comprehensive support including initial funds, office space and visa assistance to facilitate their integration into the Korean ICT industry.

With K-Startup Grand Challenge’s assistance, Vostok VR completed the OASIS program to obtain a visa for foreign startups and entrepreneurs. They went on to establish themselves as a Korean entity, and are currently engaging with brands, media agencies, content producers, and investors.

The company is embarking on undisclosed projects for the well-known global transportation technology company and fellow start-up, Uber, and has memorandums of understanding to launch pilot projects with Korean companies DoRUN Media and Banana Coding in January 2018.

By the end of the Seoul-based challenge, Vostok VR was chosen as a top 25 team. They will continue participation in the program as it enters its next stage, a coveted six months of business development and local talent hire support from the government.

Although Nechaev is pleased with the business development, contracts and success, he’s hesitant to sum up the benefits as that alone. “The most beautiful part of this experience is the time we spent in Korea getting to know the culture and people,” said Nechaev.

Nechaev added that Vostok VR looks forward to not only the next 6 months, but long-term involvement with the country for as long as it is helpful to the citizens.

“Korea is really a great place to be if you are a VR film-maker. This country inspired the whole wave of cinematic & drama experiences throughout the Asia. A recent example of Korean storytelling we can see in 12-minute Korean VR Film “Bloodless” which won an award at Venice International Film Festival. So we see huge potential working here” he said.

VR X SMF Ignite Unites Virtual Reality Experts

This year’s Singapore Media Festival debuted VR X SMF Ignite, a full day conference organized for Virtual Reality (VR) and other immersive media thought leaders, technologists, and creators. Vitaliy Nechaev represented Vostok VR as managing and film director and served as a panel speaker.

The panel, titled Players of the Ecosystem, offered an insider’s perspective to the nature of industry partnerships, including those vital to a content concept, creation, and circulation.

Conference presenters hailed from Singapore, France, Geneva, Seoul and the USA. Notable speakers included Lucasfilm’s ILMxLAB creative director and visual effects supervisor Mohan Leo; founder and CEO of Ultimate Creators Create Virtual Reality (UCCVR) Allen Foo; and VR Consultant and Post Production Specialist of the 360-degree cinematic company, Neotopy, Alexandre Regeffe. Topics ranged from the entertainment focused, such as Star Wars related sneak peeks, to the more pragmatic like emerging markets and industry expansion or monetization.

The conference, which took place on Wednesday, November 29 at Marina Bay Sands, was organized by the Infocommunications Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and included a 3-day exhibition of VR content and technology alongside Asia TV Forum and Market.

As Southeast Asia’s top developer of interactive experiences in VR company presentations, sales, product launch, market activation and trainings, Vostok VR held a key presence at the event. “It was a great opportunity to interact and discuss ideas with people from the same field. We met many media companies across the Asia who were interested in adding VR content to their TV productions” said Nechaev.

Virtual Reality Drama Series Comes to Asia, Thanks to Vostok VR

Virtual reality firm Vostok VR is producing Asia’s first large-scale VR drama in partnership with Mediacorp.

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Top Singaporean actors Rebecca Lim and Pierre Png star in the Channel 5 English language drama, Missing. Filming took place in Singapore and Thailand as Lim and Png’s characters search for missing family members in both countries.

The 360 cinematic video company will produce eight episodes of the project in virtual reality format to accompany 15 two dimensional episodes.

“The VR segments compliment the 2D content by providing a unique view of the series in addition to exclusive scenes,” said Vostok VR managing director, Vitaliy Nechaev.

Filming of the VR series included an unprecedented large scale crew of 20 people for over 40 hours of production and resulted in over one TB of raw footage.

Viewers who are keen to watch will have to wait until December 2017 for the virtual reality trailer and February 2018 for both the 2D and virtual reality video. The VR video will premiere exclusively on Vostok VR’s Chameleon VR for mobile devices and Mediacorp's Toggle 360 for personal computers.

PHD MERGE Event Features Vostok VR and Cyborg Artist

Vitaliy Nechaev, director of 360 video production company Vostok VR, appeared alongside Spanish artist, cyborg and activist Moon Ribas at the Singapore LinkedIn headquarters on Friday September 29, 2017.

Both were in attendance to celebrate the launch of PHD’s MERGE | The closing between technology and us. The publication is the media planning agency’s 2017 thought leadership piece on the future of technology and humanity.

The virtual and biological merging of human and machine is already visible as users become more reliant on their smartphones and adopt wearables that seamlessly integrate into bodies. The unity of people and technology is expected to continue at a breakneck speed, vastly changing society’s daily operations and needs. In the event’s panel discussion, Nechaev, Ribas and tech-based marketing experts explored what this continued evolution means for the future of art, brands and media.

Moon Ribas and Vostok VR have recently collaborated on a Virtual Reality Film project launching at Mumbrella360 in Singapore and on Chameleon VR, a 360 cinematic video library and app.