HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition: The New VR Headset Accelerating Progress
Disclaimer: The VR headset in the header image is not the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition.
Virtual reality is still yet to fully rear its head in the video production world, let alone the business one. However, it’s proving itself to be worth the wait. The HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition headset is an exciting innovation that will bolster development in all kinds of areas, including business and education.
It seems HP have really outdone themselves this time; this new headset is almost scarily clever.
It’s got a striking ability to measure its user’s bodily movements and processes, even those as obscured as brain activity. So, it’s no surprise that it’s sparked conversation.
However, it’s important to see this new technology as a force for progress, rather than a cause for concern. We’ll touch later on how HP have ensured the security of users, so they don’t need to be scared of the robots stealing their data!
What we understand about this headset at the moment is that it’s driven by data and a ‘human-centric’ approach to VR. This puts human behaviour and reactions at the forefront of research that uses VR.
In addition, the creators clearly believe that data is king. There’s nothing that can really replace concrete results from a highly intelligent system.
So, let’s get right into it: what’s all the fuss about?
What areas does the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition improve?
An alternative question could be, ‘who will the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition help?’
The answer is pretty much everyone. Whether you’re a business owner or you head up an emergency service unit, you’ll want to invest in this headset.
The headset enhances these areas:
Training
A key example of an area the headset can help with training in is high-risk jobs, such as in a fire department.
Education
Especially given the takeover of remote education during the coronavirus pandemic, this headset could be a gamechanger.
Using ultra-immersive virtual environments combined with its intelligent measuring abilities, education has never been so effective.
Business
Obviously, this is the one we’re most excited about! The headset’s ability to measure user experience means a massive shift for business results.
The opportunity to gain this knowledge from the headset is an extremely valuable one.
Research and development
This is a pretty similar concept to using the headset for business. You want to test users’ reactions to things, so this level of measurement offers an exciting new opportunity.
People might use this headset for research in areas like Sociology, putting them in virtual situations and measuring the behavioural results. Also, there’s the potential to uncover brand new findings.
Wellbeing
As well as a way to develop products, the headset can also help to improve wellbeing.
HP has described this as ‘specialised wellbeing’. So, this implies that the headset’s virtual environments can be used to treat many different mental conditions. For example, people may use it to create calming environments for patients in distress.
The areas this headset enhances are very similar to the uses of 3D animation. If you want to read more on this topic, click here.
How does it achieve this?
The main attraction to the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition is its multitude of skills in measuring user reactions. This predominantly means their body movements, such as their arms or eyes.
Here are the headset’s capabilities in a nutshell:
A state-of-the-art sensor system
This works to measure muscle movement, gaze, pulse and more. The internal sensors detect the user’s position, enabling them to track more arm movements.
Cognitive load
The headset uses machine learning to measure how much brainpower the person is using for a particular task. It seems unbelievable, but it’s true.
Eye-tracking
Where a person’s eyes are drawn to at specific moments is where they think is worth attention. This is especially valuable for businesses to know.
Pupillometry
This is the measure of pupil dilation. Studies have found that pupil size is not only affected by light, but also our experience of our environment itself.
According to this research, when we work hard to process a lot of emotion or information, our pupils expand.
Heart rate monitoring
Your user’s heart rate fundamentally indicates how they’re feeling about a situation. If it’s sped up, they might be excited or angry. If it’s slow, they’re calmer — you get the gist.
Again, this is crucial in measuring the real user experience of a product, service, or scenario.
Face cam
It’s not just the eyes and the heart that indicate emotion. There’s another thing people use in everyday life to measure one another’s reactions: the face!
As the name suggests, the headset’s face cam displays and analyses the user’s facial expressions during use. It then adds this to all of the data going towards development.
Technical features of the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition
As well as very impressive capabilities, the technicalities of the headset aren’t so shabby, either.
It’s had a lot of industry-leading upgrades from previous HP products, aiming to maximise ergonomic comfort and results.
These include…
Speakers designed by Valve
Providing breakthrough sound quality.
Foveated rendering
The headset greatly reduces the image quality in the user’s peripheral vision to reduce rendering workload. This works through the headset integrating with the eye tracker.
Personalisation and comfort
HP have really thought about this here. As well as the above, they’ve adapted the lenses for different eye distances.
They’ve also created an adjustable headstrap, an increased cushion size, and more comfortable controllers.
Finally, they’ve developed the cable to be ‘thinner, lighter and longer than ever’. This enables users to move more freely.
4 cameras
These are built into the headset, maximising immersion.
Integrated Bluetooth
Providing excellent tracking.
Resolution
If that wasn’t enough, the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition boasts the highest resolution among major vendors.
What about security?
We’d forgive you for being so blown away by the headset’s features that you haven’t yet considered the potential security concerns. However, you needn’t worry.
In a statement, HP have said: ‘The headset’s firmware safeguards the sensor data at every moment of capture and no data is stored in the headset.‘
Key details
Let’s just get to it — when is it coming out? At the moment, the product is slated to launch in Spring 2021.
And what’s it compatible with? The headset runs on Windows as well as SteamVR.
What does the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition mean for virtual reality?
As we said at the beginning of this post, it’s clear that virtual reality is moving towards a more human-centric approach.
While some might be slightly scared of this extremely advanced technology, this seems promising for the future. The headset’s numerous innovative features offer an opportunity to make groundbreaking developments in so many different industries.
What’s more, the human-focused strategy appears to prioritise them over computers. This might help put fears of ‘robots taking over’ at ease!
If you’re a fan of video like us, why not use it to grow your business faster than you can press ‘play’? Get in touch with Stada Media today to talk about your video.
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