The 10 Outstanding Tech Giants in AR/VR Space, 2020

1. ISSUE - 03 | APRIL 2020 THE 10 Outstanding Tech Giants in AR/VR Space, 2020 Into the AR-VR World Education and AR/VR Technology - United for a Prosperous Future Mr. Ken Ehrhart CEO Paracosma PARACOSMA Improving the Real World with Pioneering AR/VR Solutions

5. Fast-Tracking the AR-VR World and Making it a Global Phenomenon Let's Chat The Augmented and Virtual Realities are shaping the future of the world like never before. These realities have come into existence long ago, but its arrival into the commercial space has marked its presence with an impetus impact. Initially, the AR/VR world has just stepped into the gaming consoles space and since then it has gained popularity because of its dynamic user experience and hi-tech competencies. Eventually, more industries adapted to these realities and started incorporating it into their products, marketing strategies, solutions, and services. Hence, the AR/VR world has been on a roll ever since with its gamut of outreach increasing gradually with each innovative AR and VR invention. The Business Brainiac presents a special issue Outstanding Tech Giants in AR/VR Space, 2020”, which highlights the leading AR/VR companies uplifting the global platforms with their interactive ideas and innovations. These companies are putting their best foot forward for delivering ace solutions for maximizing growth and reaping a strong future foundation for customers around the globe. “The 10 on On the cover, we have Paracosma: An advanced and future- focused AR/VR company providing its customers with the utmost offerings and its own in-house products. In the special category profile, we have Live Animations: A Pioneer in the AR/VR world offering development of loyalty products and programs for children and families. In the competitive forefront, the AR and VR companies need to stay ahead in the invention game and yield larger-than-life innovations and fast-track the future into the present. To deliver a path-breaking performance, the companies are offering the customers with AR/VR products that can be readily used daily and can ease the hustle-bustle lifestyles. The issue features profiles, Artivive: A Powerful Platform Connecting the Dots of Art and AR Technology, CleverBooks: One of Its Kind Bookworm Blending Technology and Education, and Scanta: Amplifying the AR/VR Technology to Numerous Platforms. In the future, there will be a platform shift experienced in the AR/VR devices and products, which will bring advanced, well- designed, personalized, and more accessible customer satisfaction experiences. Also, we have industry-experts giving their insights for our Brainiac Talk section - Artificial Intelligence in Effective Management of COVID-19 by Pradeep Valsangkar, MD & Chief Consultant, GCS Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd. Also, our in-house editor has penned down creative write-ups “Into the AR-VR World” and “Education and AR/VR Technology- United for a Prosperous Future”. Let's get started Sara Patel EDITOR (sara@thebusinessbrainiac.com)

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7. MASTHEAD EDITORIAL D Patel Sara Patel, Krishnai Khairnar Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor ART & DIRECTOR Art & Design Director Chetan Urunkar James Brown Joseph D'Souza Visualizer Graphic Artist ISSUE - 03 | APRIL 2020 THE 10 Outstanding Tech Giants in AR/VR Space, 2020 ADVERTISING & PROMOTION Email : sales@thebusinessbrainiac.com Marketing Manager Robert Smith Piyush Kshirsagar, Daniel White Business Development Executive DEVELOPMENT Technical Head Technical Consultant Into the AR-VR World Education and AR/VR Technology - United for a Prosperous Future Pankaj Hongekar Dhiraj, Alex Mr. Ken Ehrhart CEO Paracosma PARACOSMA Improving the Real World with Pioneering AR/VR Solutions April 2020 WRITE TO US TO SUBSCRIBEBE ONLINE Email : info@thebusinessbrainiac.com TURN ON PAGE 18 CONNECT : SUBSCRIBE ONLINE Email: subscribe@thebusinessbrainiac.com thebusinessbrainiac.com Business Brainiac Business_Brainiac business_brainiac Business Brainiac Copyright ©2019 The Business Brainiac, All rights reserved. The publisher and editors make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the content. However, no responsibility can be taken for any effect from errors or omissions for any investments and decisions taken on the basis of the information provided herein. The publisher doesn't take any responsibility for any claims made in advertising carried within the magazine. All material published in the magazine is copyright protected and unauthorized reproduction is prohibited without express written permission of the editor.

11. Cover Story Profile

12. April | 2020 12

13. F or the featured Cover Story Profile of our exclusive AR/VR Edition, we had the great pleasure of sitting down for an interview with Ken Ehrhart. A respected leader in the AR/VR sector, Mr. Ehrhart is the Founder and CEO of Paracosma, recognized by Business Brainiac in this edition as one of “The 10 Outstanding Tech Giants in AR/VR Space, 2020”. In this interview, Mr. Ehrhart provides insights on the origin of Paracosma, the history and future of AR/VR, and his diverse business background for which he was recognized by Business Brainiac in the January edition as one of “The 10 Most Trailblazing Business Leaders to Watch in 2020”. April | 2020 13

14. Where does Paracosma Fit in the History of Technology? What Are the Core Capabilities of Your Organization? Where Do You Shine? The world of technology goes through waves of innovation. With hardware, this takes the form of decreasing form factors and increasing capability. Computing went from Mainframes and microcomputers to PCs and laptops then on to smartphones. Similarly, software advanced from basic text- based interfaces to vibrant HTML- based web pages. Recorded data transitioned from voice audio to high- resolution video. The technology industry is now entering a massive transition from 2D to 3D computing. Paracosma was founded to focus on these emerging 3D technologies, including Augmented and Virtual Reality, 360-degree media, and 3D content creation. Paracosma is focused on delivering the greatest value possible to our clients. That means simultaneously offering the highest quality at the lowest cost. We are able to do this in great part because of our global footprint that spans from the US for high innovation, and Japan for a focus on quality and precision, to Nepal with low-cost and passionately engaged engineering and artistry. With low- cost labor and overhead, we are able to hire and train a larger more diversely skilled team than we could in the US alone. That enables us to both offer a breadth of technologies and platforms and depth in terms of R&D in new areas. How Long Has Paracosma Been Creating VR? What Types of Companies Do You Serve, and in What Industries or Markets? Who Is Your Ideal Client? Paracosma was founded four years ago in the first half of 2016, at the same time the first consumer VR systems, the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, launched. So, Paracosma has grown up with VR. Paracosma's enterprise clients range from the largest global 'Fortune 50', 100+-year-old, global manufacturing companies down to newly born-digital SAAS (software as a service) start-up companies. The ideal client is one with a long-term vision that we can help them realize through collaboration from early proof of concept on to a minimum viable product and then full deployment. What is Distinctive about Your Brand? Paracosma is future-focused on 3D. We don't have any legacy 2D business lines. Our efforts are to make accessible AR, VR and 3D capabilities that have until now been too difficult and too expensive to adopt. We would rather work with our clients to enable their vision with next-generation technology than shrink their vision to fit within the limitations of prior technology. April | 2020 14

15. What Are the Solutions / Services / Products That Make Your Company Unique in the Market? What Is Your Company's USP? Paracosma offers AR and VR application development and 3D content creation including both photo-realistic modeling and 360 media production. Our Unique Selling Proposition is that our diverse service offerings and deep skill sets enable us to be a one-stop-shop for innovative AR, VR, and 3D solutions. The scope of our capabilities is reflected in the diversity of Paracosma's applications, which include: April | 2020 15

16. How Does Virtual and Augmented Reality Work in the Modern World? Can You Explain the Core Components That Make It Work? What Could Impede the Growth of Virtual and Augmented Reality? VR and AR are new technologies that entered the consumer markets when they were only beginning to be accessible to early adopters and well out of reach of mainstream consumers. But, unfortunately, instead of following the quick technology upgrade path of Moore's law (doubling in performance or halving in cost every two years), they seemed to follow the more leisurely upgrade cycle seen in consumer electronics and video game consoles. With the ongoing improvements in graphics technology—displays, processing, image capture, special effects, digital art, etc.—we have reached a point that we can create digital/computer-generated art that becomes indistinguishable from photos and video captured of the real world. As a result, we can begin to blend real-world imagery and computer-generated imagery in a way that you cannot tell apart. When we look at these hybrid creations, they fall on a spectrum from mostly real with some digital additions or augmentations to mostly or wholly digital or virtual images. That is the spectrum from Augmented to Virtual Reality. AR glasses let you see computer enhancements overlaid on the real world and VR headsets display computer-generated worlds or 360-spherical images that can look or feel to the viewer like a real experience. As a result, the Sony PlayStation VR still remains virtually unchanged since its launch three and a half years ago. The HTC Vive only saw small incremental changes from the Vive to Vive Pro to Vive Eye-Tracking that all added price without significantly improving the user experience. Meanwhile, the changes between Oculus Rift and Rift S were also minimal in terms of end-user device cost, performance and size/comfort. What Is the Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality? It has only been with the introduction of new classes of products, such as the Oculus Quest stand-alone headset, that we have seen technology leaps. If the Quest follows the upgrade cycle of past headsets and remains static in value for several years, instead of improving with annual improvements, then VR will again hit a plateau. As technology continues to improve, the difficulty and cost and disruption of accessing AR and VR content will decrease. Eventually, AR and VR will be as accessible as reading or sunglasses or ultimately contact lenses. As we go beyond manipulating vision to also better use sound, touch, and feel, even smell and taste, then the full range of human experience will increasingly be replicable through artificial means. We already see demos of what is possible. But, the technologies still need to improve. So, it is just a question of time and the speed of innovation. Fortunately, at CES 2020 we saw Panasonic announce VR “glasses” that offered a dramatic leap in terms of form factor, size, and weight, to shrink the face-brick VR headsets down to something more like opera glasses or steam-punk goggles. April | 2020 16

17. What Is Your Greatest Professional Achievement? Having the opportunity at SunBridge Partners to co-found successful, high- growth, market-leading companies like Concur Japan and Marketo Japan gives me confidence that Paracosma can achieve similar success. What Challenges Have You Faced That Have Influenced Your Perspective? Tell Us About Your Work Outside Paracosma. The biggest challenge for many of the start-up companies in our VC portfolio has been timing risk: a great idea that was unfortunately ahead of its time or market. This has been the case with many VR companies that over-spent ahead of revenues. Thus, with Paracosma our focus has been on sustainably growing our capability as fast as we can without sprinting ahead of market adoption. In addition to being the Founder and CEO of Paracosma, I am a General Partner in the venture capital firm, SunBridge Partners, which specializes in bringing enterprise SAAS companies from the US to Japan. I am also a Co-founder and Director of TalentA, a Tokyo-based HR and talent management company. How Has Your Work Experience Prepared You for Leading Paracosma? As someone studying technology treads for some 24 years, with 20 years' experience building companies as a venture capitalist, and with more than 10 years' experience in international market entry for tech companies; I am focused on building Paracosma into a sustainable global company, with a long-term focus on the future. April | 2020 17

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19. The Special Category Profile

20. E revitalizing school notebooks has been downloaded by more than 5 million users. The company was the first in the world to create: Ice cream with AR- cartoons, the unique pastry loyalty program for the Timi brand, and a project that was launched with AR video mapping for a large International Light Show. stablished in 2014, Live Animations initially came up with the idea of augmented reality for children and families. Eventually, the company went through different products, applying AR to photos, t- shirts, packaging, and many other options, but it found success with school notebooks. The first print run (100,000 copies) was sold out in a few days, after which customers requested an additional batch. This was the first step of its “ladder of success”. manufacturers of products for children and families. The team at Live Animations has gained unique knowledge and technologies and gives a potential client an optimal solution by offering the best way to implement it. Currently, Live Animations is one of the market leaders in developing innovative loyalty programs using AR / MR / VR for brands and retailers. The logo of the company symbolizes that every child climbing the stairs touches the stars. Primarily, after a rough start, the company has smoothly sailed through it and is successfully able to build some of the best innovative loyalty programs for retail as well as Today, the @Live Photo mobile app for April | 2020 20

21. The Mastermind of Live Animations ideas and ignite them with his big goals. Thanks to this, he managed to build a successful IT company and gather around himself a team of talented specialists who generate unique marketing ideas and translate them into a finished product with a high level of skill. vision of the founder. For Andrey, Live Animations is not just a business - it is an opportunity to make the world a better place. Here is what he says about augmented reality: “My dream is to create a new, magical, friendly and safe world that complements and enriches the existing reality. A world where all things come to life, delight people, provide them with the necessary information, teach something useful and help develop their abilities. A world where there is no mind-destroying content, but only sanity and aesthetics.” The futuristic leader, Andrey Tymoshenko is the Founder and Majority Shareholder of the company. An innovator who perceives new ideas and trends earlier than others and introduces innovations into mass use. Andrey has an experience of more than three decades in entrepreneurship; he managed to open 15 different businesses, most of which were successful. He calls Live Animations his favorite brainchild. One of Andrey's unique abilities is his ability to captivate other people with his About a year ago, he transferred the post of CEO of the company to his partner, Yegor Pavlenko, who has been working at Live Animations since its inception and is a high-level specialist. Now Andrei deals only with strategic management but Operations activity is managed by a director whose main function is to put into practice the April | 2020 21

22. The Client-Based Approach The Areas of Core Competencies results, we will not be silent or make the product just to make money. We will directly tell the client about this and offer the best solution, if possible. Live Animations works only in the B2B sector, mainly with leading companies as these market leaders usually look beyond the rest. Besides, the “leaders” want to maintain their primacy and are ready to invest in innovative marketing tools. Success for any project comes from proactive communication between two teams, the customer, and the contractor. Live Animations are driven by the desire to contribute to the technological development of mankind, directing innovation to preserve, and strengthen families, moral and cultural values of society, as well as to achieve the success of producers of useful goods and services. These principles are embedded in the corporate culture and are reflected in all products of the company. It also promotes this idea at all conferences, seminars, and constantly conducts educational events for young people. The company has completed 6 years in the AR/VR domain, Live Animations began to work at a time at the nascent stage of virtual and augmented reality. It is obvious to us that potentially these technologies could provide various companies with a high competitive advantage, yet it was difficult to explain to customers, what it is and what practical benefits it can bring for a particular brand. As for the industries in which the company operates its strategy, it has stuck to the roots of its specialization. The Live Animations segment is the development of loyalty products and programs for children and families, the AugmentEcom segment is solutions and tools for E-commerce. The most successful projects in recent years have become loyalty programs implemented through large network retailers these are Live Animations, ideal clients. For example, programs with AR books “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass” were launched in supermarket chains in 2 countries - 882 stores in one country and 760 stores in another. During this period, it has implemented more than 55 projects and entered the top 3 major ratings among AR developers: Clutch, DesignRush, and Thinkmobiles. The company till date has developed and successfully launched projects for its customers in 50 countries that have brought in more than 150 million user interactions. It is proud of the high average rating- 4.5 for its applications and platforms. This year, it continues to focus on the development of innovative loyalty programs for retail and brands. In autumn, it will launch two major new projects in this area. Live Animations are some of the pioneers of using AR in marketing. The company has come a long way, corrected many mistakes and as a result, it has developed an effective organizational structure of the company, formed a strong team of professionals, perfected technologies, and compiled an optimal algorithm for working with clients. The reason is very simple - we love what we do, are competent in this and are honest with customers. If we see that the client's idea is not optimal, or that some kind of marketing solution will not produce April | 2020 22

23. What Makes Live Animations Stand-Out? The Future Steps levels of technical and artistic quality in the world at the best price. This is what it guarantees to the customer. As it turned out, this is a rather rare combination. It takes full responsibility for the project and will implement everything from developing an idea concept to its full implementation, further development, and technical support. The AR/VR space is growing at a tremendous pace and shortly the use of AR-, MR- and VR-technologies will become widespread. These technologies in the next decade will foster the development of the global IT market and will radically affect many areas of the economy. The first sign that demonstrated the power of AR was the game Pokemon GO. Now we see the widespread use of AR filters in social networks, as well as many successful applications in e-commerce and advertising. AR is gradually moving from entertainment to the education and marketing industries. Apple CEO Tim Cook rightly believes that augmented reality will have an impact on the world comparable to the advent of a smartphone. The Live Animations team can generate unique ideas and solutions, highly artistic images of characters, locations, and scenes in augmented reality. The company has many of its know-how for developing the architecture of AR applications and platforms, as a result of which it achieves a high level of stability of its work and high user ratings. The company works with the client throughout the project i.e. even after completing the project it continues to support it, responds to user reviews, helps if they don't succeed, quickly eliminates all bugs, and many more such issues. Today, AR / VR is actively used in the gaming industry, education, social networks, tourism, and marketing. The main properties of AR that the company uses is the ability to create new spaces and worlds, put additional benefits into existing real goods and spaces, and also cause an emotional response that invariably arises in the viewer when the user experiences the magic of a qualitatively made AR. The USP of the company is honesty combined with one of the highest April | 2020 23

25. Articles and Profiles

26. T smartphone or tablet and offer an extended and emotional experience. echnology is accelerating at a lightning speed and is constantly evolving the digital space with its numerous innovations and discoveries. When it comes to the revolutionary AR/VR technology, it has spread its wings into several potential domains and is redefining the user experience to another level. The field of art and design has stepped a notch- top and is keeping track of what is trending and where their creative opportunities lie. An eye for curiosity led Artivive, a technology-based company, to bring forth an augmented reality platform for art and recognize the changes that are occurring in the industry and help artists explore new dimensional creative spaces. narrative component to works of art and for viewers to have a more interactive experience with the artwork. The solution consists of two parts: • Empowering the AR with Path-breaking Solutions Artivive App – the visualization tool • Bridge by Artivive – the creational tool, where you can create the digital layer With a potential tagline of “bring Art to Life”, Artivive's vision is to change how art is created and build the community around augmented reality art. It bestows with an easy-to-understand and dynamic augmented reality platform for art, which is a new technology that allows artists to create ultra-modern art by blending traditional and digital art. The digital layer has opened the doors to a whole new world of infinite possibilities. With this scalable technology, the artists can take the visitors on a journey in time and explain what lies behind, enhance the artwork or tell a story. This new world can be unlocked by any The company's approach is to let the artists create the narrative and art. This way the artists can express themselves better and have the choice of freedom for bringing life to their canvas. Artivive distinguished themselves from other AR providers by focusing on artists, creatives, museums, and galleries. The Artivive team is working with renowned museums and galleries from across the globe and transforming their vision into reality. Established in January 2017 in Vienna, Austria, Artivive is the brainchild of Sergiu Ardelean and Codin Popescu. It was born out of the idea to digitally revolutionize the art market and change the way art is experienced. Artivive aimed to allow artists, museums, and galleries to add a April | 2020 26

27. Building a Niche with the AR-Art includes additional, movable visual layers to stimulate what the respective audience sees, auditory layers, which manipulate their perception through what they're hearing (this is particularly interesting to those who draw on the emotional value of sound and music in their work to evoke deeper emotion and set the tone for what the audience is feeling when they view the artwork). adoption. Projects that are built only on the technology without offering true value to the users, having a bad experience with technology might lead to people avoiding this or not being interested in engaging with it. The projects and multiple respective brands should have a lucid strategy for their story. These respective companies should know what they want to tell and ask them if AR is the right technology or is there another, easier way. It's all about the holistic user experience and the value created. Artivive is an innovative and interactive way for audiences to experience art and design in a contemporary manner and empower the artist's creative powers. To integrate augmented reality into art, the artists could previously have to build an isolated solution that requires technical skills and will need to invest a lot of time and money. Also, the few existing solutions offered by the competitors have no open platform and are too technical and have bad usability and UX. To mend this block, a creative tool called Bridge was created by Artivive, which is intuitively designed and the visualization tool Artivive app for art lovers is also very easy to use. There are other aspects to AR, too, all of which will ultimately be available to you as an artist to quite literally augment the reality your audience experiences when they experience your work. Augmented reality can be used to enhance your work with layers upon layers of live texture. This can be drawn from real-world applications or it can be completely generated from yourself. The information is overlaid in exact alignment with where you are in space and time, giving an extremely life-like experience. The Unsung Barriers A Take on the Future Artivive believes that augmented reality is a new art form, where a new kind of narrative is born similar to photography and film a bit more than a century ago. The artists can explain their artworks with illustrations and further give more meaningful insights about how these artworks were made. For museums, galleries, and other institutions, Artivive offers a new and innovative way for the audience to interact with the exhibits and is fast- tracking the future of the augmented realities and bringing into the present times. A Larger than Life AR Platform AR allows enhancing the current environment or situation by enriching the audience's perception through digitally enhanced stimulus. It lets the manipulator overlay the real world with layers of sensory information to alter the way it's perceived. This Be it any form of technology, presentations, industries, or models, there will always be a bunch of pros and cons. While coming to AR technology, certain setbacks should be tackled to bring it at ease and more importantly build a higher customer April | 2020 27

28. A R-VR Technology is a revolution; this reality has become a big name in the technology space since its invention. These realities have shaped into a new era of leaps and bounds that the human race is experiencing today. Inventions rule the world and Augmented and Virtual Realities have marked its presence due to its dynamic and contemporary outlook. With progressing times, technology keeps on evolving and to keep pace with these changes, new technologies and innovations come into play. These realities are shaping future times and are not restricted to only gaming consoles; it has paved its way into other industries and markets to bridge the gap between technology and humans. Almost every industry is amazed by its application and its user experience and hence adopting AR-VR technology is a must for them. April | 2020 28

29. Why Brands adopt this Technology contemporary properties and unique experience, the customers are widely expecting it. Be it in education for students to learn in an advanced way or integrating it in glasses for seniors and adults, AR-VR technology has been seen everywhere. sector. As several potential industries are implementing AR-VR technologies, the top three prominent markets for AR-VR in 2020 will be entertainment, manufacturing, and healthcare. AR- VR is widely used in all industries and businesses, as it has become a part of our day-to-day life and routine with its wide-spread social media presence in filters, games, and pictures. Today, the AR-VR market has a massive gamut and every industry has the flexibility to incorporate this technology successfully. To succeed in the market, the brands must be updated and keep up with the changes that technology brings in. Today, as technology plays a vital role in any given industry, it is imperative for brands to adopt new trends for the growth of their success. When it comes to AR-VR technology, the brands were able to notice that customers are slowly switching to digital mediums and are making use of it widely. As AR- VR is an emerging technology, brands were able to discover that this can be instilled within the marketing and sales strategies. This, in turn, helps the brands to provide their customers with an ideal experience with their convenience at fingertips. With such a large audience, it can bring more new aspects as people are learning and adopting it more extensively. Its applications are immense and with time there will be more people implementing it. Many times, people are aware of the technology but are contemplating using it, even though 90 to 95 percent of people know about it, only 70 to 75 percent of people will use it. This should not be the case, hence brands try to reach their audience and provide demo experiences, so as the users will effectively use and incorporate it. New technologies are more important and popular among the young generations and the youth is excited to use it, but catering to all age groups and meeting the requirements of a larger audience is what brands are aiming for. A Step into the Future There is an exceptional excitement about what the future holds ahead and where we go ahead from here now. The futuristic movie of this technology will bring more innovations for audiences and will bring new opportunities for the innovators, designers, and respective professionals. The market is constantly accelerating and to keep up with what's trending and where the creative openings are, the professionals are developing software to be a step ahead in the long run and bring the future to the present time. The future of AR-VR is beyond one's imagination, it is building a new technology landscape and foreseeing the amalgamation of Human assisted AI, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality. Many times, brands integrate a demo for their customers to know the reaction and result from the product they will receive. This gives the brands a potential review and with the trial and error method, the brands can incorporate furthermore benefits according to the reviews. For the success of any AR-VR product, user adoption and user satisfaction with the product is a must. The customer needs to know what to expect and how to leverage this technology in their day-to-day lives. Building a customer- centric approach is what every brand aims for. Hence, the brands are adding this technology in their Digital Marketing tactics, as this provides a pioneering edge to their marketing efforts. The Present Reality According to a survey- “the AR/VR industry will hit $150 billion in revenue by 2020, with AR accounting for the bulk of that at $120 billion”. These whopping numbers will give AR-VR new heights of popularity and acceptance. The global market for AR and VR Technology is distributed, it is based on various aspects like application, organization size, industry vertical, and R&D department to offer an in-depth analysis of the respective market. A Wider Approach and Outreach In the last couple of years, a large number of startups have emerged in the AR-VR space and with proceeding times, the market will become saturated as more and more companies are establishing in this AR and VR technology is available for almost all age groups and with time is increasing its outreach. It has entered many industries and companies around the globe and due to its April | 2020 29

30. E experiencing dynamic transformations giving rise to inventions that are larger than life itself. With such drastic modifications, it is imperative for students to keep up with the prevailing times and learn accordingly. However, there are not many schools/educational spaces that incorporate the use of technology or advanced learning techniques. This, in turn, can resist a student's knowledge to an extent and shut their doors to the wider spectrum. To bestow the students with a new experience and shatter the stereotypical learning and teaching patterns, CleverBooks has turned the pages of wisdom and fast-tracked it into the present times. Established in 2016 and incorporated in Dublin, Ireland in 2017, this company is home to a digital library of hi-tech books. ducation is a powerful resource that broadens an individual's vision and contours the path for new perspectives, goals, and future existence. In this era of innovative and contemporary knowledge, the students today are The Captivating Duo interest in education. If in the formative years, the students begin to experience such radical effects, then it is challenging for them to focus during their succeeding years. Coming into contact with this, Darya and Inna raised few questions as to how can a student be excited about going to school if the school is following a teaching pattern that is decades old and is missing the use of technology? The answer to this was with time the schools need to upgrade to new technologies and processes to encourage students for learning and also devour them with zealous education experience. To make this a possibility, the core duo (Darya and Inna) gave birth to CleverBooks for serving the gap between digital natives and digital immigrants. Darya Yegorina and Inna Armstrong are the Co-founders at CleverBooks. Being mothers, these two realized that their kids are restricted to a monotonous routine with each passing day. Making them feel tiresome and unhappy about their school's traditional way of teaching and learning and resulting in a lack of April | 2020 30

31. Voice of the Brainchild benefits help a lot in teaching and learning processes. There are different types of AR: marker-based geolocation-based, QR code recognized and all of them have found applications in different industries. A combination of AR software and secondary components is widely applicable in different industry sectors”, concludes the company on the application of Virtual and Augmented Reality into the Modern World. the disruption in its sector by building products and solutions from its heart and soul. We help students to See, Hear and Touch the Knowledge. “CleverBooks delivers the most innovative educational products based on Augmented Reality technology and traditional education aids for kids around the world. We strive to empower a new generation of progressive and creative children by delivering the most innovative solutions”, explains the company. It has a pool of talented students, who are the proud testimonials of the company and thoroughly cherish learning in such a fun and curative environment. CleverBooks put forth their step into this venture to adopt new technologies and innovative solutions that will nurture every student's knowledge and become a part of their well-being. With the help of smart ways of delivering STEM subjects, this venture helps to develop 21st-century skills and foster kids to how to think rather than what to think. To ensure that the students are excelling to their maximum potential, schools in the first place need to provide them with paramount resources, which will boost their creativity and develop the required skills for their further professional journey. The Future of Virtual and Augmented Reality A Hi-Tech Holistic Platform We serve the educational sector with full devotion and care for kids who are our future. Augmented Reality is making a big difference in the education sector. As visual technology, it has a massive power to make education interesting, thought-provoking, and personalized, when applied correctly to suitable subjects and school grades. CleverBooks highly focuses on this technology, as it has a big spectrum of applications and its main focus is to fully apply, integrate, and make it resourceful for the educational fraternity. Incorporating this stellar technology in every school will be a boon for the students, the young minds of today will become the path-breaking leaders of tomorrow. As one leverages this technology more and more, the quality of software, graphics, and user involvement for it will also increase. In this manner, Augmented Reality will also further advance its application and growth. CleverBooks provides STEM-oriented global curriculum-based teaching and learning solutions for primary education. It has a myriad range of products for teaching and learning, which is empowered by Augmented Reality, as it is known as the technology of the future. Keeping this in mind, the company believes and integrates this technology in the present times itself. Driven by a Customer- Centric Approach CleverBooks has released several Augmented Reality based products for K-12 already and in the upcoming times is planning for releasing a new all-inclusive product. This functional product will cater to all the school levels for developing digital competency and the required technical skills. The products are designed in a manner, which is suitable for home and classroom likewise. The company delivers outstanding support and customer service with an agile approach by adopting customer recommendations and operating fully as a customer-centric organization. It believes that customers are the biggest assets and hence, it passes by The Augmented Reality enabled products are STEM.org certified and global curriculum guidelines based. These products aim to develop and enhance interest and curiosity levels in STEM, create the base for developing 21st-century skills, and focusing on personalized learning through kinetic, audial, and visual educational approaches. “Ease of use and straightforward April | 2020 31

32. Chaitanya Hiremath T he AR/VR (Augmented and Virtual Reality) technology has created a new domain for customers and is restructuring the user experience to new leaps. It is building a dynamic space for customers and is blending innovation and technology for bringing it into the day to day lives. The consumers are becoming interactive and broadening their visions towards the adoption of AR/VR technology. According to a survey, the AR/VR industry will reach a whopping number of $150 billion in revenue by 2020. With the consumer rise of AR/VR, there are many established and budding platforms that are looking forward to integrating AR and VR technology in their respective fields for successful advancements. sheer curiosity and embarked on the journey to create the new-age of AR/VR solutions and use-cases. Based in San Francisco, California, the company passionately works towards AI, Machine Learning, and all aspects of Data Science. Creating use-cases for upcoming technological platforms and developing relevant strategies for their implementation is central to his vision. His expertise performance, diligent work profile and his visionary approach have made him the first Indian-origin entrepreneur to win the Shark Tank Showcase and also the prestigious Draper University Summer Pitch in 2018 in San Francisco, CA. Later in 2019, he was selected to be on the list of Top 25 People in Tech by Entrepreneur Magazine, after being chosen for Forbes 30 under 30 in the Startup Category. He was also chosen as the “Youth Icon” for 2019 by Fame India. Chad has an exceptionally talented team of digital natives, who work around the clock to build better realities and deliver standard AR/VR solutions. A Stellar Performer A charismatic personality, Chaitanya Hiremath is the CEO of Scanta. He is also called Chad and has been involved in technology and related trends throughout his professional career. Chad is a dynamic and results- oriented leader with a strong track record of AR/AI in high-paced organizations, he utilizes keen analysis, insights, and a team approach to drive organizational improvements and the implementation of effective practices. His proficiency in augmented reality and artificial intelligence has allowed him to build a diverse team to increase the technological adoption of augmented reality across the market. With the mission of Helping Machines Learn, Scanta is an Artificial Intelligence startup, which stepped forward into the AR/VR world out of April | 2020 32

33. A Word about the Show uncovering the techniques, and democratizing our solutions”, adds the concerned. behind why AR and VR have such an impetus impact on individuals, as humans are extremely visual species with the majority of their time viewing with their naked eyes giving them a closer look at what the world offers. This adds a different level of immersion to the user and opens room for higher engagement as free hands can be presumed for other tasks and make multitasking at ease. Most recently Chad was featured on the Discovery Channel show “Expedition Unknown”. In the show, he was seen with Josh Gates helping him find a hidden treasure in the Golden Gate Park, San Francisco using the AR/VR technology. Here, Chad uses cutting-edge software and recreates a digital version of the respective sculpture, to view it in real-time and space. This is done by scanning the model with a 3D Scanner, which helps in mapping thousands of data points with accurate dimensions and helps in recreating a perfect replica of the sculpture. Accuro is Scanta's ultimate product which performs state-of-the-art data augmentation to help Machine Learning models. It can be used on various text-based Machine Learning tasks to help build better models by enabling them to see more data than before so as it can learn better. However, there are certain drawbacks with the prevailing AR/VR technology, the major challenge over the last few years has been the pricing. The price point of the wearable has been on the expensive side, which makes the consumer adoption and sales ratio of these products hit a downfall. In the upcoming years, if the prices will significantly come down and then the entire consumer adoption market would be able to maintain the market expectations and further grow and scale their business to new heights. Scanta foresees strong growth in B2B AR/VR content solutions, as it has proven to add value especially in training new employees. Scanta's core competency lies in technology and it constantly thrives in creating “Proof of Concept” based projects. “We work with Fortune 500 companies but are open to working with mid-large size companies depending on the project. Our happy partners include Microsoft, NVidia, Coca-Cola, Wendy's, and Dunkin' Donuts”, concludes the concern. Comprehensive AR/VR Solutions and Products “We are passionate about trying out new things and executing products generating from ideas.” Scanta focuses on cutting edge research and development in the AI field with core intellectual property in Data Augmentation and AR/VR. The company is well-positioned to deliver its core technologies to the world's most influential AI companies. It offers wide-ranging solutions based on AR/VR technologies and has successfully created the largest library of AR Avatars called “Pikamoji '', which is the world's first AR emoji app. It has also built an Augmented Reality Game known as Polygons and a unique VR Chabot, which can talk, act, and understand one just as a best friend. A Take on the AR/VR World The AR/VR is one of the most innovative technologies, which offer the user a unique real-time experience and brings new perspectives into reality. With evolving times, the AR/VR technology is setting new standards and using the power of visualization to a maximum extent. There lies a reason The company also provides a widespread AI Services which includes Text Analysis, Voice Analysis, and Personality Generation. The Text Analysis section further includes Spelling Correction, Grammar Correction, Punctuation Engine, and Sentiment Analysis. Scanta has a dedicated blog section, where it extensively shares its ideas on technologies from the technical, business, and societal perspectives. Be it thought leadership to emerging trends or even touching topics related to controversial opinions, it believes in sharing its views with the wider community. “The degree to which AI improves and enriches our lives will depend on how well we teach machines to learn. At Scanta, we are focused on performing the research, April | 2020 33

34. Wg. Cdr. Pradeep Valsangkar is a postgraduate Engineer from the IAF. He completed his B.E in Electrical Engineering from MACT Bhopal, M.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Powai and MBA in Finance from FMS Delhi. He is also a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College of India. After leaving service he has worked in various capacities across different IT services companies. He has been working as a senior consultant of the world bank for the last 15 years, a visiting faculty at the Institute of Management technology and runs his consulting firm Global Consulting Solutions. He can be reached at pradeep@gcsindia.com or 9811202528 A s I sat in my study, locked down to my home, I have been researching the ways Computing in general and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in particular can help fight the Corona Virus effectively. To get an answer to this question, we first need to figure out the main pain points of the CoronaVirus Pandemic and then see how AI can help address each of these pain points. As the Pandemic panned out, the Governments across the world faced several major crises. These included the following: disease further. hospitals and ICUs • Search for an effective solution to the disease either as a cure or as a vaccine. • The effective supply of medicines and medical equipment to the hospitals and COVID wards across cities • Deciding on whom to test and whom not to test. • Effective dissemination of right information • Identification of the Corona hotspots and effective Management of these hotspots. • Effective Management of Law and order situation in designated areas • Effective Management of the large number of people carrying the Coronavirus and isolating them to ensure that they do not spread the • Statistical Analysis of the COVID data. 1. Each of the above issues lends itself snuggly for the effective application of AI techniques and applications. Let us investigate each of them: • Effective Patient management in April | 2020 34

35. Management of Coronavirus Patients Thanks to the use of AI algorithms crunching massive volumes of virus and drug data; some alternative solutions like (Hydro chloroquine) have been suggested. However, their impact on managing COVID is not understood as yet. enforcement agencies can help them bring stricter controls on the movement of people and control the spread of the disease. We need to face a simple fact. The number of cases reported across the news channels is only the ones that get reported at the hospitals. Many more cases never get reported. Given the negative image and stigma attached to Corona, people carrying light symptoms or even marginally severe symptoms are unlikely to report these to either the hospitals or even to the doctors, unless it becomes a dire necessity. There is an immediate need to identify such cases and isolate them so that they do not infect others with the same virus. AI can crunch massive data from reported patients, people returning from foreign Corona hotspot destinations, cities, districts, and areas within India which are fast becoming Corona hotspots. Such data crunching shall throw up specific locations and groups of people who need to be immediately tested and isolated. This shall greatly ease the pressure to lockdown the entire country.. Statistical Analysis of the COVID Data Deciding on Prime Candidates for Testing Governments across the globe are being called upon to take very harsh measures to control the spread of the disease. While these measures (Like the complete lockdown of the country) may check the spread of the disease, they shall also adversely impact the economies and the livelihood of the people over a period of time. Hence the governments are closely monitoring the trends to reverse the harsh steps as soon as the situation begins to improve. Thus, the number of new patients, Death rates, Rate of spread of the disease, etc are critical indicators that the government needs to monitor continuously to take corrective steps as soon as possible. Accuracy of such steps will critically depend upon the accuracy of the underlying data and the accurate application of statistical algorithms to such data. All this can be managed very effectively using Artificial Intelligence techniques and algorithms. Given the availability of the limited number of Virus testing kits and a phenomenally large number of cases, it is necessary to test people with the highest probability of carrying the disease. This decision is not simple. Some simple manual algorithms have been applied in terms of testing only people above a certain age or showing advanced symptoms of the disease. However, there is a large number of those who show no symptoms but carry the virus and spread it to far-flung areas. Adding data values of travel history, contact with known Corona patients, history of having lived in Corona hotspots, etc can help zero in on a group of people highly likely to be carrying the virus. This shall help isolate such people and effectively stop the spread of the disease Search for an Effective Solution to the Virus Identification and Management of Corona Hotspots Google's DeepMind Division used their AI algorithms to isolate the virus strands and made that discovery available to the companies working on developing a vaccine for the virus. Benevolent AI, A company engaged in drug discovery in the UK, worked on the available drug data and the Coronavirus strand data to suggest existing drugs which could prove to be useful for the treatment of the patients. Many similar investigations are currently going on to fast forward the process of drug discovery and the development of a CoronaVirus. We should hope to find a cure for the virus earlier than later. Identification of the Corona Patients and testing of the most probable group of virus carriers can lead to the areas that have a concentration of such people. AI techniques can be effectively used to crunch the demographic data of the Corona carriers and patients to correctly identify such hotspots in real-time. The availability of such data with law April | 2020 35

36. Effective Patient Management in Hospitals Effective Dissemination of Information Information or misinformation is spreading through social media, through news channels and grape wine fast and wide. Ascertaining which piece of information is right and which is wrong is a big challenge. Google is already using deep learning to project the right piece of information from the wrong one, after filtering the data through millions of data elements on its database. Number of patients in the hospitals and the ICUs is going up exponentially every day. Hospitals just do not have enough beds, enough medicines, enough oxygen and enough ventilators to provide to every needy patient. At such a point it is most important to know how best to utilize the existing equipment and supplies to maximize human life through its best use. All hospital equipment feeding into a single AI algorithm can help achieve such efficiency. Take, for example, ventilators feeding data into a centralized computing device that figures out which patient's saturation levels are good enough to take him off the ventilator exactly at a precise time and can maximize the use of this scary equipment and maximize their use to save human life. Similar use cases can be developed for patient admissions, effective use of Oxygen & medication, use of specific drugs, etc. Effective Management of Law & Order Situation Police force across all nations is stretched to their limits with citizen control, enforcing social distancing, moving sick to the hospitals, managing and cremating the dead, etc. Cameras installed across every nook and corner of the city feeding into an AI-based system is effectively guiding their operations to maximize their throughputs. At a time when the law enforcement agencies need to work at maximum efficiency, computing and AI is helping them to produce maximum efficiency with limited effort. Effective Supply of Medicines and Medical Equipment 2. It cannot be argued that computing and Artificial Intelligence is the final answer to all the questions posed by the COVID Pandemic. Unless a cure or a vaccine is finally found to control this virus, humanity shall continue to suffer at the hands of this daemon. However, AI is right at the forefront of helping find such a vaccine or a cure and help tame the situation until such a solution is not found. Till a solution comes our way, stay at a safe social distance from people. At a time when social distancing and complete lockdowns have permeated across the globe, the supply of essential medication and equipment to remote locations is a huge challenge. AI-driven drones are already being used by companies like Tera drone to undertake supply of such essential commodities to hospitals and homes in a locked-down city. This can greatly ease the situation for citizens and hospitals to manage the situation. April | 2020 36

37. T echnology is at the top of the pyramid and in recent times, it has shown us what it can do and how it affects our lives in major ways. Now, we experience technology installed in almost every part of our daily routine and this technology is becoming more advanced with each passing day. When it comes to the AR/VR technology, it gained momentum due to its modern look and sleek presence. Initially, the gaming consoles became a rage for the younger generations and this didn't end here, as AR/VR technology started inventing gadgets and internet- driven mediums. This, in turn, amazed the businesses and within no time, AR/VR paved its way into leading industries and companies. One of the biggest sectors, where AR/VR technology is present today is Education. April | 2020 37

38. AR/VR based Educational Insights and doors of opportunities for students, teachers, and school departments change this routine entirely, the schools have changed their system and updated it to a more interactive and immersive learning experience with the help of AR/VR technology. By creating such an advanced platform, it empowers the students to explore and learn at their own time and pace. The AR/VR based applications for education are a benefit for students and teachers. These apps blend digital technologies with learning patterns and improve the educational processes allowing students to acquire information visually and foster them to new and interesting learning. Enhances creative thinking and helps them to come up with their creative powers The students are engaged and interested even while learning difficult lessons and subjects Increases the concentration level and helps them to thoroughly complete one task at a time and further move ahead swiftly for new tasks The students of today are the leaders of tomorrow and hence to make them well-educated and responsible, the schools are adopting new ways of learning. As knowledge is infinite and it develops with time, the schools are now integrating new learning patterns with the help of technology and making the teaching-learning habit an interesting process. The students are no longer restricted to text-book learning and writing assignments, technology-based learning is providing the students with advanced educational insights. With the help of cooperative and collaborative learning, the students are become more interactive and come together as a team The practical training and theory lessons go hand-in- hand and the students can excel in both These types of learning mediums and platforms boost the students' confidence as the students become more focused and imbibe in regular studies. Technology-based education is fun and lively as it creates an atmosphere, which gives freedom and encourages the students to take up new subjects. The performance of the students is what matters the most for every school and hence with this type of technology-enabled education, the students are soaring to new heights and getting far better results. The ideas and concepts which were early constrained are now becoming a reality. AR-VR technology is transforming the student's performance, skill set, perspective, and dreams. These realities are making the children experience the world at their fingertips, their visions, innovations, and creativity are becoming a power- packed source of ending their respective blocks. Overall, this is helping the students to transform their dreams into realities. When it comes to AR/VR technology, the students now can experience these realities through the various mediums at school. The various gadgets and gears available at school give the students a more detailed version of learning. With the help of AR/VR kits, the students wear these gadgets and learn in the form of virtual pictures and actions. This technology-enabled curriculum and smart learning patterns stimulate the student's interests in studies. The monotonous and traditional blackboard teaching often becomes a routine for students and the teachers fail to realize what is going wrong? This, in turn, hampers the student's productivity and performance at school. Hence, as we step into the next generation, we also have to offer the students with the next generation of learning platforms and mediums that will foster their growth results and AR/VR is the answer to it. The teacher-student bond becomes stronger and empowers team-work Students can experience expanded teaching potentials with the help of 3D design, structure, modeling, and presentations. The Future Steps of AR/VR in Education According to a survey, “In 2020, the revenue for VR/AR educational software would be around $300 million and this figure is expected to grow to $700 million by 2025.” This number defines the success that education and technology together can bring us. The quality of education has majorly improved with the use of these resourceful tools, apps, and platforms, which are now widely available to educational schools and institutes around the globe. Coming together and staying united is the way forward to many such breakthroughs, the use of AR/VR technology in education is a massive hit. Key Pointers of AR-VR technology-based Education The End of the Creativity Block Many times, students experience a low period, where their concentration level shrinks in and also their morale is down. During such times, the teachers often try to help the students come up with new activities, play a sport, or indulge them in some art and craft. Even though this helps, after a point, the students fall back into the same routine and experience the same. To Here are few of the key points and benefits of integrating the AR and VR technology in education and learning processes: Students become more focused and maintain record performance throughout their academic year Opens the eye of curiosity April | 2020 38

39. Words of Wisdom “IT'S FINE TO CELEBRATE SUCCESS BUT IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HEED THE LESSONS OF FAILURE.” – Bill Gates, Co-Founder, Microsoft "THE QUESTION I ASK MYSELF LIKE ALMOST EVERY DAY IS, 'AM I DOING THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I COULD BE DOING?'... UNLESS I FEEL LIKE I'M WORKING ON THE MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEM THAT I CAN HELP WITH, THEN I'M NOT GOING TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOW I'M SPENDING MY TIME.” – Mark Zuckerberg, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, Facebook "YOU CAN FOCUS ON THINGS THAT ARE BARRIERS OR YOU CAN FOCUS ON SCALING THE WALL OR REDEFINING THE PROBLEM." – Tim Cook, CEO, Apple “DON'T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE THE MODEL.” – Reed Hastings, Co-Founder & CEO Netflix “BE A YARDSTICK OF QUALITY. SOME PEOPLE AREN'T USED TO AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EXCELLENCE IS EXPECTED.” – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Apple