Chaitanya Shah – Lead Engineer for Emblematic Group – Using VR to Make a Social Difference

Often when we hear VR, it is commonly associated with the world of gaming. A company called Emblematic Group, however, has a bigger picture in mind. They are taking impressive steps forward, using not only VR but AR and mixed reality as well, to create alternate reality worlds that have a real, social impact on human beings. Imagine understanding what an immigrant might experience at the Mexcian border. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be a professional basketball player? What about a detective in a true-crime story that actually took place? With a team of award-winning filmmakers, journalists, designers, and game developers, Emblematic uses advanced technology to fully transport users to these alternate realities. Emblematic provides incredible, immersive VR/AR experiences, placing the viwer inside the scene, allowing them to move through, interact, and play with a story. Some of the notable experiences they have created include a video showing a virtual reconstruction of the Trayvon Martin shooting for the project "One Dark Night." Additionally they have partnered with the Wallstreet Journal, creating an app that allows the user a 3D visualization of the U.S. stock markets with breaking news, live markets data and 360-video. Emblematic was founded in 2007 by Nonny de la Peña, known as the "Godmother of virtual reality. In this interview, Chaitanya Shah, LeadEngineer for Emblematic Group, explains how they are using the power of VR to make a difference in the lives of its users and we look at where this technology may go in the near and distant future. For more information, please visit: emblematicgroup.com