At DC Inno we are constantly on the look out for the next innovative local company. Over the past several months, one of the most interesting industries we have had the opportunity to cover is the virtual reality (VR) sector. Virtual reality is immensely cool and as a medium, it offers a host of exciting applications and uses. In the past, the technology was so expensive that it offered little to many consumers, but that is now changing. With the proliferation of new, consumer-targeted devices—like the Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear and Google Cardboard—more people are finally getting the opportunity to experience VR.
To capture a glimpse at what is going on in this exciting tech space we have put together a list of some of the hottest local companies from the VR startup scene. Here they are:
Machine Elf
Hyattsville, Md.-based Machine Elf has developed a program for developers, architects and engineers to better communicate building plans via a virtual reality headset. Machine Elf enables a user to view a three-dimensional version of a scalable building in virtual reality. As opposed to flat building plans that are drawn and then edited over time, this program allows a user to see exactly how elements of a building are set up before the brick and mortar process is underway.
The other advantage comes from the fact that a team of builders can better communicate, even if not in the same location, how a design will look and whether a decision is feasible for the property. The company is currently bootstrapped but is in the process of looking to raise capital, its CEO said in a presentation on April 20 at Discovery HQ in Silver Spring.
Agora VR
Washington, D.C.-based Agora VR is developing software that aims to let users attend seminars, university lectures or business meetings with the help of a virtual reality headset. “Virtual reality is the greatest paradigm shift in consumer electronics since the personal computer,” Agora VR co-founder Jason Ganz previously told DC Inno in an interview.
Founded in 2014 by Ganz, Matthias McCoy-Thompson, Collin Korandovich and Josh Mahan, Agora’s platform enables users to be in a more social (VR-based) environment for informational meet ups. Using Agora software and an Oculus Rift headset, the idea is to let users attend lectures followed by a discussion. In this scenario users have a better venue to communicate — these meetings and/or lecturers are what the company calls “Siminars.” The company is currently bootstrapped but is in the process of looking to raise capital.
VisiSonics
College Park, Md.-based VisiSonics are the creators of products enabled by 3D audio. The company develops products and applications which use its proprietary RealSpace audio signal processing algorithms to produce real world acoustics — giving that sound depth and directional origin like that of noises you hear everyday. “RealSpace 3D Audio is the virtual placement of sound anywhere in 3-D space with pin-point accuracy, creating the perception of real source direction, distance, depth, and movement relative to the listener and heard through standard stereo headphones. It recreates the auditory ambience of the environment, creating a complete immersive audio experience,” VisiSonics’ website reads.
VisiSonics’ hardware and software is designed to bring life-like audio to gaming, virtual-reality environments, movies and music. The company was originally founded at the University of Maryland. Its founding team consists of people who were from the university’s Computer Science department as well as researchers and several experienced technology entrepreneurs. VisiSonics’ products are diversely marketed for consumer, industrial and security applications.
Brightline Interactive
Alexandria, Va.-based Brightline Interactive is broadly a diverse digital services agency that works with some of the largest national companies to create brand experiences. The company creates content that at its core, is innovative marketing material. One of the advertising mediums the company has developed in is virtual reality.
The company made waves at the New York Auto Show, where they showcased a virtual reality experience they had created for Toyota. In the virtual simulation, user’s were placed in a vehicle on a busy city street and challenged to drive while a cohort of distractions may throw them off course. The in-game objective was to accurately illustrate the dangers of distracted driving, commonly caused by cell phone usage and other activities, to promote Toyota’s Teen Drive 365 program.
Sensics
Columbia, Md.-based Sensics is the largest and perhaps most mature company on this list. The makers of VR headsets and software, Sensics was founded in 2003 out of Johns Hopkins University. Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley once said that Sensics is “one of Maryland’s most innovative technology firms.” The company is particularly interesting because all of its software and headset design schematics are open-sourced, meaning that anyone can access them and develop their own products from the data as part of the OSVR project. Sensics designs everything from the display screens and headset mounts to the eye sensors and headphones in its suite of VR devices.
Sensics is a private company supported by several prominent local investors, including Longstreet Partners, Athlone Global Security, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) and active angel investors.
