In the past, the biggest AR/VR event of the year has been known alternately as Oculus Connect and then Facebook Connect. Much like last year, we can likely predict the biggest news coming out of Meta Connect 2024 with just two acronyms: AI and AR. Like every other big tech firm this year, Meta will be desperate to demonstrate how it plans to stay relevant in a future powered by AI. And now that we're seven months beyond the launch of Apple's Vision Pro, which arrived alongside a short-lived spike in interest in augmented reality (AR), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is likely eager to show off his own plans to make AR a reality. While Zuckerberg isn't as hot on the metaverse as he was when he renamed his company, the union of AI and AR is one way he can still make the dream of persistent virtual worlds come true.

It used to go by at least two different names -- Oculus Connect and then Facebook Connect -- but whatever the moniker, Meta's fall event is still a big showcase for the company's latest and greatest achievements in the virtual reality and mixed reality space. Much like last year, we can likely predict the biggest news coming out of Meta Connect 2024 with just two acronyms: AI and AR. Like every other big tech firm this year, Meta will be desperate to demonstrate how it plans to stay relevant in a future powered by AI. And now that we're seven months beyond the launch of Apple's Vision Pro, which arrived alongside a short-lived spike in interest in augmented reality (AR), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is likely eager to show off his own plans to make AR a reality. While Zuckerberg isn't as hot on the metaverse as he was when he renamed his company, the union of AI and AR is one way he can still make the dream of persistent virtual worlds come true.

It used to go by at least two different names -- Oculus Connect and then Facebook Connect -- but whatever the moniker, Meta's fall event is still a big showcase for the company's latest and greatest achievements in the virtual reality and mixed reality space. Much like last year, we can likely predict the biggest news coming out of Meta Connect 2024 with just two acronyms: AI and AR. Like every other big tech firm this year, Meta will be desperate to demonstrate how it plans to stay relevant in a future powered by AI. And now that we're seven months beyond the launch of Apple's Vision Pro, which arrived alongside a short-lived spike in interest in augmented reality (AR), Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is likely eager to show off his own plans to make AR a reality. While Zuckerberg isn't as hot on the metaverse as he was when he renamed his company, the union of AI and AR is one way he can still make the dream of persistent virtual worlds come true.

Digital twin startup Resonai Inc. announced today that it has closed on a $20 million extension to its Series A round of funding, bringing the total amount raised to $30 million. New investors, including Meitav-Dash, Blue Square Israel and Irani Ventures, all participated in the round, as did existing backers SBI, Vive Nevo and Redds Capital. Resonai is the creator of the Vera platform, which uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology to convert physical spaces into intelligent digital environments that enable more immersive, real-world experiences. Using the Vera platform, a theater space, retail setting, a spacious apartment or any other kind of building can be scanned and sent to Vera's AR cloud to create a highly accurate 3D digital twin. This virtual space then becomes available via the cloud and is connected to Vera operated apps and mobile devices.

The manufacturing industry is facing a plethora of external challenges: supply chain disruptions, labour shortages and vast globalisation are amongst those at the top of many lists. Against the backdrop of vast international competition, these external factors have undoubtedly created heightened pressures for manufacturers to outperform their counterparts. Could AI and AR be the solution? Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) are fundamentally redesigning the manufacturing landscape by equipping manufacturers to reassess their current processes and build long-term competitive advantages that enables them to adapt to current and future challenges. When considering potential areas for operational improvement and productive efficiency gains, manufacturers shouldn't underestimate the impact of their machinery and internal equipment – particularly with regards to maintenance and malfunctions. Not only does infrequent routine maintenance and the inability to put operations back online cause an immediate and frustrating end to productivity, but it also creates time-consuming and costly delays that create the potential for competitors to bypass the manufacturer in question.

Business leaders are still worrying about artificial intelligence (AI), but with Facebook pushing hard into the metaverse, augmented reality (AR) has also proven a massive concern for corporate chieftains. The company defines a theme as any issue that keeps chief executives awake at night. In a thematic survey published in October 2021, GlobalData gauged the business community's current sentiment towards emerging technologies that kept executives stirring into the early hours. The research found that AI was the technology perceived as most disruptive in Q3 2021, regaining its position from AR, which, as Verdict previously reported, held the top spot in the previous quarter. This was a sharp increase from the previous quarter when 49% said AI would disrupt their industry.

The Lipstick Index, as it's known, was a phrase coined by Leonard Lauder, chairman of the board at Estee Lauder, in the early noughties when it became clear in times of economic crisis, sales of color cosmetics - in particular lipstick - soar as an affordable way to treat yourself. Last year, sales of cosmetics plummeted. With bustling make-up counters in department stores closed for much of 2020, sales of designer brand cosmetics were down by more than 40% according to market research firm NPD, which equates to a loss of £500 million (around $689 million and AU$902 million). Meanwhile, sales of more affordable cosmetics in supermarkets fell by 22% in the UK, according to the Top Products survey from retail trade magazine, The Grocer, adding a further £183 million loss (around $256 million / AU$218 million). A combination of the rise of working from home and mandatory masks meant thousands of us, including this writer, ditched our make-up bags altogether.

Google plans to train an AI using the open-source platform TensorFlow to detect cancerous cells in photos taken from a microscope. They've already started developing the neural networks by using the Google Cloud Healthcare API to de-identify and segment existing datasets. Once the AI is fully trained, they'll design their own microscope with an integrated AR (augmented reality) overlay that shows physicians information about the likelihood of cells being cancerous. "To effectively treat cancer, speed and accuracy are critical," said Mike Daniels, vice president of Google Cloud's department for the Global Public Sector. "We are partnering with the DIU to provide our machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to help frontline healthcare practitioners learn about capabilities that can improve the lives of our military men and women and their families."

When it comes to online returns, the stats aren't pretty. Consumers return 30% of ecommerce purchases and a study from Shopify reveals that 40% of consumers buy variations of a product online intending to send back most of the order. In many cases, returned items cannot be put back on shelves due to product obsolescence (this is especially true with fast fashion and technology items) or slight wear and tear. This ever-increasing number of online returns is causing profits to take a massive hit. While 2019 saw a rise in retailers cracking down on serial returners and implementing a more efficient and sustainable approach to the handling of returned and excess stock, the issue isn't being solved at a fast-enough rate.

To combat the spread of the coronavirus, many health experts around the world have advised people to practice social distancing. This means that people should stand at a distance away from each other to prevent the virus from transmitting, or at least make it a bit more difficult for it to find a new host. Over at Amazon, the company has announced a new feature they'll be implementing in its warehouse called "Distance Assistant". This will rely on augmented reality, time-of-flight sensors, and also AI to help enforce social distancing rules amongst its warehouse workers by letting them know if they get too close to each other. According to Amazon, "As people walk past the camera, a monitor displays live video with visual overlays to show if associates are within 6 feet of one another. Individuals remaining 6 feet apart are highlighted with green circles, while those who are closer together are highlighted with red circles. The on-screen indicators are designed to remind and encourage associates to maintain appropriate distance from others."