第13章ハイブリッドマルチクラウドのデジタルソリューション開発

Google provides various XR and related PaaS services, including both Google AR and VR. The AR services include Google Lens, which can recognize things in images. AR in Google search lets you bring 3-D objects and animals into the world you see. Live View in Google maps changes how the world looks to add directions and other information. AR Stickers let you drop objects into photos taken with a Google Pixel camera. Google makes it possible for developers to develop AR applications using its ARCore Geospatial API. Google also provides VR capabilities, including Cardboard, which is a cardboard VR headset that uses a phone as a virtual world generator unit. DeepDream is a computer vision program that uses a convolutional neural network to find and enhance patterns in images to create dream-like appearances. Google also makes it possible for developers to develop their own VR applications.

Google isn’t the only provider of XR and related PaaS services. For example, Meta Quest offers all-in-one VR headsets that developers can use to create a range of VR experiences, including mixed reality, designed for both work and play.

In another example, with the Amazon Sumerian Platform, Amazon develops XR tools and uses XR technology to support its retail businesses. For example, Amazon Sumerian makes it possible to create and run VR, AR, and 3-D applications quickly and easily without requiring any specialized programming or 3-D graphics expertise. It runs on popular hardware such as Meta Quest and Google Cardboard, as well as on Android and iOS mobile devices. Amazon Sumerian makes it possible to create virtual classrooms that let you train new employees around the world or enable people to tour a building remotely.

The NVIDIA Omniverse platform is an easily extensible platform for 3-D design collaboration and scalable multi-GPU, real-time, true-to-reality simulation. Omniverse revolutionizes the way individuals create, develop, and work together as teams, bringing more creative possibilities and efficiency to 3-D creators, developers, and enterprises.

YouTube also offers a VR experience through videos recorded with 360 or 3-D cameras. Through YouTube VR, users can experience things such as skydiving, snowmobiling, and a hot air balloon ride. To ensure it is VR, look for the compass icon in the upper left of a video.

The process of 3-D printing, formally known as additive manufacturing, is a process of designing static objects in three dimensions through additive processes in which successive layers of material are laid down under computer control. It is being used in applications such as medical prosthetics, aerospace components, and defense equipment. A 3-D modeling program, such as AutoCAD, is used for designing the objects. Various cloud vendors are making 3-D printing technology available on the cloud today, such as Craftcloud, which allows users to essentially create an order for a custom 3-D printed part without having to actually own a 3-D printer. Users can upload their 3-D models to the Craftcloud platform, select their specifications, and receive their custom 3-D printed part in the mail.

The process of 4-D printing, also supported as a platform as a service (PaaS) on some clouds, provides the capability of programming the fundamental materials used in 3-D printing by creating objects that can change their form or function after fabrication. It is scalable and can use cloud-based environments that streamline the development and deployment of smart materials and dynamic structures. These services offer advanced computational resources and specialized software tools needed for designing, simulating, and controlling 4-D printing processes, enhancing efficiency and innovation in creating adaptable and self-transforming products. 4-D printing adds the elements of time and interactivity to 3-D printing. 4-D printing creates objects with dynamics and performance capabilities, so they are able to change their form or function after fabrication. These objects can be assembled, disassembled, and then reassembled to form macroscale objects of desired shape and multifunctionality. This technology is based on three key capabilities: the machine, the material, and the geometric program. As an example, using this technology, the Stratasys material research group developed a new polymer that could be expanded 150% when submerged in water.