Theia Interactive, a visualization firm and software developer based in Chico, California, has launched Claria, a set of biometric tracking tools to track the physical reactions of users while experiencing virtual reality using HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition VR headset. Claria has been developed exclusively for the HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition that has sensors to track pupil size, eye movement, heart rate, heart rate variability, cognitive load, and eye vector. Theia Interactive claims that Claria can track these six key physical responses, while other biometric apps can only track one or two physical responses.
Claria is now available as a perpetual license through an early access program. The full access launch is expected by the end of 2021. The company website says that Claria’s biometric results can be used for industries like aerospace, automotive, AEC, retail, manufacturing, etc. HP is promoting its Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition headset for businesses only. HP has priced Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition at US$1249, which is more than double the price of Reverb G2 (US$569), making it clear that Omnicept headset is not for consumer VR market for now. If HP continues to widen the scope of Omnicept Edition beyond cognitive load, it might start testing participants’ reactions for advertising campaigns or virtual workshops.
The VR development community has started to understand the role of biometric tools in VR. The combination of biometrics and VR can help develop feedback-focused work and training technologies. Bill Fishkin, co-founder and CEO of Theia Interactive, says, “Claria takes the guesswork out of designing products and campaigns.” Analytics provided by sensors in realtime provide useful insights about the product. It is now possible to know precisely what a user likes or dislikes about a product experience. This is a significant advantage over the traditional methods of relying on subjective interpretation.
The press release as follows:
Theia Interactive Launches Claria, a Biometric Tool That Knows What You’re Thinking
Takes Advantage of Sensors Found Exclusively in HP’s New Reverb G2 Omnicept to Analyze a User’s Experience, Works with Unreal Engine; Now Available in Early Access
Today, visualization firm and software developer, Theia Interactive, launches Claria, a set of biometric tracking tools capable of analyzing and reporting a person’s physical reactions while in VR. Built exclusively for HP’s Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition headset, Claria tracks six key physical responses to help designers, marketers, researchers and creators understand exactly how a person feels about a given product or experience.
Claria draws on biosensors within the Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition headset to track heart rate, heart rate variability, cognitive load, eye vector, pupillometry and saccade. While other biometric tools can track one or two of these metrics, Claria offers a comprehensive look at a person’s physical responses, then creates easy-to-understand datasets that can help users reach their goals. Product designers can determine what element is or isn’t intuitive in their product, while a marketer can understand what attracts attention within a publicity campaign. Psychologists can pinpoint the exact onset of stress in a given situation, and that’s just the start. Decisions that once relied on subjective interpretation can now be made using empirical data.
“Claria takes the guesswork out of designing products and campaigns,” said Bill Fishkin, co-founder and CEO of Theia Interactive. “We can put someone in VR and know exactly what about the experience we build attracts them, excites them, even overwhelms them, to arrive at better designs through more informed decisions.”
The biometric results recorded by Claria can be played back, or viewed as heat maps and graphs, to help users better understand the information. Claria is also designed to work within Unreal Engine and has multi-user capabilities that can bring different parties together inside a project. Users and creators can connect from anywhere in the world, using voice chat and built-in VR tools to make changes to their work in real-time, based on the reactions observed.
“Knowing a person’s true, unfiltered reaction means that anyone designing products or trying to attract people has a significant advantage over those relying on traditional methods,” said Jay Fraser, senior manager, XR GTM & developer relations at HP. “The HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Solution has the tools to collect and interpret that data, and Claria makes it easy for anyone to easily leverage the power of this cutting-edge technology.”
Price/availability
Claria is available as a perpetual license now through the early access program. Licenses are available in packs of three, five, and ten. The full access launch is expected by the end of 2021.
About Theia Interactive
Based in Chico California, Theia Interactive is a creative solutions studio with a passion for building beautiful virtual environments for business, and offering tools to empower others to do the same. Whether it’s mobile apps, augmented reality demos or virtual reality experiences, Theia tells engaging stories through virtualization. Theia has created award-winning projects for companies such as Epic Games, Hewlett Packard, Mohawk Group, NVIDIA, Suffolk Construction and Toll Brothers. For more information visit https://theia.io/.
