XR Hub
KOREAN

XR HUB KOREA

AR/VR
Innovation Contest

Winners

  • HCID lab

  • HCID Lab of Seoul National University(Korea) came up with the solution to one of the main accessibility issues with VR, related to various discomforts caused by the sudden switch between virtual space and physical space when putting on head-mounted displays, such as motion sickness and headache. The team suggested designing a threshold space that can lessen the shock caused by the sudden change from physical space to virtual space to improve interoperability between different metaverse platforms.

  • Marketon

  • Marketon Inc. (Korea) focused on potential problems such as headaches and deterioration of eyesight associated with using VR/XR goggles, which users are required to wear to experience the metaverse world. The team suggested a solution to overcome the limited accessibility of AR/VR service without VR/XR goggles by proposing a goggle-free holographic metaverse with 360-degree hologram technology without a touch screen, which has a holographic display on 4 sides.

  • Texture Media

  • Texture Media Pte Ltd(Singapore) focused on the solution to protect personal information and data in virtual space, called Privacy Control Network (PCN). The team introduced the technology of issuing private ID that only the PCN would have information about the source device through an exclusive data source technology of VR and AR applications to protect any personal information that can be shared through users’ avatars or devices. The technology encrypts all data coming in and out of PCN and never stores user data on PCN – they will only be stored in the user’s personal devices.

Artificial Intelligence Institute, Seoul National University (AIIS), together with Meta (formerly Facebook), announces the launch of the AR/VR Innovation Contest as an initiative to support and promote the responsible development of innovative solutions for extended reality (XR), including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The AR/VR Innovation Contest will address the challenges relating to (1) privacy, (2) safety & wellbeing, and (3) equity & inclusion in the metaverse.

The metaverse is believed to be the next chapter of the internet and provide people with unprecedented user experience. It is a set of digital spaces, including 3D experiences that are all interconnected so users can easily move between them and will let users do things they could not do in the physical world with people they cannot physically be with. While the defining quality of the metaverse will be a feeling of presence, the defining technologies of the metaverse will be XR, including AR and VR.

Given all that XR and the metaverse has to offer, AIIS and Meta have closely collaborated to encourage and support the responsible development of the metaverse, including the launch of XR Hub Korea at Seoul National University on June 29, 2022. As a center for academic research in XR representing the Asia Pacific region, XR Hub Korea will undertake a series of initiatives to promote responsible development of XR technologies and to build trust among users and stakeholders. XR Hub Korea has its focus on safety & integrity, privacy, economic opportunity, and equity & inclusion issues, and the AR/VR Innovation Contest is one of the major initiatives under XR Hub Korea.

The AR/VR Innovation Contest is open to start-ups, scale-ups and faculty/postgraduate researchers employed by universities in the Asia Pacific region. Participants are required to propose innovative, practicable solutions, tools, and features (at either hardware or software level) to address the challenges relating to (1) privacy, (2) safety & wellbeing, and (3) equity & inclusion in the metaverse. The top three (3) winners of the AR/VR Innovation Contest will be provided with grants to help further develop their proposed solutions and will also be invited to present their solutions at the XR conference to be held by the XR Hub Korea.

AIIS will be accepting proposals from June 30, 2022. Please see below for further details of the Contest.

Overview

The AR/VR Innovation Contest is sponsored by Meta and hosted by AIIS. Eligible individuals are invited to enter the Contest by submitting an application form and a written proposal (in English). Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of selected judges, and the three (3) entries receiving the highest scores will be the winners receiving a grant of USD 50,000 each.

To Apply

In addition to an application form which can be downloaded here (Entry form for individual , Entry form for business ), participants of the AR/VR Innovation Contest are required to submit a written proposal, in English, with no more than 7 pages.
Individuals may also participate as a team by attaching the entry form of each teammate. In this case, please indicate your team name within the application.
A proposal should include the following:

  • An executive summary;

  • Identification of a challenge in the adoption or use of AR/VR technologies relating to one or more of the three key areas mentioned above (i.e., privacy, safety & wellbeing, and equity & inclusion; See a non-exhaustive list of relevant questions);

  • Justifications for why the identified challenge is significant and should be given priority to address;

  • Detailed explanation on how the proposed solution would work and how it could address the identified challenge;

  • Visual elements, such as mock-ups or video exhibits, if applicable - video exhibits, if submitted (see instructions below), shall not exceed 5 minutes in running time;

  • Indication of whether the contestant(s) will be able to complete the development of the proposed solution (or a prototype or minimum viable product) and give a presentation about the solution at the XR conference in April 2023 (tentative);

  • Indication of any previous or current connections/collaborations with Meta (in which case, please provide context and name the Meta contacts); and

  • All necessary documents should be submitted by 11:59:59 p.m. Korean Standard Time, August 24, 2022

Finalists may be requested to participate in a virtual presentation session to be held after the submission deadline and before the announcement of the winners.

Participants should submit the proposal and send any enquiries to the following email address:
sunny11s@snu.ac.krVideo exhibits shall be submitted by enclosing in the written proposal a hyperlink to a personal cloud storage where the video file is uploaded.

Eligibility

  • Participants of the AR/VR Innovation Contest must be

    Software or hardware developers at start-up or scale-up stage, operating in the Asia Pacific region; or

    Faculty or postgraduate researchers focused in computer science, engineering or other related disciplines employed by an accredited university in the countries or regions in the Asia Pacific region (The grant amount will be awarded to the individual’s university, not directly to the individual. Individual winners will be required to submit a copy of staff card or proof of employment issued by their universities).

  • Each participant can only submit one proposal.

  • The Asia Pacific region includes: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, and Vietnam

Timeline

  • 29 June 2022

  • Announcement of the Contest

  • 30 June 2022

  • Acceptance of submissions

  • 24 August 2022
    (23:59:59 Korean Standard Time)

  • Submission deadline

  • Mid-September 2022

  • Final Round

  • October 2022

  • Notification of result

  • November 2022 (tentative)

  • Payment of grants

Terms & Conditions

The key summary of the AR/VR Innovation Contest Official Rules is as follows:

Below is an executive summary of the AR/VR Innovation Contest Official Rules (“Rules”). This summary has been prepared only for your ease of understanding and are not to be considered in construing or interpreting the Rules. Please refer to the Rules to exactly understand your rights and obligations.

  • The AR/VR Innovation Contest (“Contest”) is sponsored by Facebook Singapore Pte Ltd (“Sponsor”) and hosted by Artificial Intelligence Institute Seoul National University (“AIIS” and/or “Host”).

  • This Contest is open only to individuals and businesses who meet the following criteria:

  • Eligible individuals: individuals who are at least eighteen (18) years old and the age of majority and are faculty or postgraduate researchers focused in computer science, engineering or other related disciplines employed by an accredited university in the Territory (as defined below);

  • Eligible business entities: entities in the business of software and/or hardware development at the start-up or scale-up stage having a principal place of business in the Territory and where each person participating is at least eighteen (18) years old and the age of majority; and

  • Ineligible individuals and businesses: (i) government officials, political figures, and businesses politically affiliated, (ii) those subject to U.S., EU, United Nations, UK, or the Republic of Korea’s trade sanctions, and (iii) those affiliated to Sponsor or any other entities participating in the design, promotion, marketing, administration, or fulfillment of this Contest (“Released Parties”) and their family members.

Territory: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, and Vietnam

  • Participant’s content must meet all of the following requirements, or the associated entry may be disqualified:

  • If any part of a participant’s content depicts, identifies, or includes any person that is not participant itself/himself/herself, participant must have all permissions and rights from the individual depicted, identified, or included and agrees to provide Sponsor with written confirmation of those permissions and rights upon request;

  • Participant must have all necessary permissions and rights to submit the content in this Contest and agrees to provide Sponsor with written confirmation of those permissions and rights within the timeframe requested, if requested;

  • Content must not create or imply any association between Sponsor and any individual or entity or his, her, or its products or services, including the participant;

  • Content must not infringe, misappropriate, or violate any rights of any third party including, without limitation, copyright (including moral rights), trademark, trade secret, or rights of privacy or publicity;

  • Content must not include information or content that is false, fraudulent, deceptive, misleading, defamatory, libelous, disparaging, harassing, threatening, profane, obscene, pornographic or otherwise adult-oriented, hateful, indecent, inappropriate, or injurious to any Released Party or any other party;

  • Content must not contain or describe any harmful or illegal activity or content or in any way violate any federal, provincial, state, or local laws, rules, or regulations;

  • Content must be suitable for presentation in a public forum;

  • Participant agrees that his, her, or its participation in the contest and agreement to the Rules and any Released Party’s reproduction, display, and use of the content in accordance with the Rules will not violate any agreement to which participant is a signatory or party;

  • Participant agrees to indemnify the Released Parties against any and all claims from any third party for any use or reuse by any Released Party of the content authorized under the Rules; and

  • Participant certifies and confirms that the prize amounts granted for his, her, or its participation are the result of his, her, or its participation in the Contest in the country of residence or establishment provided at the time of Contest entry.

  • Participants further acknowledge:

  • Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify from the Contest any participant whose entry refers, depicts, or in any way reflects negatively upon a Released Party, the Contest, or any other person or entity or does not comply with the Rules, including any of the above submission requirements; and

  • Entries may not be acknowledged and may be destroyed after the Contest period.

  • Contest winners acknowledge:

  • In the case of individual winners: The grant amount will be awarded to the individual’s university. No funds will be awarded directly to the individual. To get prizes, individual winners will be required to submit a copy of staff card or proof of employment issued by their universities, and the universities affiliated with the individual winners will be required to submit copy of (i) government-issued document of registration/incorporation (or equivalent), and (ii) bank statement.

  • Winners may be required to respond to winner notification and other communications from Host or Sponsor within seven (7) days from the date of notification (or other specified timeframe) or can be disqualified from receiving the prize; and

  • Sponsor is not responsible for and will not replace any lost, mutilated or stolen prize or prize element or any prize that is undeliverable or does not reach a winner because of incorrect or changed contact information.

  • Except where prohibited by law, each entrant grants to the Released Parties the royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable right and permission to use, edit, modify, copy, reproduce, and distribute their content solely to the extent necessary to administer the Contest. Except where prohibited by law, each entrant grants the Released Parties the right and permission to use, publish, post or display their name, photograph, likeness, voice, prize information, biographical information, any quotes attributable to him or her, any other indicia of persona, and any information or content provided in or submitted as part of their entry for advertising, trade, promotional and publicity purposes.

  • To the maximum extent permitted by mandatory law, the Released Parties exclude from these Rules all conditions, warranties, and rules by statute, general law, or custom, except for liability in relation to a non-excludable guarantee. Subject to any non-excludable guarantees, each entrant agrees to indemnify the released parties from any liability for injuries or damages from any Contest- or prize-related activity.

  • If this Contest is not capable of running as planned, Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, modify or suspend this Contest and award the prize from eligible entries received.

  • Except where prohibited, in any disputes, under no circumstances will an entrant be permitted or entitled to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than entrant’s actual out-pocket expenses (if any), not to exceed ten dollars ($10), and entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased, to the extent permitted by law.

  • This Contest, these Rules, and any dispute arising under or related to the entry, this Contest and/or the Rules will be governed by the laws of the Republic of Korea. Any legal actions, suits, or proceedings related to this Contest will be brought exclusively in courts of competent jurisdiction located in the Republic of Korea.

See the full terms and conditions at here.

Judges

  • Jehan Ara

  • Founder & CEO of Katalyst Labs

Jehan Ara is the Founder & CEO of Katalyst Labs which is a Startup Accelerator Program and Women’s Leadership Fellows program.

She is the former President of the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) where she spearheaded efforts for over 20 years and was responsible for developing the P@SHA brand and creating linkages between P@SHA and local and international partners.

In January 2015 Jehan founded and set up The Nest I/O – a technology incubator, accelerator and innovation community hub in Karachi with the support of Google for Entrepreneurs to help provide a platform for aspiring technology businesses in the buzzing city of Karachi. The Nest IO incubated 217+ startup businesses and created a strong community of young people in a period of six years.

Under her leadership The Nest I/O also organized the flagship innovation and entrepreneurship conference 021Disrupt which over a four year period became the go-to premier event that brought together startups, innovators professionals, investors and students on a platform to engage, learn and collaborate.

Jehan has vast experience in Marketing, Communications and interactive New media in Hong Kong, the Far East, the UAE and Pakistan. She is a motivator, an entrepreneur, a social activist and a strong propagator of extending the power and use of Information and Communication Technologies beyond pure traditional business, to empower and enable communities.

Currently, Jehan serves as a Member of the PM's Advisory Council on IT & the Digital Economy, Independent Director on the board of the Central Depository Company, a Member of the APAC Content Advisory Board for TikTok and A Board Member of the Punjab IT Board. She is also on the World Bank Advisory Group on Gender Diversity and Board Member of the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS) which is a nonprofit research organization established to promote, assist, support, simulates, undertake and manage policy research and advocacy.

Jehan also serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Coeus Solutions GmbH which is based in Berlin with development and head office in Lahore. They provide web, mobile and social media technology solutions to startups and agencies around the world - primarily in Europe. Soon to be listed on the PSX.

She recently received an Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to the Digital Industry at the Pakistan Digital Awards 2021.

  • Tae Hea Nahm

  • Co-Founder and Managing Director of Storm Ventures

Tae Hea co-founded Storm Ventures, a VC firm investing in B2B start-ups. He also co-authored Survival to Thrival, which demystifies how to build enterprise startups. He is an adjunct professor at KAIST. He is a frequent speaker on Building Enterprise Leaders.

At Storm Ventures, he was founding CEO and investor in Airespace which was later sold to Cisco for $450m. Storm exits include Berkana (Qualcomm), Com2uS (Korean IPO), EchoSign (Adobe), Marketo (IPO/Vista), MetaCloud (Cisco), RallyTeam (Workday), Sandforce (LSI Logic), Sierra Monolithics (Semtech) and Silego (Dialog). Current Storm investments include Algolia, BlueShift, Haegin, MobileIron (IPO), Pipedrive, Salesloft, Sendoso, solarisBank, Splashtop, Talkdesk, Team Blind, Tekion and Workato.

Prior to Storm, Tae Hea was an attorney specializing in startups as a founding partner of Venture Law Group and partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Tae Hea majored in applied math at Harvard and likes building models and playing simulation games. He also has a JD from University of Chicago Law School. He was born in Seoul, Korea.

  • Johanna Weaver

  • Director, Tech Policy Design Centre Australian National University

Johanna Weaver is Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University. The Design Centre is reimagining how to use governance as a tool to shape technology.

Ms Weaver is a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Global Advisory Board on digital threats during conflict. She is also a regular guest lecturer at the Australian National Security College.

In June 2021, Ms Weaver completed her term as Australia’s independent expert and lead cyber negotiator at the United Nations. Earlier, Ms Weaver led the Cyber Affairs Branch at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, working closely with Australia’s inaugural Ambassador for Cyber Affairs.

Ms Weaver is a reformed commercial litigator, and an unapologetic international law nerd.

  • Rupa Rao

  • Product Management Lead at Meta

Seasoned Product Management leader with over 15 years’ experience in Product Management, Product Development and Business Development of novel, innovative and best in class products.

Dr. Rupa Rao is passionate about building and creating game changing solutions that significantly enhance life and the way we live it. With an eye on big picture and while maintaining laser sharp focus on the details, she conceptualizes product ideas and convert that vision to reality.

Dr. Rao innovates to serve the customers’ ever changing needs with the promise of a fulfilling and differentiated experience. Collaboration comes naturally to her as she has successfully led cross functional teams ranging from deeply technical R&D scientists to marketing, operations, quality and sales.

For over a decade, Dr. Rao has been a successful leader of high functioning teams in areas such as consumer electronics, smart home experiences, tablets, smartphones, medical devices and drug testing. Now as a product leader in Meta’s VR Devices, she focuses on next generation, new to the world VR experiences and services.

  • Lafifa Jamal

  • Professor, Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Dhaka
    President, Bangladesh Robot Olympiad Committee
    Central Committee Member, International Robot Olympiad

Dr. Lafifa Jamal is a Professor of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Dhaka. She is the former Chairperson of the same department. reviously, she was a faculty member of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Dhaka.

Dr. Jamal is a Senior Member of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology, and a Fellow of the Bangladesh Computer ociety. She received her Ph.D. Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Dhaka. Her research interests include Robotics and Intelligent Systems, VLSI Design and Reversible Logic Synthesis, Gender and Diversity, STEM Education. She attended various seminars, conferences and workshops internationally. She delivered invited talks in Spain, the USA, South Korea, China, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Dr. Jamal is currently serving as the President of Bangladesh Women in Technology (BWIT), which is dedicated to facilitating women involved in different technology industry levels and creating a wide range of professional development and networking opportunities and making meaningful contributions to the growth of Bangladesh. She is the Founding Director of Bangladesh Flying Labs which is a hub to connect robotics and tech researchers and enthusiasts from home and abroad for social justice, equality, and development. She is also serving as the Vice-President Bangladesh Open Source Network Foundation (BdOSN) which aims to create a youth community empowered with technology, innovation and knowledge and bring more girls into STEM education and the ICT profession. She has had a significant role in raising the awareness of computer programming among female students of Bangladesh.She participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled “#HiddenNoMore: Empowering International Women Leaders in STEM” which was funded by the U.S. Department of State and held in Washington DC, Greensboro, Chicago and Los Angeles. 50 Women STEM Leaders from 50 different countries participated in this prestigious program.

Dr. Jamal sits on various international advisory boards and review panels, and serves in many program committee roles for various international conferences. Some of her recent involvements include Workshop Organizer in ICSE 2022 (USA), Women in Engineering Chair of iSES 2021 (India), Special Session Organizer of ICIPRoB 2020 (Sri Lanka), TPC Chair of ICIET 2019 (Bangladesh), Regional Program Chair of RIIT 2018 (Thailand), General Co-Chair of ICIET 2018 (Bangladesh), International Advisory Board Member of ICOM 2017 (Malaysia). She is a TPC Member of ICRAI 2022 (Singapore), ICIPRoB 2022 (Srilanka), ICRAI 2021 (China), HCII 2021 (USA), STI 2020 (Bangladesh), TENCON 2019 (India), ICIET 2019 (Bangladesh), ISVLSI 2017 (Germany), R10-HTC 2017 (Bangladesh), ISCAS 2016 (Canada), CECNet 2015 (China). She is the International Partner Country Representative from angladesh for the action “European Network for Gender Balance in Informatics” under European Cooperation in Science and Technology. She is a member of the National Task Force committee for Broadband Policy 2021.

Dr. Jamal is the Founding Advisor of IEEE University of Dhaka Women in Engineering Student Branch Affinity Group and IEEE Robotics & Automation Society University of Dhaka Student Branch Chapter; and Founding Moderator of Dhaka University Science Society. She is the former Treasurer of the Bangladesh Computer Society (BCS).

Under her leadership, Bangladesh got the first Gold Medal in the 20th International Robot Olympiad 2018 held in Manila, Philippines. She is the Founder President of the Bangladesh Robot Olympiad Committee and a Member of the International Robot Olympiad Central Committee. Dr. Jamal received “Ananya Shirsha Dosh Shommanona 2020” for her contribution in the Technology field in Bangladesh. She also received the award “Person of the Year” for her contribution in the ICT field in Bangladesh.

  • Loretta Yi-King Choi

  • Lecturer & Assistant Head,
    Department of Computer Science,
    The University of Hong Kong

Dr. Choi is a lecturer of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong. Her research interests are in the area of visual computing, in particular computer graphics, visualization and XR technologies. Her current work includes projects on 3D live avatar, XR analytics, virtual classroom and medical AI.

  • Haksoo Ko

  • Professor, Seoul National University School of Law
    President, Asian Law and Economics Association
    President, Korean Association for AI and Law

Haksoo Ko is a Professor of Law at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. He teaches areas in Law and Economics, Data Privacy Law, and Artificial Intelligence Law. His research focuses on legal, ethical, and policy aspects related to data privacy, artificial intelligence, and the metaverse. He regularly sits on various advisory committees for the Korean government as well as for various other public and private entities around the world. For his work for the Korean government, he was awarded a Service Merit Medal as well as a Presidential Citation.

Prior to joining academia, he practiced law with law firms in New York and in Seoul. He currently serves as President of Asian Law and Economics Association; President of Korean Association for AI and Law; Co-director of SNU AI Policy Initiative; and Associate Director of SNU AI Institute. He had visitor appointments at UC Berkeley, University of Hamburg, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, University of Freiburg, and National University of Singapore. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Seoul National University and received both J.D. and Ph.D. (Economics) degrees from Columbia University in New York, USA.

Contest Themes

Below is a non-exhaustive list of relevant questions to be explored in the Contest.

1. Privacy:

  • How to minimize the amount of data that is collected, especially data types that might be considered sensitive, such as biometrics and human-computer nteraction.

  • How to enable privacy-protective data uses, and adopt limits on processing data.

  • How to give users transparency and control over their data.

  • How to define and respect private/intimate spaces when using AR/VR devices.

  • How to protect and respect the privacy of bystanders when using AR/VR devices.

  • How to enhance security in the processing of data.

2. Safety & wellbeing:

  • How can we proactively anticipate unwanted or inappropriate interactions in AR/VR, especially for the groups of people who might be considered more vulnerable, such as women and children.

  • How to provide age-appropriate experiences and contents to minors.

  • How to provide parents and guardians with meaningful control and oversight over their children’s online activities.

  • How to improve users’ comfort and physical safety during the use of AR/VR devices.

  • How to give people tools to take action or get help if they see or encounter something online that they are not comfortable with.

  • What mitigations can be put in place to reduce the trauma experienced as a result of the immersive and multisensory nature of AR/VR?

  • How can human moderation be done in a scalable and sustainable manner in AR/VR?

3. Equity & inclusion:

  • How to increase accessibility of AR/VR devices and of immersive experiences, including accessibility to the disabled, the underprivileged, the underrepresented and the underserved groups.

  • How to provide AR/VR experiences that reflect the diversity of people in the physical world, such as people of different races, ethnicities, ages, genders, disabilities, beliefs, and cultures.

  • How to enable creators and consumers to participate equally in the metaverse in a wider variety of languages and reach people in the farthest corners of the globe.

  • How might XR technologies enable greater inclusion and equity of society, such as by enabling social workers or non-profit NGOs to reach underserved populations and by enhancing political participation of marginalized communities.

  • How to increase interoperability of different metaverse platforms and core technologies.