The world's first entirely virtual art museum is set to open next month, hoping to bring masterpieces to anyone in the world with an internet connection, according to its British creator.

The Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) will feature art from renowned museums such as the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as digital-only originals, said Stuart Semple, the artist behind the project.

"The point of art is to communicate and share ideas ... (but) a lot of people can't travel to a museum," said Semple, whose large-scale public projects have included releasing thousands of smiley faced clouds over London, Moscow and Milan.
"This is a way to make it a lot more accessible," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

The new coronavirus pandemic forced almost all museums around the world to close this year, with some reopening for shorter hours to smaller numbers of mask-wearing visitors while others may never reopen, particularly in developing countries.

Admittance to VOMA will be free, which its founders hope will help attract a diverse audience at a time when many artworks are under scrutiny for their links to slavery and colonialism with racial inequality in the spotlight globally.

"The art world is very much skewed towards the white viewer, That's because of the way the system has been operating," said VOMA curator Lee Cavaliere, a London-based art dealer.

"It's basically New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong. So this is an opportunity to break that open."

Real World

While virtual tours soared in lockdown, users often feel they are looking at "loads of photographs stitched together" rather than walking through an art gallery, something VOMA aims to change, Semple said.

The museum is set within a digital building, which allows visitors to freely stroll through its grounds and galleries, take a close up look at art using high resolution 3D imagery, read reviews left by others and chat with friends, he said.

Purpose-built software developed with input from architects, computer-generated imagery (CGI) designers and gaming experts, aims to create an immersive and interactive experience.

On the outside, seasons, weather and time change, affecting light on the inside. So visitors could be seeing the art on a cold rainy morning or a starry summer night.

"It's important to root this experience in the real world. I've seen digital art experiences that haven't worked because they felt too diffuse and that's slightly alienating," said Cavaliere.

Running a space that doesn't actually exist offers extra flexibility, he said, as staff can easily add a room if needed and housing a 10-metre high sculpture is not a logistical nightmare.

You can also burn the whole place down, as Kenyan-born multimedia artist Phoebe Boswell plans to do in her inaugural digital-first work for the museum, added Semple.

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Virtual Showroom is relatably a new concept in Nepal. It has been in operation by a few of the automobile companies recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic and fear among the people to actually come out and experience the car physically.

What is Virtual Showroom?

A virtual showroom is basically a video chat between a customer and a car salesperson where they walk around the car and provide you with all the key specifications.

How is Virtual Showroom different from a car review on the internet?

“Virtual showroom is a live video chat in between the customer and the salesperson. You can directly ask your queries which might not have been covered in the review video.”, states Suman Regmi, Manager- Marketing Communications, Go Automobiles.

How effective is Virtual Showroom in Nepal?

Digitization has just been mushrooming in Nepal. It is reportedly growing after the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown where people could not come out of their house but had to buy necessary goods. Virtual Showroom came with the same concept, however, the car being a huge investment, it has not been effective for now.

“A car is an expensive commodity to purchase. People just don’t buy a car without actually seeing, touching, or experiencing it. The online market has not fully been trusted in the Nepalese market. Big online markets have recently got a huge customer due to COVID pandemic, the virtual showroom is just a kickstart.”, states Sijan Neupane, Marketing Head, Agni Mahindra.

According to Rupesh Sharma Bhatta, General Manager, Laxmi Hyundai, there are three things that make virtual showroom ineffective for the recent times,

1) An automobile is a high-value purchase, people need to experience, touch, and feel the car in order to buy.

2) The Nepalese market is not prepared and lacks confidence in buying a car online.

3) Payment made through bank finance should be incorporated online, which is a lengthy procedure for customers, sellers, and the bank.

However, he also adds that this is a new concept, and with time it is certain that an automobile seller may cash in some percentage of their sales through online medium. For that, the market should be confident in an online purchase and a dedicated consultant with the motive of entertaining customer’s queries would be required to make the virtual showrooms effective.

 

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Veoneer (VNE.N) (VNEsdb.ST) will cooperate with Qualcomm Technologies (QCOM.O) on developing a software and chip platform for driver-assistance systems, the auto technology firm said on Thursday, sending its shares sharply higher.

The Swedish maker of vision systems, radar and software for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) said it had signed a non-binding letter of intent with the U.S. firm and expected to finalise a definitive agreement in the second half of this year.

Veoneer’s software development strategy, increasingly important with the auto industry in the midst of a rapid transformational shift, has been under scrutiny since it ended its Zenuity software joint venture with Volvo Cars in April.

“This is a significant event for Veoneer which we are very happy to announce,”, Carlson told Reuters, adding that he expected the integrated software and system-on-a-chip platform would generate major interest from customers.

Shares in Veoneer VNE.NB were up 17.3% 1353 GMT. They are still down 18% so far this year.

Veoneer, which competes with companies such as Aptiv (APTV.N), Bosch, Continental (CONG.DE) and Intel’s (INTC.O) Mobileye, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic as the car industry has seen production halted in many markets by widespread lockdowns.

Veoneer said in a statement it expected the integrated platform developed with Qualcomm to be available through automotive Tier 1 suppliers or directly to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for 2024 vehicle production.

“This relationship not only strengthens our product portfolio, but also broadens our go-to-market position and opportunities, while giving customers more ways to access world-leading technology,” Carlson said in a statement.

The company, which supplies carmakers such as Daimler (DAIGn.DE), and Honda (7267.T), said last month it expected sales this year to outpace light-vehicle production.

($1 = 8.7265 Swedish crowns)

Source:reuters

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Toyota showcased compact hatchback Yaris based Sub Four Meter SUV at the Geneva Motor Show 2020.

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced the release of the Yaris Cross, a new-model compact SUV. The development of the new-generation Yaris Cross aims to pursue new value as a compact SUV that not only offers convenience but also carries on the nimble driving, advanced security and safety technology, and superior fuel economy features of the Yaris series. The new Toyota Yaris Cross was a goal to develop a vehicle that can help redefine what an urban-type compact SUV.

At the front, the Yaris Cross SUV gets a three-dimensional structure with the central front, lower front and fender. The side is dominated by the horizontal line of the upper body from the front to the taillights. The unique character line, which flows from the rear door to the front of the cabin, emphasises the spaciousness of the cabin. At the rear, the SUV gets a square-shaped central portion and large back door opening. The fender, with a generous overhang, also expresses powerful robustness, in the same way as the front.

On the inside, the Yaris Cross SUV cabin space has a sophisticated and comfortable feel. The SUV gets a TFT colour LCD multi-information display. All models come equipped with Display Audio (DA) and DCM as standard features. Smartphone applications and other functions can be linked with SmartDeviceLink and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto.

Yaris Cross SUV comes with a 4WD system with options to select multiple terrain modes, first for a Toyota compact SUV. The hybrid model is the first Toyota compact SUV to have an E-Four (electric four-wheel-drive) system.

Yaris Cross equipped with a new-generation hybrid electric vehicle system which uses a 1.5-litre inline three-cylinder Dynamic Force Engine based on the TNGA philosophy. The combustion engine has a thermal efficiency of up to 40 per cent and can power the vehicle alone in front-wheel-drive mode. 

Besides the regular safety features, Toyota has introduced a new one called the S-VSC with lateral wind control. The system deploys when strong lateral winds are detected when driving on the highway. This function keeps the vehicle from crossing over the lane to support safe driving.

By adopting the all-new hybrid system and the TNGA platform (GA-B) for compact cars, the "Yaris Cross" offers a higher dimension of basic and environmental performance. Also, the vehicle achieves an easy-to-handle body size while providing SUV-like interior comfort and luggage room.

The exterior design, though simple, expresses the robustness of an SUV. The interior design is also shaped to give it a feeling of higher quality and comfort. The price of the new generation Yaris Cross starts at 1,798,000 Japanese yen. The top-end hybrid electric four-wheel-drive model is priced at 2,815,000 Japanese yen.

 

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