South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics and Austrian energy drink company Red Bull have teamed up to expand the number of 360-degree content for the Gear VR ecosystem and compatible head-mounted displays. As part of the partnership, Red Bull will produce 360-degree content via its Rulebreakers campaign that covers the company’s social media and web properties and its YouTube channel. The goal of the campaign is to encourage individuals to exhibit their capabilities, with kitesurfers Ruben Lenten and breakdancer Jeffrey Verschoor being some of the most well-known participants.
The Rulebreakers campaign was launched in conjunction with Samsung’s international campaign called #DoWhatYouCant aiming to inspire the youth to showcase their talent. For its part, Samsung will provide support for Red Bull’s various events in the Netherlands, including the world breakdance championship, the BC ONE World Final, the Big Air Kitesurf Contest, and the Red Bull Megaloop Challenge to be held in the municipality of Zandvoort. In addition to encouraging the youth to push themselves to their limits in terms of showing what they can achieve, Samsung currently has other similar campaigns in the works, including the #BeFearless program intended to help people conquer their fear of public speaking. In order to address people’s fear of public speaking, the program funded the creation of a virtual environment where the Gear VR wearer was standing in front of a pack of people inside a room and was encouraged to participate in a public speaking event. The campaign comprised a coaching program powered by Samsung’s virtual reality solutions that span four weeks of mentoring participants in overcoming their fear of public speaking.
Samsung has also introduced several improvements to the Gear VR as a part of an effort to assist in the mental health diagnosis programs of health care organizations. Most recently, the South Korean original equipment manufacturer forged a partnership with Gangnam Severance Hospital and Korean VR development organization FNI to develop various mental health diagnosis tools that make use of the Gear VR headset and ecosystem. The partnership aims to support suicide prevention endeavors and basic psychological evaluation, with related tools being slated for commercial availability at some point next year.
This article was originally published by Android Headlines.