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The JLA: DCEUvsThe Avengers: MCUAh, yes the most debated team mash-up in all of comics, which team of superheroes is the greatest of them all…???Is it “Earth's Mightiest Heroes”……The Avengers:Or“The Worlds Greatest Superheroes”…..The JLA:Considering this has been the burning question for almost 60 years, let's take a little time to look at our contestants before we call this one shall we ….I will be using the current rosters for both teams, excluding Quicksilver since he is currently desceased in the MCU, and Dr. Strange as he is currently working as an outside agent within the MCU, as well as Green Lantern since he is not currently a member of the JLA in the DCEU ….I will be adding a few members to the MCU Avengers roster who are currently active within their ranks, but not defenetive team members as of yet to try and level the playing field, as the JL has the obvious advantage in terms of raw physical power and speed …..This is a random encounter scenario with neither team having prior knowledge of each others powers, abilities, or weaknesses ….WARNING..!!! WARNING..!!! WARNING..!!This is merely my personal opinion on a hypothetical battle scenario between the movie versions of The Avengers and The JLA, at no time should anyone become agitated or angered and begin to cry like a little girl if their favorite superhero or superheroes gets their ass handed to them like a sack lunch …!!!!!!With that being said, let's get on with this hypothetical battle scenario ….!!!DCCU JLA: (6) membersSuperman:The Batman:Wonder Woman:Aquaman:The Flash:Cyborg:MCU Avengers: (15) membersCaptain America:Iron Man:Thor:The Hulk:Black Widow:Hawkeye:The Vision:The Scarlett Witch:The Black Panther:Spider-Man:Ant-Man:The Falcon:The Winter Soldier:War Machine:Captain Marvel:Well for starters, The JLA is at a serious disadvantage here considering they are outnumbered by The Avengers nearly 3 - 1, but what the JLA lack in numbers they more than make up in sheer raw power, superior speed, and durability …So with all respect to the Avengers, Superman Wonder Woman, and The Flash could literally end this battle with their speed alone before Captain America could even raise his shield an say…“AVENGERS ASSEMBLE”…..But hey, let's make this interesting …!!!The last thing the JL remembers was standing in the batcave, before a blinding flash of light mysteriously transported them to what looks to be an abandoned Military base somewhere in the desert ….* Reference: (■ The Batman)Bruce, where are we, how did we get here..???■ I don't know Diana, but I intend to find out…!!!■ Barry, can you run some quick recon of the area…???Quick is what I do Bats ….■ “Barry”…”Recon”… “Now” …“Right”….!!!In a crackle of electricity Barry Allen disappears and reappears almost as if he had never even left at all…■ Well…???“Fort Org Military Base,” but the place is obviously abandoned…■ “Fort Org”…??? Doesn't ring a bell…!!!!!■ Clark can you get an ariel view, maybe give us an idea of what hemisphere were in…???With a nod, Superman rockets 5 miles into the sky were he hovers and begins scanning the horizon with eyes capable of reading the headlines of a newspaper from the surface of the moon…With a look that can only be described as confusion, Superman makes his descent back to the surface as he lands amongst his teammates…■ You okay Clark….????Yeah, just a little confused about our location…We seem to be somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, place called Mariana, California but the geography is all wrong….■ Mariana…???■ No such place on any map in the United States Clark, I'm sure of it…I know that Bruce, that's what I'm concerned about, doesn't add up.…Geography's all wrong …???Abandoned Military base in an unknown city…???it shouldn't be here, I don't think this is even our earth….How is that even possible Kal-El…???I don't have an explanation at the moment Diana, I suggest we ….But before The Man of Steel can even finish his sentence, ear's that can hear clouds scraping together detect what sounds to be an aircraft in mid-flight, heading in their direction …Using his telescopic vision, Superman locates a single low flying incoming aircraft, (2) flying humanoids, and with eyes capable of seeing through solid steel, his X-ray vision shows him what also appears to be (2) men in armored suits as he relays what he see's to the rest of the JLA…We have an incoming unidentified aircraft, a pair of flying humanoids, and an apparent pair of armored humans 2 miles out moving fast on a direct interception course, they'll be here in less than a minute ….■ “Military”….???I don't think so Bruce …..I don't recognize the flying humanoids, aircraft design, or the armor, it's very high tech like nothing I've ever seen…???■ Looks like we're getting some company league, be ready for anything on my command…!!!!“We don't know that their hostile Bruce”…???■ “We don't know that they aren't Victor”…!!!Aquaman simply replies…Either way, like it or not, we're about to find out..!!!As the JL braces themselves for the inevitable arrival, an Avengers Quinjet, Iron Man, War Machine, Captain Marvel, and Thor come over the horizon and into view, stopping mid-air only a few hundred yards out, Iron Man, War Machine, Captain Marvel, and Thor hover momentarily, as Captain America and those aboard the quinjet slowly begin their descent to land ….* Reference: (☆ Captain America)☆ They must be the reason for the call from Fury at S.H.E.I.L.D., be ready team, we don't know who or what we're up against here…As the quinjet touches down Captain America flips a switch above his head, activating the Quinjets onboard com-link…☆ “Tony”….“Already on it Kemosabe”…I've already scanned the database within the suit, they don't match any known meta's we've encountered before…The guy in grey and black, is human….One seems to be comprised of flesh, bone, and an unknown alloy not native to the periodic table, obviously a “Cyborg,” very high tech ….The guy in red and yellow, has an accelerated metabolism similar to Wanda's deceased brother “Pietro, but exponentially faster ….The big one with the “Trident” in chain mail, very dense muscle and bone structure, high levels of H2o present….“Strange”….!!!☆ What is it tony…???These readings can't be right…..The last two have very unique and unknown dna signatures ….The female, looks human, but there are trace elements of kalonite and phylloscilicate minerals…..☆ “English Tony” …..Clay Cap, clay …!!!And the one with the cape in blue and red spandex is radiating “Solar” energy signatures, and has the densest physiology I've ever seen, non human, possibly alien in nature ….What's the plan Cap…???☆ Same as always Rhodey, we investigate first, can't assume their hostile until they prove otherwise…“Your the boss”….Pointing to the ground, Iron Man signals for War Machine, Captain Marvel, and Thor to descend from the sky and touch down as the quinjets bay door opens, as the rest of the Avengers walk down the gangway gathering in front of the quinjet several yards from where the JL stand at the ready for anything…(☆) Upon first sight, Captain America likes the odds but having fought in a World War, he has learned that superior numbers don't always guarantee victory, and apperances can be deceiving, so it's best not to underestimate this group of individuals especially since they don't seem to be overly concerned that they are outnumbered 3-1 here…(■) Upon analyzing the team of Avengers as they stand motionless at the nose of the quinjet, Batman does what he does best, and assesses fairly quickly that the JLA is hopelessly outnumbered as he tells his teammates that if it comes to it, the best stragedy is to thin out the herd by taking out the less powerful looking Avengers first, in order to keep the JLA from being overwhelmed by The Avengers superior numbers…(☆) Cap not wasting any time, decides it's time to get some answers about who these people are, and why they're here, as he speaks up first…☆ This is a restricted area, and you are trespassing on Government property…☆ I'm only going to ask you this once…☆ Who are you, and what are your intentions here..???(■) To which Batman replies…■ Funny coincidence, I was about to ask you the same thing….☆ “This is not a time for “jokes” mister…!!!☆ In case you haven't noticed your outnumbered and we have authorization to take you down if necessary ….■ I'm not laughing and on whose authority…???☆ That's clasified information on a need to know basis, and your not classified or in any position to demand the know….!!!☆ Just tell your team to stand down, and I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this peacefully…■ ”You first”….!!!!☆ “I won't ask again”…!!!!■ “So you've said”….☆ Last chance, you can't hope to win here…!!!■ That remains to be seen, you may be surprised at what we are capable of….!!!!☆ “Have it your way” …..(☆) Captain America lifts his shield, but before he can even yell out….“Avengers take them down”….!!!(■) Batman turns to Barry and says one word …■ “Now Barry” ……!!!!In the blink of an eye, Barry Allen disappears from the battlefield in a blur of red and yellow motion to the amazement of The Avengers…And in the ticks between seconds, The Black Widow, Hawkeye, The Scarlett Witch, The Winter Soldier, and The Falcon are unconscious and still falling to the ground, as Barry Allen reappears next to Batman in a crackle of electricity and say's…How's that …???(■) Smirking slightly Batman replies…■ It's a start…!!!As the Vision cries out… “Wanda”…!!!!He and several Avengers rush to the aid of the Scarlett Witch and their fallen comrades, as the remaining Avengers await Captain America’s orders…Scanning the battlefield, Superman is surprised to see an ordinary man in a two piece suit standing in the midst of the remaining Avengers, but before he can even comprehend why, he transforms into a giant green behemoth right before Clark's and the JLA’s eyes…To which Batman replies…■ “That could be a problem”….!!!Turning to Bruce, Clark replies….“We'll see”….!!!Before the green gargantuan can even let out a roar, Superman slams into the hulking beast with both fists at incredible speed sending him flying backwards where he lands on his back several yards away cutting a deep trench in the ground upon impact, in an instant Clark is standing over The Hulk who is shaking his head dazed from the effects of the blow, as Superman says…“Stay down”…!!!Looking up,The Hulk simply bellows…..“Hulk Smash”……!!!!!!!!!With a speed that defies all logic for a being of his size, The Hulk throw's an uppercut as he gets to his feet, sending Superman rocketing into the sky where he disappears into the clouds…Unable to even comprehend what she just witnessed, Diana whispers to herself ……“Merciful Minerva”…..!!!!Fighting to stay conscious, Superman hurtles ever upwards, slowly he begins to regain his composure as he begins slowing himself down in order to halt his ever increasing trajectory…Coming to a complete stop, Clark hover’s momentarily shaking his head, as he openly admits to himself …“Great Scott” I don't think I've ever been hit so hard in my life ….!!!Using his microscopic vision, he scans the horizon below locating the green giant that nearly took his head off, quickly realizing it's probably not in his best interest to slug it out with the giant green monster, his eyes light up in a flash of red energy as he unleashes two beams of pure hellfire upon the the jade giant….As The Hulk looks to the sky in search of the puny red and blue man who hurt him, he is suddenly engulfed in a heat equivalent to the surface of the sun as he roars in unimaginable pain…Seeing his chance, Superman rockets to earth at incalculable speed from 5 miles in the sky slamming into the still smoking Hulk with all the strength and force within him, rocking the battlefield with the force of an earthquake…As the Avengers attempt to get back to their feet and recover from the impact, the smoke clears as Superman slowly rises into the air from a massive smoking crater looking down at the form of an unconscious man where a monster once was…Captain America and the remaining Avengers stare in sheer disbelif, as they try to comprehend how one man could so easily defeat The Hulk …As Thor looks upon the man of steel, he can only muster these few words silently to himself…By Odin's beard, what power this being must possess …!!!!Realizing now the power the Avengers face on the battlefield this day, Captain America yells out to his remaining teammates…☆ “Avengers,” hit them hard, hit them fast, don't hold anything back…!!!Thankful Clark Kent has survived the immense impact of his collision with the Hulk, Diana silently whispers to herself…“Thank Hera”…!!!But her prayer is for not, for even before Superman has a chance to recover from the incredible impact himself, he is hit square in the chest by Thor traveling at incredible speed, carrying them both through a nearby building, and effectively out of sight….Diana, concerned with her friends well being cries out…“Kal-El”…. ”No.”….!!!!!Turning her gaze towards the apparent sounds of a furious battle between Superman and Thor, Wonder Woman can barlely make out their silhouette's through the growing destruction of smoke and rubble, as the windows begin to shatter in surrounding buildings from the immense shockwaves of blow upon blow capable of leveling mountains…As Growing concern for Clark's safety overtakes Diana emotionally, she draws her sword and takes off running in the direction of the two titans locked in their furious battle…But before she can close the distance, Diana is stopped dead in her tracks as a searing beam of energy cuts through the air striking the ground just several feet from her as Diana raises her shield…Upon lowering her shield, Diana see's a smoking crater and a very attractive but powerful looking blonde woman with her arms crossed hovering 20 ft above her blocking her path who casually says with a serious tone…That was a warning shot, the next one hits it's mark…!!!!Unimpressed, Diana simply replies…I don't know who you are, but Kal-El may be injured, and you are impeding me from aiding my friend…I will only say this once…”Move Aside”To which Captain Marvel merely responds …“You're not going anywhere”….!!!And I would be worried more about myself if I were you…You dare threaten Diana of Themyscyria, Daughter of Hippolytta, Queen of the Amazons…???“I believe I just did”….Then by Athena, you will regret your descesion…!!!!!Yeah, yeah, yeah…Blah, blah, blah…Heard it all before, what do you say we get this over with….???Seeing an opportunity in the sudden shift in momentum, Captain America turns his gaze to his remaining teammates, and taps the side of his helmet activating the com-link within…☆ “Tony”…☆ “Rhodey”…☆ the Cyborg… !!!Nodding in understanding, the two armored titans look to one another and blast off side by side as jet propulsion powered suits propel them high into the air…☆ “Vision”…☆ “Peter”…☆ The speedster is your’s…“Acknowledged Captain”…Upon completion of his scan on Wanda Maximoff and his downed teamates vitals, and thankful they are merely unconscious rather than seriously injured, The Vision looks towards Barry Allen and reply's “gladly” as he goes intangible disappearing into the ground….Peter Parker takes aim and taps the palms of his hands activating his web shooters hitting his mark, as he leaps into the air and swings towards his intended target…☆ “T'Challa”…☆ “Scott”…☆ The big guy with the Trident…With the tap of a buttton, Scott Lang shrinks down to the size of a living action figure, leaping on to the shoulder of the Black Panther as he silently begins running towards Aquaman…Leaving the super-soldier alone in his charge as he himself begins running directly in the direction of Batman, with the intent of dispatching the obvious tatical coordinator of the JLA…Batman realizing his battle with the Star-Spangled Avenger is imminent, turns to Arthur, Victor, and Barry and says….■ Clark and Diana have their hands full, pick your opponent's, and let's end this…Suddenly, Bruce yells “Incoming” diving to the right, just as Aquaman and Cyborg are hit head on with a pair of repulsor rays, as Iron Man and War Machine rocket overhead past Bruce and Barry…“Bullseye Tony”…!!!Intended targets are down, possibly out…Well at least we know the targeting systems in the new Mark L Armor are on point, but we better make another pass just to be sure…“Roger that”…As Batman comes out of a roll and recovers to his feet, he finds a man with a star-spangled shield standing in front of him as he say's under his breath……■ ”Damn”…!!!As a handful of smoke pellets hit the ground, Batman is engulfed in a cloud of smoke, as he yells out to Barry Allen…■ “Barry”….!!!!“I know”….But before Barry Allen can even take one step, to his complete and utter surprise a ghost-like figure materializes up from beneath the very ground upon which he stands directly in front of him with a look of pure rage on it's face and says…“You hurt Wanda,”and for that, you will pay dearly….!!!Barry taken completely unaware can only respond with…“Umm yeah, sorry about that,” just following orders…Realizing it's in his best interest to put some distance between him and the android, Barry turns fully intent on accelerating away, but before he can even take one step, he is suddenly yanked of his feet, looking back at his feet, he see's what appears to be spider webbing binding his ankles together…looking up he see's a guy in red and blue spandex with black webbing, land beside the Vision who say's sarcastically…“Sorry man, just following orders”…!!!!Barry simply responds…”Touche”….Without hesitation Barry Allen begins vibrating his hand at incalculable speed as the intense friction of shifting molecules allows The Flash to literally destabilize the polymer webbing around his ankles snapping it as if it were paper…As the speed force begins to crackle and pop around The Flash time stands still for everyone and everything around him, as he moves between the ticks of a second…Moving directly around the Vision, Barry Allen's eyes grow wide with shock as he looks back to see the Vision's fist moving in slow motion and eventually land where he once was, as the concrete buckles and cracks from the sheer force of the android’s blow….Quickly realizing he can't possibly compete with the sheer physical strength housed within the body of the Vision, Barry is left no recourse but to accelerate away from the android and turn his attention to his other adversary, until he can come up with a plan to negate the androids abilities…Quickly scanning the battlefield, Barry looks towards Captain America who raises his shield as smoke pellets ignite and explode, engulfing The Batman in a cloud of black mist…Able to think and process with the same hyper- accelerated speed as he runs, Barry quickly see's his opportunity to incapacitate Peter Parker without having to cause him serious injury …In a flash, Barry Allen accelarates past Captain America relieving him of his shield, circling back towards Peter Parker fully intent on using Caps shield with just the right amount of kinetic force to execute his plan, but much to Barry's amazement the agile web-slinger leaps into the air flipping backwards as his spider sense momentarily saves him having alerted him earlier of Barry's intended movement …With a flick of his wrists, Peter manages to let loose twin threads of web fluid as he lands on his feet intending to ensnare The Flash once more, but unfortunately for Peter Parker luck is not on his side as the webbing sticks to the front of Caps shield instead as Barry reappears right in front of Peter …Before Spider-Man is even able to disengage his web-shooters, Barry begins circling Peter at hyper speed effectively ensnaring him in his own webbing along with Captain America’s shield, taking him out of the fight as he falls to the ground struggling to break free of his own webbing…Cracking a smile, Barry is quite content with himself for not only disarming Batman’s opponent, but incapacitating one of his own, but his celebration is short lived as he is alerted to movement behind him, turning he finds himself face to face with the Vision who is not only standing directly behind him, but has now become solid in body, at which point an androtic voice tells Barry Allen that he has most certainly made a grave mistake in judgment, in forgetting about him…As Aquaman gets to his feet dazed but otherwise unscathed thanks to his Atlantean heritage, he reaches down to recover his Trident and looks over to see if Cyborg is still in one or more pieces considering the blasts they directly took from the two armored Avengers…To his surprise, Cyborg is unharmed as a metallic shield morphs itself back into an arm courtesy of “Apokolipton” tech …“Nice trick,” bet that comes in handy…lolOh, you got jokes huh…????Sorry couldn't help myself….lolWell save the stand-up for the comedy club, those two tin cans are turning around for another pass…!!!!Let 'em come, I wanna return the favor…!!!!Looks like your gonna get your chance, here they come and their moving fast…Hey “Tin Man” think you can lay down some pattern fire to split them up…???If you can get them down low enough, I can possibly take at least one of them out…!!!!I got you “Fish Stick”…!!!Now who's got jokes…Well you know what they say, one good turn…“Just get to it already”…!!!!“Right” …..Scanning the airways, Cyborg pinpoints both Iron Man and War Machine moving at incredible velocity heading directly towards his and Arthur's location, and in an instant two pulse cannons replace Victor Stone's arms as living metal becomes twin weapons of mass destruction…Communicating with the living Mother Box computer within his cybernetic armor, She determines the best chance of success Cyborg has is to try and send a rapid barrage of pulse fire with his left arm cannon directly at Iron Man head on as to deter his oncoming trajectory, and directly overhead of War Machine to split the two metal men up bringing Rhodey down low enough within reach of Arthur and his Trident…In a whirl of Apokolipton mechanics, Cyborgs living cannon's light up andd begin pulsating with immense energies as the Mother Box cybernetically relays the correct trajectory of pattern fire necessary for optimal success…Only gonna get one shot at this Arthur, you ready…???Don't worry, I'm gonna open up the first one I get my hands on like a can of sardines…!!!In a flash of red light, Cyborgs pulse cannons scream out as glowing red orbs of pure energy begin pouring out of them in rapid succession towards their intended targets…Internal Alarms ring out in Iron Man and War Machine’s armor alerting them to the incoming weapons fire, taking evasive maneuvers, Tony barrel rolls to the right and Rhodey rolls left dropping down in altitude to roughly 15 feet above the surface in order to evade taking a direct hit as Cyborg’s cannon fire flies overhead…Before War Machine even has a chance to alter his trajectory to level out, he is taken by complete surprise as Aquaman’s Trident rips through his jet boots disabling them as he crashes to the ground at high velocity where he comes to rest several yards from his sight of impact…To his horror, Tony Stark can only cry out…“Rhodey “….!!!!In desperation he begins circling around to come to the aid of War Machine, unfortunately he is met with another barrage of cannon fire from Victor Stone's Apokolipton armor as he once again takes evasive maneuvers in order to avoid being hit himself….As Rhodey slowly begins to stir internal sensors within the armor assess and relay the damage taken by Aquaman’s Trident, opening his eyes he looks up to see a large muscular man with a beard standing over him smirking and holding a golden trident who simply says….“Don't even blink”….!!!!!Still stunned from the impact of the crash landing, James Rhodey rotates his right hand and let's loose a blast of repulsor fire intended for Arthur Curry's chest, only to have it deflected by Aquaman and the “The Trident of Poseidon”…“Nice try, but big mistake”…!!!!!Reaching down, Aquaman grabs Rhodey's right hand crushing the very armor around it as he yells out in agony at the sound of his breaking bones….Picking up Rhodey within the War Machine armor with both hands, Arthur Curry keeps his word as he cracks open and tear's the armor from around James Rhodes with his immens Atlantean strength, as if he were cracking open a lobster’s shell….!!!!“Now little man, let's see how tough you are without your armor”….????But before Arthur Curry can get the answer to his question, he is suddenly alerted to the sound of running footsteps behind him with ears capable of a hearing a ship's propeller whirl (7) miles above, from the blackest depths of the ocean floor…Releasing Rhodey, Arthur Curry whirls 180° just in time to watch sparks fly from his breast plate, as The Black Panther and “Vibranium” alloy claws meet royal “Atlantean” regalian armor, as T'Challa lands crouching between him and James Rhodes….That was close, you almost had me there Catman…!!!!Were I trying to cause you permanent injury, we would not be having this conversation…!!!My intention was merely to distract you, not harm you, but I cannot guarantee my friend behind you will be as forgiving…!!!Hey “Nemo,” why don't you try picking on someone your own size….???Raising his Trident, Arthur Curry turns on his heels to face the unknown opponent behind him, but is perplexed to find that there is no one there…Even before he can comprehend the reasoning behind it, he hears a tiny voice at his feet that says…”Yo, down Here” ….!!!!!Looking down at his feet, Aquaman begins to laugh as he see's the tiny Ant-Man …“You've got to be kidding”…?????“What are you going to do”…???“I can literally squash you like a bug”….!!!!With the touch of a button, Scott Lang activates the “Pym Particles” within his suit and suddenly begins increasing in size, reahing out he grabs Aquaman with his enormous right hand as he continues to grow to a height of 50ft becoming a literal “Giant-Man” much to Arthur Curry’s apparent surprise, at which point Scott Lang simply smiles and say’s….“Funny, you should say that”….!!!!!Twisting and turning, Iron Man's “Mark L” armor continuously alters his trajectory to avoid Cyborg’s cannon fire as he rockets through the hail of red orbs intent on finding their target…Linking his internal com-link to T'Challa's he begs the question….“Panther,” is Rhodey….????Alive Mr. Stark, but he requires immediate medica attention, he's out of this fight….!!!!Get Rhodey to the quinjet and set a course for Wakanda if you can, I'll handle the second rate “Terminator” wannabe, and Scott looks as if he’s got a handle on the guy with the pitchfork….Silently nodding, T'Challa picks up James Rhodes and heads directly towards the Avengers quinjet where upon reaching it, he straps in James Rhodes and lay’s a course in for Wakanda…As the Avengers quinjet rises into the air and disappears over the horizon, Tony Stark sighs a breath of relief as he set's his sights on Cyborg and whispers to himself…“That was a mistake you will not live to regret my friend”…!!!Without hesitation, Iron Man raises his hands and begins firing his own salvo of repulsor fire as his targeting system within the Mark L locks on to the continuous barrage of red orbs exploding around him as he closes in on Victor Stone…As Tony Stark rockets through the sky in his attempt to close the gap between him and Vic Stone, again he whispers to himself under his breath as wave upon wave of red energy explode around him as his targeting system continues to find and counter it's target's…I've got to disrupt his concentration long enough to stop his pattern fire and take out his arm cannon's, if I'm going to get in close enough to land and get my hands dirty…As Victor Stone watches Iron Man's phenomenal display of aerobatic prowess and counter fire from behind the pulsating glow of his dual arm cannon’s, he can only think to himself…This guy is good, maybe to good, he is already adapting and countering my attack, if I don't come up with something fast I'll be standing face to face with an opponent quite possibly able to equal me cybernetically in a confrontation…Suddenly a pinging sound begins to reverberate throughout the mind of Victor Stone as the “Living Computer” housed within his “Promethium” armor relays a strategic and tatical solution to the ever increasing onslaught of the “Invincible Iron Man”….To which Victor Stone silently replies…“And if I am unable to do so …???□ “Ping”…”Ping”…”Ping”…”Ping”… “Ping”…“There must be another solution”…???“That would be a “Death Sentence”….!!!□ “Ping”…”Ping”…!!! “Ping”…”Ping”…!!!“Yes”…!!!!!If I am left no other alternative, I will not hesitate…!!!As the thick black cloud of smoke dissapates in the wake of Barry Allen's velocity, it becomes suddenly apparent to Steve Rogers that he is no longer in possession of his vaunted “Shield”, nor is The Batman anywhere in sight…..Unimpressed with the “Caped Crusader's” apparent attempt at misdirection, Steve Rodgers calls out in an attempt to try and draw out his adversary….☆ “Smoke pellets”….???☆ “It's going to take more than smoke and mirror parlor tricks to beat me mister…!!!Scanning the surrounding area, Captain America whispers to himself under his breath…☆ “Where”…???Suddenly a voice from behind Steve Rogers speaks up as to answer his question…■ “Right behind you”….!!!Spinning around, Captain America finds The Batman standing several yards from him to his surprise and say's…☆ “Well that's a first”….☆ I didn't think anyone was capable of sneaking up on me….■ If I were trying to sneak up on you, you'd be unconscious by now….!!!☆ That right…???■ I'm fairly certain of it…!!!■ By the way, I hope you weren't to dependent upon that shield of yours….???☆ The shield is merely an extension of the man…!!!■ We'll see….■ “What do you say we get this over with”…???☆ We don't have to do this….■ At this point, I beg to differ…..☆ Then I'll make it as quick and painless as possible”…!!!■ “Agreed”….And with those final words it begins, as a pair of Batarangs leave The Batman's hands spinning in unison intended for Steve Rodgers…But before they are able to find their mark, augmented super-human reflexes and agility come into play as Captain America easily evades the pair of spinning projectiles as if they were in slow motion …Without hesitation, Steve Rodgers breaks into a full sprint with a speed Batman quickly deduces is beyond the means of an ordinary man, as the Batman barely ducks a right hook that would surely have taken his head clean off….Wasting no time, Batman counters landing two well placed shots to Cap's midsection in return, unfortunately for The Batman, they neither faze nor amuse the “Super Soldier” as Steve Rogers lands a powerful left hook of his own to Bruce Wayne's rib cage, sending The Batman reeling a few feet backwards favoring his left side …!!!■ “Not Bad”…..!!!!☆ “You can't possibly win this”…..■ “Heightened strength, speed, reflexes, and durability”…■ “Reminds me of someone”…..☆ “That right”...???■ No signs of “Bionic Augmentation” …■ “Steroidal Muscle Accelerant” perhaps …???☆ “Something like that”….■ “Then it looks like I'm going to have my work cut out for me”….☆ “Surrender now and make this easy on yourself”…!!!■ “Think I'll pass”….☆ “Suit yourself”….!!!(■) As the two master combatants stand only a few meters from one another, studying, searching, looking for an opening, Batman can only think to himself that he is not only physically outclassed here, but will eventually tire long before his opponent does….(■) But Bruce Wayne has faced bigger and stronger opponents than the man standing directly across from him, he has faced lunitics and killers, monsters and demons, gods and goddesses, and even cosmic conquerers from beyond the stars….(■) Bruce Wayne has faced augmented beings before, one broke him and nearly put an end to the Batman, yet he is still here, but a voice deep within tells him he may have finally met his match in this man….(☆) Not one to underestimate an opponent, Steve Rogers can only wonder if the man across from him really hides a secret power, or is he in fact, just an ordinary man dressed in a kevelar reinforced suit….????(☆) And if so, knowing he is physically outclassed in everyway, what he is up against, why is there no sign of fear emanating from this man, can he really be that skilled a fighter to believe he stands a chance of defeating a “Super Soldier”…???Without words, almost if they had read the others mind, they step towards one another and begin…..A kick, a parry, a jab, a block, there is no quarter given, none taken, as to unique fighting styles continuously vie for supremacy over the other….(☆) As if there were any doubt, Steve Rogers gets his answer to just how skilled this man truly is in his fighting abilities, as it is all he can do to defend himself from The Batman's precise strikes and movements….(☆) He can only think to himself, that his opponent can't possibly be just an ordinary man beneath the mask, his strength, speed, and reflexes say otherwise……(■) With each swing, each near miss, each block, the Dark Knight becomes more and more aware of the sheer physical power his opponent possesses within his well muscled frame, it is almost overwhelming……(■) Bruce Wayne begins to realize it is only a matter of time before fatigue begins to set in, or the man in the Star Spangled suit lands a bone crushing and debilitating blow, that will surely bring him to his knee's…■ He's too strong, to fast, I can’t match him physically, got to change tatics or it'll be over in a matter of minutes….(■) Flipping backwards, Bruce somersaults end over end to get some distance between him and the Captain…Where he comes to rest on one knee, several feet from Rogers….(■) Sensing he has his opponent on the ropes, Steve Rogers rushes in intent on ending the fight closing the gap between him and his opponent….(■) Rising to his feet, bruce sidesteps a kick that would have surely and effectively broken his spine….(■) Whereupon he lands two well placed shots to Cap's kidneys….(☆) Without even turning, Steve Rogers lands a mule kick square to the Batman's chest with tremendous force, sending him several feet backwards where he drops to a knee clutching his chest….(☆) Turning to face Bruce, Captain America says…☆ We've already established your no match for me physically, if that's how you intend to win this, then you might as well give up now….☆ I would prefer not to cause you permanent injury, so just stay down….(■) Looking up, Bruce Wayne merely smirks tapping two small pads in the palms of his gloves and says…..■ “Tag your it”…..(☆) Steve Rodgers barely has time to hear the high pitched whine of Wayne technology, as he is suddenly engulfed in a sticky foam like substance that begins to exponentially expanded around his body…..(☆) Struggling against the ever expanding and hardening foam, Cap falls to his knee's, as the realization that the kidney shots were never meant to stop him becomes apparent, but rather all the time necessary for his opponent to attach the foam tech, and give himself the upper hand….(■) Rising to his feet, clutching his chest, The Batman turns toward the sounds of distant thunder, as unstoppable Kryptonian strength, meets immovable Asgardian might…..(■) Still clutching his chest from the deveststing kick delivered by the Captain, It is all he can do to muster a single word under his breath…■ “Clark”……???Blow after blow of incalculable strength rocks the ground upon which they stand, as the very earth around them buckles and cracks under the strain of unimaginable power, threating to swallow them whole….For all his incredible power and abilities, Clark Kent must admit he has never faced such an equally powerful opponent in all his days, not the giant kryptonian Non, not the green skinned behemoth he battled earlier, not even at the the monster known as Doomsday……With x- ray eyes, Superman scans the body of his opponent, only to discover his physiology is not that of human origin…..What undeniable power this being across from him holds in the form of a human, he could never have imagined there was another species in all the universe that could equal his alien power born of the stars….It is all the God of Thunder can do to stand his ground against the immeasurable power of his adversary, he has battled men and monsters alike, in his thousand years as a warrior of Asgard…..Even in his countless battles with the Dark Elves of Svartalheim, or the Frost Giants and Storm Giants of Jontumheim, the last cursed one Kurse, nor the Destroyer Armor, he has never encountered a being of such intimidating power in all the nine realms, save the All-father Odin himself…..But despite the overwhelming power he faces here on the battlefield today, he will not fall, he is Thor, “God of Thunder,” and he not only battles for earth, but for Odin, for all of Asgard……With unholy strength, Thor brings both hands down upon Superman with enough power to level a mountain, bringing the man of steel to his very knee's……Without hesitation, Thor grabs Clark Kent by his hair, as he brings his knee up to connect with Clark’s face, sending him flying backwards several yards away to land with a sickening thud……Lying on his back dazed and trying to focus, Clark feels a warm liquid running down his face, wiping it away, he looks at his hand surprised to see his own blood….The last time he saw his own blood, was right before his death at the hands of the kryptonian abomination known as Doomsday, he lost “Lois,” his “Mother,” and his very “Life” that day, he will not lose those he loves ever again…..Kryptonian eye's flash as an immense beam of searing heat envelopes Thor, with the equivalent temperature of the very Sun itself….Asgardian skin begins to burn and blister as the heat of a star sears his nigh- invulnerable flesh, it is all Thor can do to keep from screaming aloud from the unimaginable pain as he crosses his arms in attempt to shield himself….But he has faced the “Fire Demon” Surtur on more than one occasion, and if he could not be felled from the fires of the lord of Mesplheim, he will not fall at the hands of this false God….Slowly Thor begins to move forward towards his opponent, one footstep after another, gritting his teeth as the very earth around him begins to burn ….Unable to believe what he is witnessing before his very eyes, Clark Kent can only whisper to himself “Drop Damn You, Drop…!!!Left no choice, Superman increases his power unleashing the very fires of hell itself against Thor, as the God of Thunder disappears in a flash of blinding heat and smoke…..Rising to his feet, Clark Kent takes a much needed breath from his titanic battle with Thor, assuming his opponent has finally fallen, he inhales and uses but a fraction of his super powered lung capacity to clear the area of the smoke hanging in the air to be sure….But he can only stand immobile and wide eyed in disbelief, as a smoking but very much alive Thor stands on a sheet of glass created by the very temperatures unleashed by his heat vision, holding Stormbreaker….Superman can barely muster the words, but somehow they escape his lips….“My God,” how could anything have survived that …..???Clark Kent doesn't even have time to consider it, as Thor and Stormbreaker begin to crackle with the unbridled power of a lightning storm….With eyes filled with rage, and the very power of the lighting he commands, Thor yells aloud….I have felt your power “Alien,” and now you shall feel mine….!!!!!!Thunder and lightning slither and scream across the sky with increasing power, as Clark Kent can only cover his ears, as the pain of super hearing drops him to his knee's…..And in an instant, one “Billion” volts of unimaginable power engulf the “Man of Steel,” followed by a thunderous roar from the very Gods themselves, that not only shakes the very foundation's of the abandoned military base itself, but can most certainly be heard for miles around….Followed thereafter by a scream of indescribable pain, from lungs that can cause hurricane force winds with a single breath….Turning her gaze away from Captain Marvel, and towards the flash of immense light, Diana whispers under her breath….“By the power of Zeus Almighty”……Kal- El…???For a moment, every combatant on the battlefield stands or hovers immobile as if turned to stone, and turn their attention to the very spot where two titans once battled for supremacy, but now only one apparent victor stands over the lifless body of Clark Kent, within an immense smoking crater…..As the God of Thunder lowers his head in silent prayer for his opponent, silently he praises Superman as the greatest single opponent he has ever faced on a field of battle….With a rage that would even give pause to the very Gods of Olympus themselves, Diana of Themyscira yells out in her apparent pain for her fallen friend, as she looks upon Thor standing over the smoking and lifeless body of Superman …..“DAMN YOU”…….!!!!!!!With a speed that defies the very laws of physics, she hurls her shield with the force of a speeding comet directly at the surprised Carol Danvers, the sheer impact knocking her out of the sky, as she plummets to the ground unconscious…..In the blink of an eye, the speed of Mercury allows her to bridge the gap between her and the immense crater, as she stands with sword drawn between Thor and the lifeless body of Superman ….What have you done…..???What i had too, he left me no other choice…..I take no pride in his death, I only acted as any warrior in battle would have in defense of his own life…..Kal- El was the best of us all, and by Hera herself, you shall pay for your insulent transgression against him….There is no more need of further bloodshed, surrender along with your teamates, and you will be allowed to take the body of your friend, I give you my word as the “Prince of Asgard,” he will recieve an honorable warriors burial….It is to late for that “Warrior Prince,” I too give you my word as an “Amazon” warrior, upon your death at my hands, you too shall be shown the same courtesy….!!!!!Although it is not the “God of Thunder's” wish for further confrontation …..If it is further battle you crave, for Odin, for Asgard, “So be it”……To be continued…..

I start with an attempt to define and restrict the scope of terms such as AR, VR, tax that are nebulous and context dependent. Then I examine the current state from a historical and market perspective. Then I consider the actual h/w, identify stable and unstable components, followed by a look at supply chains & opportunities. I end with a few discussions on physiological issues, GPUs and captive content distribution channels.I discount content developer opinions and selective pre-order volume based metrics here - Their (A) enthusiasm is driven by assumptions of first-mover advantages on immature platforms, & (B) are not locked-in to platforms & will switch to largest player when that makes sense.Definitions and restrictionstax - A company X taxes a market Y, when X maintains the most immediately useful tool-chain combinations of IP/Services/products such that X may assume a default position in any product pipeline in Y.Example: X=AWS (from Vaibhav Mallaya's comment) for Y=cloud,Example: X=Texas Instruments for the Y=home-projection market.Note:For such taxes to exist Y needs to be mature.Taxation is never only a matter of technology superiority but requires perception engineering and X's active participation.Companies need to react in real time to developments in YExample: TI's tactics in creating a DLP monopoly (InFocus case)Example: Sharp/(MITI)'s decline+failure to contain Taiwan LCDNote: AR is not equivalent to VRVR can use non-transparent display substrates, AR may not.VR needs far greater calibration between the human visual system and the display, AR does not. Consequently VR needs more computing than AR does.VR hardware is easier to produce but harder to manage, over AR.AR may be made sleeker than VR.AR is mobile, VR may be static.AR is a generic term - can mean vision, audio or haptic, but popular press prefers to relate it to vision. VR is primarily based on the visual system.This distinction should make it clear that these are two different types of supply chains. VR due to its 'welder's mask' design approach doesn't need to be too sleek, consequently it is easier to manipulate existing component lines to work with VR. AR relies more on sleekness and wearability. So AR needs highly custom compactifaction - Something that no one has achieved yet, but I know all are working on this. Apparently there's also a new category that converges these two segments called Mixed reality.Another point requiring specificity - I imply head mounted or near eye display based interactive technologies when I talk of AR/VR devices. The device has to have features of wearables and has to attempt interaction with the environment without specific or manual input. Apple Watch/Fitbit/Kinect/Immersive earphones/that multi-speaker set up in your garage are not AR devices. A multi-projector PicoWall type immersive display does not qualify here either.An opinion on the origins of the current AR/VR cycle2007-2009 iPhone. The adoption numbers shocked all big players not part of the Apple supply chain. Specifically HP/Intel/Google/Microsoft. They get hammered by investors. Pressure on them to manage perceptions and since they were losing the mobile war, they had to create new product segments. The pressure increased exponentially around 2012 when mobility products start eating away what was considered their safe, stable product lines - desktop and enterprise.The formative years for AR/VR were 2009-2012 when everyone in the industry started taking on risks, helped by a stabilizing economy and consistent/low rates. That's when we started seeing the zero-th generation of AR/VR noise - 2009 Microsoft Kinect, 2010 Intel IoT alliance, 2011 Google glass, 2012 Google Tango/Oculus/LeapMotion etc.Most of the investments appear to have been based on 'not getting left behind, again' fears. For example, its safe to say in 2016 that Kinect/LeapMotion is no longer considered a unique, or relevant entertainment experience. Glass was abandoned because Google did not see it becoming a consumer product. Oculus was acquired in a Pay-to-Play move by a social media company. etc.[I have ignored the relatively unknown, but interesting companies that existed for brief moments in this space. There are many.]I can only conclude that the industry is force-driving the AR/VR wagon, not market demand. The risk we run is in killing the niche fields where AR/VR truly are utilitarian. It's certainly possible that we are mistaking curiosity for intentions. So 2016 is going to be the bellwether year for 1st gen products. This is the year we get to determine what the markets truly care for and wants as features.Y=AR/VRNext we draw some boundaries around the AR/VR market:There is no market, no real numbers only WAG projections. No perception of utility in consumers. It's not even certain that near-eye systems will ever steer outside enterprise or niche applications. Gaming does not provide volumes if it costs far greater than ~300 USD (a reasonable, consumer-accepted baseline). We may be talking of VR/AR-arcades, but not much of a market.Market will coalesce around the niche 2016-early-adopters seem to be the most excited about. Most seem to focus on what it does for the enterprise.From the perspective of supply chains, this takes time. After initial low rate prototyping, Silicon/mechanical/electrical/integration/testing/shipping takes 2+ years before economies of scale, design version stability and reliable demand projections kick in. So supply chain coalescence may be expected about 2018/2019.Companies that tax, X won't show up for 4/5 years from now. 2020 being the earliest. There will be a lot of noise in between.Always black swans like Magic Leap. They have made the most respectable moves in the market along with Microsoft so far - Respectablilty based on engineering planning and strategic foresight of their moves.So my predictions have a 2020 horizon.Hardware subsystems and units in the chainLet's now consider the typical systems such devices need. An incomplete list follows. Items in the list may be lumped together into custom subsystems (for example, the S1 PCB in the Watch, which Apple marketing described as a 'chip' initially and now call 'SiP').Generic systemsPower/PMICsPower/BatteryPower/AmplifierEnvironment/Color/light/Humidity/Microphone arrayEnvironment capture/CameraMechanical/ChassisMechanical/InputElectrical/touchElectrical/InterconnectsMechanical/Flex boardElectrical/MainboardElectrical/Antenna and flexLocation/GPSTelecom/baseband processorsWirelessLAN/Wifi/PAN/BT/WLAN/PAN/non-standard radio/opticalMemory/NAND flashMemory/DRAMProcessor/SoCProcessor/Interface controllerProcessor/Video/graphicsProcessor/ASICs for custom subsystems, may be integrated into main SoCOrientation/Inertial/MagneticComponent level manufacturing/TestingSubsystem assemblySubsystem packagingDevice level packagingDevice level assemblyCleaning/testingQC metrologyPackagingDisplayOptical/Display optics - Always customOptical/Digital light engine/DLP/LCoS/uOLED/LBS/LCDOptical/ASIC or COTS drivers specific to digital light engineInputInput/Gesture/RGBD cameras/Shaped light TX+RX pairs/Input/Gesture/HF acousticsInput/Gesture/ASIC ProcessorInput/Gesture/Touch-free capacitive/EfieldInput/Gesture/Capacitive touchInput/Gesture/x-IMU or air mouse/pointer type devicesInput/AudioRX/Speech/MEMS Microphone/ArrayOutput/Haptic vibe/Bone conduction/Custom hapticsOptical/Gaze/IR illuminated/High frame rateOptical/Gaze tracking ASIC/processorAudioRX/Environment/MEMS/PiezoAudioRX/Environment/Directional collocationAudioTX/mech/Bone conductionAudioTX/acousticAudioTX/multi-channel acoustic pipes/immersiveFirmware (Some require RTOS eg. baseband or dedicated processors such as IMUs with some predictive filtering)Firmware - Algorithms/Sensor fusion subsystem/Maybe in ASIC or analog or digitalRecognizing that everything can be customized, which adds time + money + uncertainty, customization is typically minimized. Most of the items that appear on the list can be permuted/combined into groups that make sense only to the systems groups/designers.Items, like cleaning/testing/assembly may occur as needed and do add cost and time. Once you know how many units you think you are going to move, you can add automation, assembly robots, additional metrology, rent/acquire facilities, increase staff as required. But designing/programming/testing/ensuring regulatory compliance all take time and need to be factored. ODMs typically handle some aspects of this.Looking closely at the factors that shape user experienceIt may be noted that most of the items that appear in the Generic subsystems segment on the list are commodity and there is considerable experience in manufacturing such highly integrated systems and have stable supply chains. No company will create new 'taxes' based on those components because of pre-existing entrenchment and options.The latter systems, that focus on display (immersion) and natural interface experiences (interaction) are the difficult problems in AR/VR. So if anyone wants to levy a tax on the VR/AR market they need to focus on hardware or software IP for:Immersion,Interaction.From the VR supply chain perspective, some processing/tasks/interfacing may be handed over to tethered desktop systems (example: Oculus). A key issue is will the market like tethered wearable experiences? [I don't think so - the markets vote towards mobility in wearables. But there may be differing opinions on this. Possible that content becomes so pretty that people don't notice a tethered experience.] If tethered systems become the primary model, then entrenched performance computing players may maintain their lead.IMMERSIONThe immersion stack has static optics (lenses, assemblies, light pathways, filters/Anti-reflection/diffuse/specular coatings, waveguides, microlens arrays, optical beamformers, diffraction optics), a digitally controllable light engine and a processor that typically takes the RLE compressed image data from the graphics RAM and figures out how to switch the pixel states. Then there are display standards and algorithms and interfacing IP opportunities.Static optics - These are typically polymer, but may be glass. Generally molded. Sometimes machined. Requires high QA effort, but once baselines are met, results are consistent and easy to scale. Unless there's a unique lens manufacturing tech or coating materials science that optimizes volumes and costs with specific apps to VR/AR, you are unlikely to gain any traction trying to corner a market here. This is a high volumes, low margins business.Light engine - Some examples in AR are DLP (TI), LCoS (Holoeye/Himax), micro-OLED (e-magin), microemissive (LuxView, my employer), LBS (apparently Magic Leap, Microvision). You will find details on the technologies here.There are regular LCD/OLED display components that are used in VR (Oculus and maybe Meta), but they won't shrink and that's a problem.Each specific light engine technology has a unique approach to decoding and storing the video stream and updating the pixel state. Unless the light engine is a standard product like an LCD variant, the chosen display technology will force a buy-in into a whole ecosystem that includes processors and firmware and IP licensing.These typically constrain the form-factors of the final product design, so are one of the biggest decisions a designer has to take. The light engines/image quality are also primary factors that shape user experience.You may be aware that the displays are singularly the most expensive subsystem even in the highly commoditized smartphone market. So this is where the biggest opportunities are. These companies (and their partner orgs that handle integration) are critical to supply chains since they may offer fully-integrated, 'CAD-and-drop', custom designs. Once a market gets hooked to a certain device experience, they won't care for anything else. First STN, then IPS LCDs killing the possibly superior plasma tech or power efficient electrowetting/e-ink/Mirasol is an example.[Edit: A technical point on illumination - VR h/w are typically not contrast or brightness restricted since the display doesn't compete with ambient illumination. But AR (or mixed reality) devices need to be considerably brighter than the light admitted by the see-through optical visor. Since the visor is typically designed to reflect light into the user's eyes, it adds some inefficiencies as well. So the light engines and illumination sources (see below) typically need both high conversion efficiency along with native high lumen output. This is another point that makes the choice of light engine tech very critical to AR experiences.]Illumination sources - The light engines may also require independent illumination sources, color sequencing technology and semiconductor photonics/lighting (laser diodes, LEDs). There are entrenched players here and this club typically requires deep efforts and commitment. If you have new and unique IP addressing illumination, you will be immensely valuable.Display Processor - See light engine. If you have an ASIC team and contracts/IP licensing with GlobalFoundries/TSMC, you are valuable.Algorithms - Discussed later.The opportunities are big but an org needs complete control of all verticals here. You cannot source processed photonics from somewhere, optics from elsewhere and use COTS processors and still consider yourself valuable. There's a reason Magic Leap needs the funding it did. (The jury is still out on if that's enough). The more unique your stack, the more verticals you need to control.Let's look at examples - We know that Oculus and Meta are based on LCD technology. Companies like CastAR appear to be using DLP. I have heard conflicting opinions on the HoloLens tech stack - some say DLP, based on maturity and display contrast, others say not-DLP because DLP is power hungry [Edit: Apparently LCoS - still power hungry and inefficient illumination]. Microsoft's patents apparently indicate a homebrew, with ODG+Nokia Lensing IP handling manufacture.TI has had the DLP market cornered for a long time. Japanese/Korean/Taiwanese companies have LCD cornered. LCoS is still too spread out, there are possible consolidation targets there (specially after Google dropped Glass). LBS is risky, because human factors. Micro-OLED is not bright enough. Samsung has regular OLED cornered, but like LCD, OLED doesn't shrink magically. I won't comment on Emissive micro-displays. Micro-LCD is being worked out but Japan/Taiwan/Koreans can't be beat; only acquired - And they consolidate/disperse all the time.2. INTERACTION.The interaction stack is built on permutations/combinations of sensors and algorithms. The primary intent with AR is to allow the displayed digital content to interact with and react to a user's environment. This is not as critical for VR, but you still need to detect the user's posture to enable immersion and reactive display content (what Oculus refers to as 'motion to photon').Sensor hardware - Publicly documented hardware may include simple RGB cameras, depth-sensing RGB+D cameras (PrimeSense, RealSense, Kinect), MEMS ultrasonic array emitters/receivers (Przybyla's Chirp), RF TX/RX pairs (Project Soli), mini-IR/laser/Time-of-Flight sensors (Microsoft), MEMS acoustic microphone arrays (Akustica, Bosch), capacitive field sensors (Microchip), MEMS MARG (magnetic angular rate gravity, from AD, TI, InvenSense, Freescale...), pressure, altitude, sensors as arrays among many other types. These sensors enable the system to understand the environment and user intent.One key insight that I think is unique - You can pay for high-accuracy sensors but write crap algorithms, or you can pay for low accuracy sensors and write excellent algorithms to get similar results. Leap motion is an example of the former, and the Apple IMU team is an example of the latter. Google's acquisition of Lumedyne shows which way the industry is headed.Scoping the product experience is also very critical. Just because you can have 20 sensors on your device doesn't translate to a better user experience. Multi-sensor algorithms are sophisticated and still need much development. Many orgs like AD, Freescale, Bosch finally, after like 15 years in the wild, have started to include quaternion f/w with their IMU chips - but too late - they don't work on arrays (because uncertainty propagation, parasitic calib. errors).Algorithms - The algorithms themselves are a big opportunity. The image processing required from depth sensing cameras is still considered a heavy load and requires specific co-processors and optimized architectures. Two core problems - 1. Environment mapping/segmentation, 2. Gesture recognition.The algorithms+sensors are still not accurate enough. Since these sensors drive the display content, there is little scope in ever processing this data online (because latency) like how we deal with speech. The old IP that has been granted is fairly useless, though legally still menacing. I expect a new wave in fusion, SLAM and sensor hardware quality to negate this barrier.There needs to be more psycho-optics studies on how these displays and algorithms interact with the human visual system and how they affect us physiologically over repeated and/or prolonged exposures. I am not certain if everyone will perceive the same displays similarly or if individual variations in eyesight will ruin experiences for some. Example: How does dominant eye affect near-eye display perception? There is opportunity here for ophthalmology to drive a part of the discussion on algorithms design.You will also find a lot more snake-oil here than anywhere else. Academic research is very difficult to translate to production devices. The simulated CGI experiences that marketing shows us are not what people see in the wild (Kinect/ LeapMotion). That's one big perception hurdle to cross.Algorithm co-processors - The algorithms may be implemented in silicon + PROM (Microchip/MGC, Maxim/21100) or they may be licensed as firmware (Bosch). Such implementation opportunities may be converted into a segmented toolchain that may be licensed by independent or smaller vendors. In a way this would be similar to the fabless/foundry IP license and production models.Metrology and calibration - This is the equivalent of the hard/soft iron and lifetime calibration issues in IMUs. Error rates and reliability are very, very critical here since they ruin usability and experience. There are studies that pretty much predict why technological leaps such as the Glass fail in the real world (Dix et al, Human computer interaction 2005). Most of my hesitation in being enthusiastic about this segment comes from this UX perspective.So the company that makes a product that implements a few features right 100% of the time may actually take the spotlight away from something like HoloLens which implements lots of features that fail now and then. Graceful failures don't mean very much. Reliable failures do, but someone has to figure out how to make this work.[My personal opinion is that vision based approaches for gestures will never achieve the reliability that is required for high volumes adoption in the time-window it is required in. They are simply trying to solve the wrong problem. But I am biased.]Ecosystem opportunities - A big opportunity from a devices perspective is inaccessible to most small players - An ecosystem to use the AR/VR product inside. Only Google and Microsoft have this. And so would Apple if it decided to release something - which it still may.So that was the background. Let's answer the questions based on that.1. Companies likely to tax the AR/VR market.The usual light engine suspects - TI, if we go the DMD/DLP way, or the Korea/Japan/Taiwan LCD consortiums if we use LCDs or microLCDs. If LCoS makes an entry, then you may have Himax. Whoever controls GaN/GaAs wafer bonding and 3D stacking technology also has a play here. Samsung, with all its subsidiaries and manufacturing partners will definitely be taxing everyone. Sony/Sharp's fortunes may reverse as well (I highly doubt it will be significant for a full recovery). Just about every pico projector or small form factor display specialist company may have a play here.A note on LCoS is that it has some unique wavelength selectivity and phase modulation characteristics. It will find unique volume applications for sure, but it has to mature (for example, ferroelectric LCoS) in time for it to be viable for AR/VR.Then there are the sensor/A2Ds/ADCs semiconductor manufacturers at play - All the MEMS and optical sensors companies. Among them, the one with the best accuracy and precision may win. Google has a march over other companies with the Lumedyne acquisition, but not sure how mature their lines are.Semiconductor photonics companies like Philips or Maruwa or Osram or Sumitomo are going to benefit if they just try and play nice with the AR/VR companies instead of focusing on their energy efficiency marketing.Metrology software companies that provide enterprise and production support with standardized services for sensor algorithms and metrology and/or device calibration would be successful. Bosch is an example. There's several companies in the Illinois area as well. Prototyping silicon has reliability issues that may be solved with standardized outsourced testing services.There are opportunities for SFF computing and GPU companies to release plug-n-play modular hardware that ensure that consumer grade laptops/desktops are compatible with VR/AR systems. USB 3.x standards appear to be a great way to enable such technology. It is likely that there will be consortium based standards created to enable such channels, and such standards will be used to levy a tax. (See note below for why entrenched desktop GPU players may not have much of a lead, but mobility/low power IP core licensing has strong opportunities.)New actuator technology, like bone conduction, needs to be examined a little closer. There are things that can be done here with multi-actuator setups that don't seem to have been explored yet. Companies that already specialize in BC speakers (Dayton for example) should see a steady flow of custom design RFQs. Somebody's going to eventually go towards a powerglove type solution (again!) and incorporate gyroscopic actuators (spinning inertial platters) for haptic feedback. Those that can make them small will have considerable play.In addition to passive optics, some, more mature and larger, technology companies are considering active optics. The usual approach is to use polymer thin film composites of nematic LCs and others organic/inorganic birefringent materials to construct patterned active layers sandwiched between glass and TCO layers to construct waveguides. An example may be DO.Biometry companies and statistical human body model companies should also see better margins. The fashion market will dictate a few trends here, but I have no idea where to even begin with that.Biocompatible polymer companies should also see a surge in inquires depending on the weight and fit of the final design. Fitbit had issues. So I expect 3M or Eastman to pick up a piece of the pie, along with their traditional plastics lines. There could be a move to natural fibers as well but I have no idea of who the players here are.The demand for software developers skilled in sensor implementation will continue its upswing, and I suspect to the point where many of these jobs go offshore. So off-shore consultants need to figure out how to incorporate such skills in their pools. Initially, it won't be as straight-forward as learning a framework - You will need graphics, mobility GPU, physics and EE/DSP skills.Big players like Intel will keep trying to force their ideas on people, and they may succeed. Entries of companies like Apple into the fray will definitely tip the carts for every other company not a part of their supply chain. You will see smaller companies without strong tech stacks disappear or get acquired in firesales.The receptivity of the Chinese market is also another huge factor. If a small player wins there, then the companies in North America may not have a chance to adapt to the China-internal supply chain efficiencies. But that's a generic statement true for many segments. What will be interesting is if AR/VR gets forced into a novelty segment like the Pico projectors were. And what I do know is that they, China, are looking at a very different, bigger, picture and running in a completely different direction from the US or the Japanese/Koreans. It may pay to not be caught inside the North California feedback loop.A general point - the chicken or the egg problem - Big manufacturing doesn't do small prototyping. But Small manufacturing requires cash upfront, and don't extend deep credit to small prototyping customers. Small companies that have big ideas but little to no credit generally find it difficult to execute on the actual vision - Some specs and tolerances are just proportional to money. Some manufacturing partners that look at the big picture and take on the risks may find themselves getting lucky. Hon Hai is doing just this. The ones based in the US or Korea seem to be only providing lip service.Physical FMCE retail stores like BestBuy, Apple/Microsoft Stores that showcase AR/VR and personalized wearables experiences are going to be critical as well. There is simply no other or better way to market such highly personal experiences. So capturing/partnering with distribution channels is critical if you don't have your own. This is also good for physical retail, because foot traffic+ecosystem sales. I expect BestBuy will do really well.2. Supply chain dependencies.GaN GaAs wafer and quality, availability and scaling to meet consumer demand.Efficient illumination sources (LEDs, laser diodes). For non-emissive sources, the light has to be generated by something. Most people are unaware of how critical illumination sources and the semiconductor companies that make them are. There are maybe two, at most three, orgs that can actually provide sources at scale.Precision diamond turning equipment for lens and mold manufacture.Micro forming/micro deep drawing/micro injection molding and stamping tech IP. Apple is the only Co with an internal specialist group on this. Most people don't understand this end of the business, but it's critical because miniaturization/compactification requires heavily non-ISO parts for fasteners (screws, for example: low strength steel Y-wing screws, w/ 0.2mm threads on Apple Watch), latches and rocker/slider/MOM switch mechanisms and custom connectors (eg. hidden 6 pin port on Apple Watch).Foundries with stable MEMS, FinFET, <20nm design rules and processing. Anyone can flat out say GlobalFoundries, TSMC and Samsung Semi are going to make money. Their recent investments (>$50B aggregate, 2012-now) reveal the same.Sensor design IP accessibility - The IP needs to not just be good, but defensible against frivolous claims. Verified/reliability approved designs are immensely valuable.Sensor fusion/SLAM algo IP accessibility. Many AR/VR hw orgs start building MVPs using barely functional, first-principles algorithms. The bare functions from open-source libs are okay, but don't scale well. It's easier to pay for specialist IP than develop self-calib. routines or wait for years to get SLAM working correctly. Example - Bradski was one of Abovitz's first hires. There's about 100 people in the world with the know-how to do this well. Chances are, they are not in your team.3D packaging IP and industrial equipment, for System-in-Package design. Very few orgs specialize in 3D packaging design/simulation.EMC/EMI and EDA simulation tooling. Critical because of body-proximity and tight packaging with components physically on top of each other.Wrap around ultra-high-density flex, materials and manufacturers. For flexes to be 'wrappable' or bendable, the traces should not fail when bent but be thin enough to bend easily. These are antagonistic design criteria and difficult to manufacture reliably at scale.Small form factor interconnect manufacturers. Another thankless, behind-the-scenes role, but this is the reason devices become thinner or smaller, not Moore's law. Smaller semi chips do help, but reliability in IC packaging, molds and interconnect technology is what allows the signals to transfer. Very few specialist companies can handle high volumes custom interconnects.Bandwidth/fiber/telecom companies. Also multi hop/mesh network h/w f/w developer companies. IoT needs a display and AR/VR setups along with smartphones may be it. There's a huge effort behind the scenes for control of this space which is seen as high growth. Entrenched players are leading this effort. Not all are traditional networking companies.Human factors analysis - Human bodies have statistical dimension distributions - Dreyfuss' text Measure of man and woman doesn't give you digitally usable data. Companies specialize in collecting statistical body data and rendering them to useful forms (including CAD, finite elements and point clouds). Then there are gait, form, structure, posture datasets that designers love to have. This industry is bound to benefit from all kinds of wearables.Fab cycles for fabless, smaller players.Polymer orgs and their consultants. Polymers and specific recipes are used in everything from mechanical to optics to packaging to flexes to fibers. Dupont's Kapton XC used on Apple's stealth flexes is an example.Industrial optic metrology/lightfield homogeneity/illumination PSF measurement tool makers. Cohu/Delta design for line equipment, Nikon, Hexagon, a bunch of European companies.Regulatory policies on eye fatigue/illumination exposure. There will be guidelines issued and there will be some posturing. See note on health risks below.Physical retail stores for distribution channelsNote on regulations and health risks (cc. Colin Jensen)Head-Mounted devices will fall under both the FCC and the FDA mandates (21CFR1000.15). Device-makers will try to force an FCC-only oversight by disavowing any medical applications - but the FD&C sec. 531 makes it clear that such devices should require FDA oversight. However in the end this may be a matter of legal clarification that really cannot be predicted.FCC regulations are murky and I am unsure of how the agency arrives at its conclusions. FDA operations are clearer, or maybe I am just more familiar, so I focus on that.Broadly - The first gen products will have standard disclaimers and warningsremoving/reducing liability (<30mins of usage, >16 yrs of age etc). The FDA as a matter of practice does not 'go after' nascent businesses unless it is egregious, or it receives complaints or reports of concern from the practicing medical community. It will first study the physiological effects under expert oversight, then issue guidances, finally create regulations and standards that equipment manufacturers would have to follow. This takes time and industry comments are always sought and taken into consideration.Unless deemed absolutely dangerous, commerce may be allowed until guidances areissued. If the expert panel finds significant chances for injury to occur, it will select a classification for such near-eye devices (Class I being safest, III being worst). Thenear eye industry will fight to get their products classified Class I at worst.The LCD/DLP based devices may be declared class I depending upon the raw lumens they output among other factors. Many AR devices may actually not require classification at all, specially if they are battery operated - Because limited power restricts the illumination output. However this is not true for tethered devices such as those from Oculus. They may try to increase their display brightness which may increase health risks (see below).Google/Magic Leap, if they use laser diodes as sources, may get a Class II (mandatory 501k filing since there are no equivalent products that shine lasers into your eyes for long periods of time). The increased regulatory costs may be passed down to the customers. Regulation may also force such tethered/high lumen near eye devices to be sold under medical or occupational guidance etc.Health risks - Broad categories are(A) Simulator sickness(B) Repeated/prolonged exposure.Simulator sickness is an ongoing discussion - Some are of the opinion that initial sickness can be overcome through sitting+acclimatizing over time. They assume that this initial barrier won't restrict adoption. I disagree, but won't dwell on this.Prolonged exposure - The physics of head mounted systems, with their brightness, near eye lensing, moderate temperature, pressure and electromagnetic exposure dosage and the straps+weight of the system should definitely require physiological/ ophthalmological oversight. For example, some wrap around strap-based designs do increase mechanical pressure or physical stress on superficial temporal, occipital and angular/facial veins/arteries. The physics (inertial motion, eccentric mass distribution) of head mounted gears will lead to conditions similar or worse than what commonly cause 'helmet whiplash' or gorilla arms for controllers. Also RSI is to be expected with unsupported necks, arms.Note these are the obvious issues - there will be others such as those pertaining to blink reflex, ocular hypertension, trauma on general orbital systems and many others. I don't have expertise to assess these.The risks will have to be evaluated against the benefits. Many concerns may be addressable through appropriate engineering and quality control. I only hope that systems designers follow a 'do no harm' or ALARP principle and consider such issues in their system design.Is medical regulation a barrier to entry? Depends. Not for most players, but certainly for the homebrewers. The onus is on the very first devices to show that they are not dangerous. After that every other manufacturer only needs to claim equivalence with the first device. This may still deter some players not familiar with policies and hinder investments in such players.NB - A class III classification is highly unlikely, but could prove very dangerous to the AR/VR industry.However I expect there will be no regulatory roadblocks until at least 2018 or later.Note on content channel and app-store lock-in'sAll major players (Microsoft/Hololens/Windows Store, Google / Magic Leap / Play store...) will have their own content channels. Hard to expect Steam or any non-affiliated channels - those not affiliated with either a major h/w or OS maker - to succeed; Example: Leap Motion, Amazon's app store didn't do too well. Another example, developer's funds - like those created by Highland for Leap motion don't work out to create a natural ecosystem when competing against integrated app stores.A generic, system-independent app store faces huge issues, as was initially demonstrated by the fragmentation in Google's play store where many apps didn't work the same or at all on different versions of android phones. So platforms like OpenVR face big obstacles. First gen h/w products with heavy subsystem and performance fragmentation at the h/w and OS level cannot simply be virtualized away in software at the outset imo.This point becomes pronounced specially if your display tech just uses different physics to get the information into the users eyes (Magic Leap - lightfield, Oculus et al - stereoscopy displays, Hololens TBD) or uses different types of sensors and recognition algorithms with different levels of resolution/accuracy to capture input. If your immersion/ interaction stacks are different, you would introduce huge inefficiencies/bloat in trying to virtualize all possible hardware combinations into a single API. Some UI choices may stop making sense on different stacks/controller choices.On why desktop GPU companies don't have a guaranteed taxBecause they are not common to all AR/VR graphics pipelines.Gaming based VR rigs may need them, but baseline h/w margins are low and the larger market is not receptive to premium performance h/w.Market drivers may be low power/small footprint/mobility and cost, once baseline performance is guaranteed.Many h/w companies would prefer to develop their own low power SoCs eventually, specialized to their own tech stack rather than pay premium for generic systems (see point about integrated verticals; Example-Apple and PowerVR/Imagination Tech IP, Cadence/Tensilica, Synopsys..). Traditional GPUs are good for generic development with hardware abstracted away, but performance optimization starts at architectural design. [I am a biased rotten h/w guy, you can tell]You can mix and match IPs and foundries. Sub-20nm FinFETs are now stable and a big deal for next gen mobility SoCs. So depending upon an org's commitment+strategy, it's not that difficult to develop application-optimized graphics engines at the system design level while still getting next gen fab. Reducing generational dependencies on external architectures is generally a good idea and gives you better control in targeting experiences.I think the position that 'desktop-class GPUs are mandatory' comes from assuming that VR/AR==Performance gaming and Oculus; Not casual gaming, not enterprise, not productivity. I doubt this.From a display h/w perspective - Pixels need sufficient physical transition time to be able to switch really fast. Only microLEDs have the kind of refresh rates mentioned in Binstock's article in engineering stable designs. And liquid crystals don't switch that fast, because hysteresis and its a mechanical torsion we are talking about. Ferroelectric LCs do, but are not out of the labs yet. DLPs can, but they have ringing and pull-in stiction issues that they have to spend more time in fixing otherwise you get jitter and color breakage (smaller the pixels == worse that problem). That's one of the reasons why solid state photonics is such a huge deal. LC based displays may work for AR with selective region based decompression/refresh, but AR doesn't commonly use LCDs. Please note the disclosure below.So current gen displays don't support insane, >90Hz-peak refreshes - This implies that there's no need for 120FPS GPU support.Magic Leap's LBS tech may also surpass the refresh rates (90Hz) easily, and they would definitely need a custom SoC to fit in their mobility design.Note on '150Hz' FPS that eyes can detect - That's a number that apparently a WoW gaming forum spewed out and I believe is inaccurate. Eye's don't scan in consistent frames (see Andrew Watson's work at NASA on physiology of display perception, or Holmqvist et al, Eye tracking-comprehensive guide to methods and measure 2015). Physiologically, if we had to converge to a number it would be much higher and we risk forcing multiple concepts of biological photon sensitivity, contrast response and vision/motion perception onto a not very useful generic concept of hardware frame rates.The actual physiological processes of vision perception are very relevant to near-eye display people, mind you. But that's another discussion in another place.I realize I focused the most unglamorous aspects of product design and lifecycles here, but hey, this is what it takes. Some poor sod has to sit down and figure these things out so we can dream our rainbow dreams in powerpoints, clean APIs and rendered CAD images.I deliberately avoid taking specific names, except GlobalFoudries/TSMC/Samsung Semi, because lock-in depends on who's willing to take the biggest bet on this market. Many orgs that have a play here haven't shown deep commitment yet, except maybe Microsoft and Google.Disclosure: I design, build, analyze Micro-electromechanical systems and optoelectronic hardware for display/imaging technology used in ultra-miniature (pico) light engines and sensor technology for human-computer interfaces at Ostendo, a display technology company in SoCal that also makes near eye products. I invented a sensor+algorithm stack called deepSense with applications in AR/VR/Biomed/robotics and real life. It's just the greatest thing since Nyan cat. I am fully of that opinion.

To Tom Branagan and Elisa Sirani,Although my personal hygiene is fine (I shower daily, wash my hair every other day, wear clean clothes, wash my hands as needed), I’m the type of person who usually isn’t fazed if a cookie falls on the floor — the “five-second rule” covers most germs, right? I never gave a whole lot of thought to germs until this coronavirus thing popped up. For years, I’ve just been using my left hand to touch doorknobs so I don’t accidentally touch my face with gobs of germs. This has helped to stave off colds, in my humble opinion, but now I’m ramping up my game.Personal HygieneIn the first week of March 2020, the COVID-19 coronacrisis™ prompted me to initiate radical changes in my personal habits and hygiene (some of which are common sense and would be useful all the time):Not shaking people's hands and not hugging friends. Now it is elbow bumps or fist-bumps, or a polite nod and a greeting.Wiping down the steering wheel, gear shift, and dashboard of my car with Clorox wipes, which I purchased in early March for the first time ever.Cleaning my mobile phone with alcohol once a day.Keeping a few Clorox wipes in a Ziploc bag in my purse, to wipe down shopping carts. I might change it up to alcohol-soaked paper towels.Keeping a pair of garden gloves in my car to be used when I fill up the tank with gas.Washing my hands when I leave the house and again when I come home or when I enter someone else’s home.When I am in a public restroom, using the paper towel I used to dry my hands to open the restroom door when I'm leaving. (I’m keeping a napkin in my purse for those situations where the restroom only has air dryers but no paper towels.)Not touching my face as much. Believe me, this is difficult, as most people touch their face at least 10 times an hour if not many more times than that.Not dining out as much. [EDIT: Shortly after I first posted this answer, all dine-in restaurants were ordered to close in my state and/or only offer takeout options.]Washing my hands more often when I am out if I have touched something. (I have noticed the extra hand washing also dries out my skin, so now I keep a tube of lotion in my purse.)Buying ZICAM losenges, ZICAM nasal spray, and Halls throat lozenges to keep potential cold symptoms at bay.Intentionally consuming lots more Vitamin C in the form of oranges, orange juice, Vitamin C pills, lemons in water, tomatoes.Buying two bales (large Costco-size packages) of Scott toilet paper (36 rolls in a bale!), probably enough to last a year in my household—before I had even heard everyone else was doing this (this puts me ahead of the curve, right?). Let me know if y’all need any, OK? (I usually just buy one package of 36 rolls in normal times, “just because,” so this was a stretch for me, but a relative in New England suggested doing this long before people started a run on TP around the world.) See Sarah Madden's answer to How many rolls of toilet paper do you have right now due to COVID-19?Stashing a brand-new tube of hand sanitizer in my purse, just in case. I probably bought the last one available in any D.C.-area CVS store last week. (Of course, this is only for emergencies, as hand washing with soap and water is far better than using hand sanitizer, and I rarely even like to use sanitizer myself.)Buying supplies to make my own hand sanitizer: a couple of small bottles of isopropyl alcohol (70%, not the 99% they recommend), some aloe vera plants, and some aloe vera liquid (good for drinking, as well, in case I don’t use it for this project). (This DIY project is a desperate move, for sure!) I already had several bottles of Amway’s Pursue™ Disinfectant Cleaner Concentrate on hand that could be added to this concoction, but it’s probably not meant to be used on skin. Pursue is an excellent disinfectant that even kills the HIV virus and is FDA-certified for use in hospitals on hard surfaces, and I usually put a capful in the last rinse when washing my clothes. I have been doing this for years, and I buy it from Amway because someone I know is in the business. I noticed on 9 March 2020 the website said Pursue is “currently out of stock,” likely due to the COVID-19 coronavirus hype, but that was later resolved. As of 27 April 2020, it’s available, but you can only order five at a time.image courtesy of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)SanitizerUPDATE on the hand sanitizer: Elle Bacon on Quora provided a recipe from the World Health Organization (WHO) for DIY hand sanitizer that does not use aloe vera:1 cup 99% isopropyl alcohol (this is highly flammable)1 Tablespoon (or 3 teaspoons) 3% hydrogen peroxide1 teaspoon glycerin (available in the first-aid aisle)1/4 cup water (or 12 teaspoons), preferably distilled water—enough to equal 1 1/3 cups when combined with the other ingredients(POSSIBLE VARIATION: Use 1 cup 90% or 70% alcohol, and all the other ingredients except do not add any water, and this might approximate the real recipe. The 70% and 90% alcohol varieties include 30% and 10% water respectively.)Although others suggest using aloe vera gel for this concoction, the WHO does not recommend using aloe vera gel for your DIY sanitizer (the liquids separate, distorting the alcohol/water concentration), so it looks like:1) I’ll be drinking the aloe vera liquid I bought at Walmart (its real purpose is as a health drink anyway), and2) I’m decorating my home office with one of the little aloe vera plants from Walmart, and I gave one away to a friend. I can always break off an aloe arm to get the aloe vera gel, which is a good first-aid treatment for burns.I was able to find peroxide and glycerin, but by 11 March, the stores were out of rubbing alcohol of any kind. I had found 70% isopropyl alcohol in early March, but not the WHO-recommended 99%. Stores in a suburb of Washington, D.C., were bereft of all these supplies as of 11 March 2020, and one drug store said her suppliers are reserving their alcohol supplies for hospitals.[1]27 April 2020 — Although I have the supplies to make hand sanitizer, I haven’t made it yet.Church and changes due to coronavirus8 March 2020 (Sun.) — Church today was different with a heightened awareness about COVID-19. At this point, our building was still open.At church, one of our members was asked to address the congregation for a few minutes to give us health-safety tips related to COVID-19, because she is a medical doctor and a uniformed officer with the U.S. Public Health Service. She emphasized all of these things, but she also reiterated that hand sanitizer is not as effective as washing our hands with soap and water (particularly with hot water) for 20 or 30 seconds, the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday song when sung at regular speed, not quickly.Church bulletins were placed on a table for congregants to pick them up, but usually a greeter would have handed these out.The greeter at the front door wore gloves and opened the door for people so nobody would have to touch the door handle.The other greeters in the lobby greeted everyone while keeping their hands behind their backs to discourage accidental hand shaking or hugging (we are a friendly church!).The offering plate was not passed; it was placed on a table by the door so people could drop their offerings in it without touching the same plate touched by other people.It was a different level of awareness of germs, for sure. The pastor emphasized we are not to be afraid but to be cautious.13 March 2020 (Fri.) — Our pastor announced via email the building will be closed for at least a week due to the coronavirus pandemic. The building will be deep cleaned. The Sunday sermon for Forcey Bible Church (Silver Spring, Maryland) by Pastor Mike Foster will be livestreamed at 11:00 a.m., 15 March 2020. [2]15 March 2020 (Sun.) — Forcey livestreamed the sermon (forcey dot org). No one was in the church building except for Pastor Mike and whoever was helping with the video. You can go on the link to see that and any past services. It was extremely encouraging: “Eight Promises of God” from Romans 8. See “Contagious Hope: Spreading the Unstoppable Promises of God”In the next week, the building will be deep cleaned and sanitized. The Christian day school will be closed all week and perhaps beyond. Decisions will be made later for services on 22 March and later.19 March 2020 (Thur.) — Special message (“Pivotal Church,” Acts 8)22 March 2020 (Sun.) — Our pastor livestreamed the service (“Courageous Hope,” Jeremiah 29). The building will stay closed for the foreseeable future. We are also using Zoom for small virtual meetings and discussion groups.27 April 2020 — We have been continuing the livestreaming of services. Join us at forcey dot org (for Forcey Bible Church in Daily Spring, Maryland). Live streaming services are Sundays at 10 a.m. EST, and messages are available for listening at any time.Red Cross Blood Drive11 March 2020 (Wed.) — Today, the Red Cross held a blood drive that I coordinated in a Washington, D.C., suburb. One of my potential donors said she hadn’t planned to donate this time because of a schedule conflict, but she was able to sign up to donate blood after all because her schedule changed at the last minute; her federal government business trip was canceled due to coronavirus concerns about travel.The Red Cross has posted tips and concerns on their website.At the blood drive, each person entering the room was stopped so the volunteer could take our temperature. The Red Cross has instituted a number of other changes to their already excellent procedures.The host for our drive (the Prince George’s County Association of Realtors) usually provides pizza as a generous treat for staff and volunteers, but out of an abundance of caution, they alerted us they would not be providing pizza this time, as they didn’t want people possibly breathing on or touching pizza someone else would eat. PGCAR’s generosity in hosting our drives every two months is indeed a community service.[3]Family wedding in Toronto: POSTPONED until 202113 March 2020 (Fri.) — An important family wedding scheduled for 20 March (after the first day of spring!) was officially canceled when the venue in Toronto announced it would be closed due to the coronavirus. I had planned to drive from the Washington, D.C., area to Toronto (under 500 miles), but many of us were becoming increasingly alarmed about the riskiness of such a trip. Toronto is going into lockdown mode, and the venue was probably forced to cancel its upcoming reservations. No word yet on whether we’ll get reimbursed for our Airbnb deposit.18 March 2020 (Wed.) — Canada and the U.S. agreed to close their mutual border (5,525 miles) for all except essential travel. I had planned to be in Canada by this date, so it could have been awkward (and expensive) f I were stuck in Canada and couldn’t go home for weeks/months …20 March 2020 (Fri.) — No wedding. :-(22 March 2020 (Sun.) — The wedding couple started calling wedding guests to check in. The wedding will be scheduled much later. We chatted for half an hour. They are in terrific spirits!St. Patrick’s Day surprises ♣17 March 2020 (Tue.) — I drove to a post office to mail a hefty check to my oldest son whose jobs are all on hold until restaurant servers and New Orleans tour guides can go back to work. After that, I passed by a Home Depot, and went in to purchase a new rake. I found one I really liked, but it was the last one, and a very nice couple really wanted it. I decided to let them have mine. (To be honest, I was prompted to not be selfish after reading so many stories of greed during this crisis.) I asked an employee to see if there were any more in the back (a long shot), and after at least 20 minutes, Michelle, a store employee, came out with another identical rake. Yay!Ricardo and Pilar are originally from Peru. After spending at least half an hour with them, I think I’ll hire them for jobs around the house! They appear to be trustworthy, kind, and hard working. Pilar used to teach Spanish in Peru. Appropriately, our rakes are green—for St. Patrick’s Day, they were made in America, and they have a 15-year warranty: a triple plus, not unlike a shamrock.♣ Here’s a picture of us at the checkout lane, around 6 p.m., the new closing time for this Home Depot (usually it’s open until 9 or 9:30 p.m.).Ricardo, Pilar, Green Rakes, and Sarah at Home Depot on St. Patrick’s DayGetting back on the topic of hygiene, after my trip to Home Depot, I used Clorox wipes on my hands and steering wheel before going into a Chinese take-out restaurant.Respected sources for updates and informationIn the U.S., two globally recognized government and medical education entities are respected sources for information and updates on this disease:The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)[4] provides up-to-date information on covid-19 on several pages: Who is at risk.[5] and updated testing numbers on the disease.[6]See User-9237344757229493228's answer to If everyone in the world stayed at home for two weeks, would we avoid a coronavirus pandemic?, which includes a handy chart from the CDC.[7]Johns Hopkins University & Medicine (JHU) provides excellent research, tips, maps, and current information on this disease here: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center [8]USAFacts is collecting live data from the CDC and JHU about the coronavirus.[9]Ars Technica provides a fairly accurate and complete guide: Don’t Panic: The comprehensive Ars Technica guide to the coronavirus [Updated 3/11].[10]Related Quora answersSarah Madden's answer to How many rolls of toilet paper do you have right now due to COVID-19?C.S. Friedman's answer to What will non-preppers typically forget to stock if they want to "stay indoors as much as possible" for 1 month to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the US?What's been cancelled and what have you stopped doing because of the coronavirus?Sarah Madden's answer to What has been the most "COVIDIOT" thing you've seen someone do during this pandemic? (DELETED 8 April 2020 due to false accusations of spam, and eventually restored)A T-Rex holding Clorox Wipes and Hand Sanitizer with the message “Don’t Get JURAS-SICK; Wash your hands” in Cheverly, Maryland (March 2020)—Sarah Madden, © Copyright ♡ 8 March 2020 (updated 27 April 2020)ORIGINAL QUESTION: Have you increased your hygiene as a result of the coronavirus threat? (asked 6 March 2020 by Tom Branagan)MERGED INTO: Since the mention of coronavirus, have your hygiene standards increased or were they the same before? (asked 3 March 2020 by Elisa Sirani)Footnotes[1] Elle Bacon's answer to How can I make my own hand sanitizer?[2] Home[3] Prince George's County Association of REALTORS[4] CDC Works 24/7[5] Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)[6] Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)[7] User-9237344757229493228's answer to If everyone in the world stayed at home for two weeks, would we avoid a coronavirus pandemic?[8] Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center[9] Coronavirus - USAFacts[10] Don’t Panic: The comprehensive Ars Technica guide to the coronavirus [Updated 3/11]