August 2020 Summaries

The RTE2020 hackathon, with the theme "Build the Future Now," took place over two weeks and attracted developers from around the world to create innovative applications using Agora's Real-Time Engagement Platform. Winning projects included a live-streaming yoga class web application called MixPose Web App, an app for transcribing and translating audio in real time called Transtreaming, a third-person shooter game called Rogue Bots Lite, and a music sheet sharing web app called Lyricist. The hackathon's winners were awarded cash prizes, gift cards, free annual conference tickets, and mentoring opportunities.

Entrepreneur Wyatt Oren co-founded Applejax, a platform that enables parents to hire credentialed teachers for online or in-person private tutoring. The platform aims to provide an environment where students and teachers can collaborate through a simple, intuitive interface. As schools transition from traditional classroom settings to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Applejax offers solutions for creating a successfully blended learning environment that includes both online and in-person education. The platform provides live video, virtual whiteboard, screen share, full-length recordings, and multilayer security for data protection. It also facilitates one-on-one distance learning, personalized tutoring, curriculum plans, session recordings, and crowdfunding for classroom supplies. Applejax is exploring the growing segment of learning pod services for small groups of students looking for credentialed teachers as an alternative to in-person large classrooms.

In this tutorial, we learn how to create a video party chat feature inside of a networked demo using Unreal Engine Blueprinting on PC. The integration of Agora's Real-Time Engagement platform with the powerful Unreal Engine allows for real-time interaction from people all over the world within digital worlds handcrafted by the Unreal Engine. We set up the logic to render the Agora video feed from two players in our channel, create a custom actor that connects players to the same Agora channel, and test the functionality with a single player and web example showcase. The final testing involves making a standalone build of the project.

This tutorial guides developers on how to create an Agora RTC and RTM tokens server using Golang and Gin framework. The author provides a step-by-step guide, starting from setting up the project environment to building the Gin web server and generating Agora Tokens. The server is designed to generate both RTC and RTM tokens for users with different roles and UIDs. The tutorial also includes testing instructions using the Agora 1:1 Web Demo and Agora RTM Tutorial Demo.

The Age of Communication through landlines is long over, with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and live video being the modern versions of communication. Real-Time Communications (RTC), including VoIP and live video, have made it possible for humans to engage in real time across vast distances. Live video has become a game changer as it provides a dense amount of information compared to voice chat or messaging. As consumers get comfortable using video, they increasingly crave shared context and expect to have video engagement directly inside the apps they are already using. Real-Time Engagement (RTE) is in its infancy but has three core principles: Shared Context, Interactivity at any Scale, and Ubiquity. Agora's SD-RTN™ network delivers sub-second latency across the globe and is hyper scalable from one to millions of concurrent users, making it easy for developers to adopt RTE technology.

The global pandemic has significantly impacted mental health worldwide, with a surge in the use of teletherapy services like Talkspace. Remote therapy has proven to be more accessible and cost-effective for many individuals, especially those struggling financially. Additionally, online support communities such as The Phoenix Project have emerged, providing mental health support through real-time engagement networks. As the pandemic continues to affect daily life, technology is playing a crucial role in connecting people with the resources they need to maintain their mental wellbeing.