Even though virtual reality technology has yet to become mainstream in the private sector, it is, by and large, revolutionizing a wide variety of industries. Healthcare, law enforcement and military, real estate, retail, the automotive industry – all of these have found great use of this emerging technology. The manufacturing industry is no different.

In 2018, the global VR in manufacturing industry size was $924.7 million. In 2026, this number is expected to reach a staggering $14.887 billion! The CAGR of this forecast period is estimated to be nearly 40% (39.2%)!

So how is virtual reality doing this? What is so special about this innovative tech that it is changing one of the world’s largest, most significant industries?

How is virtual reality disrupting the manufacturing industry?

The breakdown of virtual reality is this: VR is a 100% computer-generated world; a wholly digital environment. Users can access this world through a VR head-mounted device (VR HMD) or, more simply, a VR headset. There are two main types of VR headsets, based on the amount of freedom of mobility they provide:

• Standalone Headsets – HMDs that don’t have to be connected to a console, such as a PC or PlayStation. The user is free to move around with this VR headset however they choose.
• Tethered Headsets – HMDs that need to be plugged into a console. The user’s movements are limited by the length of the cable connecting their VR headset to the console.

The virtual world inside the VR application can be anything you need it to be. It can be a simulation of the real world, but it can also be a product of imagination, with fantastic digital universes consumers have never dreamed of.

• Product Design and Development

Benefits: faster market growth, shorter production time and costs, rapid adoption of new product designs

Virtual reality is an excellent tool for fast and seamless prototyping. Advanced VR simulation means that manufacturers no longer need to spend inordinate amounts of time and money to create and approve one prototype. Engineers and designers can bring their ideas to life in virtual reality. With everything created in 360 3D, this process enables them to observe, edit, and evaluate their prototypes and spot potential errors or bugs in the design.

Ford Motor Company, for example, has been using VR in the development of its designs since 2000. With a VR headset, employees can look at a vehicle prototype and even sit in it, allowing them to experience it fully. In one year, Ford has managed to assess more than 193 prototypes using virtual reality!

Additionally, this use case is beneficial for aerospace manufacturing, where building full-scale models is extremely expensive.

• Product and Workplace Safety

Benefits: increased worker safety, better compliance with safety guidelines, safer products

Virtual reality can simulate pretty much any scenario you can think of, including production processes. By observing these operations in VR from the sidelines, managers and safety directors can identify potential hazards or dangerous maneuvers. Virtual reality also offers the opportunity to completely immerse a worker in their future workstation. Superiors can then assess the feasibility of a task or proficiency of the worker.

To expand with another example from Ford – this automotive giant reduced its employee injury rate at the assembly line by 70% through introducing virtual manufacturing. The company uses VR to certify new assembly processes before it even starts producing the first vehicle. Their VR software can predict the physical impact of building cars on their workers in over 900 simulated assembly task assessments for a new product launch.

Virtual reality is also a great way to reproduce various traffic and weather conditions to predict how a vehicle will behave and whether its safety features are up to par.

• Hands-On Experience and Training

Benefits: workers with improved skill sets, faster onboarding, better health and safety training, reduced training cost

Several research studies point out how there’s a growing skill gap in the manufacturing sector and a worrying reduction in workers available for these types of job positions.

With a VR training system set in place, your business can offer on-the-job training in an immersive environment that doesn’t disrupt the work of others. Your new employees can get an immediate and authentic sense of the processes and protocols they should follow; your current employees will get a chance to practice their new skills over and over again without fear of endangering themselves or their coworkers. Virtual reality manufacturing training doesn’t require any downtime, unlike traditional training. It reduces the risk of poor decision-making and errors on the job.

Hands-on virtual reality training useful in manufacturing can include practicing emergency drills, equipment and line changeovers, and more.

• Factory Floor Planning

Benefits: infinitely faster factory planning, drastically reduced planning costs

Factory planning is the process of deciding where and how to place equipment, personnel, and tools and how to connect them for maximum productivity and efficiency. Factory floor planning requires complex designing, testing, and trials, and any errors or unexpected delays can lead to costly shutdowns. Virtual reality technology dramatically shortens and simplifies this process.

Before any changes or construction begin in the real world, your engineers can test production flows and factory layouts as much as they want in VR. They can add virtual workers or robots to test how they perform tasks. Even ergonomics can be tested in virtual reality to ensure that no undue stress is placed on your worker’s bodies.

Here is an example of how VR production planning looks like for a stamping production line:

Virtual environments are not challenging to implement, yet they offer an incredible range of advantages to manufacturing companies:

• Improved health and safety
• Higher productivity and efficiency
• Faster training processes
• Less downtime
• Drastic reduction in costs
• More skilled workers
• Optimized planning of new operations and building layouts
• More immediate product development and turnaround time
• More rapid market growth, etc.

To incorporate VR into your workflow, you will need the proper hardware (a VR headset and a PC with high processing power), as well as the right software.

ARVRtech will be happy to help you craft just the right virtual reality application to improve your manufacturing business. Contact us with your ideas and what you would like to achieve, and our virtual reality and augmented reality experts will come up with just the right solution!

Team building is the foundation of strong company culture. Your team members need to know each other, trust each other, and rely on each other during various projects and assignments. In these COVID-riddled times, in-person bonding and team-building exercises have taken a back seat. Due to social distancing rules, many organizations have turned to virtual team building – and that is precisely where VR team building shines.

A VR group experience contributes to increased motivation and higher productivity, especially if your employees are limited to working in isolation from home.

Here is everything you need to know to plan a successful VR team-building event.

• Innovative Scenarios

In virtual reality, you can do anything! Transport your VR team to another planet, a date in history that’s long past, or come up with a fun balance game on top of a skyscraper. There is no limit to what your team-building experience can entail. Whatever you imagine can be realistically developed in VR. This enables you to generate honest responses from your team members that you otherwise would never be able to glean.

• High Levels of Engagement

In most team-building events, some stay on the sidelines, content in observing their teammates have fun. However, in virtual reality team building, engagement and interaction levels are through the roof! Design inclusive events where everyone gets a turn. These unique immersive experiences will foster friendly competition, strengthen your employee’s communication skills, and improve teamwork.

• Cost-Effective

Compared to spending money on transportation, accommodation, food, and other expenses of a traditional team building event, group VR activities are much more cost-effective. The initial investment in a VR headset and a computer that can run VR experiences may be high, but your teams can use and reuse those headsets time and again.

Furthermore, it isn’t wise to gather all your coworkers together in one space in the middle of a global pandemic. They can participate in virtual reality team building from the safety and comfort of their homes without exposing anyone to a potential respiratory infection!

When you consider traditional team building requirements (venue selection and booking, searching for props, coming up with games, etc.), virtual reality team building activities don’t require much.

• VR headset

The headset can be standalone (untethered to any device) or connected to a PC or console. It should come with VR controllers that people can use to interact with the VR environment. Additionally, your headset may have special sensors that track your body’s movements in space, making for a more immersive experience.

If you want better performance and more powerful graphics, you might need to sacrifice the freedom of movement for a professional-grade tethered headset such as the VIVE Pro.

If you’d rather that your team can move around without being connected to a computer or console, then a standalone headset such as the Oculus Quest 2 is a good option.

• PC or Console

For tethered headsets, you need something to connect them to. This something should be a powerful PC that can run VR applications or a gaming console such as a PlayStation. The PC should have a top-of-the-class graphic card and CPU to run VR team-building games smoothly.

Standalone headsets do not require any computer or device to be attached to – they already come with accessible platforms where you can browse the internet, watch movies, or play the VR applications you have installed.

• VR Application

Lastly, you need to choose the activity or game your team will participate in. There are dozens of published games and VR apps that will fit your needs out there. However, if you want something unique that you can’t find anywhere, you can always commission a software company to develop a VR game specifically for your business and your teams.

When considering a VR team-building event, you can go down two paths: either organize it yourself and acquire everything necessary for it, or hire a company to set it up for you.

If this is your first time stepping into group VR activities, maybe a short-term rental of VR devices and software is a good way to try everything out. It will be less expensive, and if you or your team end up not liking the experience, you can easily opt for a different activity or hardware set-up. Furthermore, professional VR team-building agencies often have facilitators and trainers who can help your staff get comfortable with the technology.

However, if the feedback is positive and you want to make it a more permanent thing in your company, continually renting VR devices and software is not the best financial move. In that case, you might want to consider investing in your own VR headsets, PCs, and equipment and setting up a more or less permanent VR team-building installment in your company. (Or, due to COVID-19, setting up a remote team building network.)

In the process of deciding whether to go solo or with a professional organization, consider the following:

• Short-term and long-term costs
• The interest (and excitement) levels of your staff
• The benefits of VR team building vs. traditional team building

Here are some of the best VR games for team building that you and your employees will absolutely love.

• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

This adrenaline-packed game is all about defusing a bomb. One team member is in direct contact with the bomb – they need to accurately relay information to the other members so they can all work together to deactivate the explosive device. Time is running out, and the only thing that will help is to keep talking!

Best for: collaboration, communication, problem solving, friendly competition

• Fantastic Contraption

The goal of the game is to get the pink ball through the pink goal. To achieve this, you will have to build contraptions out of this world! This VR game stimulates your brain cells by making you think outside the box – build bridges, transportation devices, musical instruments, and so much more. What fantastic contraption will your team come up with first?

Best for: innovation, collaboration, problem solving

• Arizona Sunshine

If your team isn’t too squeaked out by zombies, they might get a kick out of this zombie apocalypse survival game! Arizona Sunshine pits you against hundreds of zombies coming your way that you must take out before it’s too late. Each employee should have their turn to see who survived the longest in the zombie assault!

Best for: friendly competition, communication, adrenaline rush

• Guided Meditation VR

In these uncertain times, we’re all under a lot of stress. Even if your team works remotely from home, they’re bound to be pressured by dozens of fears and anxieties of the modern lifestyle. Offer them an opportunity to kick back and relax in this Meditation VR experience. As a team, you will all take a moment to breathe, recenter yourselves, and prepare for future work challenges.

Best for: relaxation, collaboration, mindfulness

• Everest VR

One of the best VR team-building games is centered around summiting Mt. Everest. Team building often involves traveling to new and exciting destinations. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this is no longer possible in most of the world. However, with this one-of-a-kind VR experience, you and your team will get the opportunity to climb the tallest mountain in the world. No prior training required!

Best for: collaboration, communication, virtual field trip, problem solving

VR team building is experiencing a meteoric rise not only because it allows teams to come together remotely. It is also cost-effective, drives high levels of excitement and engagement from employees, and offers unique scenarios for corporate groups to try out.

All you need for a great enterprise VR team-building event is a VR headset (or several), a PC or console that can run a VR app (if the headsets aren’t standalone), and a VR application that will wow your employees!

We hope that our list of the best VR games for team building will prove helpful for you and your team members. If you’d like to have a custom-made VR team-building game for your company, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us at ARVRtech. We’d be more than happy to help you build a fun solution that your organization will be able to use repeatedly!

Virtual reality is not the only rapidly developing innovative technology of the 21st century. While we’re immersed in VR and finding new ways we can utilize this groundbreaking tech, something else is looming on the horizon: artificial intelligence. In fact, the worldwide AI market revenue is expected to grow from $34.87 billion in 2021 to $126 billion in 2025. Yes, it’s that impressive.

With this parallel advancement of augmented and virtual reality and artificial intelligence, it was only a matter of time before the two revolutionary technologies started merging.

So, how exactly can VR and AI work together? How about VR and ML? And where does deep learning fit into all of that?

Let’s start from the beginning – by establishing the core differences between artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning.

Artificial intelligence is the opposite of natural intelligence. Natural intelligence is displayed by humans and animals, and it includes consciousness and emotions. In contrast, artificial intelligence is displayed by machines (think Terminator). In 2021, the applications of AI are too numerous to count. You can find AI in autonomous vehicles, video games, healthcare (medical diagnoses), online advertising, predicting flight delays, image and facial recognition, search engines (for example, Google Search is powered by AI), and more.

Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence. In simple terms, machine learning enables the machine (computer) to learn based on experience. Machines learn through practicing tasks or being exposed to large data sets. Then they make predictions and decisions from what they learned without explicitly being programmed to do so. You will most commonly find machine learning in computer vision and email filtering.

Lastly, deep learning is a subset of machine learning. It is also known as deep neural network or deep neural learning, and it imitates the function of the human brain. The essence of deep learning is multilayered neural networks that learn from vast amounts of data. It is called deep because the neural networks in the machine can have anywhere between 10 to 100 layers.

Geoffrey Hinton, a leading computer scientist at Google, said: “Deep Learning is an algorithm which has no theoretical limitations of what it can learn; the more data you give and the more computational time you provide, the better it is.”

Virtual reality on its own does not utilize artificial intelligence. They are two independent technologies that can function separately from each other.

However, the potential of combining VR and AI is limitless.

At its core, artificial intelligence processes data – monstrous amounts of data. Machine learning, in particular, requires large samples of data to understand a problem and solve it. Virtual reality, while not necessarily data-driven, is an amazingly immersive visualization tool. When merged, VR and AI represent a powerful solution that visually represents neural networks in a way that offers critical insights into data. Observations of data in an immersive, interactive VR environment helps validate the integrity of a data model and identify any edge cases that may occur.

Here are some examples of how VR can utilize AI:

Most of the deep learning technology in VR is focused on environment and content creation, reconstructing real locations in virtual reality, and enhancing interactions between human players (VR users) and virtual characters.

We expect the future of VR and deep learning to continue in the same direction.

Virtual characters will offer more intelligent responses, possibly even going as far as becoming “life coaches” or “financial coaches” or any other form of guide through purchase decisions.

Intelligent contactless interaction will gain more attention. Contactless interaction focuses on the gaze, gesture, or body pose signals. Thanks to deep learning, VR characters will recognize these gazes and gestures and offer more complex interactions.

VR environments will become so lifelike that users may not be able to tell them apart from the real thing. The limitations of VR hardware (the heaviness of the VR headset and the presence of VR controllers) will be the only thing separating the virtual from the reality.

Will VR become a household technology? Will VR and AI together become so big that people will start opting out of the real world in favor of the virtual?

We wouldn’t go that far yet.

VR has yet to become the next big thing in the consumer’s minds. While VR tech is rapidly growing and is permeating the enterprise world, it still hasn’t reached the massive popularity of other electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets.

And as for a world where humans plug into virtual scenarios and completely neglect their real lives… AI certainly offers a lot of potential for that future. However, at the beginning of 2021, this is only a (cool) trope in science fiction stories that will likely stay that way for years to come.

Do you have a cool VR and AI project you’d like to develop? Contact us to get a free quote. We’d love to work together in making your software come to life!

Statistics say that 90% of home buyers search online for their next home. Since the 1990s, real estate agencies have listed properties on their websites with picture slideshows and 360 panoramas. The introduction of 360 VR tours in real estate was a game changer, allowing future homeowners to experience properties for sale first-hand. Nothing beats a fully immersive experience of a 360 virtual reality tour.

Since their inception, 360 virtual tours seamlessly slid into their rightful place in the real estate industry. The opportunity to view houses for sale in their entirety without leaving the comfort of your home is appealing to most consumers, especially in these times of mandatory social distancing. 360 VR tours have become indispensable in property marketing.

This post will explore why you should integrate VR 360 tours into your real estate business and what you should look for in 360 virtual tour software. Not every VR application has the same features; explore what’s on offer so that you can choose the best combination of functionalities for your brand.

Aside from the obvious benefits for the consumers, 360 VR tours have many advantages for real estate agents as well. Here are the most important reasons why you should include these types of tours on your website:

Setting up open houses or house tours takes a lot of time and effort. Real estate agents need to organize schedules, prepare everything in advance, and drive down to the house. Then they need to spend hours showing people around, talking about the finer details of the property, and answering questions.

An evident yet crucial benefit of a 360 virtual house tour is that it is permanently available. All your potential clients need to do is log in and take a look around. Agents don’t have to walk with them or worry whether an appointment will go over time. Virtual staging doesn’t require nearly as much time and money as real-life staging.

You can share your 360 real estate tours on social media and in blog posts, where buyers can ask questions. Additionally, they can share the house they’re interested in with their friends and family so that everyone can get a feel for the place.

Open tours for real estate can get a little impersonal. Future homeowners are led on a previously arranged walkthrough, with slight variation. Usually, there isn’t enough time to stop and size up the living room, consider where each piece of the furniture would go, and similar.

Virtual tours allow buyers to explore at their leisure. They can spend as much time as they want inside the house for sale, and they can discover each room at their own pace. Without the standard urgency of an actual real estate tour, homebuyers can develop a genuine connection with a house. They can imagine how they will decorate it, where their dogs will be, where their kids will play, and much more.

The more time they spend inside a virtual house, the more likely they will come to you for further inquiries and perhaps even a decision to buy it.

Virtual reality isn’t just a cute marketing gimmick. It is a set of immersive experiences that leave a lasting impression on its users. Being immersed in a different, computer-generated reality doesn’t happen often. This innovative technology is exciting; people will want to spend as much time in VR as possible, zooming in on the details and wanting to learn more about the property.

As a result, they will be more motivated to take the next step in the buyer’s journey.

One of the significant advantages of 360 virtual home tours is their versatility. A real estate agency doesn’t have to showcase only the properties currently for sale. Through the power of 3D-modeling and VR, they can also present houses and apartments that are not yet open for viewing.

360 VR tours of buildings and houses in construction allow the buyers to understand what the new space will look like once it’s complete. If the tour is interactive enough, the buyers can envision the house after it’s furnished to get a better sense of whether or not it suits them.

If you want to invest in VR software that will help you create 360 VR tours, you should find out what features you can choose from. There are plenty of options in the world of VR software development – it’s just a matter of finding the features that fit your business the best.

Here are some key VR tour app functionalities you should consider:

We’ve already discussed how virtual reality technology is becoming essential for all types of industries. Its ability to transform the real estate sector is undeniable as more and more real estate businesses are including 360 VR tours on their websites.

The advantages of incorporating VR tours in your practice are that you will have a permanent open house that your consumers can explore at their leisure and that you can use the tour to showcase any property type, including properties that are not yet ready for viewing in real life. Virtual reality is an immersive, interactive experience that will allow your users to develop a stronger relationship with their future home.

When considering what 360 VR software to invest in, look at the features you would need: a simple, web-based creation, points of interest, analytics, question points, a map for easy navigation, and more. Perhaps a virtual staging option could be a good addition. App development should be tailored to you and your business, no matter what company you go for.

If you want more information on 360 VR tours and would perhaps like a quote for your company, contact us at ARVRtech. We develop cutting-edge augmented reality and virtual reality solutions that will help your business thrive! We’re incredibly proud of 360 VR enterprise solutions, so don’t hesitate to reach out!

More and more businesses are turning to VR applications to enhance their storytelling, raise brand awareness, and improve customer satisfaction. The latest trend in the technology of virtual reality is 360 virtual tours for business – an excellent way to create immersive experiences for a wide range of consumers.

When the first 360 degree tours emerged, they immediately became a perfect fit for the tourism and real estate industries. A virtual reality real estate tour offers the chance of exploring a house or property without leaving the comfort of your home, while virtual tourism has been on a steep incline. The current global health crisis that mandates social distancing means that traditional travel avenues are shut off – there has never been a better moment to turn to 360 VR software than now.

Aside from tourism and real estate, other industries also see advantages in virtual 360 tours. These sectors include:

If you are wondering whether your business could benefit from a 360 degree virtual tour: wonder no more. What follows is a list of business segments that can be completely transformed through the power of virtual tour software.

Organizing lectures and training sessions for old and new employees is a task that requires time, money, and effort. The employer needs to set up the training space and equipment, find the lecturers, and possibly even to pause regular work activity to demonstrate critical job processes.

All of this can be easily avoided by creating an interactive virtual tour instead. 360 virtual tour training can be used in two different ways.

An employer can create a virtual tour that guides their workers through new processes they need to learn for the job. The employees will find themselves in different 360 scenes – images or video – abundant with information on how to perform various tasks, how to handle different equipment, and what they should pay attention to.

Immersive VR experiences help improve both hard skills (technical skills specific for the job) and soft skills (people skills and personality traits useful for most job positions).

Aside from skill training, VR 360 tours can be used for health and safety training. The principle is the same: create a series of 360 scenes that will teach the employees the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety protocols. These scenes can include the assembly line, the factory floor, packaging lines, or any other environments that require special health and safety education.

While wearing a VR headset, workers will feel as though they are actually in those environments. They will have an easier time understanding the risks of the job and how they can be prevented without getting in the way of other workers or putting themselves in any danger.

An excellent example of VR safety training is our project VR Factory, where we enabled a cement factory to educate its employees about working at heights without actually leaving the comfort of an office.

360 virtual tour software can include questionnaires related to the material the employees have just gone over to test their newfound knowledge.

360 house tours are already becoming indispensable in the real estate industry. A 360 virtual reality tour has the unique advantage of placing the user directly inside the property or home they are interested in purchasing. This instant immersion makes the sales process a breeze even if you can’t visit the actual property.

However, 360 viewing is useful for car sales (a 360 degree tour of a car dealership, for example), fashion and retail, as well as a wide range of promotions.

A virtual 360 tour can be created for exploring the comforts of a luxury airline, for virtually stepping inside hotels and restaurants, promoting the importance of national parks and green living, increasing brand awareness for pretty much any type of business, and more.

One of the more recent examples of a marketing 360 VR tour is for Cathaway Pacific. Through a series of 360 scenes, you can find out exactly what it’s like to be a first-class passenger on this innovative airline.

Team building is typically not a favorite among employees. It gets a bad reputation because it mostly resembles forced group activities in middle school, when you had no choice but to communicate with children you didn’t like.

However, team-building exercises are essential for a thriving business. They build trust between team members, help resolve conflict, and improve communication and collaboration. A team that communicates well is a team that knocks projects out of the park.

Imaginative 360 VR tours can help in strengthening team bonds by setting up unforgettable team-building experiences.

If your 360 VR tour software comes with the appropriate features, such as a scoring system and a leaderboard, you can build entertaining tours that will show your team with a great time. Upload 360 scenes that require team members to answer quiz questions or even interact with objects to find clues and solve puzzles. All you need for an adventurous virtual tour is a pair of VR headsets and a team that excels in fun yet competitive environments.

Now that you’ve caught a glimpse of how you can make the best use of a virtual reality tour for your business, a question remains: what should your virtual reality application include? What kind of software features should you look for?

Here are a few key aspects a 360 virtual tour platform for business should have:

Many virtual reality companies attempted to develop products with all of these features combined. To our humble knowledge, ARVRtech is the only one that succeeded in this endeavor. Reach out to us for more information on how you can integrate a virtual tour app into your enterprise. Let’s see what we can create together!

Even though VR has yet to become commonplace in everyone’s home, industrial VR training is slowly but surely taking over a multitude of industries. Most recently, Walmart has introduced VR for training their employees in a wide range of skills, including soft skills like customer service, empathy, and compliance.

With so much hype around Walmart VR training, it is clear that this immersive technology has a lot to offer when it comes to employee training processes. Here are some industry examples where VR training can be used:

In this post, we will explore the advantages of virtual reality training, in what situations it can be applied, and how it will transform your business into a workplace of the future.

From where we’re standing, there aren’t any downsides to VR training programs becoming a standard part of your business. We can, however, spot numerous benefits of virtual reality training, with the main ones being:

If your employees are expected to acquire new skills or learn how to operate dangerous machinery, the training environment is not the safest. The process would require personal protective equipment, constant vigilance, and there would be a considerable risk to the worker’s health and safety, especially while they are still learning.

Being a real-life simulation, virtual reality poses no threat to anyone’s safety. Everything happens within the simulation, with the workers comfortably standing or sitting with a VR headset over their eyes.

A good example of safe VR training is our VR Factory solution, specially developed for workers in a cement factory who had to operate from great heights. Thanks to our virtual reality training software, the workers were able to learn about personal protective equipment and the importance of safety harnesses in a realistic 360-degree environment. They didn’t approach these great heights until they passed their safety course and were ready to take on the job.

A study from 2018 determined that virtual reality aids recall, meaning that those who learn something in VR are better at recalling what they’ve learned than had they studied using traditional methods. Additionally, VR improves knowledge retention. The training your employees undergo in VR will stay with them longer than other forms of training.

The reason for these improved statistics when it comes to learning in VR lies in its immersive qualities. Many people learn better through action than through reading a textbook or watching a presentation. Their brains memorize not only the facts and protocols but also the motions, the audio instructions, and entire settings. A VR training simulator is not just a plain showcase of data – it is an entire experience that your workers will remember for a long time to come.

Traditional training courses can put a dent in your budget. You need to find a suitable space, educators, and equipment, among other things. The training might even require production downtime, depending on how disruptive it is to everyday workflow in your company. A lot of planning and organization goes into it, requiring whole teams to take time off from their regular work activities.

Fortunately, none of this is an issue with VR training. You will only need a VR head-mounted display (VR headset) and a little bit of space for the worker to use. In case the VR headset needs to connect to a computer, you will also need one of those. Instead of looking for trainers or lecturers, you just need to find the right VR training software and you’ll be good to go!

In regular training, employees can only watch emergencies on video or read about them in text. They need to memorize guidelines and instructions, but for obvious reasons, they cannot learn what to do in an emergency by performing the actions. Or at least, they couldn’t until virtual reality for training arrived.

Thanks to the versatility of VR environments, your employees can find themselves in all sorts of emergency situations. From machine malfunctioning to chemical spills to fire emergencies to natural disasters – no scenario cannot be simulated in VR and made to look incredibly realistic. With this type of hands-on training, your workers will have no doubts over how to act if a crisis hits.

Skills are most commonly divided into hard and soft skills. Virtual reality can help improve both.

Hard skills are also called technical skills. They are specific to each job, can be taught, and easily quantified. For example, if you’re working in a restaurant kitchen, your hard skills would include dicing ingredients and successfully combining flavors. If you’re an IT developer, a hard skill could be how much you’re familiar with Java programming.

Soft skills, on the other hand, are not related to any specific job and are more difficult to measure. These are usually interpersonal skills, such as leadership abilities, communication, teamwork, conflict resolution skills, and similar.

Virtual reality simulations can be specifically tailored to what your business needs. If you require an employee to learn how to handle a machine, they can be placed right in front of a VR-version of it. Just look at the use of VR for medical training: new doctors and surgeons around the world are sharpening their hard skills without having to wait for the right patients to walk through the door.

The same applies to any soft skill training as well – every training program can be replicated in VR.

While there are plenty of VR training programs out there, the ideal one would be designed specifically for the needs of your company. The perfect VR solution can be customized to fit the size and type of your business, the type of training your wish to present to your employees, and whether or not you want any additional features. These additional features can include analytics and reporting, scoreboards to motivate your workers to perform well, and many others.

We at ARVRtech develop just such virtual reality training solutions. Our primary concern is to understand the challenges of your business and develop software that will benefit you and your employees the most. If you wish to step into the immersive world of employee VR training, we would be more than happy to offer advice and guide you along the way. Feel free to contact us at ARVRtech to get a free quote.

Let’s see what we can make together!

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the most rapidly growing industries in 2020. According to Statista, the market size of VR software and hardware solutions is expected to increase from $6.2 billion in 2019 to $16 billion by 2022. That’s almost triple the size in 3 years!

Even though VR first started out in the military, this immersive technology has since found its application in a wide range of industries – gaming, healthcare, education, engineering, marketing, sports, travel, and hundreds more. Virtual reality is slowly but surely finding its rightful place in society, and we are nothing short of thrilled to see how it will develop from here.

A question many people ask, however, is whether or not VR is safe. Does virtual reality cause any side effects? Can it harm your health in any way? Is it dangerous to use VR on a daily basis?

In this blog post, we will answer all those questions and offer some insights into how you can utilize VR in a way that doesn’t cause any problems for you.

VR users from all across the world have noticed that being immersed in VR for longer periods of time can cause a wide range of unpleasant symptoms. Collectively, these symptoms are described as virtual reality motion sickness, and they include:

Based on the information that approximately 25% of people experience motion sickness on a plane, most VR developers assume that approximately 25% of VR users are affected by virtual reality sickness as well. Additionally, women are more susceptible than men, most likely because of different hormonal composition, having a wider field of view than men, and because there are some differences in depth perception between the biological sexes.

The reason why some people suffer from VR sickness is rooted in the body’s vestibular system – a system of senses that regulates balance and spatial coordination.

When you’re moving at speed in your virtual reality surroundings and your body is sitting down or standing straight in the real world, what you see and what your body feels doesn’t match up. You may be accelerating or decelerating fast, changing directions, whipping this way and that in your virtual world, but your vestibular system isn’t registering any of that. This disconnect between your eyes and your body is what causes the virtual reality motion sickness.

The creator of the VR headset Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey, named “changes in velocity” as the main cause of this health problem. “The issue is constant deceleration and acceleration. It’s actually the duration of that change, rather than the magnitude, that makes people change,” he said for MIT’s Technology Review in 2016.

It stands to reason that the likelihood of you feeling the negative effects of VR sickness also depends on what type of VR environment you are in. VR games require a lot of movement and action – if you’re playing a particularly dynamic game, you are more likely to feel nauseated. If, on the other hand, you are simply giving a presentation in a VR environment, you are probably not moving around much and are not as affected by the velocity changes mentioned above.

If you experience any combination of symptoms related to VR headset sickness, they should disappear within a couple of hours of coming out of VR. The same as with motion sickness on a plane or boat – once you’re on solid ground and calmed down some, everything should go back to normal.

However, the fact remains that this discomfort may prevent you from spending as much time wearing a VR headset as you would like. We’ve already talked about our best 5 tips to overcome nausea in virtual reality, but here we are going to expand on them some more.

DOF refers to Degrees Of Freedom, or how well your headset tracks your movements in 3D space. The chances of you grabbing a 3DOF headset nowadays are slim to none, as most major companies are focusing on 6DOF headsets, such as HTC Vive and Oculus Quest 2. Nevertheless, make sure you don’t accidentally reach for a 3DOF headset and get stuck feeling dizzy in VR.

In real life, you likely don’t even notice your nose as you go about your day. Its presence in your field of view is easy to overlook – however, it may have a stabilizing effect on your VR experience. Researchers at Purdue University have discovered that placing a nose on the screen can reduce VR motion sickness effects by 13.5%.

Avoid VR apps that are glitchy, shaky, or have any sort of erratic or choppy movements. If there are any latency issues – issues with the app registering your movement too late – either try restarting the software or just stop using it altogether. Even the most seasoned VR users get sick if they spend time in glitchy VR experiences.

As is the case with other types of motion sickness, your body can slowly adapt. Gradually increasing your time in VR by 5 minutes every couple of days may help you get used to the disorienting experience. The key here is to hold back on adding the next 5 minutes until you feel relatively good with the time you’re already spending in VR.

This is perhaps a given, but bear in mind that ear infections additionally burden the vestibular system, as it is closely connected to the ears. Suffering from an ear infection could worsen the symptoms of VR motion sickness and cause more health problems down the line.

From everything we laid out in this text, the main takeaway should be this: yes, VR does come with some, minimal, potential side effects to your health. However, the good news is that these troublesome symptoms aren’t permanent and can be alleviated.

If you belong to that 25% that feel ill when using VR, our main advice is to opt for better VR equipment, avoid glitchy apps, and take it slow and steady. When you’re in a VR environment, breathe deeply, stay seated if possible, and try to remain calm. Adding a virtual nose to your field of view may drastically improve your VR experience.

Will the existence of VR sickness debilitate further development of VR technology? In our humble opinion – no, it will not. VR tech is advancing at such a staggering rate that we are sure even fewer people are suffering from these sickness symptoms than they did four or five years ago, mainly thanks to improved tracking and software performance. We don’t see VR sickness as a big barrier in the development of virtual reality in the future.

That being said, if you wish to invest in VR software solutions that are free of glitches or any sort of unpredictable behavior – and thus won’t make you sick – take a look at what we offer! ARVRtech is a software company specializing in VR and AR apps that will make your jaw drop. If you’re after a VR game, VR training software, or would like to take advantage of a range of products we have available, don’t hesitate to contact us and see what we can come up with together!

We already talked about the best VR headsets of last year (touching on the HTC Vive Cosmos and Valve Index’s impressive collaboration with Half Life: Alyx), as well as the VR headsets coming in 2020. Since 2019 was the year for new headsets, we, along with the rest of the VR world, expected 2020 to be quieter, more uneventful in terms of innovations.

We can admit that we were wrong.

Whether it is because companies love to surprise their consumers with new gadgets or because the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated production for devices that aid social distancing and self-isolation, one thing is for sure – there are a few unexpected VR twists in 2020.

Just last month, Twitter was alight with what seemed like a leaked image of a new Oculus Quest. The bird-app user who originally posted it, WalkingCat, is known for providing the public with credible leaks, and so far we have no reason to believe this updated version of the Quest isn’t on the way.

Compared to its predecessor that was pretty front-heavy, the new design is slimmer and more elegant, with a white body and a black face mask. Missing from the side straps is the adjuster – possibly replaced by an adjuster in the back which we cannot see. The IPD slider also seems to be gone, meaning that those with wide- or close-set eyes will have trouble with the focus. The leaked image includes a pair of Oculus Touch controllers, also done in white plastic, that appear to sport no significant changes.

Other than what we can glean from the picture, we don’t know much else about this new 2020 VR headset. We don’t know anything about its specifications or price point, but we do expect to see it released some time later in 2020. Possibly in time for the Oculus Connect conference.

While the standard Oculus Quest is a great option for VR games and other forms of entertainment, it may not be the best choice for businesses looking to get more out of their VR headsets. Facebook finally rolled out its Oculus for Business program that includes a business version of the Quest for double the price of the original one.

The business Quest is optimized for training, remote collaboration (invaluable in a pandemic), and data visualization. It comes with special licenses, software, and enterprise support.

The interface inside the business Quest is different, and the software it comes with allows an IT company to manage several Oculus Quests in their possession. This powerful software can configure the headsets, update and install their apps, manage settings, and check their status. With access to Oculus for Business and their ISV program, companies can even find an existing application that will suit their business, or a provider to make custom software just for them.

If we take a look at Apple’s patent filings, it is evident that the company has been working on both VR and AR for over a decade. They have been exploring headsets, glasses, and even special VR technology that can be used in cars. But do they have anything in store? Anything that’s coming in hot?

The truth is, we don’t know yet. A rumor has been going around that Apple is hard at work developing a serious headset that will blow all others out of the water. It has a code name of T288, is supposed to be an 8K headset, and it should be released sometime this year. Some have speculated that it was supposed to be out in 2019, but that obviously didn’t happen. All we can do now is wait and see.

In conjunction with a VR headset, Apple is also allegedly working on ‘smart glasses’, a set of AR glasses that would primarily be an additional display for the iPhone. Just like with a VR headset, we’re not sure of the exact specs of these glasses, when they’re supposed to be released, and what exactly the public would be able to do with them.

So it may not be as event-filled as 2019, but don’t write 2020 off completely just yet. (At least not when it comes to upcoming VR headsets.) Oculus has a few things lined up that are exciting, and we’re sure that the entire world is holding its breath for Apple’s 2020 VR headsets, whenever they do happen.

One thing is for sure, virtual and augmented reality are not going anywhere any time soon. We will definitely have a lot more to anticipate in the upcoming months, as a much-needed distraction from the real world.

Listening to a teacher go on and on about gastropods or fractals or an obscure moment in history no one knows anything about is far from interesting. Reading from textbooks and trying to memorize information is slowly becoming outdated.

Schools and teachers invested in education are always looking for new ways to help their students maximize their potential. From innovative teaching methods to taking the class outside for an unconventional lecture, to introducing new gadgets and props – no matter the age of the students, all of them appreciate unpredictability in their otherwise dull classes.

Every day new technologies and platforms are developed to improve the education system. Their primary goal is to spark interest and motivate the students to learn through a method that they haven’t seen before. It’s mind-boggling how much you and your students can achieve if you take an ordinary textbook out of the equation and come up with alternative ways of teaching.

One such alternative way has recently been gaining traction in the classroom – virtual reality, or VR. You will learn what Virtual Reality is, and what are the main benefits of virtual reality in education.

VR is defined as an ‘experience’. It is a reality that exists completely in the virtual space, which you access through a VR headset. By putting on a headset, you are transported from the real world into a different, computer-generated one, where literally anything can happen. (Of course, your physical body is still in the real world, it’s just that (most of) your senses are immersed in virtual reality. It’s not the Matrix. Yet.)

In virtual reality, you can play sports, watch movies, fight alien overlords trying to take over planet Earth, play music games, hold business meetings, and do pretty much anything else you can think of. If there is VR software built for it, you can do it. This, of course, also includes learning through VR.

While virtual reality is not a staple technology in every classroom yet, more and more schools are leaning on it to breathe life into the curriculum. Here are the three main benefits of using Virtual Reality in education.

When you’re moving around in virtual reality, you’re not reading from a textbook. Depending on what the subject is, you could be living through the experience. Learn how whales feed by swimming in the water right next to them; witness the fall of the Berlin Wall first-hand; sit in the audience to hear how the greatest symphonic orchestras of the world play classical music.

VR provides context and visualization to pretty much any school subject. Teachers can use 3D shapes to explain geometry and provide helpful graphs, and students can play around with the concepts in real time. This not only makes learning fun and interactive, but it also improves retention for the students. After solidifying their knowledge in VR, they can recall information much better even in stressful situations such as taking a test.

In a recent study conducted by PWC, people who learned by using virtual reality were 4 times faster to train than in a regular classroom. In fact, what took some students 2 whole hours to learn in a regular classroom, took only 30 minutes by using VR. Students were also 4x more focused! As today’s pupils often tend to be impatient and distracted. A lot of students won’t even watch a full video when shown in class, and are more likely to be distracted by their smartphone. But with Virtual Reality learning, they are 4x more focused, and much less likely to get distracted, as in the virtual world, there are no natural interruptions, and ways to multitask, as the only content the student will experience, is the one he is intended to see.

Don’t you get excited whenever there’s a new electronic device? You want to learn more about it, see what it can do, perhaps try it out if you’re lucky. Children and young adults get so pumped about new technology! VR has been around for a while, but it has only recently started becoming more popular; there are still those who can’t wait to get their hands on a VR headset.

By incorporating VR into the lecture, you are bound to get the students clamoring who can try it first. It doesn’t matter that it’s not a real video game on the other side; they will want to try VR and, as a result, they will be thrilled by anything VR can teach them.

The same PWC study, found that students were 3.75 times more emotionally connected to the content that they had experienced in Virtual Reality, than in a regular classroom. Students simply better connect, remember and understand content that they are envolved with emotionally!

Finally, especially in the wake of recent world events, VR offers a unique chance at remote learning. If the students are for any reason unable to attend classes, they don’t have to miss out on the knowledge. VR can host entire virtual classrooms where several students can learn at the same time, much like they do in real life.

And it’s not just remote learning. People and businesses all over the world are now trying to shift their focus towards better remote experiences, from simple meetings that can be held in a virtual environment, to whole conferences and expos as well!

Of course, there are many more advantages and benefits of virtual reality in education than just these three. We hope that this technology will soon become the center of learning in more ways than one, and that students and businesses all over the world will get to reap the benefits of such a powerful, intriguing system!

Everyone loves a good story. Whether that is a creative story meant to elicit emotion, educate, or entertain, or it is a marketing story with the final goal of promoting a brand – there’s no denying the power of engaging storytelling.

Stories can consume us in ways that little else can. We get so invested in the plot and the characters – and the world – that we hardly pay attention to real life until we’ve reached the end. Storytelling is an impactful marketing tool, bringing businesses closer to their consumers and helping them build an emotional connection. In a world of marketing sameness, a unique story may be just what your brand needs to stand out.

A new way of telling your story surfaced with the rise of VR technology with VR Storytelling. AR and VR have become an integral part of marketing for many businesses, and now you can also use these innovative platforms to drive sales and evolve your brand.

The ‘360-degree scene or VR’ debate is a question of interactivity. Do you want your audience to simply stand there (sit there) and enjoy the story passively, or do you want them to be an active participant in it?

The latter choice (an interactive story) opens the door to visual-novel-like gameplay in VR. You’d have to think about what choices your audience member is allowed to make in the story and how the story branches out based on those choices. Do all of the branches have a happy ending or does your viewer need to make the right decisions to save the day?

If you’re looking to engage your audience and leave a lasting impression on them, an interactive short story where they become involved in the plot and even control it is a great option.

Regardless of which of the above versions you go for, you need to understand that the 360-degree world is a big one. This is different from simply sitting back and following what happens on a screen. If you want to make full use of the 360-degree environment and want your audience to follow it, you need to be innovative. You need to direct your audience where to look, especially if something suddenly starts happening behind their backs.

Use triggers like sound, light, or movement to guide your viewer to turn their head to a different part of the scene. They won’t know where the action is happening unless you tell them.

VR is a fully-immersive medium that occupies all five senses; or most of them at least, since taste and smell are still debatable. The visual aspect of VR can’t be overlooked. Like with filming any other type of story, you need to consider scene cuts, camera angles, the height of the camera, and the distance between the camera and the action of the scene.

Pay attention to whether you want the camera to be stationary or moving around. Keep in mind the intricacies of wearing a VR headset – you don’t want to give your audience motion sickness through misjudged camera speed or movement.

Stories are largely told in the past. “Once upon a time,” and similar phrases are used to retell a significant or a fantastical event. However, VR provides a unique opportunity for your audience to witness the story as it unfolds. They can follow the characters on their journey and experience all the emotions first-hand – the exhilaration of flying a jet, the worry over an ill family member, the tranquility of reading a book in a quiet room – your audience is no longer just an audience; they become a part of the world.

VR is a relatively new technology – one that has only in recent years become interesting to a wider audience. Only a few storytellers and filmmakers specialize in weaving stories in VR (Jessica Kantor being one of them).

As with anything, getting the tone, the mood, and the emotion of the story right in VR will take some trial and error. If you’re just diving into it, allow yourself some time to experiment. Think about what message you want to convey; what feeling you want the viewer to walk away with. Use the special VR features we talked about to craft a story that everyone will want to be a part of.