Immersive Technology: What Is It And How It Can Impact Your Company

Virtual reality headsets or the digital backdrop of a television set that does not physically exist transport us to new and fascinating worlds to entertain us, acquire new knowledge, or attend conferences on the other side of the world. Immersive technology immerses us in fascinating scenarios and experiences that leave our mouths agape.

What is Immersive Technology?

Immersive technology seeks to replicate the real, physical world through a digitized experience. This technology can be used in many different sectors, such as education, entertainment, or manufacturing. In all cases, it serves to enhance the customer or learner experience.

Examples of Immersive Technology

One of the classic examples of immersive technology is virtual reality helmets or glasses, which promise an interactive experience that takes us to distant and fictitious spaces.

On the other hand, augmented reality devices such as the Microsoft Hololens 2 allow you to interact with digital 3D elements arranged in a real environment. Augmented reality also occurs in mobile applications: the videogame Pokémon GO was a successful case of this.

Another example of immersive technology is the so-called haptic technology, i.e. by touch. Through sensors, it is possible to feel the sensations of this sense on the skin. For example, we can feel that we are caressing a digital musical instrument or a friend with whom we are making a video call.

Haptic technology could be combined with holograms, one of the oldest immersive technologies. These reproductions recreate real people and objects in front of our eyes, in 3D, and using light. Holograms can be applied in conferences, to place a speaker on a fictitious podium, or in classrooms at all levels of education to make lessons more accessible, for example, by showing organs of the human body or machines in operation.

One example of immersive technology, which is more in the news, is the metaverse. More and more companies are investigating this virtual world, reminiscent of Second Life, in which clothing and works of art are already being sold. Several companies are creating their own metaverse; Facebook’s commitment to this space is well known, while Microsoft has created Mesh, which, in its own words, “enables presence and shared experiences from anywhere, on any device, through mixed reality applications”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd2GK0qDtRg

Immersive Technology in Education

Immersive technology in education is applied in many areas, from kindergarten to in-house training in companies.

Schools and colleges can use virtual reality helmets to make lessons more engaging or expand on textbook topics to visit, for example, the human body being explained in biology class or the ecosystem being described in geography. The helmets also serve to ‘be part’ of documentaries or 360° short films that raise awareness of current events such as climate change or refugees: filmmaker Gabo Arora has filmed short films about Ebola in Liberia or the consequences of an earthquake in Nepal to experience with virtual reality glasses in first person the landscapes or people. These stories were used to raise awareness among politicians and leaders, but could also be used in the classroom.

Vocational training and universities are also taking advantage of immersive technology. The former, to teach complex tasks in a safe environment: manufacturing and construction of machinery, handling electrical and high-voltage devices… This not only protects students and teachers but also saves money on physical equipment while providing training.

Moreover, immersive experiences with technology can take place not only in the classroom but also at home: traditional textbooks can include a QR code or a web link to expand information at any time.

Finally, holograms make it possible to bring together teachers and students separated by distance. This helps to create first-person experiences in real-time. Holograms can also be used in a traditional classroom to complement the teacher’s lesson; for example, showing how the lungs work while teaching the respiratory system or how waves work during a physics class.

Plain Concepts and Immersive Technologies

At Plain Concepts, we have developed several projects with immersive technologies whose results leave our clients’ mouths open. For this, our 3D industrial graphics engine Evergine is very useful.

Thus, for Telefónica Movistar we have created a virtual reality application on different devices, with which a user could share the experience of watching television with other people who were in their homes through avatars with movements and expressions similar to those of a person. Evergine was used for the application to be used with different virtual reality glasses: Oculus Rift, Cardboard, HTC Vive… Thus, anyone could watch a Movistar program as if they were, for example, on the roof of a building with their friends.

Virtual Stage

Another immersive technology project at Plain Concepts is Virtual Stage. This software uses the artificial intelligence tool Azure Kinect to create digital scenarios as if it were a conference room. This allows, for example, to create virtual events with speakers from anywhere on the planet: the person is ‘separated’ from the real background in which they are (the living room of their home, an office at the university…) using Background Matting technology, while their conference is recorded.

In this way, with lower travel and travel costs, large conference programs are possible: the speakers are in the same (digital) place without leaving their cities.

Why You Should Rely on Immersive Technology for Your Business

Immersive technology gives a very futuristic and attractive approach to a company’s activities. It also removes the barriers that distance or budget might have raised: a conference from the living room has a quality similar to that of an auditorium, and an anatomy lesson does not need physical material to disseminate knowledge.

In addition, for companies involved in entertainment, it serves to discover new lines of business or complement existing ones with surprising products and enjoyable experiences.

But that’s not all. Using immersive technologies such as digital twins saves money on physical prototypes and instantly allows for many more changes in the prototyping phase to find the perfect product. This speeds up new product launches with a smaller budget.

At Plain Concepts, we have developed immersive technology projects for a wide range of industries and clients. We work with you to design the best concept, and our expert UX team helps us to adapt the product to your device. We show you the different developments as we have them, before the final version; in addition, we create if necessary a minimum viable product (MVP) for you to check the evolution.