Eight Resources For Meeting Using Virtual Or Augmented Reality
Conferences are being cancelled at an unprecedented rate, business travel is being postponed, and people are shying away from large crowds due to the uncertainty and risk around the spread of COVID-19.
As in-person events are becoming less viable- at least for the near future— there is an opportunity to explore the growing market of virtual events. From remote work to group meetings and activities, virtual and augmented reality can offer the benefits of in-person experiences (spontaneous interactions, physical cues and connection) without health risks.
There are many different options for VR meeting spaces and collaboration platforms. Here are a few I’d recommend checking out. And if you don’t have a headset, don’t fret— headsets are not always required! Most of these technologies are also available on personal computers using a desktop client, phone app, or through a browser.
Remote Work And The Future of Collaboration
As virtual collaboration platforms grow, they will provide a multitude of benefits including increased efficiency, reduction in commute time and cost of travel, the ability to better leverage flexible schedules, and enabling a wider range of geographic locations for a more global workforce. In addition, reduction in travel will have a positive impact on the environment.
Based in Portland, Oregon, The Wild is an immersive collaboration software platform for teams working in architecture and design. Using VR enables teammates to have real time collaboration together from anywhere in a 3D space.
Spatial uses Microsoft HoloLens as well as connected devices and laptops screens to enable collaboration using Augmented Reality. Spatial turns a physical space into a 3D shared AR work place. Remote users can collaborate, search, brainstorm and share content as if in the same room.
Arthur enables digital in-person meetings using VR. A Boost VC alum, Arthur is a virtual office space that allows you and your team to meet, collaborate, and manage work— all in Virtual Reality.
Virtual Conferences/Social VR
Social VR is a broad term for virtual meeting spaces for groups of people. They can be used for games, art experiences, meet-ups, and even conferences.
As Liv Erickson, Product Manager at Mozilla, pointed out in her recent blog, there are challenges to scaling conference experiences in the way we know them today. However, this inflection allows for an opportunity to redesign conferences in a way that is more useful to the participants. In VR, meetings can break the mold of traditional conferences and add additional value. For example, imagine an event where the speaker can generate 3D objects into the audience or even change the entire environment to make a point.
Social And Meeting Platforms
Tivoli Cloud VR’s platform is capable of hosting hundreds of avatars in the same space, providing real time communication at scale. Tivoli focuses on bringing presence, body language, voice, and eye movement to a shared virtual space where people can truly feel together. A WXR Accelerator company, Tivoli was used for the WXR Accelerator Cohort 3 Pitch Showcase sponsored by Verizon 5G Labs in December 2019.
Hubs by Mozilla is an open source, private social VR platform. Built for sharing virtual rooms with friends to “watch videos, play with 3D objects or just hang out”, Mozilla is in the process of determining how they can virtually host speakers and groups whose plans to attend GDC/SXSW are affected.
2013 AltspaceVR has been providing a virtual place to meet for live shows, meetups and classes. AltspaceVR was also used in the first WXR pitch showcase in January 2018.
VRChat encourages users to create and play in virtual worlds. With over 50,000 Community Created Worlds and Growing, VRChat offers social VR experiences by giving the power of creation to its community. VR Chat supports those looking for new VR experiences or that want to create an experience of their own.
Engage is a VR training and education platform focused on helping educators, trainers and corporate teams collaborate and learn through virtual reality.
In addition, after shutting down their first social VR platform, Spaces, Facebook’s Horizon is currently in closed beta. There are also many other methods to connect with others in virtual reality- via multiplayer games and experiences through platforms like Rec Room, Half + Half, and Wave.
Virtual Conferences Are Happening Now
The Educators in VR International Summit in February 2020 was a free, open-to-the public, virtual event lasting 6 days (over 80 round-the-clock hours) with a diverse range of speakers and presentations.
The VR Investment Conference invites VR industry leaders and investors from around the world for panels, exhibits and investor networking on March 12. Attendees can participate from anywhere in the world using HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, Oculus Quest, or Desktop PC. The conference is designed to connect VR entrepreneurs in the enterprise and consumer market with VR early stage investors with an established portfolio synergetic to our speakers, exhibitors, and attendees.
Let’s Meet… Virtually
The opportunity to enable business and human communication in VR is just beginning and will only get larger. Not only will these emerging platforms increase productivity, they will also help the environment by cutting down on business travel. We will continue to invest and in these technologies and expect to see increased adoption. Over the coming months WXR will be sponsoring virtual events using some of these platforms. Stay tuned for more information!