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Apple XR for Business: The Complete Guide to Apple’s Role in Enterprise XR

The Complete Guide to Apple’s Impact on XR for Business Users

If you’ve been keeping tabs on emerging extended reality tech, you probably know all about Apple XR for business – the evolving ecosystem of tools, apps, and immersive enterprise software. Apple’s entry into the XR landscape has been a little rocky.

The groundbreaking Vision Pro headset, powered by Apple’s proprietary VisionOS, has struggled with adoption challenges due to its hefty price tag. Some analysts even suggest that the initial headset might be discontinued. But Apple’s XR journey is far from over—it’s just beginning.

Not only is the company upgrading endless types of hardware with spatial computing technologies, but it’s also partnering with organizations like NVIDIA to bring enterprise-grade streaming capabilities to companies and investing in new AI innovations. In the years ahead, the company may even introduce a cheaper version of the Vision Pro.

So, how exactly will Apple reshape the future of enterprise XR?

Apple XR for Business: The Vision Pro Headset

The Apple Vision Pro flagship headset might have some issues—from a high price tag to potentially unnecessary features (like Eyesight)—but it’s hard to argue with its revolutionary functionality. Virtually no other headset can match this device’s incredible spatial computing capabilities or rich features for business users.

From ultra-high resolution displays to incredible computing performance, multi-level hand, eye, and body tracking, and unique multi-tasking capabilities, the Vision Pro has a lot to offer. As the heart of the Apple XR for Business portfolio, the Vision Pro introduced many users to what a “premium” enterprise-grade XR headset could really be, with features like:

Intuitive Controls: Users can navigate mixed reality workspaces with hand gestures, eye-tracking, and voice. In fact, there’s no need for controllers whatsoever.
Flexible Immersion: Easily switch between full immersion and mixed reality, staying in tune with your physical surroundings wherever you are.
Immersive Collaboration: With a dedicated FaceTime experience, and integrations for Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and more, Apple Vision Pro enhances collaboration.
Desktop Mirroring: Turn your Mac into a virtual workspace. Project multiple screens in a 360-degree environment, boosting multitasking without the physical clutter.
Security Built-In: Optic ID uses unique iris patterns for device access. Enterprise-grade MDM support lets IT teams enforce security policies and manage deployments.

It might be expensive, but the Apple Vision Pro headset doesn’t cut any corners. If Apple does introduce a cheaper headset – it could become the go-to for businesses worldwide.

Already, surgeons in the UK, as well as manufacturers, retailers, and automotive companies worldwide have embraced the Vision Pro, despite its price, to upgrade training, enhance creativity, and improve productivity.

Apple XR for Business Software: VisionOS and Beyond

Part of what makes the Apple XR for Business ecosystem so impressive is that Apple didn’t just introduce us to a world-leading premium headset. The company is blending cutting-edge hardware with proprietary software, starting with VisionOS.

The operating system, built specifically for spatial computing, blends real and digital worlds with exceptional accuracy. It provides access to various powerful features, from real-time facial scanning for avatar creation to spatial ray-tracking and a multi-app 3D engine.

Since its launch, Apple has been updating the Vision OS solution with new features, like physical mouse integrations, magic keyboard optimization, and live captions. The updated operating system also features advanced spatial recording capabilities and access to cutting-edge AI for content creation, spatial design, visualization, and enterprise communication.

There are even new gesture capabilities, and device sharing features in VisionOS 2.0 – introducing new opportunities for organizations. Beyond an incredible operating system, the Apple XR for business toolkit also supports:

An Enterprise-Grade App Ecosystem

Although Apple initially only offered a handful of apps for the Vision Pro at launch, drawing from iPad and iPhone solutions, they’ve built on their ecosystem massively. There are now hundreds of business-focused apps to choose from, ranging from productivity apps like Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint to dedicated sector-focused apps like Codepoint and Flippy.

Apple’s ecosystem allows companies to build customized workspaces for productivity with the SAP Business Technology platform, Microsoft 365 with Copilot, Webex and Zoom conferencing, and more. Plus, through the partnership with NVIDIA, companies can take advantage of NVIDIA Omniverse cloud APIs for real-time streaming and digital twin creation.

The Vision Pro Developer Kit

Additionally, Apple gives organizations the power to build and implement their own apps into the Apple XR for business ecosystem. With the Vision Pro Developer Kit, users can access:

VisionOS Frameworks: Developers can utilize familiar tools such as SwiftUI, RealityKit, and ARKit to build applications that fully exploit the Vision Pro’s capabilities.
Reality Composer Pro: An advanced tool for designing and previewing 3D content, enabling developers to craft intricate spatial experiences with ease.
Expert Support and Resources: Apple extends guidance through detailed documentation, design kits, and direct access to Apple experts, ensuring developers can efficiently navigate the creation process.

In other words, companies get the perfect blend of hardware and software to infuse spatial computing into their workflows with limitless flexibility.

Apple XR for Business: The Unique Benefits

Even if you believe that the Apple Vision Pro turned out to be a “flop” – it’s safe to say Apple is primed to continue making a major impact on business XR. The Apple XR for Business ecosystem goes beyond a single device – providing users with a comprehensive toolkit that supports:

Seamless Hardware Integration: The Apple XR ecosystem is designed to work harmoniously with familiar devices like iPads, iPhones, and Macs. This integration allows businesses to extend their current workflows into immersive environments without overhauling existing systems. For instance, the Mac Virtual Display feature enables users to project their Mac screen into the Vision Pro.
Hardware-Software Synergy: Apple’s unique blend of cutting-edge hardware and software and a strong developer and app ecosystem gives companies limitless opportunities to customize their toolkit to suit their specific business needs. Even the VisionOS operating system, built on the foundations of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, offers a familiar yet innovative platform for developers and users alike.
Robust Security and Privacy: Apple is one of the few companies actively addressing concerns with XR security. The Vision Pro incorporates Optic ID, a secure authentication system that uses the uniqueness of a user’s iris for device access. Biometric data is processed on-device, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential and is not transmitted to external servers. VisionOS also supports enterprise-grade mobile device management (MDM), allowing IT departments to enforce security policies, manage app deployments, and remotely wipe devices if necessary.
Enhanced User Experience: User experience is at the forefront of Apple’s design philosophy. The Vision Pro allows users to arrange apps and documents in a 3D space that suits their workflow. The device also supports natural inputs, including eye movements, hand gestures, and voice commands, making interactions intuitive and reducing the learning curve associated with new technology.

Unlocking Spatial Computing for the Enterprise

Unlike its competitors, Apple has gone all-in on bringing the power of “spatial computing” to the enterprise. With VisionOS, applications are no longer confined to flat screens; they can exist as three-dimensional entities within the user’s environment.

In architecture, specialists can overlay 3D models of buildings onto physical spaces, allowing for real-time collaboration and adjustments. Healthcare professionals can visualize medical data in 3D, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and patient communication. The flexibility to transition between augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR) modes enables businesses to choose the level of immersion that best fits their specific use case.

Apple XR for Business: The Major Use Cases

One key factor that separates the Apple XR for Business ecosystem from other XR solutions is how Apple has focused on enterprise use cases practically from day one. According to the company, Apple products are already used by virtually all Fortune 500 companies worldwide, and the team wanted to introduce new opportunities in the XR realm.

Combining the Vision Pro with VisionOS, Apple is supporting businesses with use cases like:

Creating Customized Workspaces for Productivity

Apple’s “spatial computing” technology seamlessly blends digital content with the physical world, creating an environment where businesses can reinvent traditional workspaces. Companies can take advantage of Magic Keyboard and Trackpad solutions, easily project Mac screens into the Vision Pro, create multi-tasking workflows with multiple windows and more.

As mentioned above, Apple also gives organizations access to all of the apps they use every day, with spatial computing enhancements. Companies can launch immersive meeting sessions through Zoom, with 3D object sharing and real-world pinning capabilities.

Teams can tap into Microsoft 365 productivity apps (with Copilot included) to create in immersive reality, and share ideas. Apple’s devices also support specialist experiences offered by Cisco Webex, Box, SAP Analytics Cloud, and more. Plus, the enterprise streaming capabilities supported by NVIDIA will introduce new opportunities for enhancing development workflows.

Revolutionizing Design Workflows

In sectors like manufacturing, the Vision Pro’s high-resolution displays and robust sensors make it easy to visualize and work with virtual objects. The Vision Pro’s display system features 23 million pixels across 2 displays, opening new opportunities for product design, construction modelling, and retail planning.

Already, companies like Porsche have leveraged the Apple Vision pro (and VisionOS) to create their own apps (the Porsche Race Engineer app). This app allows the team to collaborate on everything from performance features, to real-time car insights.

With NVIDIA Omniverse Cloud APIs, developers can also easily stream 3D engineering and simulation data from the cloud to the Vision Pro, so they can view and manipulate blueprints in real-time. Plus, they can collaborate through various tools, like JigSpace for inspection workflows, or EnBW – for visualizing renewable energy infrastructure projects.

Upgrading Training, Education, and Simulation

The intuitive immersive features offered by the Apple XR for Business ecosystem make it perfect for training and educational experiences. By simulating real-world scenarios, trainees can gain hands-on experience in a controlled environment.

Companies like KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are using Apple Vision Pro headsets and the “Engine Shop” app to allow technicians to learn how to work with the latest engine models in a safe, flexible space. Companies in healthcare are allowing medical students to practice complex surgical procedures using detailed 3D models, enhancing their skills without risk.

Apps like Taqtile Manifest are even available to help companies provide on-the-job employees with digital work instructions for hands-on learning. In fact, in the fieldwork landscape, companies like Resolve have upgraded how engineers can plan and access information as they work, using 3D models and high-detail plans on the Apple Vision Pro.

Apple XR for Business: Opportunities Across Sectors

The adaptability of the Apple XR for business ecosystem makes it a valuable asset across various sectors. Numerous organizations across industries from healthcare to finance. Just some of the most significant use cases across industries include:

Retail: In the retail sector, Apple’s XR technologies are transforming customer experiences. Brands can create immersive product demonstrations, allowing customers to interact with virtual versions of products before making a purchase.
Emergency services: For emergency services groups, Apple XR solutions offer incredible opportunities for safe and effective training. For instance, the FireOps app, allows fire fighters to view and follow incident action plans in real-time, while connecting with back-end teams.
Healthcare: In healthcare, surgeons are using Apple’s XR solutions in operating rooms to access crucial information and enhance precision in real-time. Surgeons have used the Vision Pro to display surgical views and patient vitals directly within their line of sight, improving efficiency and reducing the risk of errors.
Real Estate: For real-estate experts, theVision Pro enables potential buyers to embark on virtual property tours, experiencing spaces as if they were physically present. This immersive approach allows clients to explore properties in detail, facilitating informed decision-making without the need for on-site visits.
Financial Services: In Financial Services, companies like UXDA are experimenting with spatial banking solutions to help organizations deliver more personalized service to customers, and ensure they can visualize investment portfolios.
Manufacturing: In the manufacturing landscape, covering everything from device to vehicle development, the Apple Vision Pro’s exceptional visualization capabilities make it easier to create and iterate on designs faster, and more efficiently.

Apple’s Future in the XR Space

Apple might have faced some roadblocks in the XR world, struggling to validate the high cost of its flagship device to consumers and companies alike. However, the company’s future in extended reality is still bright. In the last year, Apple has significantly updated the VisionOS operating system with advanced AI capabilities, new productivity features, and enhanced integrations.

The company is also investing in valuable partnerships, working with companies like NVIDIA to bring enterprise-grade streaming capabilities to organizations worldwide. This service enables developers to stream complex Universal Scene Description workflows directly to the headset, facilitating real-time collaboration and visualization of intricate 3D models.

Not to mention, Apple is constantly expanding its application ecosystem, with hundreds of new apps, tools, and systems, specifically designed to support enterprise use cases. Beyond that, Apple seems to recognize the need for more accessible XR solutions in the enterprise landscape.

Analysts worldwide believe that the company is working on a less expensive version of the Apple Vision Pro headset, that will deliver similar revolutionary features, while cutting down on unnecessary extras (like the EyeSight display). This would broaden Apple’s market reach, giving organizations access to a device that balances performance with affordability.

Apple XR for Business: A Visionary Future

No matter how you feel about the Apple Vision Pro, it’s impossible to ignore the impact of the Apple XR for Business ecosystem. Leveraging incredible hardware-software synergy, robust security features, and seamless integrations with existing Apple devices (as well as versatile apps), Apple is reshaping enterprise XR on a massive scale.

Few competitors can offer the same blend of usability, functionality, and security as Apple for companies ready to invest in a truly premium XR experience.

Ready to explore your options? Check out our comparison guide, pitting Apple XR against competing solutions here. Alternatively, learn how to effectively embed Apple XR tools into your workflows, with our best practices for implementation guide.

Quelle:

https://www.xrtoday.com/mixed-reality/apple-xr-for-business-the-complete-guide-to-apples-role-in-enterprise-xr/

18. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

How Industrial Enterprises Are Winning with Microsoft XR

With immersive technologies gaining traction and proven use cases, enterprises are increasingly turning to Microsoft’s extended reality (XR) technologies to enhance operations, improve training, and foster collaboration. Tools like Microsoft Mesh, immersive spaces in Teams, and Azure Mixed Reality services are at the forefront of this transformation, enabling companies to merge physical and digital environments.

Enhancing Training and Collaboration with Microsoft Mesh

Microsoft Mesh is a mixed reality platform designed to revolutionize how people collaborate, communicate, and connect. Introduced in 2021, Mesh combines augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create shared virtual experiences across devices, including HoloLens headsets, smartphones, PCs, and VR headsets.

Accenture, a global professional services company, used Microsoft Mesh to create „One Accenture Park,“ a digital campus designed to elevate onboarding and training for new employees worldwide. This virtual environment allows team members to interact in real-time, regardless of their physical location, fostering a sense of presence and community.

Takeda, a biopharmaceutical company, developed the „Hirameki Garden“ within Microsoft Mesh to visually represent its corporate philosophy. This immersive space promotes relationship building and cultural immersion among employees, enhancing collaboration and understanding across the organization.

Real-Time Insights with Azure Mixed Reality Services

Azure Mixed Reality services, including Azure Digital Twins and Azure Remote Rendering, empower industries to create digital twins and visualize complex 3D models. These tools provide real-time insights into operations, enabling predictive maintenance and efficient monitoring.

Bosch leveraged Azure Digital Twins, Power Apps, and the Azure IoT Hub to implement a predictive maintenance strategy across its manufacturing facilities. This technology enables real-time machinery monitoring and instant alerts via Microsoft Teams when issues arise. Equipped with mixed reality headsets, on-site staff can connect with subject matter experts through Remote Assist applications, using spatial annotations for enhanced guidance. This approach not only boosts efficiency and minimizes downtime but also contributes to greater sustainability.

In the energy sector, Enerjisa Üretim, a leading energy provider in Turkey, uses Azure’s rendering capabilities to monitor and optimize power plant performance around the clock. This approach has led to reduced downtime and improved overall energy efficiency, showcasing the practical benefits of integrating Azure Mixed Reality into industrial operations.

Mercy Ships, a non-profit organization, created a digital twin of their hospital ship, the Global Mercy, using Microsoft Mesh. This virtual replica facilitates tours, onboarding, and staff training, which unifies understanding and connects its people to their culture and mission.

Seeing Clearly with Microsoft HoloLens

Microsoft HoloLens is an untethered, holographic mixed reality headset designed to enhance collaboration, training, and operational efficiency. By seamlessly blending digital content with the physical world, HoloLens empowers workers to interact with 3D models, receive remote assistance, and visualize complex data in real-time.

Encoo, a provider of mixed reality solutions, developed HoloSite, a site management tool built on Microsoft HoloLens and Azure cloud services. HoloSite leverages AI to analyze design models and panoramic photos of construction sites so architects, site managers, and contractors can visualize projects in 3D within the actual environment. This technology enhances communication among stakeholders, streamlines project management, and ensures projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Autoliv China, a leader in automotive safety systems, collaborated with Microsoft and DataMesh to integrate digital twin technology and 3D data visualization into their operations. By utilizing Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets, Autoliv created an immersive platform that enables frontline workers to interact with digital twins, facilitating real-time monitoring and remote collaboration. This approach has led to increased operational efficiency and reduced resource consumption.

By adopting immersive technologies, enterprises can bridge geographical gaps, enhance employee engagement, and drive innovation. Success stories show how Microsoft’s XR solutions are transforming industrial applications, leading to more efficient and connected operations.

Quelle:

Foto: Microsoft

https://innovateenergynow.com/resources/how-industrial-enterprises-are-winning-with-microsoft-xr?hss_channel=lcp-11808249&utm_source=pocket_shared

18. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

Immersive Learning Benefits: Reducing Training Time and Enhancing Skill Acquisition

The Impact of Immersive Learning on Staff Training

Wondering how immersive learning benefits teams across industries? Compelling research is quickly mounting up. Countless studies from world leaders like Accenture and PWC have shown that immersive training (using XR technologies) can improve knowledge retention, increase employee confidence, boost engagement, and even reduce training times.

In fact, PWC says that immersive training helps learners complete training up to four times faster while ensuring they retain the knowledge they gain for longer. It’s little wonder that our own research found “employee training” to be one of the main use cases for companies adopting XR.

As skill shortages continue to cause significant problems for growing companies, traditional training methods are failing to deliver the right results. It’s time for companies to upgrade their approach to professional development with immersive, hands-on experiences.

Immersive Learning Benefits: The Science of Success

Traditional training solutions are problematic. Human beings rarely hold onto the information we get from books and old-fashioned videos or lectures for long. In fact, studies show that we only remember about 30% of what we read and 20% of what we see on average. However, we retain around 90% of the knowledge we gain from hands-on experience.

Immersive learning benefits employees across industries by positioning them in virtual, interactive environments where they can experiment with different scenarios and practice skills without risk. With virtual, augmented, and mixed reality solutions, companies can tap into the benefits of experiential learning, unlocking the power of “learning by doing.”

Immersive environments stimulate the brain through visual, auditory, and even kinesthetic cues (with haptic feedback), fostering deeper engagement with educational content, enhancing muscle memory, and accelerating skill mastery.

According to the latest stats from market leaders, immersive education improves learning effectiveness by up to 76%, increases learner confidence by up to 275%, and even promotes more cost-effective training. After all, immersive solutions offer companies a virtual solution they can share with countless team members, all without hiring specialist training teams.

Immersive Learning Benefits: The Impact on Training

Although companies that want to unlock immersive learning benefits must overcome initial challenges, the outcomes are incredible. Our research found that companies struggle with initial expenses and onboarding strategies, but in the long term, they benefit from quicker, more effective, and less costly training initiatives.

Here’s how immersive learning benefits modern teams.

Accelerating Learning with Immediate Feedback

Most companies today don’t have the time or resources to give every employee a human mentor while they learn. A lot of corporate skill development happens through online classes and courses – meaning team members miss out on valuable feedback.

Extended reality platforms, combined with AI, can give team members feedback in real-time, without the need for human educators. Systems can track an employees movements and decisions, and share insight advice on how they can improve their skills.

In aviation, for instance, trainees can practice complex maneuvers in a controlled setting, receiving instant performance assessments. In healthcare, medical students can use simulations to practice complex procedures, and receive feedback in real-time.

For instance, GE Healthcare transformed radiography training with VR, offering healthcare professionals a virtual environment where they could interact with three-dimensional scanners, and access real-time support from an AI assistant.

Enabling Fully Personalized Learning Experiences

Traditional educational experiences are often very “one-size-fits-all”. Immersive learning benefits employees by giving them a more personalized, dynamic experience. With metaverse as a service and dedicated software tools, companies can build unique training programs for each employee and upgrade them over time based on performance data.

They can embed artificial intelligence into training scenarios, giving each employee a virtual mentor that learns about their needs, weaknesses, and strengths and adapts accordingly. Immersive learning platforms even give users access to dashboards and reports where they can monitor their performance across tasks and invest more fully in their own education.

For instance, the Bank of America created a virtual “Academy” designed for onboarding new employees, with custom training solutions for each team member based on their role.

Boosting Engagement with Interactivity and Gamification

Engagement often suffers in traditional training environments. Team members are easily distracted by other tasks when they’re watching videos and reading content. In some cases, courses are forgotten about entirely – leading to low completion rates.

Immersive learning benefits teams by implementing interactive elements and gamification into learning environments. For instance, students can earn points and badges for their accomplishments or compare their performance to colleagues on a leaderboard. This increases engagement and helps employees to more actively “enjoy” the training experience.

For example, Walmart has been using virtual reality training for years now to help employees prepare for complex customer service scenarios with interactive challenges – like managing a Black Friday rush or dealing with an irate buyer. Greater engagement leads to better knowledge retention, meaning businesses spend less time “retraining” employees.

Immersive Learning Benefits for Collaborative Teams

Collaboration is often crucial in any business environment, and employees need help learning how to interact effectively with their colleagues. Unfortunately, in the world of hybrid and remote work, it can be difficult to facilitate face-to-face interactions between peers.

Immersive learning addresses this issue, by allowing companies to create group learning environments in a virtual world. For instance, with Microsoft Mesh, companies like Accenture have created onboarding and training environments where teams can work together on developing new skills, and share knowledge in real-time – regardless of their location.

Immersive solutions even improve on-the-job training. For instance, with augmented or mixed reality glasses, employees in a manufacturing plant can request real-time insights from subject matter experts, who can share documents, annotations and comments in an instant.

Transforming Soft Skill Training

Countless companies have already discovered that immersive learning benefits companies in developing technical skills. In the aviation industry, companies are using XR to enhance flight training simulations. In engineering, firms like Intel use HTC VIVE headsets to train team members on reducing electrical accidents within corporate environments.

Even in healthcare, companies like the NHS and UC Berkley are using extended reality to help professionals practice procedures and surgeries in a controlled environment.

But immersive training isn’t just great for hard skill development. It can assist companies in enhancing soft skills too. For example, Verizon uses VR to train call center employees on how to handle difficult customer interactions, improving communication skills and emotional intelligence.

By enhancing both soft and hard skill training, XR prepares all kinds of team members to excel in their roles. PWC even found that VR-trained employees were 275% more confident in applying what they learned compared to those trained through traditional methods.

Reducing Risks and Costs in Training

On top of all the immersive learning benefits mentioned above, extended reality solutions also reduce the risks and costs associated with traditional training. Immersive solutions provide employees with realistic, risk-free environments where they can practice and perfect their response to potential hazards. In manufacturing, for instance, Autoliv China uses mixed reality to help team members learn how to repair potentially dangerous machinery.

The US fire department uses extended reality training programs to help prepare firefighters to navigate burning buildings and avoid threats when responding to emergencies. Team members can learn faster in safe environments that don’t put their health or wellbeing at risk.

Beyond that, immersive learning benefits companies by allowing them to offer comprehensive training programs to team members across locations with minimal costs. Businesses can avoid the costs and environmental impact of asking team members to travel to a specific location for a hands-on workshop. They even reduce the amount of downtime for crucial machines, as users can experiment with digital twins rather than real-world products.

Embracing Immersive Learning Benefits: Next-Gen Education

In the future, immersive learning will continue to revolutionize the corporate training landscape. The opportunities are only growing as vendors experiment with new hardware, from upgraded MR headsets (like the Apple Vision Pro) to cutting-edge smart glasses and haptic wearables.

Educational software is also becoming more sophisticated and accessible, with flexible development platforms, tools for creating digital twins (like Varjo Teleport), and integrated AI solutions – like those built into the Android XR platform.

Companies that embed these technologies into their learning strategies can reduce costs, improve knowledge retention, and enhance employee performance faster than ever before. Ready to dive in? Read our guide to implementing immersive training into your business. Alternatively, learn how to boost the ROI of immersive learning solutions here.

Quelle:

https://www.xrtoday.com/mixed-reality/immersive-learning-benefits-reducing-training-time-and-enhancing-skill-acquisition/

18. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

Quest’s Passthrough Camera API Is Out Now, Though Store Apps Can’t Yet Use It

Quest’s highly anticipated „Passthrough Camera API“ is now available for all developers to experiment with, though they can’t yet include it in store app builds.

The new capability was announced at Meta Connect 2024 in September as coming this year. Now it’s here, as an experimental release for Quest 3 and Quest 3S. That means any developer can experiment with it, and even distribute APKs using it on platforms like SideQuest, but they can’t yet include it in Meta Horizon Store apps. Meta has taken this approach for new APIs multiple times in the past, and typically makes the feature available for use in store apps within a few months at most.

Select developers have had early access to experiment with the capability for a while now, and Meta will host Niantic, Creature, and Resolution to discuss it at GDC next week.

For the „Passthrough Camera API“ to work, you as the user need to grant the app permission to access your headset cameras, just as you would the microphone. If granted, the app gets access to the forward-facing color cameras, including metadata like the lens intrinsics and headset pose, which it can leverage to run custom computer vision models.

Examples of how apps could use this include scanning and tracking QR codes, detecting a game board on a table to add virtual characters and objects to it, detecting physical objects for enterprise guide experiences, or integrating the visual AI functionality of cloud-hosted large language models (LLMs). Developers are only limited by which real-time computer vision models can run on the XR2 Gen 2 chipset performantly, or which cloud-hosted image models they’re willing to pay for.

Meta software engineer Roberto Coviello’s QuestCameraKit samples.

The passthrough camera stream is provided to the app with up to 1280×960 resolution per camera at 30FPS, with a stated latency of 40-60 milliseconds. That means it isn’t suitable for tracking fast moving objects, such as custom controllers, nor for discerning fine features like small text.

Technically, at a base level, there is no specific Meta Quest Camera Passthrough API, nor is it an extension to OpenXR. Developers do need to request a Horizon OS specific Headset Cameras permission, but otherwise Quest’s passthrough camera access leverages Android’s existing Camera2 API to also return the headset pose, obtained with OpenXR, and the Camera2 API is what developers of custom engines, or source code for Unreal or Godot, use for it. This also means the same code should work on Google’s upcoming Android XR platform, set to debut in Samsung’s standalone headset, with only the permission request being different.

For Unity, developers can easily access the cameras through Unity’s WebCamTexture API, which is how they already access phone, tablet, and PC cameras and webcams in the engine. A limitation here, however, is that Unity’s WebCamTexture API only supports one camera at a time, not both.https://www.youtube.com/embed/1z3pcMJbnRA?feature=oembed

Walkthrough from Meta software engineer Roberto Coviello.

Interested developers can find Quest passthrough camera access documentation here: Unity / Native Android.

Meta has published five official Unity samples on GitHub: CameraViewer, CameraToWorld, BrightnessEstimation, MultiObjectDectection, ShaderSample. Meta software engineer Roberto Coviello has separately published QuestCameraKit on GitHub, a collection of five further samples: Color Picker, Object Detection with Unity Sentis, QR Code Tracking with ZXing, Frosted Glass Shader, and OpenAI vision model.

Quelle:

https://www.uploadvr.com/quest-passthrough-camera-api-experimental-out-now/

17. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

XR & Datenschutz – bist du wirklich sicher?

Extended Reality (XR) revolutioniert die Art, wie wir arbeiten, lernen und kommunizieren. Doch während Unternehmen immersive Technologien für Training, Meetings oder Produktpräsentationen nutzen, bleibt eine entscheidende Frage oft unbeantwortet:

Wie sicher sind die Daten dabei wirklich?

Warum Unternehmen XR & Datenschutz ernst nehmen sollten
📌 Gesichtserkennung, Bewegungsprofile, Blickverlauf – XR-Technologien sammeln weit mehr Daten als klassische digitale Tools. Die Gefahr: Unternehmen laufen unbewusst Gefahr, sensible Informationen preiszugeben oder Datenschutzrichtlinien zu verletzen.

📌 Regulatorischer Druck wächst – Die EU-Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) sowie weltweite Datenschutzgesetze werden strenger. Unternehmen, die XR nutzen, müssen sicherstellen, dass ihre Anwendungen rechtskonform sind – sonst drohen Bußgelder und Reputationsverluste.

📌 Vertrauen schaffen, Compliance sichern – Kunden, Partner und Mitarbeitende erwarten, dass ihre Daten geschützt werden. Unternehmen, die hier mit klaren Richtlinien agieren, haben einen Wettbewerbsvorteil und vermeiden rechtliche Risiken.

Wie Unternehmen XR sicher nutzen können
💡 Welche Daten werden in XR erfasst?
Von biometrischen Informationen über Raumerfassung bis zu Nutzerverhalten – viele Unternehmen wissen nicht, welche Daten im Hintergrund gesammelt werden.

💡 Welche Tools sind datenschutzkonform?
Nicht jede XR-Plattform ist DSGVO-konform. Welche Lösungen bieten Datenschutz-Features und worauf sollte man achten?

💡 Wie werden Daten rechtskonform verarbeitet?
Welche Maßnahmen müssen Unternehmen ergreifen, um Datenschutzrichtlinien in ihren XR-Projekten umzusetzen?

Der nächste Schritt: Sicher in der virtuellen Welt
In unserem Online-Kurs „XR & Datenschutz – Sicher in der virtuellen Welt“ erfährst du, wie du immersive Technologien verantwortungsvoll in dein Unternehmen integrierst – praxisnah und rechtssicher.

👉 Jetzt anmelden & Datenschutz zum Booster für dein XR-Projekt machen:

XR & Datenschutz: Sicher in der virtuellen Welt

17. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

6 Future Tech Trends In Accessible Learning

With the help of tech trends, accessible learning has become easier and students can engage in fun and exciting ways. Let’s see what these trends are and why it’s important to keep investing in accessible technologies so that everyone can enjoy digital learning.

How Will Future Trends Shape Accessible Learning?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a classroom where every student, regardless of their abilities, has the tools they need to learn and thrive? For years, education has been quite limiting for many people as it adopted a generic approach. However, thanks to tech trends in accessible learning, now it’s possible to create fully inclusive learning environments.

Accessibility in education isn’t just about doing the right thing; it’s about giving every learner an equal opportunity to succeed. For students with disabilities, traditional learning methods can be challenging. For example, a visually impaired student might struggle with textbooks, while a student with a hearing disability can’t follow verbal instructions. Even students with cognitive differences, such as dyslexia or ADHD, often face issues in traditional classrooms. But thanks to technology, these can be solved.

Over the last few years, tech trends have changed the way we approach accessible learning. Speech-to-text software, screen readers, AI-powered systems, and many more make education more friendly to individual needs. But this is just the start. The future will bring more possibilities, and below, we’ll explore all the future trends in technology that will shape accessible learning and transform the educational experience for millions of students.

5+1 Tech Advancements And Their Role In Accessible Learning

1. AI-Powered Assistive Technologies

AI-powered tools are becoming more and more popular as they make a real difference in classrooms. One of the most exciting trends in accessible learning is personalization, thanks to AI. This is because traditional education falls short of offering unique experiences, but AI can adapt lessons to fit each student’s needs. For example, students with dyslexia might get reading materials with adjusted fonts and pacing, while visually impaired learners could receive audio descriptions. AI-driven learning platforms analyze how students interact with content and adjust it in real time, ensuring that everyone gets the support they need. AI is also useful to students with motor impairments or learning disabilities. Speech-to-text and text-to-speech tools make lessons more accessible and allow everyone to participate. The same applies to translation and captions. AI can do that instantly, which is great in classrooms with students from all over the world or people with hearing impairments.

2. VR And AR

Thanks to Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR), students with different abilities can explore the same lessons in ways that truly work for them. One of VR’s biggest perks is its ability to create fully interactive learning environments. Traditional classrooms can bring challenges for students with mobility impairments, such as inaccessible desks or limited participation in hands-on activities. However, with VR, they can join virtual classrooms, interact with their peers, and even do science experiments or visit historical sites, all from the comfort of their homes. AR, on the other hand, overlays digital content in the real world, making it a fantastic tool for students with visual or cognitive impairments. For example, AR-powered smart glasses can describe objects, helping visually impaired students navigate their surroundings.

3. Wearables And Brain-Computer Interfaces

Thanks to wearable technology and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), students with disabilities can interact with their learning environment just as easily as anyone else. For example, AI-powered smart glasses can provide real-time captions for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and translate speech into text right before their eyes. Some even use AR to make classroom learning more interactive and engaging. Even modern hearing aids now come with AI integration, filtering out background noise and enhancing speech. For students with severe mobility impairments, BCIs are truly useful tools. These devices allow users to control computers and communicate using only their thoughts. BCIs translate brain signals into commands, helping students navigate lessons, type, or even move things.

4. Adaptive Learning Platforms

Adaptive learning platforms rely on AI to adapt to each student’s pace. Instead of one single approach, like it happens in traditional classrooms, AI tracks a student’s progress, strengths, and challenges. So, if a student struggles with math, for instance, the platform can adjust, offering simpler explanations, additional practice, or even video tutorials. Now, if a student is performing well, they’ll be challenged with more advanced material. This adaptability means the world to students with disabilities. This is because AI can even analyze how a student interacts with content, identifying potential issues before they happen and adjusting the material accordingly. Teachers can use these AI-generated insights as well to understand which students need extra support and how to create more inclusive lesson plans.

5. Gamification

Gamification involves using game-like elements to make learning more engaging, rewarding, and, most importantly, accessible. For students with cognitive disabilities, this opens a whole new world of learning possibilities. Imagine a student with ADHD who struggles to stay focused in a traditional classroom. A gamified learning app offers short lessons with challenges and rewards progress with points and badges. This helps maintain engagement and makes it easier for them to focus. Students on the spectrum can also benefit, as gamification can create a structured and predictable learning environment, reducing anxiety. Many platforms also incorporate storytelling, simulations, and social skills exercises, allowing learners to practice everything in a safe space.

6. Blockchain

Blockchain in education promises secure and easily accessible digital credentials. This way, students with disabilities or learning barriers never have to worry about lost or inaccessible materials or institutions questioning their qualifications. Why is that an issue? The traditional education system comes with problems like lost paperwork, difficulty proving qualifications, and even bias in evaluations. Blockchain technology, though, allows students to store their academic records securely on a decentralized network. Therefore, they don’t have to rely on institutions to verify diplomas or certifications anymore, as they can share their credentials themselves. Then there’s the issue of privacy. Many students with special needs rely on assistive technologies that collect sensitive data. Blockchain ensures that this data is securely encrypted, giving students control over who accesses their information.

Conclusion

The future of education looks more inclusive and accessible than ever. With AI, VR, and adaptive platforms, students of all abilities can participate in ways that were once unimaginable. However, for this progress to continue, institutions must invest in accessible learning technologies and prioritize accessibility, not only to embrace the latest tech trends in accessible learning but also to ensure that no one is left behind.

Quelle:

Foto: Pressmaster/Shutterstock.com

https://elearningindustry.com/future-tech-trends-in-accessible-learning

17. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

Willst du die Zukunft des Lernens mitgestalten? Dann bewirb dich für den Immersive Learning Award 2025!

🎭 Dein XR-Lernprojekt wird gefeiert, dein Unternehmen als Innovationsführer anerkannt – und das auf einer Bühne, die die besten Köpfe der Branche vereint – der AR-/VR-Area in Halle 2 in der LEARNTEC. Klingt nach einem Traum? Dann ist jetzt deine Chance, ihn wahr zu machen!

💡 Der Immersive Learning Award 2025 sucht Pioniere, die mit Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) und Mixed Reality (MR) neue Maßstäbe im Lernen und Training setzen.

📌 Warum solltest du dich bewerben?
✅ Sichtbarkeit – Werde als Innovator anerkannt und zeige dein Projekt einem Fachpublikum.
✅ Networking – Knüpfe Kontakte mit führenden Experten und potenziellen Partnern.
✅ Gütesiegel – Ein Award ist ein starkes Statement für Kunden, Investoren und dein Team.

🏆 Wer kann sich bewerben?
Egal, ob du ein Start-up, ein etabliertes Unternehmen, eine Bildungseinrichtung oder eine Forschungseinrichtung bist – wenn du immersive Technologien nutzt, um Lernen zu revolutionieren, dann ist dieser Award für dich!

Die Zukunft des Lernens braucht Macher.
Bist du bereit, dein Projekt ins Rampenlicht zu stellen?

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Immersive Learning AWARD 2025

16. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

Experiential Design for XR Systems: Driving User Efficiency and Engagement

The XR market is blooming with solutions for diverse domains and industries. With new hardware launches and technical advancements occurring daily, there’s an increasing demand for higher content quality and visual fidelity, as well as more haptics and integration of the new features and functions for better user convenience and performance. While the design aspect of XR solutions continues to evolve, there’s still ample room for improvement in crafting immersive XR products, and dedication to systemic thinking and using experiential design tools is crucial here. Lucid Reality Labs tracks the market’s progress while developing our excellence in visual fidelity and design for impact, and here’s what we see.

User experience (UX) plays a crucial role in XR experiences, affecting how fluent and confident users feel immersed in them. Hence, the Industry strives for consistency and natural interactions in solutions, carefully crafting essential components like intuitive consumer journey, smooth assistance and guidance, comfort of usage, nativity and clarity, haptic and tactile feedback, eye tracking that ensures personalization, response, and the most effective performance.

Lucid Reality Labs has identified several areas for development in current XR interfaces that can be addressed for more realistic and impeccable experiences. We emphasize consistency and natural interaction and eliminate the need for additional explanations, assistance, or additional feedback, which may detract users from the immersive experience. While some solutions still need to develop more in-depth and accurate haptic, tactile, and audio feedback to address users’ difficulties in understanding if they are performing tasks correctly. The whole Industry will benefit from and elevate the user experience in XR environments by creating more coherent and intuitive interfaces.

Overall, the XR Design System can be instrumental in accelerating the design process, reducing development time and cost, and ensuring consistent quality across different users and devices. While including interactions (like hand tracking or controller use), and already-mentioned feedback mechanisms can pave the way to design efficacy. Lastly, a system means adaptability and inclusion, aiming to make all the solutions developed within it adaptable to various devices, screen resolutions, and interaction models.

XR market players aiming at leadership foresee immense opportunities in considering all the technology’s blockages and understanding the benefits they will offer, such as enhanced development process, impact measurement, and unique advantage on the market. Let’s look at recent steps major companies have taken to move to better experiential design and enhanced features of their solutions and products.

Hand-Object Interactions Analysis. Meta engineers presented the HOT3D dataset, a tool designed to enhance understanding of how humans use their hands to interact with objects and communicate. This benchmark dataset is poised to unlock new opportunities in computer vision research, particularly in transferring manual skills from experts to less experienced users or robots, aiding AI assistants in understanding user actions and enabling innovative input methods for AR/VR users. Key Features of the HOT3D Dataset are comprehensive data collections, for example, 1+M multi-view frames of hand-object interactions, high-fidelity 3D models, advanced tracking capabilities, and APIs with code samples for accessing and visualizing image streams and high-quality 3D poses. These features collectively elevate development and provide invaluable insights. As a result, the HOT3D dataset is poised to become an essential resource for researchers and developers in the XR and AI fields, significantly advancing the realism and functionality of XR applications.

Tracking for Better Convenience. In the meantime, Apple introduced an upcoming visionOS 2, a significant update to Apple Vision Pro that, among other offers, introduces a noteworthy way for users to create spatial content and enables intuitive hand gestures to access vital information at a glance quickly. visionOS 2 introduces a new spatial interface controlled by eyes, hands, and voice, making navigation on Apple Vision Pro faster and easier. New hand gestures provide quick access to features like Home View and Control Centre and allow actions like adjusting volume and viewing battery levels. Enhancements include higher resolution Mac Virtual Display, mouse support, and visibility of the Magic Keyboard even in immersive environments. Users can personalize Home View, use Travel Mode with new train support, and add Guest Users.

Foveated Rendering for High-End Graphics and Immersion. Varjo is committed to extremely realistic visual fidelity and full immersion into the headset user’s experience. Therefore, they are actively working to combine Quad view, foveated rendering, and OpenXR. Foveated rendering is the technique of rendering graphics with the desired resolution that ideally matches the level of detail that the eye perceives. With high-resolution rendering focused on where the user is looking, the depth of detail and realism grows, boosting immersion in XR experiences.

Enhanced Functionality. The v67 update for Meta headsets introduces several new features and enhancements to make the user experience more convenient and smooth. Key updates on Quest 3 include users gaining a Wi-Fi QR Code Scanner feature for more accessible network connections, and immersive media continuity allows videos to be accessed without closing the current VR app. With this updates, Meta is experimenting with a window management solution that ensures convenience and nativity for users while all content transitions to 3D design. It is worth noting that this feature remains experimental.

Experiential design of the XR solutions that imply high-quality interactions and feedback are essential for a native and enjoyable user experience, and there are many more examples of how the market targets this excellence. Consideration of personal touchpoints, usage of additional devices, and various input methods enhances usability and user satisfaction. These insights highlight the importance of a well-designed XR system that prioritizes user experience, provides comprehensive feedback, and maintains adaptability and consistency across different platforms and devices.

Quelle:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/experiential-design-xr-systems-driving-user-efficiency-egdyf/

14. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

‘An ideal tool’: prisons are using virtual reality to help people in solitary confinement

Participants view scenes of daily life as well as travel adventures – then process the emotions they trigger through art

One Monday in July, Samantha Tovar, known as Royal, left her 6ft-by-11ft cell for the first time in three weeks. Correctional officers escorted her to the common area of the Central CaliforniaWomen’s Facility and chained her hands and feet to a metal table, on top of which sat a virtual reality headset. Two and a half years into a five-year prison sentence, Royal was about to see Thailand for the first time.

When she first put on the headset, Royal immediately had an aerial view of a cove. Soon after, her view switched to a boat moving fairly fast with buildings on either side of the water. In the boat was a man with a backpack, and it was as if she were sitting beside him. With accompanying meditative music and narration, the four-minute scene took Royal across a crowded Thai market, through ancient ruins, on a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled rickshaw) and into an elephant bath with her backpacked companion. For Royal, these vignettes felt real enough to be deserving of a passport stamp.

Before Thailand, Royal had been held in the facility’s “restricted housing unit”, or solitary confinement. There, the only opportunity incarcerated people typically have to speak with each other is through cell vents or across the yard during recreation. Typically for this program, participants in solitary sit inside individual cells the size of phone booths known as “therapeutic modules”. In Royal’s facility, she and fellow participants were separated by plastic dividers, and each participant was shackled to a metal seat attached to a table.

The VR stirs up the triggers and the trauma and the emotions – and then the art transforms

Sabra Williams, Creative Acts founder

In the seven-day intensive VR program, participants experience scenes from daily life, as well as some more adventurous ones such as traveling to Paris or paragliding, for four hours each day. Facilitators ask them to process emotions that come from these scenes through various art exercises involving theater tactics, poetry, painting, etc.

“The VR stirs up the triggers and the trauma and the emotions – and then the art transforms,” Sabra Williams, the founder of Creative Acts, the organization behind the program, shares. The non-profit conducts the program both in general population and in solitary.

Now released, Carlos Ortega went through the virtual reality program in March of last year while in solitary confinement at Corcoran state prison. At 6ft tall, he remembers needing to sit down on the provided stool within the solitary cage to immerse himself in the VR scenes, even though the headset’s 360-degree view was programmed to work within the cage’s confines.

“If you’re not mindful of your body in prison, that can lead to conflict. We’re always aware of the amount of space we have, so I didn’t fidget a lot,” he shares. Ortega rarely bumped into the walls, carefully moving his torso and neck in order to take in his surroundings. “It was difficult, but we worked with what we got.”

Freedom within – and from – a controlled environment

“The micro environment is really, really controlled,” Ortega goes on to explain. Even when he would try to initiate interaction with prison guards, he would get shut down. “I would always say, ‘Hey, good morning. How was your drive here? How are you doing?’ I’d mostly get a glare or a look like ‘Why do you care?’ It’s kind of humiliating.”

Creative Acts seeks to work against this hardened environment. The California-based organization relies on the arts as a resource for behavioral change and practical preparation for coming home from prison. With VR in four institutions – Valley state prison (VSP), Kern Valley state prison, Corcoran state prison and the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) – the organization has more requests coming in from other California facilities. Plans to expand beyond the state, however, can not be fulfilled due to lack of funding, according to Williams.https://e7d290f03fffa313309b678da6fc74e5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-41/html/container.html

Williams first had the idea to bring VR into prisons five years ago. After founding Creative Acts in 2018, she said she “got real tired of hearing people come home after life sentences, having done multiple decades inside, and literally landing on a different planet”. She felt there was an urgent need for her organization to visually puncture the concrete barriers separating incarcerated people from the outside world. “As the world was changing out here, we missed it,” said Star Van Pool, Creative Acts’ program facilitator, who was incarcerated for 17 years.

So when Williams heard about a rudimentary VR program led by correctional officers in another state, she began to workshop how her organization could safely and humanely adapt this work. “I was looking for something that would bring the outside world inside. I heard that VR works on your brain as if you’ve had the experience,” Williams said. “It seemed like an ideal tool.”

Breathing through the overwhelming emotions of the everyday

It took a year for Creative Acts to persuade Meta to donate 20 headsets and two of its Cleanbox headset sanitation machines for a VR pilot. Meanwhile, Creative Acts’ Alumni Lab worked with content makers including Unincarcerated Productions to produce scenes reflecting the collective fears and curiosities that arise when preparing to come home from prison, such as exiting the facility on release day, conducting a job interview or going on a date.

For Major Bunton, Creative Acts’ director of programming, the big fear was paying for groceries. “If I’m sitting in line, swiping my credit card, and I can’t get it done, the first thing that comes to my mind is ‘Oh my God, someone’s going to know I’ve been incarcerated,’” he said.

To film a Thanksgiving dinner scene, Williams made an entire meal – “I cooked a terrible turkey,” she quipped – and brought in actors to demonstrate various conflicts that could come up when interacting with a loved one who has just come home from prison. When a person puts on the VR headset to experience this scene, it is as if they are at the table. “When I came home, I had to realize that my family had changed. I had to learn how to adapt to their lives,” Bunton shares. “And conversely, they saw me as the person I was when I went in 20 years ago.” Williams’ goal is for participants to get a handle on the rollercoaster of emotions that comes after long-term separation through these family-conflict scenes.

Williams says that the programming is not about therapizing or diagnosing anyone; it’s about providing them with the tools to feel and be aware of their own emotions in an otherwise repressive environment. Daniel Garcia, a participant incarcerated at Valley state prison in rural central California, got upset experiencing a scene in which a person bumped into him on a crowded street in Los Angeles. Following a breathing exercise while still in VR, Garcia said he was able to calmly consider how he might better resolve this type of conflict. “A lot of us, when we do come to prison, we’re not aware of the triggers from traumatic experiences that we’ve had, so we just react. VR helped us recognize those triggers.” Introducing this level of emotional awareness supports participants in coping and responding differently because, as Van Pool shares, “if a person doesn’t even understand why they’re angry or where it came from, they can’t change their behavior”.

The transformative scene for Ortega was sitting around the Eiffel Tower. “You see tourists, regular people going to and from work,” he said. “And that’s when it hit me: I want to live life like that. I deserve it. I owe it to myself.”

As a responsive exercise, Creative Acts gives participants physical masks to paint. On the outside o the mask they’re asked to portray how they believe society perceives them; on its inside, how they see themselves. On his mask, Garcia wrote “condemned” with cracks on the outside, to reflect his sentence of life without parole. “But I want to be bigger than that,” he said, “so on the inside I painted a sunset, full of life, so bright.”

Working through ‘a lot of pain’ in virtual reality

Reflecting on her experience in VR six months ago, Royal shares that she initially “saw a lot of pain” when the group started. “But by the end, I saw smiles on the faces of all these women and the ability to trust somebody again,” she said. Released from solitary confinement within two months after donning the headset, Royal still conducts unified breathwork she learned from the program with people in the prison if she senses conflict.

Garcia similarly retains his meditation practice, oftentimes putting in earbuds to quiet his surroundings, slowly counting while envisioning a sunset. Matias Magana, another program participant at Valley State, shares that now he says hello to individuals he never would have spoken to had it not been for his Creative Acts group. For him, “we’re breaking cultural boundaries”. And Ortega, who spoke sporadically on a Tuesday when he had gone to Creative Acts’ office to pick up some of his old art, says that he now finds himself “being comfortable in the uncomfortable”. His birthday was the second to last day of his Creative Acts’ experience; he still has the sticky notes the facilitators put on his “therapeutic module” with birthday wishes from everyone.

Closing a solitary unit after virtual reality workshops

In response to Creative Acts programming, facilities are witnessing an immense change. “Prison is toxic. You become accustomed to it: the corruption, the duplicitousness. Hell is normalized,” Ortega said. But prisons that have piloted the VR program report a 96% reduction in infractions from incarcerated participants in solitary confinement, according to Creative Acts. Corcoran state prison in rural central California saw the number of infractions of the men in solitary go from 735 to one after one week-long session. One of Corcoran wardens commuted so many solitary confinement sentences that the facility closed one of its four buildings dedicated to the practice.

The organization attributes this level of transformation to the role that art plays in encouraging people to redirect their anger, share and process their trauma, and envision, quite literally with the help of VR, a world beyond the bars that confine them.

Pros and cons of tech in prisons

Introducing new technology into prisons has inspired skepticism as well as praise. Making available tablets with texting, email and books en masse in prisons has also made way for another predatory profit channel for companies, increased the ability to further surveil incarcerated people, and created false promises of more connection or education. Many argue that tech is just a bandage solution that only serves to maintain an inhumane carceral system. Others say that working with the same prisons that continue to incarcerate people in droves cannot possibly benefit those inside. Williams has grappled with these critiques.

I learned that, even if someone has nothing in common with me, I can find a way to connect with them

Samantha ‘Royal’ Tovar

“Anything can be used to cause harm, [and] people will always make money off of anything that goes into prisons, so the benefits for the people inside, to me, outweigh the issues,” Williams says when discussing the introduction of tablets and other technology inside prisons. For the Creative Acts’ founder, the key to administering VR is by utilizing team members who have endured incarceration themselves to thoughtfully facilitate the experience as well as providing trauma-informed art exercises paired with every scene. As for criticisms about working with the California department of corrections and rehabilitation rather than against it, Williams has a consistent motto: “Do you want to be right, or do you want to make change? You can’t make deep cultural change without including the people that work there.”

Still, the non-profit must go the financial and physical lengths of bringing VR inside prisons while many of the scenes that participants interact with in their headsets are just on the other side of their cell walls. However, participants said the small doses of virtual freedom and exposure to the outside world shifted their behaviors and perceptions more than solitary confinement ever did.

“I learned that, even if someone has nothing in common with me, I can find a way to connect with them,” Royal shares. She will parole from prison in May and feels more confident in her ability to build a community for herself. For Ortega, Creative Acts laid an emotional foundation that informs the work he’s doing upon release. “I feel content, I’m more tolerant, people call me reliable again. I go to AA and NA meetings, I’m in school. I actually started my own program. It’s called Dream Catchers. I’m trying to catch that dream that I didn’t catch before.”

Quelle:

Foto: Some incarcerated people have reported transformative experiences when using the VR devices.Photograph: Sam Richardson/Courtesy of Creative Acts

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/08/vr-prison-california

14. März 2025 0 comment

Examples

AutoVRse transforms workplace safety with AI-powered VR training at National Safety Week

AutoVRse enables workers to practice emergency responses, refine technical skills, and enhance safety compliance.

AutoVrse, provider of Virtual Reality (VR) training solutions, is transforming workplace safety by leveraging AI-powered VR training to tackle dire scenarios. In high-risk sectors like blast furnaces, cement kilns, and medical equipment manufacturing, VR provides an immersive, risk-free way to train employees. AutoVRse enables workers to practice emergency responses, refine technical skills, and enhance safety compliance, ensuring industries operate more safely and efficiently.

The urgent need for safety training

In just 2024 there were 240 manufacturing-centric workplace incidents, wherein over 400 workers lost their lives while 850 suffered major injuries, thereby perpetually reiterating how pressing actions are necessary towards workplace accidents. Failing conventional safety training methods in preparing workers for hazards has recently made organisations look for more effective alternatives.

Ashwin Jaishanker, CEO of AutoVRse states: “Industrial workplaces pose unique challenges for safety training. Some environments are too hazardous to recreate, certain scenarios occur too rarely to train for effectively, and others are simply too costly to simulate in real life.”

Also read: https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/hindustan-zinc-limited-workforce

Proven impact of VR training

Immersion VR training has been shown to increase knowledge retention by 75% and reduce training time by 40%. Gen Z employees have shown engagement rates of over 90%, when traditional approaches only show 30%. By educating 60,000 workers in virtual reality simulations, industry leaders such as Ultratech Cement have observed a 45% decrease in safety incidents across 55 plants.

The improvement in safety compliance achieved by JSW Steel is 37% for a new employee who goes through VR-based training concerning high-risk tasks such as lancing operations in a blast furnace. Workers would find it easy to master critical techniques in safe environments using VR simulations. Several leading organisations are implementing immersive training programs on this National Safety Week to address the most pressing safety challenges of the company and in line with this year’s theme, ‘Empowering the Next Generation of Safety Leaders.’

Quelle:

https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/autovrse-workplace-safety

14. März 2025 0 comment