Tag

Meeting

Transforming Team Collaboration: Co-located Meetings with Spatial Computing

In the evolving landscape of work, enterprises and employees are increasingly torn between remote, hybrid, and co-located teams. Traditionally, each of those work models comes with its advantages and downsides. Co-located teams are great for in-person collaboration, but it does not offer employees the workplace flexibility they increasingly desire after the huge work-from-home experiment that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The remote team model offers employees the workplace flexibility they want, but without in-person face-to-face meetings, team cohesion and collaboration can suffer. Hybrid team model offers a balance by providing some degree of flexibility while also enabling some face-to-face time, but teams can find it confusing to navigate and can struggle with maintaining productivity when part of the team is co-located in the office and part of the team is remote at different times. Since the past few years, Virtual Reality (VR) based collaboration platforms like Arthur have offered enterprises the ability to bridge the gap by enabling in-person collaboration from anywhere in virtual office spaces. As the mixed reality hardware for workplace collaboration comes of age with headsets such as Meta Quest 3, there are increasing opportunities for innovation to bridge the gap further and ensure top notch team cohesion, collaboration, and productivity irrespective of how distributed a team is and where an employee chooses to work from on any particular day. One such innovative functionality that promises to redefine collaborative meetings is our newly launched co-located meeting mode. This groundbreaking feature leverages the unique capabilities of extended reality (XR) to enhance the collaboration and connectivity of teams regardless of their geographical dispersion while offering the possibility to seamlessly leverage the benefits of XR even when a part of the team or the whole team is co-located.

Understanding co-located meetings

At its core, a co-located meeting refers to a gathering where participants are in the same physical location. Our co-located meeting functionality allows such teams to leverage the benefits of a virtual office platform seamlessly, while also integrating any remote participants as if they were physically present. This mode of meeting combines the benefits of in-person interactions with the expansive capabilities of virtual environments, catering to the needs of modern enterprises that have teams operating across the spectrum of remote to co-located settings.

Benefits for co-located teams

A co-located team is a group of individuals working together in the same physical space. This traditional setup offers advantages, including familiarity, spontaneous communication, and the strengthening of interpersonal relationships. However, the advent of digital transformation and the shift towards more flexible working arrangements have challenged these teams to find innovative ways to maintain their productivity and cohesion. Virtual Reality technology can be a pivotal tool for co-located teams, bridging the gap between the physical and digital realms. The Arthur platform with the newly added co-located meeting functionality enriches the co-located team experience by integrating virtual elements that expand their collaborative potential beyond the confines of their physical space. The co-located meeting functionality eliminates common barriers such as audio duplication issues and the need for avatars, facilitating a natural and immersive meeting experience when the participants are co-located and seeing the physical room is beneficial for the meeting. Participants can interact with virtual objects and each other within their actual physical environment, enriching their collaboration and creativity.

Quelle:

https://www.arthur.digital/blog/transforming-team-collaboration-co-located-meetings-with-spatial-computing?utm_content=182141649&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-15174687

23. April 2024 0 comment

Examples

Where Do Spatial and Affective Computing Meet?

Spatial computing has been in the spotlight, with the Apple Vision Pro headset shipping earlier this year. The device extends reality based on its understanding of the user and their environment, enabling natural interaction through hand gestures, eye tracking, and speech.

Today, we share some thoughts about the intersection of spatial computing and affective computing: “computing that relates to, arises from, or deliberately influences emotions”. The goalof affective computing is to create a computing system capable of both perception, recognition, and understanding of human emotions, and the ability to respond intelligently, sensitively, and naturally.

Spatial computing and affective computing therefore share a broader aim: making human-computer interaction more natural, enabled by understanding user context. While both terms have been around for decades (no, really and really!), they’re becoming increasingly relevant given advances in extended reality (XR) and AI technologies. In this week’s newsletter, we’ll consider how affective computing fits into the growing overlap between XR and AI, and offer three takeaways on how to leverage affective computing to improve human-computer interaction.

Where does affective computing fit in the XR <> AI landscape?

To answer this question, we need to look across current affective computing use cases, and examine some themes. These use cases include:

Education

These use cases broadly fall into two categories – adaptive learning systems (e.g., Brainly) and emotionally-responsive educational robots (e.g., RoboKind). The former adjusts content delivery based on the learner’s emotional state, aiming to enhance engagement, motivation, and retention. The latter includes robots that interact with students and can adapt their teaching strategies to fit the emotional needs of each learner.

Healthcare and wellbeing

Emotion-aware health monitoring and therapeutic applications include wearables and mobile apps that monitor emotional states to help track mental health and stress levels (e.g., Affectiva), or provide support/coaching by adapting responses based on the user’s emotional state (e.g., Replika).

Customer service

Emotion detection has been employed in call centers to analyze vocal tones and speech patterns to adapt responses and improve customer satisfaction (e.g., Cogito). Chatbots and virtual assistants are also becoming more emotionally intelligent, offering responses that are both contextually appropriate and empathetically aligned with the user’s feelings (e.g., Live Person).

Entertainment and media

We can infer one step beyond current stream service algorithms, in which content is recommended based on the emotional state inferred from the user’s interactions and choices. There’s also rich literature on affective game computing, where a game adapts to the player’s emotions (e.g., adjusting difficulty or narrative elements to provide a more immersive experience).

Security

Systems can use emotional recognition as an additional layer of security, identifying potential threats based on emotional cues (e.g., Nviso).

Intertwined with AI

A common theme across use cases is the concept of ambiently anticipating and adapting to user needs, using the emotional cues people are already eliciting to tailor a user experience or initiate a response from a computer system. In an affective computing system, emotions become the user interface.

Compare this with a spatial computing system. Today, headsets like Apple Vision Pro allow us to interact with the headset the same way we interact with non-digital objects. For instance, “gaze at something you are interested in” – something we’ve been doing long before computers, now turns into “gaze at the interface element you want to select” in the headset. The user experience is based on the system’s understanding of both the user and their environment. As XR becomes further intertwined with AI, this depth of understanding and intuitiveness is likely to increase.

Ambient, anticipatory, and adaptive

Let’s consider an example of what affective computing might look like in a future where XR and AI have more thoroughly overlapped:

Imagine you’re stressed, working on a big deliverable. Your spatial computing headset (or glasses) can detect that stress, based on your speech, body movement and physiological signals. The device offers the ability to create a customized, relaxing digital cocoon, subtly offering options to instantly adapt lighting, interface layout and audio to help you get your work done.

A defining aspect of this example is that the system ambiently senses the user’s emotional cues. Once “stress” is detected, the system anticipates the user’s need, offering to adapt the user interface (which in this case, is highly immersive, leveraging audio and visuals). Note there is still an opportunity for the user to provide input. Affording user autonomy and the opportunity to provide feedback to the system are key to avoid false inputs and user frustration, especially until the system learns the user’s preferences (assuming the user gives it permission to do so).

There’s also an inherent theme here of multimodality. Multiple modalities coexist in our social environment, and humans can cross-reference between modalities in real time to understand others’ emotional states (e.g., whether speech matches body movements). This concept is similar to multisensory perception and cognition, in which we are integrating stimuli from across different senses (e.g., vision, hearing, touch) to make sense of the world. In the example described above, affective and spatial computing are coming together, powered by AI, to fuse these multimodal signals into an input to which the system responds.

Takeaways

If you’re building experiences in the realm of spatial and affective computing, here are three takeaways to consider:

Focus on accurately recognizing and fusing multimodal emotional cues, to provide responses that are helpful, genuine and unobtrusive: Aim for a user experience that is more intuitive, responsive and personalized than the user’s current digital experiences, approximating non-digital interaction as much as possible. This involves iterative cycles of testing and learning from your customers, and benchmarking value both against existing technologies, as well as non-digital experiences (e.g., if there’s a chatbot element to the experience, gather feedback on how users would compare it to a conversation with a person).
Respect user autonomy: While you do want to aim for building an unobtrusive solution, also remember that you also need to provide the user with control and the opportunity to provide feedback before adapting the user experience. This may become less required over time, if or when the user chooses to share their preferences with the system. However, start by allowing the user to confirm intent and adaptations before they’re implemented.
Promote well-being, for both the user and society: Affective computing use cases, especially when combined with XR, can quickly veer into Black Mirror territory. Stay focused on what value you’re aiming to deliver to the user, and build for user privacy and trust. Leverage ethical design toolkits such as Tarot Cards of Tech or IDEO’s AI Ethics Cards to pressure test your ideas and technology during product development.

So there you have it. Stay tuned for more commentary and analysis at this intersection of spatial and affective computing. Meanwhile, additional reading can be seen in Rony Abovitz’ recent article, The State of Play in Spatial Computing/XR in 2024. In it, the Magic Leap and Sun & Thunder founder describes our status on the path to a north-star XR experience called “XR Infinity”, where we develop XR tools that bend to meet people in context, rather than the other way around.

Quelle:

Where Do Spatial and Affective Computing Meet?

2. April 2024 0 comment

Metaverse

5 Reasons Why Virtual Meeting Rooms are Important for Modern Enterprises

The corporate landscape is evolving at warp speed. Gone are the days of siloed teams tethered to physical spaces. Today, modern enterprises thrive on agility, innovation, and seamless remote collaboration across borders and time zones. And that’s where virtual meeting rooms step in, not as a mere convenience, but as a transformative tool driving success.

What is a Virtual Meeting Room?

Virtual meeting room is a software-based platform that simulates a real-world meeting space, enabling multiple participants to connect, collaborate, and interact in real-time, regardless of their physical location. It goes beyond basic video conferencing by offering interactive features like virtual whiteboards, document sharing, breakout rooms, and even immersive 3D environments.

This is where virtual reality meeting rooms truly differentiate themselves. Unlike traditional video calls that feel sterile and disjointed, these digital spaces foster a sense of connection and presence. You can brainstorm together at a virtual whiteboard, whisper with a colleague in a private breakout room, or simply exchange virtual smiles around a digital coffee table. It’s all about bridging the physical gap and creating a collaborative environment that feels, well, real.

And that’s just the beginning. Virtual meeting rooms are rapidly becoming the cornerstone of the modern workplace. They’re not just cool gadgets; they’re driving productivity, engagement, and ultimately, success for enterprises and corporations of all sizes. So, buckle up, because the future of collaboration is looking anything but flat – it’s immersive, interactive, and it’s happening right now, in the realm of the virtual meeting room. And who knows, maybe one day your metaverse avatar will be sipping virtual coffee with colleagues from across the globe, all within the comfort of your own home office.

5 Reasons Why Virtual Meeting Rooms are Important for Modern Enterprises

1. Unlocking Global Collaboration

In the interconnected world of modern business, virtual meeting rooms (VMRs) play a pivotal role in fostering seamless communication across geographical boundaries. These digital transformation spaces empower enterprises to transcend physical limitations and connect effortlessly with international virtual teams and clients. Through platforms like Meetaverse, companies can conduct virtual reality business meetings, share information, and collaborate in real-time, breaking down the barriers imposed by distance.

Key features include:

Immersive experience in 3D environments: Simulate real-world spaces like video conferencing rooms or project sites, fostering connection and engagement.
Personalized avatars: Express yourself and build relationships through customizable avatars, breaking down geographic and cultural barriers.
Real-time translation and communication tools: Eliminate language barriers with instant translation, chat functions, and interactive whiteboards.

Here are some virtual meeting room examples showcasing how global projects successfully managed through collaboration:

The Mars Perseverance rover landing: NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover landing in February 2021 was a triumph of international collaboration, with teams of engineers and scientists from all over the world working together in virtual rooms to plan and execute the mission.
The development of the COVID-19 vaccines: The rapid development of vaccines for COVID-19 was another example of how virtual rooms collaboration can make a difference. Scientists from all over the world shared data and research findings in real time, which helped to accelerate the development process. As a result, safe and effective vaccines were developed in record time.
The construction of the International Space Station: The International Space Station (ISS) is a testament to international cooperation, with 15 countries working together to build and operate the orbiting laboratory. The ISS has been assembled over the course of decades, and much of the planning and coordination has been done in virtual rooms.

2. Boosting Productivity and Efficiency

Virtual online meeting rooms are instrumental in streamlining communication processes, reducing meeting durations, and improving focus. Advanced agenda tools and time management features help maintain structure, ensuring that discussions remain relevant and efficient. Additionally, the elimination of travel time and logistical challenges allows employees to dedicate more time to productive work.

A 2023 survey by Owl Labs found that 75% of employees reported feeling more productive in virtual meetings compared to in-person meetings due to fewer distractions and better focus. This suggests that a virtual meeting room can create a more conducive atmosphere for focused work.

virtual online meeting rooms for productivity and efficiency

The concept of a centralized metaverse office further enhances efficiency by providing easy access to tools and collaborative spaces within one virtual environment. This streamlined approach, coupled with advanced agenda tools, ensures meetings remain focused and time-efficient.

Overall, virtual meeting rooms optimize work dedication by simplifying processes and reducing time constraints, contributing to a more productive work environment.

3. Enhancing Inclusivity and Engagement

In the contemporary landscape of remote collaboration, virtual meeting breakout rooms emerge as a pivotal tool for fostering inclusivity and engagement within modern enterprises.

In essence, virtual meeting breakout rooms are instrumental in reshaping the dynamics of modern enterprises by prioritizing inclusivity, equal participation, and focused collaboration. They contribute to a more vibrant and engaged workforce, ultimately enhancing the overall effectiveness and success of the organization in an era where remote and virtual collaboration have become the norm.

Active engagement in virtual meetings can be significantly boosted by leveraging three essential features:

1. Screen sharing:

Share presentations, documents, and live applications, creating a shared visual space for everyone to follow discussions and engage with ideas. This is far more interactive than passive screencasting or email attachments.
Tools like real-time markups and pointers allow participants to directly collaborate on shared content, promoting active involvement and brainstorming.
Share visual aids and diagrams that transcend language limitations, ensuring everyone can grasp concepts regardless of their spoken language.

2. Real-time translation:

Break down language barriers and foster seamless communication across diverse teams, allowing non-native speakers to actively participate and contribute.
Instantly translated subtitles or interpretations ensure everyone stays engaged and receives information clearly, minimizing confusion and missed details.
Open doors to working with international partners and clients without language limitations, expanding your reach and opportunities.

3. Chat functions:

Participants can ask questions, clarify points, and share observations through chat, enhancing dialogue and keeping everyone involved even if they’re not actively speaking.
Use chat for quick suggestions, side discussions, and collaborative brainstorming, generating more creative and diverse ideas than verbal discussion alone.
Shy or non-vocal participants can contribute their thoughts and ideas through chat, ensuring everyone has a voice and feels included.

virtual meeting breakout rooms - enhance inclusivity and engagement

A 2023 study by McKinsey & Company found that companies with a strong virtual collaboration culture experienced a 20% increase in employee engagement and a 15% boost in diversity and inclusion initiatives

4. Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Optimization

The adoption of the best virtual meeting rooms results in substantial cost savings for enterprises. Reduced travel expenses, the elimination of physical meeting space requirements, and decreased reliance on expensive equipment contribute to significant financial benefits.

JLL, a commercial real estate services firm, estimates that companies can reduce their office space needs by 30% when adopting flexible work arrangements, including virtual collaboration.

Implementing virtual collaboration solutions effectively requires careful planning and investment in the right tools and training. However, the long-term cost savings and increased productivity often outweigh the initial investment, making virtual collaboration a sound financial decision for many organizations.

5. Future-Proofing Your Business with Innovation

Virtual meeting room services are at the forefront of innovation, incorporating advanced technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence. These innovations enhance the collaboration experience, offering new possibilities for engagement and interaction. By staying abreast of technological advancements, enterprises can future-proof their business operations and maintain a competitive edge.

Insights into the future of virtual meeting rooms suggest a continued evolution with even more immersive and interactive features. As technologies like VR and AI-powered features continue to advance, the role of personal virtual meeting rooms in shaping the workplace of tomorrow becomes increasingly pivotal. Forward-thinking businesses that embrace these innovations position themselves as leaders in the ever-evolving landscape of modern enterprise collaboration.

Meetaverse: Your Next-Generation Virtual Meeting Room Platform

Meetaverse isn’t just another virtual meeting room platform. It’s your gateway to a fully immersive enterprise metaverse. Imagine:

Customizable virtual meeting rooms: Design your own 3D virtual meeting room – from futuristic boardrooms to tropical retreats – that reflect your brand and foster creativity.
Interactive avatars and environments: Express yourself through personalized virtual meeting room avatar and explore dynamic virtual worlds that break the boundaries of physical limitations.
Advanced collaboration tools: Whiteboards, shared documents, real-time analytics – Meetaverse equips your team with everything they need to collaborate and innovate like never before.
Scalability and security: Meetaverse scales with your enterprise, offering secure and reliable solutions for businesses of all sizes.

In conclusion, the importance of online virtual meeting room in modern enterprises cannot be overstated. These dynamic digital spaces serve as catalysts for global collaboration, breaking down geographical barriers and fostering seamless communication. As showcased through platforms like Meetaverse, virtual meeting rooms not only boost productivity and efficiency but also contribute to a more inclusive and engaging work environment.

The cost-effectiveness and resource optimization offered by virtual meeting rooms, exemplified by real-world case studies, underscore their practical benefits. Moreover, the continuous integration of innovative technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence ensures that virtual meeting room platforms are not just tools for today but essential components in future-proofing business operations.

As businesses navigate the ever-changing landscape of collaboration, embracing the capabilities of virtual meeting rooms emerges as a strategic imperative. The transformative impact on communication, productivity, and cost-effectiveness positions these digital spaces as integral assets in shaping the agile and forward-thinking enterprises of tomorrow.

Quelle:

5 Reasons Why Virtual Meeting Rooms are Important for Modern Enterprises

19. Januar 2024 0 comment

Examples

Die Revolution der VR-Trainings Warum Virtual Reality Videokonferenzen übertrifft

In der heutigen digitalen Ära sind Videokonferenzen zur Norm geworden. Doch mit dem Aufkommen der Virtual Reality (VR) Technologie stellt sich die Frage: Kann VR die Art und Weise, wie wir uns treffen und lernen, revolutionieren? Eine kürzlich veröffentlichte Studie gibt uns einige Einblicke.

Das vorliegende Dokument „Meetings in the Enterprise Metaverse: How Virtual Reality Affects Scaled Business Agility“ enthält einige Ansätze, um klar zu machen, dass VR im Umfeld auch für Training und Working interessant ist und Vorteile gegenüber zu Videokonferenzen bereithält.

Ausgangspunkt

Teammeetings sind seit langem ein zentraler Bestandteil von Unternehmen weltweit.
Die Umgebung, in der solche Meetings stattfinden, hat sich durch Digitalisierung und Globalisierung verändert.
Videokonferenzen sind zur „neuen Normalität“ für kollaborative Meetings geworden.
Es gibt Kritik an der Effektivität von Videokonferenzen, insbesondere wegen Phänomenen wie “ Zoom fatigue“.
Es gibt ein wachsendes Interesse an der Nutzung von Virtual Reality (VR) für Meetings.

Hauptthemen des Dokumentes sind…

Die Autoren untersuchen, ob VR-Technologie eine sinnvolle Alternative zu etablierten Videokonferenzformaten für die Remote-Zusammenarbeit darstellt.
Die Forschung konzentriert sich auf agile Planung, ein Bereich, der gut geeignet zu sein scheint, um die Vorteile von virtuellen Meetings zu nutzen.
Die Studie vergleicht die Verwendung von VR-Headsets für Meetings im Enterprise Metaverse mit der Verwendung von Videokonferenzen für dieselben Meetings.
Die Studie beinhaltet die Teilnahme von Managern einer öffentlichen Organisation und Managern von Partnerorganisationen.

Autoren des Dokumentes

Nilusha Aliman ist Forschungsbeauftragte am XRLab@MCM und Doktorandin am Lehrstuhl für Marketing & Medienforschung an der Universität Münster.
Thorsten Hennig-Thurau ist Professor für Marketing an der Universität Münster und Akademischer Direktor des XRLab@MCM.
André Henke (Dipl.-Ing.) ist Leiter der Digitalisierung der öffentlichen Verwaltung im Ministerium für Inneres und Sport von Niedersachsen

Aus den vorliegend Dokument leite ich drei Thesen und deren Bedeutung im Unternehmenskontext ab.

Die Macht der sozialen Präsenz in VR

In der Geschäftswelt ist die Qualität der Kommunikation entscheidend. Während Videokonferenzen eine gewisse Ebene der Interaktion bieten, kann nichts die Nuancen und Tiefe der Face-to-Face-Kommunikation ersetzen. VR bietet hier einen entscheidenden Vorteil. Durch die Simulation einer physischen Präsenz in einer virtuellen Umgebung ermöglicht VR den Teilnehmern, nonverbale Hinweise wie Körpersprache und Mimik auszutauschen. Dies führt zu einer tieferen, authentischeren Kommunikation, die es Teams ermöglicht, effektiver zusammenzuarbeiten und Missverständnisse zu minimieren.

Eines der herausragendsten Merkmale von VR ist die Fähigkeit, eine erhöhte soziale Präsenz zu bieten. Face-to-Face-Kommunikation, oft als die „reichste“ Form der Kommunikation bezeichnet, ermöglicht es den Interaktionspartnern, soziale Hinweise durch ihre Körpersprache und andere nonverbale Signale direkt auszutauschen.

Laut dem Dokument:

„The reason is that F2F communication is known to be the “richest” form of communication, as it allows interactants to directly exchange social cues through their body language and other non-verbal signals.“ (Seite 5)

In einer VR-Umgebung können diese nonverbalen Hinweise und Interaktionen in einer Weise nachgebildet werden, die in Videokonferenzen oft fehlt, wodurch eine tiefere und bedeutungsvollere Kommunikation ermöglicht wird.

VR bietet fortschrittliche kollaborative Tools

In einem wettbewerbsintensiven Geschäftsumfeld ist die Fähigkeit, effizient und kollaborativ zu arbeiten, von unschätzbarem Wert. VR-Plattformen sind mit fortschrittlichen kollaborativen Tools ausgestattet, die über das hinausgehen, was Videokonferenzsysteme bieten können. Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie arbeiten in Echtzeit an einem virtuellen Whiteboard, brainstormen in interaktiven Räumen oder führen Produktdemos in einer 3D-Umgebung durch. All dies ist in VR möglich, wodurch die Produktivität gesteigert und innovative Lösungen gefördert werden.

Die VR-Technologie hat in den letzten Jahren erhebliche Fortschritte gemacht. Heutige VR-Geräte, wie sie von Unternehmen wie Meta (ehemals Facebook) und HTC angeboten werden, eröffnen neue Möglichkeiten für Teammeetings.

Das Dokument betont:

„However, today’s stand-alone, mass-market VR devices offered by firms like Meta (formerly Facebook), HTC, Pico (from TikTok parent company Bytedance), and soon Apple open new possibilities for team meetings.“ (Seite 3)

Mit VR können Teams in computer-simulierten Umgebungen zusammenarbeiten, die mit fortschrittlichen kollaborativen Tools ausgestattet sind, die das gemeinsame Arbeiten und Lernen in Echtzeit fördern.

Erhöhte Immersion und Engagement in VR

Die Ablenkungen während Videokonferenzen sind allgegenwärtig, sei es durch Hintergrundgeräusche, technische Probleme oder einfach durch das Multitasking am Computer. VR schafft eine immersive Umgebung, die diese Ablenkungen minimiert. In einer VR-Sitzung sind die Teilnehmer vollständig in die Aktivität eingebunden, sei es ein Meeting, eine Schulung oder eine Brainstorming-Session. Dieses hohe Maß an Engagement fördert nicht nur die Konzentration, sondern auch die Kreativität und Problemlösungsfähigkeit des Teams.

Die immersive Natur von VR kann dazu beitragen, dass sich die Teilnehmer stärker in das Training einbezogen fühlen und sich besser auf den Inhalt konzentrieren. In VR können Mitarbeiter und Arbeitgeber in computer-simulierten Umgebungen zusammenarbeiten, die durch ihre Avatare repräsentiert werden.

Wie im Dokument erwähnt:

„Specifically, the use of VR devices promises to provide computer-simulated environments in which employees and employers can meet and work together represented by their avatars.“ (Seite 3)

Fazit

Während Videokonferenzen sicherlich ihre Vorteile haben, zeigt die Studie deutlich, dass VR-Trainings das Potenzial haben, die Art und Weise, wie wir lernen und zusammenarbeiten, zu revolutionieren. Mit erhöhter sozialer Präsenz, fortschrittlichen kollaborativen Tools und erhöhter Immersion bietet VR eine überzeugende Alternative zu herkömmlichen Videokonferenzsystemen.

Erleben kann man dies seit über 3 Jahren bei mir in meinen Ausbildungen z.B. zum VR/AR-Trainer*in oder VR Collaboration Experten*in.

Das Dokument findet Ihr hier

Quelle:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/die-revolution-der-vr-trainings-warum-virtual-reality-torsten-fell-l6hae%3FtrackingId=It9kptGtRdakQ4clPHk%252Bcg%253D%253D/?trackingId=It9kptGtRdakQ4clPHk%2Bcg%3D%3D

26. Oktober 2023 0 comment

Examples

The Benefits of Using VR for Business Meetings and Collaboration

For many, virtual reality (VR) still seems like a sci-fi concept. However, as technology advances rapidly, the use of VR for business purposes is becoming increasingly common.

Instead of paying for expensive trips and accommodation to have face-to-face meetings and collaborate with employees or clients, businesses are now turning to VR to communicate effectively from any location.

VR in business meetings and collaboration has numerous benefits worth considering.

Realistic Interaction

One significant advantage of VR for business meetings and collaboration is the ability to experience realistic interaction.

In contrast to traditional video conferencing options where you can see and hear distant collaborators on screens, VR enables users to experience almost real-life interactions through avatars in a simulated environment.

Customizing avatars according to preferences allows one to get an immersive meeting experience that lacks remote communication alternatives.

This way, staff, and stakeholders can better visualize ideas while giving more personalized feedback, increasing productivity during brainstorming sessions.

Cost-Effective Solution

Another much-appreciated benefit is the cost-saving effect it brings by reducing travel expenses such as airline tickets, hotel accommodations, meal allowances, etc.

Through VR meetings or conferences hosted in Virtual-reality environments such as AltspaceVR or BigscreenVR, businesses save considerable costs, time spent traveling, and carbon dioxide emissions.

This makes it an excellent solution during global pandemics and when circumstances render physical meetings impractical, hence improving work flexibility while saving resources.

Increased Accessibility

Unlike conventional group processing, where each member’s interaction influences all other interactions independently when working remotely, productivity can be adversely affected when employees get overlooked inadvertently.

It can result in employee isolation and make progression easier with support, ultimately leading to lackluster general employee performance over time.

However, with Virtual-reality office spaces, employees feel included as they interact with others within the same environment regardless of distance barriers providing equal access irrespective of position and keeping every worker integrated, which remains vital towards staff retention and motivation.

Enhanced Training

Employees engaged in certain professions such as medicine, engineering, or heavy industry prioritize safety, an area where errors have dire consequences.

Virtual reality simulations offer viable solutions. With VR simulations, heavy industry engineers can train virtually on diverse scenarios for many hours without the conventional training pitfalls.

Trainees can easily work through hazardous stimulations while mitigating real-life accidents in advance in a safe environment.

Under simulated conditions, medical students are exposed to surgeries in a simulated virtual reality before making pluralistic decisions.

This perfects their skillset while building confidence in their abilities before working on actual patients.

Moreover, VR can also be utilized to train staff on new company processes or software applications in a secure environment where they can interact with custom situations and scenarios tailored to the organization’s needs.

Reduction of the Carbon Footprint

VR-based communication is cost-effective and environmentally friendly since virtual meetings reduce carbon footprint by minimizing business travel activities.

As sustainability and climate change awareness grows, reducing our carbon footprint has become an important goal that businesses should prioritize.

Hosting virtual meetings through VR offers an excellent way for companies to contribute towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, thereby creating more eco-friendly organizations contributing towards making changes that impact the workforce’s financial outlook and our planet.

Conclusion

VR offers businesses several cost-saving benefits while simultaneously providing immersive experiences that, till recently, seemed unimaginable.

For disciplines such as engineering and medicine, which require consistent training throughout careers, Virtual Reality provides solutions that ensure workers are well-equipped with modern tools.

Virtual reality is transforming business communication in diverse ways building its levels from conventional video conferencing platforms whose adequacy is almost zero when compared considering current technology advancements.

By reducing travel costs, providing an ideal forum for uninterrupted discussions and independent simulations, impacting environmental sustainability while keeping employees motivated and integrated, and improving quality output than previous geographical-centric working conditions.

Quelle:

https://www.metavisi.cc/post/the-benefits-of-using-vr-for-business-meetings-and-collaboration

21. August 2023 0 comment

Examples

Cisco announces new Augmented Reality meeting solution with launch of Webex Hologram

Global technology provider Cisco has unveiled today at its WebexOne virtual event a preview of its new hybrid work collaboration product, ‘Webex Hologram’, a real-time meeting solution that takes advantage of augmented reality (AR) headsets to combine Webex meeting functionality with immersive 3D holograms.

With Webex Hologram’s holographic capabilities, workers will be able to interact in ways previously only possible in-person, according to the company.

“Our mission at Cisco is to empower the 3 billion digital workers on the planet to participate equally from anywhere in the world,” said Jeetu Patel, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Cisco Security and Collaboration. “Webex Hologram represents a large step toward our mission of delivering a work experience so seamless that there is no gap between virtual and in-person collaboration.”

The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive increase in remote and flexible working arrangements over the last 18 months, as well as a heightened need for enterprises to offer immersive virtual meetings. For example, in the healthcare industry when a new surgical device is introduced, physicians, technicians, sales and support teams need to be trained quickly. With Webex Hologram, training can now be handled remotely to save time and travel, while providing the ability to see the surgical device from every angle and at its actual size as if a physician were in the room.

“Webex Hologram is a powerful tool for our design engineers, drivers and crews as we continue to reimagine hybrid sports and supporting our team on tracks around the world,” said Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing. “Rather than flying a technician to the racing team or explaining procedures through flat images, with the Hologram technology we can immediately show an engine component from every angle, convey sizing, and instruct on assembly and usage as if they were in person – all while saving countless hours in travel time.”

Additional capabilities of Cisco’s Webex Hologram solution include:

Enables a feeling of co-presence by delivering photorealistic, real-time holograms of actual people. For users, this means an experience that’s more engaging and realistic, as opposed to using avatars;
Gives presenters the ability to share physical and digital content that allows users to co-create and truly collaborate. For example, for auto manufacturers, users can interact with a physical prototype of a vehicle that’s shared in the AR experience to examine and provide feedback on the vehicle’s engine and undercarriage. Design renderings of the car and other digital content can also be shared during the immersive experience;
Provides a multi-dimensional experience for multiple users with support for a “1:many” presenter experience that enables remote participation from multiple users.
Webex Hologram is also headset agnostic, and is compatible with industry-leading AR headsets, such as Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens.

In the past year, Webex by Cisco has introduced nearly 1,000 new features and devices to market and Webex Hologram will soon further bolster the Webex Suite, enabling remote and hybrid workers to engage in immersive experiences using an AR headset of choice.

To learn more about Webex Hologram click here.

Quelle:

https://www.auganix.org/cisco-announces-new-augmented-reality-meeting-solution-with-launch-of-webex-hologram/

Image / video credit: Cisco / Magic Leap / YouTube

5. November 2021 0 comment

Examples Knowledge Metaverse Research

Facebook Reveals Customizable ‘Horizon Workrooms’, Work Accounts

Facebook unveils new updates to its VR coworking platform as well as a new-and-improved Oculus for Business program.

Facebook Connect 2021 continues to deliver, with the company today announcing several exciting business-related features for the Oculus Quest 2. In addition to the new Horizon Home workplace environment, the company today announced that you’ll soon have the ability to customize your Horizon Workrooms.

Later this year, Facebook will introduce a variety of captivating environments to its VR co-working platform. Not only that, but you’ll also be able to change the color schemes and upload custom logos and images, whether they be informative reference material or simple motivational posters. In one of the promotional images provided, we can see a VR co-working environment customized specifically for Zoom. This includes a large Zoom logo accompanied by several company posters.

Facebook also used the conference to unveil its new-and-improved Quest for Business program. Previously, those involved in the program were required to use an Oculus Quest 2 headset different from that of the consumer model. Designed specifically for professional use, Quest for Business headsets are unable to run many consumer-focused apps, such as Beat Saber.

The new-and-improved Quest for Business program ditches these headsets altogether, allowing partners to access company assets and information by logging into a ‘Work Account’ via a standard consumer model headset. This account will operate independently of your personal account.

Facebook’s revamped Quest for Business program will also feature useful tools such as Mobile Device Management, DP & SSO integration, and more. Quest for Business is currently in closed beta. Additional participants will be invited in 2022 before its official launch in 2023.

In addition to customizable Workrooms and a revitalized Quest for Business program, Facebook has also announced several improvements to multitasking functionality on Oculus Quest 2 as well as a new Horizon Home workspace environment.

Quelle:

Facebook Reveals Customizable ‘Horizon Workrooms’, Work Accounts

Feature Image Credit: Facebook

2. November 2021 0 comment

Knowledge Research Software/Apps

Zoom working on Virtual Reality for Office meetings

Booths will also have a Zoom Room where users can connect their accounts to a meeting room’s conferencing software quickly.

Bored of sitting staring at your screen for hours in a meeting? What if you can have your avatars sit in a virtual conference room instead, communicating and collaborating with your co-workers? Zoom is building exactly this and more.

Sameer Raje, General Manager and India Head, Zoom Video Communications, in a conversation with TNIE, said, new offerings are on the cards as the company is working on virtual reality and augmented reality to enable smooth collaboration in work-from-home as well as hybrid setting.

About features like avatars and a whiteboard to sketch out ideas, Raje said, “If we have to collaborate with someone on the field, it would be great if we have our avatars meeting in a virtual conference room.”
Zoom has announced a partnership with Facebook’s Oculus that will let users meet in virtual reality.

The company in September also teamed up with a maker of office phone booths to create a videoconferencing pod for offices, as part of its strategy to remain relevant even as workers move to offices. Booths will also have a Zoom Room where users can connect their accounts to a meeting room’s conferencing software quickly.

“In Zoom Rooms, there is a temperature check, there is a virtual receptionist. You can also check the CO2 levels in the conference room. We are bringing more elements, all around collaboration,” said Raje.
About a tool that allows workers to book and check into desks and workspaces at their offices, he said, “The immediate focus for Zoom right now is to help organisations navigate the transition to hybrid work, help professionals working remotely with a personal touch through VR and build the instant chat platform up.” “India has a humongous talent in terms of technology and that’s what we are looking at,” he says, adding, “We are recruiting big time in India in various fields of engineering. The numbers are huge and hiring will continue for a significant time.”

Quelle:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2021/oct/22/zoom-working-on-virtual-reality-for-office-meetings-2374316.html

26. Oktober 2021 0 comment

Examples

3D-Audio in Online-Meetings

Der virtuelle Meetingraum „Breakroom“ hat 3D-Audio von High Fidelity in seine virtuelle 3D-Welt für soziale und geschäftliche Veranstaltungen integriert.

Hinter der Entwicklung der 3D-Meeting-App Breakroom steckt Sine Wave Entertainment. Bei seiner Invention hat Sine Wave einen 3D-Voice-Chat von High Fidelity in seine Lösung integriert. Durch den 3D-Voice-Chat bekomme man den Eindruck, dass sich der Gesprächsteilnehmer im selben Raum befinde. „Der wirkliche Vorteil von 3D-Audio in einer virtuellen Welt wie dieser ist, dass man viele Unterhaltungen gleichzeitig führen kann“, sagte Adam Frisby, Chief Product Officer und Mitbegründer von Sine Wave. Es würden sogar unterschiedliche Entfernungen simuliert. Benutzer können innerhalb der Lösung auf verschiedene Avatare und abwechslungsreiche Hintergründe zurückgreifen. Breakroom steht als iOS- und Android-Version zur Verfügung und soll bald für Konsolen und die Oculus Quest 2 verfügbar sein.

Quelle:

Foto: Sine Wave Entertainment

Breakroom teams up with High Fidelity to bring 3D audio to online meetings

13. Juli 2021 0 comment

Examples

ONLINE EVENTS – CAN VIRTUAL REALITY TRANSFORM CORPORATE MEETINGS?

Finding Zoom too tricky to handle for a company-wide event? Virtual reality may be the answer and Irish company VR Immersive Education has created a range of meeting spaces

‘Okay Helen, if you’d like to teleport yourself over here and stand next to yourself.’ As instructions go, it’s quite a surreal one. But while lockdown has been hard, I’m not yet hearing voices in my head. Instead, I’m standing in my living room in North London wearing an Oculus headset, and talking to David Whelan, chief executive of Waterford-based VR Immersive Education, in a virtual world.

Or rather, I’m talking to his avatar. And, because I am only borrowing the headset for the occasion, my avatar appears to be a grey-haired, slim built man who is six feet and two inches tall with rather enormous hands. (As someone who is nine inches shorter – with normal-sized hands, the height difference is slightly disconcerting, and initially I feel like Bambi until I gradually adjust to my new stature.)

The meeting has opened in a giant auditorium, filled with a bizarre collection of items ranging from dinosaur skeletons to small, propeller planes. There’s no social distancing here. Whelan leans forward to shake hands, but bizarrely my real-world right hand offers my virtual left hand for the greeting. It seems I’ve got my controllers in the wrong hands.

The controllers get sorted just as a hippopotamus arrives. On Whelan’s advice I press the trigger button, and the hippo starts to walk. A dinosaur approaches. As he lifts his giant leg, I flinch in anticipation of a foot stomping on my head. Within minutes, I’ve summoned chickens and a goat, who nuzzles up against my host.

So, why am I playing in a virtual menagerie? It started with a LinkedIn post by Robin Tozer, director at SEC Newgate, explaining that his new client VR Immersive Education was hosting an investor presentation in virtual reality, making use of its proprietary platform ENGAGE.

Could this be the future of annual meetings, I pondered. Or an alternative for a world exhausted by Zoom? If travel restrictions prevented a corporate golf day, could it simply move to a virtual world? There was only one way to find out: I had to try it for myself.

Immersive Education started as, its name implies, as a platform for interactive online education and training experiences. To illustrate how this works, I join Whelan in the panelled splendour of Bodleian Library at Oxford University to watch a presentation on Venus by planetary scientist Colin Wilson.

My avatar appears to be a grey-haired, slim built man who is six feet and two inches tall with rather enormous hands

Wilson recorded his presentation in real-time and then Immersive Education worked their magic. As Wilson’s avator starts to speak, a 3D image of Venus appears in front of me, swiftly followed by Earth. These are sibling planets, explains Wilson, that were formed at the same time. Information sheets appear, highlighting the salient points being made. ‘He just recorded his presentation on a camera, and we have an editing system that adds the objects later,’ explains Whelan.

But the platform also allows the audience and Wilson to interact. Like a ‘traditional’ online event, he can share his screen, show PowerPoint presentations, play videos from YouTube, say, or take questions. Audience members can join from anywhere around the world – their avator simply takes a seat in the library – either using a virtual reality headset or by downloading an app on their computers or smartphone.

It’s time to leave Oxford, but not before I’ve teleported myself around the library to explore every nook and cranny. Rather bizarrely my right hand is floating around in front of me, like Thing in The Adam’s Family. Whelan explains that, as my real hand is on my hip, the cameras on the front of my headset cannot detect the controller. I resolve the situation, and Thing disappears.

There’s a backstage VIP area too, although – just like in the real world – I don’t get invited to join

I join Whelan at an internal presentation for HTC that was held in March 2020. I’m ‘sitting’ in a giant amphitheatre with about 50 other avators. While about 2,000 people from around the world attended the event, Whelan explains that the amphitheatre was cloned to accommodate them in smaller groups so that nobody had a ‘restricted view’, and everybody felt they were within touching distance of the stage. ‘We cloned the presenters,’ he adds. I watch as ‘Alvin Graylin’, China president at HTC, welcomes his colleagues to the company’s first ever virtual reality conference.

Whelan invites me to teleport to the top level of the amphitheatre to get a bird’s eye view of the event. Strangely, I feel rather nervous in case I fall over the edge, and so I remind myself that isn’t physically possible. Nonetheless, he has demonstrated his point: wherever your avator is positioned in the ‘room’, you will see only what you would if it were the real world – making it a personal experience.

‘Do you like the Chemical Brothers?’ Whelan suddenly asks. It seems we’re off to a concert. I’m standing in front of an open air stage. An ambulance is located to the right, near the tented bar. There’s a backstage VIP area too, although – just like in the real world – I don’t get invited to join. One of Whelan’s in-house animators has gone wild, adding apparitions and fireworks that react to the musical beat.

‘You can pretty much do anything you want,’ says Whelan. ‘You’re only limited by your imagination. Are you afraid of sharks?’ We move to a 360 degree viewing room. Sharks are swimming around me while a marine biologist describes the scene. ‘Educators get excited about this, because they can build up their lessons and have an immersive class with their students,’ he adds.

To illustrate the point, Whelan ‘meets’ me in a virtual medical school. I use the controller to adopt ‘trainee’ mode, and my surroundings become a maternity unit. I am standing in front of a cot, containing a new born baby who is completely silent. I’m instructed to wrap the baby in a towel, which admittedly is not an easy task using controller hands. I then press a trigger button to rub the baby’s stomach. I turn the baby over, again rubbing up and down.

Can I hear the baby breathing? I put my ear closer to its face but there is no sound. A menu appears in front of me, with three remedial options. I tilt the baby’s head forward, placing a towel under its neck, and put a ventilator face mask over its nose. I then inflate and deflate the mask’s balloon at a regular but slow pace. The baby starts to cry. Its chest begins to move up and down. ‘Congratulations, you’ve saved the baby,’ says Whelan.

The 3D simulation has been created for Oxford University. Its LIFE project offers life-saving instructions for emergencies to any health worker with a smartphone, even those in the remotest of areas with poor connections. ‘They’d go to Africa with a lifelike doll and have 20 people practising on the doll. But that’s quite expensive. They found with virtual reality, the experience is better and students take it a lot more seriously because they can feel the ‘distress’ of the baby,’ says Whelan.

We also have spatial audio. Somebody might be presenting to the whole room, but I can lean across to the person beside me and whisper in their ear

‘But a lot of corporations are now using the platform for business meetings, with collaborations and whiteboards. If you have four or five people on a Zoom call, then that’s fine. But if you have ten to 15 people, say, using virtual reality makes a lot of sense because you can have a lot of interaction,’ explains Whelan. ‘We also have spatial audio. Somebody might be presenting to the whole room, but I can lean across to the person beside me and whisper in their ear.’ He teleports himself to the other end of the room. While I can still see him, I can no longer hear him clearly – just like in the real world.

We enter a conference hall, with exhibitor stands and display pedestals, lecture theatres and break out areas. ‘If you’re on a video platform, you watch a presentation and ask questions. Here, you can physically move around and have private conversations,’ he explains. The company currently works on around two events a month, ranging from small meetings to a branded Expo. Clients usually start with a small event, and, having seen how well it works, often move to larger scale ones. There are 50 locational templates, which can be adapted to a client’s requirements and branded. It is also possible to have custom built locations.

Whelan has two more places he wants to take me. First stop, the Oval Office of the White House. ‘It’s an exact replication but a lot of people are quite surprised by how small this room is,’ he says. Me too. I never thought the Oval Office would fit into the living room of my Victorian terrace, but life’s full of surprises. ‘Now, if you teleport behind the desk, I’ll take a picture of you. Say cheese.’

Final stop, Mars. ‘It’s quite nice this time of year,’ says Whelan, who appears – like me – in the appropriate space suit. The Curiosity Rover is ambling slowly across the foreground at the exact speed it usually moves. We teleport to the ridge of a mountain range, and I can start to appreciate the scale of this planet. Whelan takes the obligatory tourist pictures. ‘There’s a really good view here,’ he says.

All too soon, it’s back to earth with a bang. I remove my headset and re-acclimatise. My email pings. Whelan has sent across the photographs he took of me on my travels. I download the first one, to find a grey-haired man sitting at a desk in the White House and waving. It’s the first time I’ve ever thought I look like President Biden.

Quelle:

https://www.corpcommsmagazine.co.uk/2021/05/can-virtual-reality-transform-corporate-meetings/

1. Juli 2021 0 comment