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Companies can increase their income and the number of new customers and sales. And they can do it with established proper communication with customers, and customers trust the company.  Modern technologies play a crucial role in strategy formation. If online sales entered our lives a long time ago and become a common thing, XR technologies are just slowly integrating into routine. But extended reality already sparkles interest in both customers and companies. WebXR is one of them. It allows using all the benefits of virtual and augmented reality through web browsers.  “When I was starting out, there weren’t a lot of people in the field. All of the cool kids in XR were telling me that the browser was dead,” event host Samantha Mathews said in her opening remarks. “But the web has a magical way of closing the gap between physical and virtual experiences … to me, the 3D web solves the problem of how flat the internet is”, said Samantha Mathews, CEO and CTO of LOCI. In our new article, you will discover how WebXR is capable of improving your business and encouraging your customers to use your services. Successful use cases added. What is WebXR WebXR is a Web application programming interface that allows browsers to support virtual and augmented reality on a web page, with no requirement to download a native app. WebXR provides customers with access to immersive content regardless of devices they use: a smartphone, VR headset, PC, tablet, etc. Virtual reality VR in browsers is most often used for online games and virtual excursions. The web game Vivid, where VR headset user lights fireworks with sight is one of the WebXR VR examples.  Augmented reality Augmented reality in WebXR uses images, QR codes, and physical objects as markers that activate AR and superimpose digital objects in the real world. WebAR also has the possibility to track face mimics and body movement which makes AR content more realistic. WebAR is constantly used for designing virtual try-on and makeup.  Here, you can read more about WebXR.  WebXR Advantages For Business First of all, WebXR offers customers a new interesting, and immersive solution to see items in the way they would look in reality. Thus, digital technologies can make shopping more convenient and personalized.  According to RetailDive, 71% of zoomers want their shopping experience to be better personalized, plus 83% of them want their shopping to be more entertaining.  Read more about other WebXR advantages here.  WebXR Examples In Business WebXR is a convenient format to design interactive advertisements and virtual try-on for digital versions of items before purchasing. Useful WebAR Item Packages WebAR packages is one of the digital solutions to facilitate product choice. These item packages offer customers some additional useful functions, including visualization of the food product ingredients, for example. WebAR packages can contain visuals of step-by-step recipes, some interesting facts about the product, entertaining elements, etc.  Using item packages like this, you can demonstrate a brand’s positive side, because a company with WebAR packaging creates additional value for customers, both useful and entertaining. According to Salsify, 46% of customers said they would pay more to trusted brands.  For example, Asda Wagyu Steaks developed WebAR packages for ready-made steaks. Every package contains a QR code that activates AR demonstration of how and on what recipe a steak was cooked.  WebXR Content For Stores Gamified immersive experiences can draw customers’ attention to your products and form positive associations. Web advertisements like this are effective if you demonstrate them right before your product was purchased. According to statistics, brand recognition is increased by 70% when they use augmented reality to encourage their customers.  For example, Kinder developed a WebAR experience for children in supermarkets. To activate the experience, you can find a QR code flyer on store shelves. After you scan the code on a smartphone, the virtual portal to Africa with animals opens. This experience has entertaining and educating functions because a child learns new facts about every African animal. Virtual Try-On For Fashions Virtual try-on is another technology that is already used in retail. It gives a customer the possibility to try on an item’s digital version before buying, thus increasing the number of purchases and reducing the number of returns. According to Shopify, the number of returns was reduced by 40% after the AR try-on implementation.  Moreover, virtual try-on gives clients the possibility to customize an item and show how it would look in the physical world. According to ThreeKit, 40% of customers said they were ready to pay more for an item with the possibility to customize it in AR.  Qualium Systems has its own AR Glasses Fitting App, which we also transferred to WebXR. More information about the app is available here. Virtual Makeup in WebXR Cosmetics testing with modern technologies provides a better understanding of what lipstick or eyeshadow color fits customers most during online shopping. So, more than 44% of beauty and health purchases in America were made through the web. Cosmetics brand Perfect Corp. developed its own virtual makeup,  where you can try on digital lipstick, foundations, eyeshadow, and other decorative cosmetics items, using a web camera.  A year ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company developed virtual makeup try-on right in their stores, where clients could test cosmetics with no need to take their masks off. That’s a bright example of how brands can adapt to the surrounding restrictions. In one of our previous articles about extended reality in retail, we wrote about virtual try-on and makeup.   WebXR Furniture Testing Choosing furniture and home decor for a real interior with digital immersive technologies prevents the purchase of physical items that didn’t suit a customer because of the wrong size or color.  According to David Sobie, Happy Returns co-founder and CEO, 15% to 40% of purchases came from customers who bought items online.  Mazing XR developed a WebAR app that allows placing digital furniture and home decor right into the physical interior. How WebXR…

If you want to learn more about the new and exciting world of augmented and virtual reality, YouTube is a great place to start. AR and VR youtubers focus on various subjects, from informative to entertaining. They review VR headsets, record game playthroughs, and discuss the latest virtual reality news. Some of the most popular augmented and virtual reality youtube channels include: MRTV – Mixed Reality TV Subscribers: 72500 Joined: October 10th, 2017 This channel features news, reviews, and tutorials about Virtual and Augmented Reality platforms. VRScout Subscribers: 43500 Joined: February 3rd, 2015 VRscout offers a variety of VR videos about games and hardware. UploadVR Subscribers: 87800 Joined: November 3rd, 2014 This channel covers the latest news and developments in the world of virtual reality: reviews, gameplay, streams & more. VRFocus Subscribers: 10100 Joined: February 7th, 2014 This channel keeps you at the center of the latest XR, Web3, and Crypto trends. IGN VR Subscribers: 127000 Joined: March 4th, 2016 IGN VR brings you the most recent virtual reality headset and game news, reviews, previews, features, 360-degree videos, and more. Cas and Chary VR Subscribers: 158000 Joined: November 13th, 2016 This channel is about VR, AR, and beyond. These can be videos about hardware, games, deep dives, live streams, and more. Tyriel Wood – VR Tech Subscribers: 121000 Joined: October 8th, 2008 The Tech VR/AR YouTube Channel with Quality Videos you didn’t discover yet 🙂

To help you to keep up with the latest news about extended reality development, we offer you a selection of verified online media about virtual and augmented reality. Also, we recommend that you read about VR, AR, and MR in our previous article.  Upload VR Upload VR is a news organization that produces content about the interaction of humans and AR/VR. In general, Upload VR contains news from the VR gaming industry and XR equipment development, including VR headsets, smart glasses, etc. The site also contains the Showcase sections, where you can find an hour-long video with the most recent VR games announcements and trailers.  For those who may get confused in some nuances of virtual reality, there’s a site section New To VR. Newcomers can find the selection of news and articles disclosing basic knowledge and conceptions about virtual reality, as well as the top best VR games by genre. AR Insider An online media that highlights the trends of the metaverse, AR, and VR development. The major part of their content is analytic articles, modern industry trends research by professional analytics, and their own videos and podcast.  The site contains sections including: about the media, news, insights (articles, reports, videos, and podcasts), visibility (guest posts and sponsorship options), and Through Leaders, the sponsorship program for XR startups and brands. Road To VR Another news media about VR, AR, and human-computer interaction in general. Here, you can find the information about the newest VR games and the latest XR gadgets and VR design trends.  The site also contains guest articles section and offers a possibility to get signed for daily newsletter. Top Picks part contains different rankings of best games and extended reality devices. Mixed Mixed, German independent media, is one of the leading online magazines about VR, AR, artificial intelligence, and other innovative technologies. Mixed was founded in 2015 as a small German-language VR blog. Speaking about AI, Mixed has a spin-off media, The Decoder, about artificial intelligence only. Mixed covers extended reality topic in general: VR games, metaverse, hardware and software, as well as the latest news about worldwide IT brands, including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, etc. VRScout Another online media that mostly covers virtual reality. The website contains separate pages about Oculus, Meta, PlayStation, and HTC. Also, VRScout has an augmented reality section.  VRScout has its own YouTube channel with gadgets and games reviews, the industry news, and entertaining content like “elder people try VR headset for the first time”. Moreover, VRScout has its own weekly podcast. XR Today XR Today is one of the leading news resources about extended reality development and modern technologies in general. XR Today is a subsidiary site of Today Digital that highlights modern business news. The site content is divided into categories like blockchain, metaverse, artificial intelligence, 5G, and many more. There’s also a possibility to find needed content by brands, industries, etc. XR Today has its own YouTube channel, where authors post the latest news, videos from events, and interviews with companies’ CEOs.  AR Post AR Post is an online news media that mostly publishes the latest news about virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. There are separate sections about AR, VR, metaverse, applications development, AR/VR expiriences, and latest event announcements. Besides the news feed, you can also find reviews and rankings of VR games and XR equipment. 

Today, extended reality becomes a highly demanded trend among online service providers. There are two options of XR use for business purposes: native and WebXR apps. But which way fits your business best? And which advantages of native apps and WebXR should you pay attention to? The answer in our new article. Briefly About Extended Reality To understand what WebXR actually is, you should get acquainted with the concept of extended reality and its types: virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. You can read more about their main features and differences here. WebXR And How It Works After you figured out the basic concepts of extended reality, it’s time to discover  WebXR. WebXR is a web application programming interface that allows developers to design VR/AR/MR apps for browsers. With WebXR, a user can get digital immersive content with VR headsets, smart glasses, smartphones, tablets, PC, and other devices. Some gadget users may prefer WebXR because it gives them such advantages as: Instant access to XR content with no requirement for downloading applications.  According to Forbes, 91% of respondents hate mobile app downloading and installation. This is due to the native apps taking much space in the device’s memory. Moreover, the installation and updating process can take up much time, depending on the complexity and size of an app. Extended reality content from any device with any operating system. Meanwhile, some native apps you can find on PlayMarket or AppStore may be incompatible with some device operating systems. For example, Qualium Systems designed a virtual office you can visit, using any XR-supportive gadget: smartphone, personal computer, VR headset, etc.  “Anyway, if we hadn’t developed a WebXR app, we would have designed the app for every platform. Even considering that we developed this app on Unity, which is a multi-platform engine, we would still have to spend approximately 20% more of our time adapting the application to every platform. So, WebXR fits better here because it’s a one-code base,” said Alex Volkov, head of XR department at Qualium Systems. Here, you can read more about how virtual offices facilitate remote work. XR content processing speed on the web is quite enough to support the work of simple WebXR apps. That was one of the reasons Glasses Fitting App, the native AR app by Qualium Systems, was transferred to the web. “When we were developing the native app, WebXR didn’t provide us with the possibility to design the application for the web. So, we developed it as a native one. The technology has improved, and now there is a possibility to recreate all functions in WebXR. WebXR is obviously more suitable since you just use the app with no need to download it,” said Alex Volkov. More information about the Glasses Fitting App can be found here.   XR Native App And Its Advantages A native app is a program with specific code that is designed especially for certain devices, operating systems, or platforms. As a rule, this app is downloaded on tablets, smartphones, VR headsets, or any kind of device. It is available on App Store and Google Play and requires periodical updates. Native apps have some advantages over WebXR, including The functionality of native apps is better than in WebXR ones. Native apps have better graphics than WebXR and are capable to perform more complex tasks. “Let’s assume an app can recognize a QR code, and you can draw some content on this QR code. It doesn’t matter, how good it will look, the mechanics are more important. And if we talk about a company that wants to create a virtual room interior, it’s necessary for this room to have smooth, decent graphics, and some good different measuring tools. So, in this case, you’d better have a native app, because WebXR won’t handle these tasks,” said Alex Volkov. Native apps are more interactive. A significant number of apps with better graphics and functionality offer VR headset users more possibilities to interact with digital objects. Native apps provide access to XR content offline. For example, you can work with the AR app Pocket City by Skeiron with no Internet connection required. The app is downloaded using a QR code on a postcard you can buy in any local bookshop. Then, you open the app, point the device camera to the picture of a historical place, and activate a 3D version of the building and audio commentary. For instance, in this photo, you can see an AR mini-version of Lviv Jesuit Church.  WebXR Examples In Business As it was mentioned before, WebXR is more suitable to perform simple tasks with minimal functions. Speaking about AR web apps, they can be useful in different business fields including: Retail. In WebXR, you can design virtual try-on for brands’ official sites or online shops. This program can track the shape of faces, interiors, bodies, etc.  AR web app by Maybelline is one of these cases. A site visitor gives the app access to the camera and then can try on digital versions of cosmetic items before buying them. The information about how similar AR apps can be useful in retail is available here.   Advertising. WebXR can also be used for designing mascots and simple promos. For example, American beer brand Miller Lite developed an AR mascot that looks like a leprechaun. A smartphone user scans the label of a beer can, and then a digital leprechaun shows up and entertains the user with different tricks. Education. MoleculARweb is a WebAR site library that contains digital models of molecules and chemical formulas. To start, you should print, cut, and glue the cube-shaped marker. The scheme of it can be found and downloaded on the site. Using the marker and the device camera, you can activate AR objects and interact with them. Speaking about WebXR-based VR apps, here are few examples of how you can use them. VR sightseeing. With WebXR, you can walk through the digital streets of Florence, Venice, Rome, and other Italian cities, using a smartphone,…

After COVID-19 negatively affected manufacturing, the industry is slowly coming back to normal. After all, we cannot ignore such factors as the shortage of skilled labor, the high cost of attracting new specialists, and quality employee training. These factors influence the current state of enterprises, and it’s vital for them to keep productivity and make a profit.  In today’s environment, more innovative ways of staff development are required. And these innovative solutions already exist. They are used by pioneering companies in the manufacturing field. It’s virtual reality that can help enterprises solve existing problems in employee training and give companies the advantages you will read about in our article. VR Provides Realistic Experience First of all, virtual reality provides a true-to-life training experience. Modern technologies allow for recreating a regular working environment, using photorealistic graphics and sounds. For instance, manufacturing workers can improve their skills in VR Welding Training Simulator, a digital environment developed by Qualium Systems. According to Oleksii Volkov, head of XR department at Qualium Systems,  the safety training app recreates the characteristics of exactly the same model of welding machine workers will have to deal with after they succeed in the training. “Before being allowed to work with the welding machine, employees should pass safety training. These machines can have unique characteristics and different modifications. So, our app models all steps of handling the required welding machine from the beginning: how to connect the device, how to wear a mask, how to remove the safety lock, etc,” said Volkov. How VR Reduces Turnover And Gives Confidence A big number of manufacturing companies have always been using training methods, trying to reduce staff turnover and help new workers gain new skills. Respectively, there’s a new way to adapt employees and make them feel comfortable at their workplaces quickly. VR can help the HR Department with it. Virtual reality training shortens the adaptation period. Let’s look at the example in the retail field: Walmart reduced training time by 96% with VR. It means, employees trained in VR headsets for only 15 minutes.   Employees gain new skills faster and feel more confident in a new workplace, as it was mentioned before. Thus, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, employees increased their confidence by 275% after VR training. VR Training Is an Effective Way To Save Money Another key reason why companies use VR training more and more often is the possibility of saving money. Before virtual reality became popular, enterprises had been preparing separate rooms and special equipment to train manufacturing employees, taking much time and money. According to PricewaterHouseCoopers statistics, 23 million workplaces will have a possibility for virtual reality training by 2030. Virtual reality can help companies save money, since: 1) Instead of special equipment, enterprises buy compact VR headsets. The cost of devices and software, basically, depends on customer needs. “There are a lot of factors to consider. What we are training on, what’s our starting point of training, whether we are getting onsite filming, whether there is the need to recreate something computer-generated. So, there are a lot of factors, that come into play when determining the cost. But, the entry point has gotten considerably lower. I think organizations that may have been considering e-learning or a video may actually dip their toe in the water with VR. Because it takes less than 100 hundred dollars to do VR program,” – said Nick Day, Roundtable Learning VP of Sales. 2) You can also save money by reducing training time. In our previous article about drivers of XR development in business, we described how manufacturers save 30 dollars per working hour. 3) VR programs can save workers and equipment resources since companies don’t have to hire a particular employee and learn them to control the whole training process. “You can engage as many employees in the training process as you need at the same time. It would be better to buy 300 dollars Oculus headset and design the app, than, for example, hire a mentor and allocate special equipment and time. We can just place a group of people in the same room, and they will train. It’s safe and there’s no risk to life, and you can watch the training. We can also design the app, that will record current results, and you can see, how many people both successful and unsuccessful attempts,” said Oleksii Volkov head of XR department at Qualium Systems.  Reduce The Number of Manufacture Errors and Accidents Manufacture accidents cause serious financial losses due to equipment damage and full production halt. Moreover, employees can be seriously injured or even pass away. In 2020-2021, the number of work-related fatal injuries in the UK reached 123.  Thoughtful and consistent VR safety training can reduce the number of accidents and save company money. When employees do the same exercise multiple times in a digital environment that maximally recreates their usual workplace, they actively develop muscle memory. Actually, they hone their work to the point of automation in order to reduce future risks. “For technical skills to be retained and to guide long-term behavior, they must be stored and represented in long-term memory. We must train for retention. The best way to train for retention is to allow learners to practice the new skill often and to perfection. This process requires periodic testing of their technical skill proficiency, followed by targeted retraining of skills that they have learned poorly or forgotten,” said PhD Todd Maddox and Peter Campbell in their article. So, when Ford implemented virtual reality training, the number of manufacture accidents was reduced by 70%.     Our new case — Chemical Safety Training Simulator — allows employees who deal with dangerous substances to train in virtual reality with no risk to their life and health. “We designed an app, which doesn’t allow an employee to train in their place but recreates the workplace in 3D. It allows them to learn safety rules step by step. For example, how to twist the valves and under what conditions you…

Extended reality is an umbrella term, that unites virtual, augmented, and mixed realities. You can read more about the technologies and the difference between VR, AR, and MR in the previous article.  Companies like BMW, British Telecom, and Jaguar Land Rover apply XR to implement VR excursions for applicants, virtual reality training for workers, virtual offices, etc.  HR departments use extended reality to simplify hiring employees, accelerate their integration in their workplaces, and increase their work efficiency. For example, General Electric has increased its workers’ productivity with extended reality by 34%.  How To Apply XR In Recruitment Innovative technologies are more often used for hiring staff. According to PwC data, 65% of respondents said, they would like to accept a job offer if they would have tried their workplace in virtual reality. In this case, there are few directions for using XR in recruitment.  Extended reality is used by applicants to get aquatinted with their future workplace. British IT company Workforce WindsorEssex developed for Canadian company Brave Control Solutions 360o a video guide for those who want to get employed as an engineer, technician, or designer. Candidates can see the Brave Control Solutions office building, get acquainted with different department heads, and learn more about their duties in the video.  After the first interview and excursions, recruiters test the working and soft skills of applicants. For example, Jaguar Land Rover, in collaboration with the popular rock group Gorillaz, used extended reality to design spectacular test tasks. The famous automotive company released an MR app, designed for testing talents in software engineering, app development, cyber system development, and graphics performance. Using smartphones, the candidates could break the code in the group’s virtual garage.  In the first part of the mission, participants are involved in the assembly of a virtual model of the company’s first five-seated all-electric sports car Jaguar I-PACE and explore more detailed characteristics of the model. In part two, the candidates solve a number of puzzles, where they should break the code to pass the test. This app is designed to test traits of future Jaguar employees, like curiosity, persistence, problem-solving skills, and non-standard thinking. Improve Your Remote Workplace with XR A virtual office is a digital place, where people work and interact with each other, using digital avatars. Now, according to OSlash, 10% of respondents are already working full-time in a metaverse, and 75% of respondents said they’re interested in getting this job.  VR offices are used by freelancers, remote workers, and those who work in early startups and companies that have plans to extend their network.  Employees can customize their virtual workplace according to their duties and personal preferences: providing additional screens, isolating from different distracting factors, and choosing the most comfortable location for a VR headset user. VR office can recreate, for example, a real office building and an unusual, fantasy location. You can read more information about virtual reality offices here.  Our company has experience in developing a virtual office at a company’s request. Oleksii Volkov, Qualium Systems XR department head, told about the experience of designing the VR office. According to him, our company developers aspired to create a photorealistic office with the possibility to download employees’ own photos as their digital avatars. The virtual office conference hall, workrooms, cantina, corridors, and other rooms, VR headset users can walk through. “Our main targets are to provide  users with a number of tools, that allow them to participate in meetings and discussions  in a virtual office. And this process should be the most similar to real meetings and discussions. But how can we achieve that effect? We need to expand the range of instruments as much as possible. For example, employees should see each others’ gestures, in addition to  video and audio communication. There should be a possibility for them to draw something on a board and show the documents. It all must  be within one space, and that’s why it’s called a virtual office” – said Oleksii.  You need a virtual reality headset to work in a virtual office, and  devices designed  for enterprises are the best solutions. Depending on company needs and budget, there are headset models that you can connect to a computer, smartphone, or other devices that work autonomously. But some specialists pay attention to the new VR headset for metaverse Meta Quest Pro, presented at Meta Connect 2022. The new headset has additional eye-tracking cameras inside, and its new design allows users to see both virtual and physical worlds. “We’re building a better way, using everything Quest Pro brings to the table. And we call it “magic room”. It lets you meet in mixed reality and share the same space. You can use a whiteboard, and bring in 3D objects. Everyone is present and has the same tools, whether they’re in full VR or in mixed reality. We think that this will help hybrid teams collaborate and we’re hoping to ship this next year,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Meta founder, in his video presentation. Upgrade Your Worker’s Skills With VR Training Courses To improve the workers’ efficiency and safety, every enterprise provides instructions and training. And some companies successfully apply AR/VR, which is already proven to be efficient for these means. So, after the XR training, learners are capable to acquire 70% of the necessary skills.  Here are some types of extended reality training: Real workplace simulations, where people can train their safety skills. For example, Roundtable Learning developed a virtual training for café staff. A user in a VR headset learns how to handle a client, who turned out to be a robber. Using a CGI character, this program recreates a more realistic robbery experience.          According to Roundtable Learning director Patrick Manglano, there are five biggest advantages virtual reality can offer to soft skill training:  VR emotionally triggers learners during training. In virtual reality, learners get their new skills four times faster. VR training can be applied in combination with other types of training. VR…

In 2021, the level of the use of extended reality grew up to 76% in gaming, 60% in movies and TV, 34% in retail, and 30% in tourism. Also, according to Markets and Markets, in the same year, the augmented reality market was estimated at 22,5 USD billion, and in 2026, the AR market will increase to 88,4 USD billion. Meanwhile, the virtual reality market was estimated at 6,1 USD billion in 2020 and is predicted to hit 20,9 USD billion in 2025.  The main trends that stimulate the development of the extended reality market are AR/VR startups’ financing by investors, and the growing number of fields where XR can be applied (healthcare, retail, education, architecture, design, etc). The obstacles caused by COVID-19 pandemic and companies’ need to save money for providing their services are also considered the drivers of the rapid development of XR technologies.  More detailed information about extended reality in different business fields can be found here.  COVID-19 As An Engine To Push XR Forward Since COVID-19 started, many people were locked at their homes, away from workplaces. And business trips to other cities and countries became impossible during the lockdowns. However, people’s isolation from the outer world gave companies a possibility to implement innovative technologies, like augmented, mixed, and virtual reality, to provide remote work, online purchasing, VR conferences, etc.  In 2020, according to McKinsey & Company, the number of companies that adapted digital technologies increased to 58%, compared to 20% in 2017. Coronavirus pandemic made company executives implement digital technologies faster, because the digitalization of companies had not been their top priority before the pandemic. During COVID-19, 93% of respondents implemented remote work. Other 62% of executives said they felt the increasing of customers’ demand for online purchasing. And other 21% of respondents said they started using more innovative technologies when taking important business decisions.  Vive Sync by HTC, a virtual network for business, is the bright example of transferring workers from the physical office to VR. This network was presented in April  2020 and was free for enterprises during the same year.  “As a social productivity device, Vive Sync is said to include support for OneDrive, which includes the ability to show PowerPoints, PDFs, marketing videos, or 3D models. In place of traditional note-taking, users will be able to use voice recognition to record notes, annotate with a 3D pen, and take screenshots. As for 3D assets, Vive Sync currently supports FBX and OBJ files, as well as Unity Asset Bundles,” says the official message.  Increasing Investment On IT Startups Another driver of extended reality development is the Increasing financing of ІТ startups and companies that specialize on XR. According to Crunchbase News, in 2021, the global number of investment in virtual and augmented reality startups was estimated at 3,9 USD billions, and 320 deals were concluded in the field. And, as Statista predicts, in 2024, 28,5 USD billion will be invested in the XR development.  XR Equipment And Software Become More Available One more reason why XR is getting popular in business is the accessibility of devices and software. In 2021, the number of sold extended reality devices exceeded 10 million pieces for the first time. It’s 60% more than in 2020. And, in 2025, the volume of sales is predicted to reach 48 million pieces.  Speaking about software, the Unity engine, that provides 60% of VR experiences, is another factor of the growing popularity of XR in business. This engine can be applied for designing different platforms and apps with high-quality 3D graphics that are good both for newcomers and professional users.  In its turn, Unreal Engine helps to recreate high-detailed and photorealistic graphics. This year, Epic Games presented the most up-to-date version of the engine 5.1, that allows creating 3D content of the next gen in real time easier and more effective.  Besides the instant creation of high-quality 3D models, there’s a significant improvement in video recording and recreating. In 2014, 4К resolution was presented for modern TVs and cinemas. And now there is an experimental 16K in the testing stage, and this resolution is supposed to be used for virtual reality.  One of the most recent examples of high-resolution video content in virtual reality is sir David Attenborough’s VR series Conquest of the Skies for Meta Quest. All the three episodes of popular science series tell the story about the evolution of flying creatures, starting from the period that took place 300 million years ago. The series creators said they applied the most recent 3D technologies to provide high-quality picture and enhance the immersion effect. “The story of flight spans millions of years. And, so, this was an opportunity to combine extremely high quality 3D footage of animals, that we can shoot today, with a CG pipeline that would let us imagine what it might have been like for dinosaurs of million years ago,” said Eric Chang, executive producer from Meta Quest.  Save Your Business Money With XR Here is one more driver of extended reality progress, and it’s the necessity to reduce company’s expenses. The first way to save money is cutting down the number of production accidents that cause serious financial damage to company. Various complaints and mistakes cost businesses more than 200 USD million per year.  Extended reality training is one of the solutions to the problem. According to Holopundits, manufacture workers finish their training in VR 75% faster than those using traditional ways of training. And, respectively, companies with virtual reality training save 30 dollars per one working hour.           We hope you understood why popularity of XR is constantly growing. COVID-19 pandemic, that made usual office work more difficult, became an engine that helped XR get implemented in different businesses. Particularly, companies started applying  VR offices for remote workers, virtual shops, etc. The rapid development of extended reality equipment and software also became the driver that moves XR forward. And, using virtual and augmented reality in work helps companies save money and increase their…

Consulting companies, famous online medias, and business schools, like PricewaterhouseCoopers, Harvard Business Review, and MIT Sloan School of Management, have a considerable knowledge base that allows them to understand and predict some important business trends.  Explore these knowledge sources with our brief review of some recommendations on the use of extended reality in business. X For XR: A-Z of tech podcast by PricewaterhouseCoopers In the latest A-Z of tech podcast series issue by PwC, its host Louise Taggart had a conversation with specialists about the possibilities of extended reality and metaverse. Yanna Zhu, PwC XR/metaverse team worker, Dr. Alex Young, Virti founder and CEO, and Chris Fleischmann, CEO, and founder of Arthur, also took part in the podcast. The discussion members share their experiences from previous workplaces. Particularly, Dr Alex Young mentions his previous work as a doctor in Bristol, medical training for specialists, and expresses his opinion on how VR/AR can positively affect hospital work efficiency. Also, the podcast participants predict how extended reality will evolve. According to the specialists, 82% of executives think that metaverse will become a crucial part of their work in the next few years.  The full podcast transcript can be found here: https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/intelligent-digital/transcript-x-for-xr.html  Why Every Organization Needs Augmented Reality Strategy by HBR In this article by Harvard Business Review, written by American academic Michael E. Porter and the president and CEO of PTC James E. Heppelman, you can learn why companies should apply augmented reality in their workflow. The authors of the article describe the key AR advantages and business fields where this technology can be applied.  One of the bright examples of the AR use mentioned in the article is the AR training of Boeing workers. During the training, they passed through 50 steps to assemble an aircraft wing section, that consisted of 30 parts. After the drill, the company employees completed the work 35% faster than those who trained with traditional 2D drawings and documentation. Also, 90% of those having little or no work experience at all managed to cope with the work correctly on the first try after the AR trainings.  Read the full article here: https://hbr.org/2017/11/why-every-organization-needs-an-augmented-reality-strategy  How Companies Found Amazing Ways To Use VR by Bernard Marr In this article, famous entrepreneur and Business Advisor Bernard Marr describes how modern companies use virtual reality. The article’s author mentions such business fields as design and prototype making, interaction with customers, and trainings.  One of the examples of the use of virtual reality in business presents VR solutions that allow a customer in a headset to test a digital version of a car, furniture, or kitchen utensil. In his article, Marr refers to Audi’s VR Car Showroom Experience, where a customer can try a virtual car before buying a real one. The whole article is available at the link: https://bernardmarr.com/the-amazing-ways-companies-use-virtual-reality-for-business-success/  Business Implications of XR: Webinar by Paul McDonagh-Smith During almost an hour-long webinar, Paul McDonagh-Smith, MIT Sloan School of Management Senior Lecturer, talks about the current value of the extended reality, metaverse, and other immersive technologies.  McDonagh-Smith answers three main questions about the extended reality: what is XR, why this technology is relevant, and what we think about/how we interact with XR today. According to the author of the webinar, the extended reality is relevant today because of the convergence of different trends, including: technical (reducing VR headset prices and increasing their efficiency); economical (the involvement of blockchain technologies and new ways to own NFT materials); social (improving customer communication, notably in the post-COVID period); organizational (improving the work planning process and organization of meetings with employees and customers). You can watch the full webinar here: https://exec.mit.edu/s/webinar-post/business-implications-of-extended-reality-xr-harnessing-the-value-of-ar-vr-metav-MCKUXUATA2H5CDXCWFQ6YGHSRITI    Realities and Distractions of Metaverse. Interview with Unity CEO John Riccitiello  In the one of the recent interviews, Fast Company, a famous business media, talked with Unity CEO John Riccitiello about metaverse, its possibilities and future.  Riccitiello said that many people don’t fully realize the meaning and possibilities of metaverse. They think that network is mostly about digital avatars or virtual and augmented reality. Unity CEO thinks the metaverse future belongs to 3D technologies, and 6G will be used at the end of this decade. Moreover, Riccitiello speaks about the new Unity projects in mixed reality, that will be released next year. Read the full interview here: https://www.fastcompany.com/90797940/unity-ceo-john-riccitiello-describes-the-realities-and-distractions-of-the-metaverse 

Extended reality is rapidly developing technology, and today more and more different enterprises apply XR solutions to increase their efficiency. According to P&S Intelligence, in 2021 the XR market was estimated at 28 USD billions,  and by 2030 it will be estimated at 1000 USD billions. Efficient application of new technologies requires a clear understanding of their possibilities, functions, and limitations. With no understanding, companies might face  some difficulties. Like, for example, excessive or insufficient functionality, unjustified expectations, and incorrect tasks for XR solutions.  That’s why we decided to discuss  the meaning of virtual, augmented, and mixed realities in details and what’s the difference between them. A Brief Issue Review If virtual reality completely immerses a VR headset user in digital world, augmented reality superimposes virtual elements into physical world.  Mixed reality has similar traits, that’s why MR is often combined with AR in one category,  and you can see it in our website. And sometimes, due to the similarities of two technologies, some people can’t see the difference between augmented and mixed reality, and don’t completely realize how these two technologies work.  Extended Reality As An Umbrella Term At first, let’s figure out the concept of extended reality. Extended reality is an umbrella term, which unites virtual, augmented, and mixed realities, as well as other technologies, which can be created in the future. The key common feature of technologies mentioned above is an immersion effect they create for a user and the changes in the perception of reality with digital solutions. Brief Information About Virtual Reality So, let’s begin with VR. Virtual reality is a digital space, in which a person immerses themselves, using VR goggles, and interacts with digital objects with hands, controllers, or sight. Some smartphones also provide a possibility to use virtual reality. Moreover, some models come complete with special equipment, that allows consumer use as a real VR headset. Also, in virtual reality, a user is able to communicate with other people using avatars.  “Your perception of the world can be warped,” said Phia, virtual host of YouTube channel The Virtual Reality Show, “as you realize your body responds to what it perceives as real, not necessarily what is. There’s a great video that demonstrates people using VR for the first time, where they walk a plank for atop a skyscraper. Their brains respond to the experience, thinking that it’s real, making them hesitant to walk out of the plank, despite it being an illusion.”  In business, VR is used for remote work or training, where workers learn how to handle equipment properly and communicate with customers and business partners. How Augmented Reality Works With augmented reality, digital elements are overlaid in a physical environment. This process is carried out with the help of a smartphone, tablet screen, or smart glasses. One of the very first and most popular examples of using AR is the mobile game Pokemon Go, where a player looks for digital creatures, hidden in the real world.  “A smartphone shares its location and can place a model and fix it in a space. And you can walk around this object, look from different sides. But, in fact, how does it happen? When you move to the right with the smartphone in your hands, a device changes its location with you. It can calculate its own position in relation to the digital model. So, we have an impression, that the model stays on its place, and the phone moves around it,” said Oleksii Volkov, the XR department head of our company.  Augmented reality nowadays is widely used for training, exhibitions, and marketing. Also, AR is applied for designing navigation, equipment assembly, and operating instructions.  In general, there are four types of augmented reality: AR with markers. Images and items are used as markers to activate AR on a device. The AR Watches Mobile app allows trying on NFT models of watches with bracelet marker, that can be printed and be worn on a wrist. Markerless AR. This type of the technology uses navigation, that allows AR apps to  orientate in space and place virtual objects on a location. These AR apps can use GPS, digital compass, etc. Samsung WebAR is the one of examples of markerless AR apps. AR projections. Here virtual objects are superimposed on real items, using projections. Lightform developed AR projections where houses are used as background  for showing 3D illusions, like in this video, for example. AR, that enables real object recognition algorithms. It augments or completely replaces the real object with digital data. These AR apps can also be used in healthcare, where AR projections of internal organs are superimposed on a patient’s body. Sync AR by SNAP (Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform) is a device that places digital versions of internal structures on a human body during surgery. The Way Mixed Reality Extends Real World Mixed reality, in its turn, combines physical and virtual worlds, places digital objects in reality, and allows users to interact with them. For mixed reality, you can use the same MR headsets you usually use for AR and some VR headsets, like Meta Quest Pro. According to the article on the website of Microsoft, the company which released Hololens for the first time in 2018, mixed reality is created according to such principles: Real space maps and markers, that allow to place a virtual object; A possibility to track an MR headset user’s sight, hands movement, and speech; Recreation of virtual space sounds, just like in VR; A possibility to place objects both in virtual and real spaces; A collaboration of MR headset users on the same 3D objects. Mixed reality is often used in architecture, engineering and construction, design, healthcare, and many other fields.  We can highlight two types of mixed reality: Adding virtual objects into physical world. In this case, MR really resembles AR. But in mixed reality, there are more possibilities to interact with virtual object. During TED-Talk in Amsterdam, Beerend Hierk, explained how MR works, using mixed reality…