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In recent years, the extended reality is gradually becoming popular in different enterprises, including IKEA, BMW, Adidas, etc. In general, modern companies use three main types of XR: virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.  VR allows a user to immerse themselves in a digital world using a headset. In augmented reality, you can place 3D objects into the physical world. And in mixed reality, there are more possibilities to interact with these objects both in real and virtual space. More detailed information about the difference between VR, AR, and MR you can read here. Many enterprises which want to apply XR see some perspectives in these technologies. With extended reality, you can improve interaction with customers, provide a more  realistic presentation of an item online and create a safer and more effective working process. According to Statista, the XR B2C (business-to-customer) market size in 2022 is estimated at 25,2 USD billions.  Industries That Are Affected by XR The Most Mainly, the extended reality is mostly used in the following fields: Retail; Marketing; Architecture; Show business; Healthcare; Many other fields.  Sell Your Products With XR One of the most popular ways to sell items are virtual shops and AR apps that allow trying products before buying. According to statistics by PC Magazine and Statista, 61% of customers said they wanted to visualize their clothes before purchasing. Another 54% of respondents wanted to know how large purchases, like furniture, would look like before buying it.  There are some fields, where extended reality can be applied in retail. Virtual try-ons. Famous Ukrainian online cosmetic shop Notino designed its own smartphone app, where you can both buy an item and try on its digital version with  “virtual mirror” feature. Using selfie mode on a gadget camera, a user can find out how a shade of lipstick, blushes, eyeshadows, and other cosmetic products will look like. Speaking about the use of VR by famous retail network. VR Furniture Visualizer by IKEA and XR Labs is the bright example of it. This exhibition is a part of physical shops, where every customer with VR headsets can design their own digital room. At the beginning, a user types in  their contacts, chooses room type and size, and starts customizing it, from walls to furniture and decorative items. VR Furniture Visualizer is available for North Africa and Middle East shops only. Virtual shops. For example, the very first virtual shop was opened in Malaysia. VI-Mall Malaysia allows VR headset users to make virtual shopping in 150 shops, including large grocery store on the first floor. On the second floor, you can visit a digital cinema, where you can buy tickets and watch a movie in a cinema hall. On the third floor, you can see an event hall. A VR headset user can walk between the mall floors, using virtual stairs. Here you can read more information about XR in retail. Attract New Customers With XR Marketing Extended reality allows companies to encourage new and regular customers to their products and services with interesting and non-standard ways. In this case, you can not only create a recognizable brand mascot, but also make it interactive. It can draw attention of your clients and business partners during conferences and presentations. IT company Wylog designed its own corporate robot-shaped AR mascot in a mobile app. To activate the robot, you should point the camera to the horizontal plane, where you can place the digital model. The robot can walk, jump, hide, and roll into a ball. There’s also a function to change the mascot’s color in the app. Another way to apply XR in marketing is an interactive virtual advertisement. Adidas used VR experience to promote sports clothes and shoes collection TERREX. Here, in a VR headset user can climb the Delicatessen route and follow famous climbers Delaney Miller and Ben Rueck. The Delicatessen route on Corsica island is considered to be one of the hardest mountain route. With Punta du Corbi peak, the Delicatessen maximal height is almost 1400 meters above the sea.  A different successful example of VR advertisement is Happy Goggles by McDonalds. It’s a virtual reality headset you can make from Happy Meal package. The goggles have a mobile ski game Slope Stars, released with the support from Sweden National Ski Team. This Happy Meal set had limited-time release in 14 Sweden restaurants. “To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Happy Meal in Sweden, McDonald’s Sweden has developed Happy Goggles. By re-folding the Happy Meal box, customers can create a pair of virtual-reality glasses which makes it possible to experience virtual reality with a smartphone”, McDonalds said in an official announcement. XR Makes Building Projection More Comfortable With the help of tools, provided by XR, you can simplify a building, room, and landscape designing. Also, extended reality gives architects a possibility to create a new project, considering the features of an area. And, with extended reality, you can fix serious issues in the early stages of a project. Connec2 is a bright example of the virtual platform for architects. It extends a working space with virtual reality headset. In this platform, people interact with the help of digital avatars, that accurately recreate gestures and provide high-quality sound during speaking. Connec2 does not necessarily recreate a physical office. The virtual holodeck is both a place for workers to communicate and a space to thoroughly design a new architectural project. In addition, there are some successful cases, when architects use augmented reality when they project new buildings. Therefore, with AR, you can consider the features of an area, where you want to build a house, and create more interesting and exciting presentations for colleagues and partners. DOF VR developed an AR app for making building projects and selling real estate. This app can show how a building would look both in the daytime and at night. You can also detach the digital model by layers, and develop and show every detail of the model. Using the gadget screen, the…

Digital technologies are actively provided in tourism, since it affects a company’s efficiency in the highly competitive market. And today, augmented reality is the one of the new tools to gain  success in the  tourism industry. The advantages and possibilities provided by AR, as well as the growing number of gadgets supporting augmented reality, are among the key factors. According to Statista, in 2022, the number of mobile AR users worldwide will hit 1.1 billion. Another favorable factor that helps to implement AR in tourism is the industry revival after the damaging COVID-19 pandemic consequences. In 2020, the number of tourists worldwide dropped significantly — only 409.5 million, compared to almost 1.5 billion tourists in 2018. But their number slightly increased last year — 446 million tourists worldwide.  Augmented Reality As Part of Smart Tourism According to the European Union definition, smart tourism is an opportunity to provide touristic services using informational and communication technologies. Augmented reality can contribute to the success of those touristic centers, which plan to attract new travelers with digital technologies. And this trend had been introduced before the COVID-19 pandemic started. For example, in South Korean city Pyeongchang, they implemented a 5G network during the Winter Olympics in 2018. With this technology, tourists could do 4K video streaming and watch VR/MR content and 360 videos.  How Augmented Reality is Used In Tourism  Imagine, you decided to travel to a distant country, with an unknown language and culture to you. Usually, traveling could take a lot of effort and nerves. But, with augmented reality, your vacation can become more interesting. Find Your Train With AR You start your journey at a train station, and you look for your train number on the arrival and departure board. In this case, augmented reality can help you get additional information about your route — just point your gadget camera on the board. This mobile app is already designed for the Zurich train station in Switzerland in 2019. In his article, Tim Schoch describes the experience of using the app. According to him, this system does not apply tracking beacons on every station, but uses image recognition system instead:  ”This solution is way more robust and could potentially be rolled out everywhere with a reasonable effort (although they currently stick to their test market in Zurich). From the recognized image they then extract the platform number. With that number and the approximate position of the phone they can then grab the live public transport data for the exact platform on that particular train station (or tram or bus stop). And finally that data gets displayed in Augmented Reality on my device using I don’t know how many sensors to place that virtual pane below a physical object”. Gamified AR Hotel Vacation When you settle in a hotel with augmented reality service, you can get more comfortable and interesting vacation experience. Using AR, the hotel administration can provide an exciting holiday with the help of virtual quests. You can pass through them if you can’t do any outdoor activities because of bad weather, poor health due to acclimatization, etc.  This year, Moxy hotel from Marriott network, launched the AR experience “Moxy Universe, Play Beyond”, where every client can participate and win some prizes. Before the check-in, a client scans a QR code, enters the program, and customizes their own avatar, that can be seen in a smartphone camera. Then, a player comes through different challenges and explores a hotel building at the same time. The main audience of the AR experience is Gen Z youth. According to Newzoo, 17% of zoomers spend their leisure time gaming. Meanwhile, only 14% of millennials play games while resting.  “Moxy Universe, Play Beyond” will be active till 31 December this year in Asian Pacific region hotels (China, Japan, Australia, South Korea etc). With AR Maps You Won’t Get Lost The last thing you want during walking streets with multiple tourist attractions is to get lost in a foreign city and spend hours looking for the way back to the hotel. For these cases, IT specialists developed AR online maps that superimpose digital signs on a physical world. Just like Google Maps AR, for example.  In her article, Amanda Zantal-Wiener described the main advantage of the augmented reality map: “The technology itself is a smaller-scale version of the “perfect world” navigation scenario above. Once the user taps a “Start AR” option within Maps, the traditional static map view is replaced by the camera’s live capture of her real-world surroundings. Using a combination of GPS/location data and Street View images collected by Google, the app is able to visually recognize where you are, and overlay an animated AR display of step-by-step directions in real time.”  And if you’re also interested in historical places located on a certain street, you can try an AR program like Florence Travel Guide. It’s an AR app which allows tourists to see information about certain historical places on a gadget screen. Translate With Augmented Reality Do you want to know, what do foreign inscriptions mean? But you didn’t have enough time to learn the language of the country you came to? Google designed Google Translate AR App that translates texts from different foreign languages from literally any surfaces, whether it’s a shop sign,  a label on a bottle of a sauce or soda drink, etc.  Did you already get some language knowledge, but still not sure about your speaking skills? And still you can’t understand what a foreign person is saying to you? This year, Google presented an AR glasses prototype that translates foreign live speech. In the video demonstration, you can see how the glasses can translate Spanish, Mandarin, and American Gesture Language to English. “What we’re working on is technology that enables us to break down language barriers. Taking years of research and Google Translate and bringing that to glasses”, said Eddie Chung, director of product management in Google. “I’m actually looking straight into your eyes, and it seems…

Introduction Virtual reality has already become quite popular among gamblers and has all the chances to develop this success. For example, Jeff Lende, Lucky VR Casino Founder, claims that virtual reality has a potential to become massive in gambling. “In my opinion, there’s no doubt that eventually virtual reality will be the way the vast majority of people play online casinos. Mobile VR headsets are already very affordable and many are being given away free, like the Samsung Gear VR which is bundled with the new S7 smartphone.  Mobile VR will definitely be a mass market product before high end VR and will act as a great acquisition tool for high end VR with people getting their first taste of VR using mobile”.   This opinion is confirmed by this report: in 2020, VR gambling market size was estimated at US$10.4 Billion аnd is projected to reach US$44.1 Billion by 2027.  What Virtual Reality Casino is Virtual casino is a type of online casino, which is designed in digital reality for VR headset. Virtual casinos allow gamblers with VR headsets to immerse in virtual space, which recreates the real casino and its atmosphere to the smallest detail. It’s all happening in real time, and gamers from around the world can become a user’s rivals.  There are some functions available for a gambler in virtual casino, including: realistic slot machines; virtual poker and other board games, where you can play with chips; a possibility to communicate with other players using avatars;  a possibility to see hand gestures and body movements: sounds of real casino add up to an immersive experience. Do You Have to Pay in VR Casino There are two types of VR casino:  apps, where you can win real money, and virtual experiences, where you have no possibility to win jackpot. But some apps give a gambler a possibility to communicate with other people in virtual environment, which recreates real gambling institution atmosphere. Social and Free VR Casinos Social Club VR: Casino Nights is considered to be the one of the most popular free social VR casinos. In this app, you can interact with other players, using customized avatars, and choose any game you like: blackjack, poker, roulette, Texas Holdem, etc. Poker Stars VR, released in 2018, offers gamblers a possibility to play their favorite poker in a virtual reality. The latest version of the VR app contains an update Casino One, where users can gamble in different locations, including Las-Vegas, Medieval castle, futuristic casino, Western saloon, etc. While gambling, users can also have some virtual snacks or cocktails,  and make selfies.  Blackjack Bailey is a one-player casino, where you can compete with virtual dealer, but the main purpose of the mobile VR app is training blackjack skills. After playing the game,  you can surprise your real rivals with the improved gambling skills. Real-Money VR Casinos SlotsMillion VR casino, released in 2015 for outdated VR headset Oculus Rift, is considered to be the very first casino in virtual reality. SlotsMillion VR contains more than 40 slots,  including Dracula, Gonzo’s Quest, Jack Hammer, Scarface, Starburst, and many more. Technically, Online Casino Apps isn’t a full-fledged VR casino. This app allows players to get acquainted with an interactive map and walk through virtual streets of a night city, where different real-money casino are located.   Conclusion Virtual reality opens new possibilities for gambling. Experts of the field and researches can prove that VR has all the chances to become very successful in gambling. And there’s a proper explanation of it. In maximally realistic virtual world, you can play popular casino games and interact with other participants around the world.

Introduction Augmented reality is a new technology which is applied in many fields, including architecture and design.  In 2021, The Global Augmented Reality Market grew to 22,5 USD billion. And, according to the latest research, its cost will increase to 88.4 USD billion in 2026.    In the architecture only 35% of specialists already apply at their work, at least, one kind of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. 48% of respondents anticipate using these technologies in the next five years.  How Augmented Reality Works in Architecture & Design Augmented reality is a digital technology where elements of virtual reality are layered on real space. So, AR model of a building, interior, or landscape greatly facilitates the perception of understanding how finished project will look like.   Moreover, AR in architecture gives a possibility to see more project details which are usually unavailable on a sketch. With augmented reality, you can detect some flaws of the project in time, so you can easily avoid some serious financial and material damage. Advantages of AR in Architecture & Design Here are the main augmented reality advantages in architecture and design: A possibility to create more detailed and convincing project presentation, which extends the understanding of what the planned building should look like. For example, ARki app for Apple lets a user create a quick design of a digital version of a building, which will have a realistic look on a chosen location. With the help of AR app, you can create a 3D design of  footbridge, business center, sports complex with a stadium, and even some whole town districts. The latest version of the app contains new features, including adding annotations to your own AR project, exploding the model to show its details, and tracking the number of project views.  Using AR speeds up the designing room process. Roomscan Pro by Locometric greatly simplifies the process of measuring a room perimeter. With iPhone screen, you can measure it and create an exact room plan really quickly.  Augmented reality room design can increase a company’s income. 71% of customers said they would buy some items more often if they used augmented reality. Increasing safety during the building process. So, Gillbane Building Company was observing a 3D model of Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston through MR headset Microsoft Hololens. During the observation, the specialists found frame-length issue in the building. “Using a virtual control panel, I could also toggle different views on and off to see either a simple architectural image of the room, a more detailed structural image, or one that just showed its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems”, said Elizabeth Woyke, the author of the article, who tried the MR headset on.  AR Applications For Architecture and Design There are few directions, where augmented reality in architecture and design is applied. Planning Buildings AR gives a possibility to design both new buildings and the old ones that were destroyed. This summer in Chicago, the XR exhibition was held on lake Michigan shore. This digital installation recreates historical buildings from Columbian Exposition, opened by the President of the USA Grover Cleaveland in 1893. This event was organized on the 129th anniversary of the opening of the exposition.  AR Interior Design (RoomPlan API Interior Design App) This year, Apple presented RoomPlan API, designed for iPhone and iPad.  With the API, you can create a 3D version of room interior, using LiDAR. For those who aren’t familiar with the  technology, LiDAR is a special laser sensor which scans a room and creates an exact digital floor plan within the seconds. “Help customers make more informed decisions by using RoomPlan to create a floor plan of a room directly in your apps, such as real estate, e-commerce, or hospitality apps. These scans can also be the first step in architecture and interior design workflows to help streamline conceptual exploration and planning”, said in official Apple announcement. Designing Landscapes Immex Technologies designed for Apple clients the app DreamzAR for creating home landscapes. After scanning the yard perimeter, a user can choose over 2000 variants of trees, bushes, lawns, road tiles, and other kinds of decorations, available in the app database. DreamzAR too has an option to save and edit your virtual yard project. How AR Limits Work In Architecture There are some factors, which could put implementation of AR applications for architecture and design on hold: The need of high-quality Internet connection, that provides optimal work of AR; Some specialists don’t understand all the possibilities of using AR entirely due to the fact the augmented reality is the new technology; High price of software development and the equipment. MR headset Microsoft Hololens, for example, could cost from 3,500 to 5000 USD. Conclusion Augmented reality is an innovative technology, which is already applied in architecture and design. With AR, you can design convincing and comprehensible project presentation, observe its every detail, and also fix issues that can negatively affect building process. 

Introduction Being a tool for creating stories, virtual reality is the next step in video content development after 3D and IMAX with the main purpose to immerse the audience in a story. Media giants and small studios already use this technology to produce 3D VR movies. How VR Movies Immerses a Viewer into the Story Virtual reality is a digital space that provides unlimited possibilities to create preferred settings. In general, it all depends on the authors’ fantasy only. But the main purpose of a VR story is to fully immerse a viewer in the reality, created by the author.  “Now VR can do that today because we have a vastly improved sense of presence in the technology,” said Julie Krohner during a TED Talk.  “Presence is a mind-body trick that happens where our brains count a virtual experience as if it was a real one.”  What Virtual Reality Films Actually Look Like There are some main differences between VR movie and standard ones created for cinemas and TV: Special filming equipment that contains 360 camera, special montage programs, and a VR headset for estimating filmed material; Scriptwriters always consider the number of people and set pieces which will be included in a 360 panorama. “When we really got into the “meat” of writing the script, it was already really clear that it was going to be in VR,” said Gaelle Mourre, the scriptwriter and the director of the 360 degree movie Mechanical Souls. “So, we’ve got to consider, you know, the space, and make sure that there are multiple things happening at the time without crowding the main action. So, we’ve worked out into the script.”; Radius of filming – objects located outside 1,5 meter radius will have a blurred look in virtual reality movie; In VR 360 movie, every actor gets in the spotlight. Melanie Forchetti, a journalist of American online media Backstage, recalls her experience of visiting the set of a VR film “Career Opportunities in Organized Crime” in her own article. “This is a great opportunity for actors because no matter if you’re in the starring role or cast as a background performer, you could be the center of attention. Someone in the audience is potentially looking at you. You have to assume that everything you do — raise an eyebrow, interact with a set piece, etc. — will be seen by someone at any given moment (or when the film is viewed subsequent times)”, said Forchetti. Director should consider the fact, viewers can watch movies in VR at any angle. That’s one of the main differences compared to a standard movie where a director has the ability to emphasize the story atmosphere and characters, using different camera angles. “I think, in the storytelling realm, something is opening up. And that you give the person who’s viewing the experience, a lot of control. So, as a director, you also have to let go certain control. And that’s very hard, but it’s really interesting”, said Jorge Tereso, the director of a VR animated film Gloomy Eyes.  Where VR Storytelling is Applied the Most There are two main directions of virtual reality storytelling:  producing original VR films; producing interactive virtual reality entertainment, which complements already existing popular movie and TV franchises and provides additional experience for fans. There are a lot of bright examples of the VR use in these fields, which demonstrate the possibilities of virtual reality in the movie industry.  Virtual Reality Movies Oculus Story Studio became one of the very first studios to begin actively producing VR film. Their first virtual reality animated movie “Henry”, released in 2015, is about one hedgehog who struggles with findings some friends. In this article, you can read more about their latest movies. 3dar and Atlas V produced a 30-minute animated movie Gloomy Eyes. The 2020 movie tells the story in a setting where the sun is tired of seeing people and refused to rise in the sky. Because of the darkness, zombies come out of their graves, including the boy named Gloomy, who encounters a mortal girl, Nena.  The Hollywood actor Colin Farrell plays the narrator of the story. A 13-minute VR movie Mechanical Souls tells the story about Chinese wedding, on which the rich bride’s father hired androids as bridesmaids. But when his daughter tries to modify one of the androids, suddenly it goes out of control.  This virtual reality movie was shot with the help of 360 technology, featuring real-life actors. VR Interactive Content for Famous Franchises The biggest streaming giants have actively begun using virtual reality as the way to demonstrate their content. For example, Disney+ designed an app, Disney Movies VR, where a headset user can get in the studio’s most popular movies locations, including Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe. This interactive experience is an addition to already existing films. And with the help of Disney Movies VR, a viewer can become their favorite movie character.  Netflix, in their turn, released YouTube Stranger Things 360о Virtual Reality Experience as a part of the show’s promo campaign. It immerses fans in the one of the first season main location. A viewer gets into a room of Byers house, decorated with Christmas lights. During this experience, a viewer is approaching ringing white telephone. After the phone is picked, we can hear the voice of a missing boy, Will Byers: “Hello? Can you hear me? You have to listen! You’re here! Turn around!” Conclusion Innovative virtual reality technology is a new, undiscovered platform for artists they can use to tell their stories. For now, author’s VR movies aren’t very popular, but some media giants, e.g., Disney and Netflix, produce additional VR content for fans who want to be a part of a favorite story. 

Our experience in XR project development shows that the applications our clients order often contain similar features, for example, it can be 2D drawing or interaction with objects. In each project, we developed features from scratch, even if we had already implemented them before. In order to optimize this process, we decided to develop a special library, the advantages of which we want to briefly tell you about in this post. This will be the first in a series in which we will focus on the benefits of this solution for our customers. In the future, we will talk in more detail about the structure of the library and its components. In short, the main idea of ​​our library is the development of typical features that we encounter from project to project. The library will contain the API with the core logic of the features and their implementation for specific Platforms, such as Oculus, Pico, iOS, Android, etc. There will be about 20 features in total that will be further supplemented. Why is it beneficial for our customers to have such a library? 1. The speed of project development increases, as a result, it becomes possible to bring the product to the market faster Due to the fact that we have already developed the main features for various platforms, there is no need to develop them from scratch for a new project. This saves time and therefore costs for our customers. 2. The reliability and quality of feature implementation is growing, while risks, code problems, and testing costs are being reduced All the features that we add to the library are constantly used in our projects. As a result, you get reliable functionality, perfected on various projects, which is constantly optimized. 3. The available functionality is expanding, as a result, it becomes possible to use all the properties of the features Clients need different functionality, for example, 2D drawing can be used in a VR smart office to draw on a flipchart, or it can be used in a 2D android application for signing documents. Thanks to our library, you will get all the available functionality of a feature, for example, the same 2D drawing, from which you can use the features you need. 4. Continuous improvement, resulting in the ability to receive feature updates even after the completion of the project After we have finished working on your project, the improvement of the library does not stop. You can also enjoy these benefits. We provide our customers with feature updates with new possibilities. To sum up, we want to once again dwell on the main advantages of the library we are developing: development speed, reliability and quality, accessible functionality, and continuous improvement. That’s all for today. Follow our future materials, they will contain more details on the internal filling of the library.

Virtual reality is an artificially created 3D environment which makes an illusion of our world. In the beginning, this technology was mostly applied for games and other kinds of interactive entertainment. However, virtual reality found its application in many other fields like healthcare, education, military, space domain, etc. In our previous post, we talked about 5 interesting solutions in AR for different fields in 2022. In this blog post, we would like to talk about 5 solutions in VR that deserve your personal attention. VR in Education (Mondly VR) VR technologies with immersive effects do not just improve the process of learning languages but also helps to break the language barrier. 95% of learners were proved to fail at learning English due to irresistible obstacles. The main reasons for their failure are the lack of language practice beyond lessons and instructed setting with a limited number of sessions (2–4 per week). Mondly, a world-famous company, developed a VR application for learning foreign languages. It contains different real-life simulations where the studied language can be applied: taxi, restaurant, train, hotel, etc. The user can communicate with virtual characters and gradually develop their language skills. VR in Art and Exhibition (VR Louvre) Thanks to VR technology, there is a new possibility to show museums and exhibitions from a completely different angle: VR museum visitors are four times faster to get emotionally connected to the material of certain historical age; VR recreates some historically important places which don’t exist physically anymore; visiting VR museums is completely free of the disadvantages of the real institutions: the lack of time for one historical piece, a huge crowd of people, and long lines near the entrance and ticket office. The Louvre in Paris became one of the first museums with its own VR program for distant visitors around the world. The authors of this program have completely recreated the museum’s three wings: Denon, Sully, and Richelieu. In Denon, a user with VR goggles can admire da Vinci Mona Lisa’s digital version. There are more than 35 thousand pieces of exhibition recreated in VR Louvre, from 6th century BC up to 19th century. VR in Trainings (Virtual Speech) As far as we know, modern VR makes company workers’ training faster and more effective. According to the statistics, trainees are 50% faster to get new skills during VR training. Also, workers feel 40% more confident at applying new working skills after VR courses. Virtual Speech created special VR courses for improving speech and self-representation skills. Virtual Speech lets students learn through self-paced classes. The student gets through online courses with theory and practice of self-representation, leadership, marketing, sales, etc. Next step — VR practice with instant feedback. Virtual Speech has more than 25 different courses with more than 50 different tasks. Now, more than 350 000 users from more than 130 countries are currently using this program. VR in Cinema (Oculus Studio) Cinematography is another field, significantly influenced by VR technologies. Starting from 2009’s Avatar release, the world movie industry attached high priority to 3D, which allows immersing the audience in their movies. It’s quite possible, that VR will be the next step of movie evolution after 3D. Oculus (now Meta), the first company that made VR popular, has its own Oculus Story Studio, which has already created the first VR movies. Their most current project is VR series Space Explorers: The ISS Experience. In collaboration with NASA and TIME Studios, the crew filmed more than 200 hours of footage and 18 hours of interviews with astronauts over the last two years. VR in Healthcare (AbbVie Virtual) VR has already become a huge part of healthcare. Nowadays, VR diagnostics are one of the most effective ways to detect diseases and treatment. VR diagnostics can be applied with other kinds of diagnostics, like MRI. Also, virtual reality diagnostics is a great alternative to invasive and surgical procedures. AbbVie Deutschland with ANIMA RES have created the AbbVie Virtual application, which lets doctors carry out diagnostics using VR technology. A doctor can send a robot to scan and find the main cause of skin disease. Every robot is located in a virtual hangar, you can make an unlimited number of trips to different body types with. Conclusion All mentioned programs, applications, and movies are just a small part of what modern VR industry actually is. The number of fields where virtual reality is getting applied is gradually growing every year. The main reason of increasing popularity of VR are constant improving of this technology and the prices for VR equipment that are getting more affordable. Moreover, the use of VR gives a new possibility to look at good old fields from a completely different angle.  

Today, we’re in the very early stages of virtual reality development. Nevertheless, VR is already applied in many different fields, including journalism.  A lot of popular media, e.g., The Guardian, the New York Times, and The Huffington Post, started using VR and 360о video as a new format of storytelling, which helps audiences immerse into the digital version of a specific event. Evolution of VR Journalism VR journalism is the innovative way to tell a story in the digital reality, where a real event or a problem is recreated. In general, modern VR journalism is divided into two main categories: 360о videos and VR movies.  Pioneer of VR Journalism Nonny de la Peña is considered “the godmother of modern virtual reality”. In 2007, a former New York Times journalist founded the Emblematic Group company, which produces VR content with definite linear storylines. The Hunger in Los Angeles is considered to be the very first VR documentary, released at Sundance Film Festival in 2012. The visitors of the event could see the movie in a VR headset prototype, designed by future Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey. Audiences got a chance to get immersed in a virtual Los Angeles and see a  man in diabetic shock losing his consciousness when he was standing in the line.  “People broke down in tears as they handed back the goggles,” said de la Peña. “That’s when I knew this tool could let viewers experience and understand an event in a completely new way.” After the movie’s success, Emblematic Group released a number of acclaimed VR documentaries. Greenland Melting, released in 2017, is one of them.  According to the plot, a VR headset user gets on a survey shipboard, watches, and estimates the scale of Greenland ice melting. Greenland Melting also became one of the first VR movies shown at the Venice Film Festival the same year. 360o Video Journalism in Mass Media  In the second half of the 2010s, the New York Times and The Huffington Post were among the first media to start complementing their articles with 360о videos. These videos can expand the event’s perceptions, like, for example, the 360о video series Out of Sight by The Huffington Post. The three-part miniseries tell about the life of Congo and Nigeria people, who suffer from three neglected tropical diseases: elephantiasis, river blindness, and sleeping sickness. With the help of 360о videos, you can also recreate historically important places changed many years ago. In the documental featurette Remembering Emmett Till by New York Times, the location from the old photos and modern ones were assembled with the help of  this technology. The main purpose is to show the place of the cruel murder of 14-years old black boy Emmett Till, which happened more than 60 years ago. The teenager was falsely accused of offending a white woman.  The main advantages of using VR in Journalism One of the main advantages of the VR journalism is the possibility to plunge in the true story with a better understanding of the subject. The most recent sir David Attenborough’s VR documentary First Life is available to watch on Oculus TV. The 11-minute VR featurette tells the story about the beginning of life on Earth and the very first creatures that appeared in the World Ocean. The original 2D movie was released in 2010. And with the help of virtual reality, the headset users can literally get into the digital version of the prehistoric period.  With the help of VR, a headset user becomes an active participant in the story, not a passive viewer. Anthony Geffen, movie producer and Atlantic Productions founder, told about his working experience in creating sir David Attenborough VR movies during his TED Talk. “We wanted to take you, guys, on a completely submerged journey, with David as your guide. The beauty of – when you’re building these kinds of stories, and we have these kinds of situations – is that you can see how the camera can move around. And we realized we were going to have to do this “on a rails” experience. On a rails means we’re pushing you through the experience, but you’re able to look where you want to,” said Geffen. Also, virtual reality can enhance viewers’ empathy and improve their understanding of the problem. Oscar-winning documentary Colette by The Guardian was converted into VR and available for Oculus headset users. Thanks to this format, the viewer can soak in the story of Colette Marine-Catherine who fought Nazis in France during World War II.   What You Should Pay Attention to While Creating VR Story VR is a relatively new tool for storytelling and it’s not completely researched, as professional journalists started working with it only in the first half of the 2010s. Therefore, you should be aware of  the possible risks of using VR in journalism:  The absence of a definite ethical code regulates the demonstration of some materials which may cause witness trauma in people with unstable mental health. Only in North America, approximately 30% of individuals who had witnessed traumatic events developed PTSD;  virtual reality could serve as a weapon to share misinformation and fake news in potential informational wars. Like deepfake technology, for example. Russians have already used it in the war with Ukraine when they made a fake video featuring Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky surrendering.  Conclusion Virtual reality is a new digital tool, which is used to tell stories thoroughly and convincingly by many journalists. With the help of VR, you can engage the viewers and cause empathy in them. But, at the same time, this tool can be used as a platform to share fake news and misinformation. 

Modern worldwide companies like Meta, HTC, and Microsoft are developing virtual offices for remote workers. COVID-19 was one of the reasons why VR offices are gradually becoming popular.  Pricewaterhouse Cooper predicts that 23.5 million people will have virtual reality workplaces by 2030.  Besides, in the next five years, Meta plans to create 10 000 new workplaces in the metaverse for European Union countries like Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, The Netherlands, and Spain.  What is VR office and its purpose  VR office is a digital space where people work, communicate, and interact with their colleagues using avatars. VR office space resembles a real one, but has some special traits.  The main task of a virtual office is to create favorable work conditions for people who can do remote collaboration from different parts of the world. How to choose a virtual office We talked to the head of the XR department Oleksii V. on what a VR office should be like,  to meet all the requirements of a company, which needs an office like this. According to him, the main purpose of the VR office as a digital version of the real one is to give a VR headset user the necessary tool kit to make them feel like they’re actually in this office. Also, this experience can help them  participate in conferences, carry out presentations, and communicate with colleagues and authorities directly.  “What you should pay attention to it so that, depending on purpose of designing VR office, you can have a different number of tool kits. Let’s say you need drawing or YouTube video streaming, somewhere you need to be able to download, show, and discuss PDF files, somewhere you need to show 3D models. Thus, it all depends on the field and specifics of the industry we design virtual offices for,” Oleksii V. said.   Advantages of VR office Flexible Workflow Customization The possibility to work in a fully customized virtual workplace that fits people’s functional and esthetical needs is the one of the main advantages of VR office work.  For example, VR app Immersed gives access to 15 different locations where VR headset user can work: from the cave with waterfall to the space station on the Earth orbit. There’s also a virtual coworking place, designed as a café, available for people around the world in the Immersed app.  Increased remote work productivity A comfortable virtual workplace helps to increase productivity. It is possible due to maximal isolation from various distractions. As the result, virtual reality workplace makes worker unleash their full potential.  According to the research, remote workers in Deep Mode increase their productivity by 48%  and make up for 16 hours of working time lost because of distractions.  Gender inequality decrease  Workers’ digital avatars shouldn’t necessarily represent their gender and appearance. So, it can positively affect gender equality and fight discrimination by gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.  Experiments with blind auditions of musicians prove this point. The idea was to prevent judges from seeing musicians’ appearance during the audition. And this gave some results:  five top-rated US orchestras increased the number of female musicians from 6% in 1970 to 21% in 1993. The New York  Philharmonic orchestra increased the number of women from 0% to 33% у 1997.  Communication improvement Modern technologies allow digital avatars to represent the host’s appearance and emotions. Oculus presented new, improved avatar’s functions, with enlarged choice of emotions, skin colors, face shapes, and limited number of clothes. Also, users can add over-the-ear hearing aids and wheelchairs to their digital avatars.  “We hope your new virtual self enables you to represent yourself online the way you want to be represented — whether that’s to friends and family, your local community, or beyond”, said Aigerim Shorman, General Manager for Avatars and Identity at Meta.  VR office disadvantages you should pay attention to Virtual reality remote work is a new field of digital technologies, which have both advantages and disadvantages. We suggest paying attention to:  personal data leaks; possible violations of privacy and harassment; the necessary equipment still isn’t available to everyone and evenly distributed around the world.  Solving this issues can make virtual space safer, which may positively affect the distribution of the digital office technology.  Conclusion Today, VR remote work is gradually becoming popular. The COVID-19 pandemic kick-started VR offices development. Virtual offices make remote work more productive, support team work, and improve interaction between colleagues.