Amid its rich and varied history, the business use cases for virtual reality have sometimes been hard to identify. Only recently has the technology gained a toehold in the mainstream, most notably with the development of the Oculus virtual reality headset.

The first systems, with their 8-bit video game-inspired graphics, appeared around 30 years ago but the past ten years have seen tech giants jump on board. Finally, it seemed, companies were mobilizing their vast resources to produce VR technology with purpose.

Even as doubts over the relevance of VR have been raised, the likes of Meta, Alphabet, and Apple have poured funding into VR R&D, with Apple’s Vision Pro headset the standout announcement in the space in the past year.

On a wider level, the VR market is expected to achieve an annual growth rate of 18% between now and 2028 and reach a total value of $300 billion in 2024 alone, according to Grand View Research. By 2030, PWC reports that the net economic benefits of VR and augmented reality (AR) could reach $1.5 trillion, with 23 million jobs enhanced by the technology.

Gaming and entertainment will remain the biggest driver of growth, but VR is finding a place in the wider world, in markets that might be surprising.

Business use cases for virtual reality: Building with words

A collaboration between computer scientists has resulted in perhaps one of the coolest VR applications around – the 'Holodeck'.

When inside the famed virtual reality volume aboard the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, crew members need only describe the simulated world they want to inhabit to the ship's computer in one or two phrases. They then quickly find themselves enveloped in the full sensory experience of a jungle, 1930s Chicago mobland, or Victorian-era London.

Though it's not transposable to an empty VR volume or Apple Vision Pro yet, Holodeck works essentially the same way, generating a digital 3D space based on nothing but text prompts. As the project spokesperson explains: 'You can easily describe whatever environments you want and train the embodied AI agents'.

Crucially, Holodeck responds to natural language and even abstract ideas. You needn't give it specific colours, shapes or measurements; prompts can include what the research calls fine grained requirements like 'has a cat' or 'is a fan of Star Wars', and relevant artifacts will show up in the simulation.

For now, the point of Holodeck is the language inputs, not the rooms or spaces it generates. Why? The process of training autonomous robots to navigate space and interact with objects in the physical world requires representations of virtual spaces so that the AIs driving them have somewhere to practice – the more simulations they can use in testing, the better the real-world results will be.

The problem is that virtual 3D spaces are currently created by human 3D artists, which is labor and time-intensive. Getting AI to do a countless number of them simply from a few voice prompts will produce a vastly higher volume of training data.

Of course, it might be the first step in a revolution in entertainment, which is itself adopting virtual production more than ever.

Something to note is that the impact of AI on artists, in this case 3D modelers, will be a point of contention here. AI is already running into legal hurdles and as tech unionization increases firms will need to balance the potential gains of these detailed VR environments with concessions that keep humans in employment.

Business use cases for virtual reality: Training and therapy

The dream of surgeons being able to use VR to perform surgery on patients across the other side of the world isn't here just yet, but the tech is already having a significant impact in medicine, particularly in training.

Cardiac care is one of the most complex medical disciplines there is, requiring a host of technical skills that need hours of practice and experience. But cardiac specialists can't practice on real patients any more than trainee pilots can be put in real planes full of passengers. Just as we put pilots in simulators, now cardiac training can be done the same way.

As the techniques used for cardiac interventions are constantly evolving, being able to maintain existing skills and learn new ones harmlessly in VR is becoming increasingly important.

There is also now a much greater understanding of mental health, particularly about how our emotional equilibrium and physical well-being respond to and affect each other. Therapies using VR are now being developed that promote relief from pain or stressors, taking advantage of the technology’s immersive nature. Although you won't entirely tune out a hospital room full of beeping machinery, your spontaneous emotional response will be reacting to the lush forest full of birdsong, changing your brain's neural architecture and taking rehabilitation to another level beyond hypnosis or psychology.

Even in medical care for a condition as serious as breast cancer, the US government's National Library of Medicine conducted a 2021 review of VR-based interventions and called the results 'promising'.

In fact, another study from 2021 concluded: “With the further maturation of the technology and improved accessibility in countries where VR and AR research is strong, we expect it to have a marked impact on clinical practice and in the life of patients”.

Business use cases for virtual reality: Property tours

Few of us would buy a property without the tactile experience of being there, so a sub-par VR representation that doesn't include all the possible visual detail simply wouldn't cut it. However, the realism of current generation VR is galvanizing the 'reality' half of the equation like never before, and suddenly the market reach for a property can extend to anyone who can strap on a headset miles from the physical property.

This applies to office space as much as it does the housing market and it could be particularly useful for companies that are returning to the office after a prolonged period of remote work or those that are just signing their first brick-and-mortar lease.

On a wider scale, using mixed reality for urban planning is becoming more common for city planners and construction companies. This can also feed into smart manufacturing.

VR hasn’t quite captured the hearts and minds of business leaders in the way that AI has, and flashy metaverse projects from big tech have seemingly stalled thanks to an overzealous early hype cycle. It's clear that its promises of widespread appeal and market growth have not materialized – but where it can be useful, it still has the potential to thrive.

VR is a proven technology that's now finding a home in plenty of industries where the fidelity of experience is everything. How long before it finds its way into yours?

This automatically-generated transcript is taken from the IT Pro Podcast episode ‘Are chief metaverse officers here to stay?'. We apologise for any errors.

Jane McCallion

Hi, I'm Jane McCallion.

Rory Bathgate

I'm Rory Bathgate.

Bobby Hellard

And I'm Bobby Hellard.

Jane

And you're listening to a slightly different version of the IT Pro podcast. Bobby, our reviews editor is fresh off the plane from MWC in Barcelona. How are you doing?

Bobby

I'm very well. Thanks for having me on the podcast.

Rory

So Bobby, how was MWC? What were some of the main themes that arose throughout the week?

Bobby

So MWC was good, bigger and badder than ever before, some 88,000 people. The key themes were about future technologies. They dressed it up as velocity, so things that are coming at speed. So 6G, immersive reality technology. So this is where we're getting onto metaverse, and that kind of stuff.

Rory

And I understand that Metaverse is one of the key topics that you were interviewing people about and that you were diving into while you were there.

Bobby

Yeah, we really wanted to know who deals with the metaverse within a business. So I spent a lot of my time asking people about CMOs - chief metaverse officers - and getting a lot of people giving me sceptical looks. What's that? Why are you why are you talking about that? That doesn't exist, that kind of thing. And it seemed like every other session at MWC was about the metaverse in some way, like 'unleashing the metaverse' or 'how is the metaverse going to work', or 'business use cases of metaverse', and it just it seemed like 5G in 2018 where it's just everywhere you could not ignore it.

Rory

Exciting stuff. Without further ado, let's dive into your report.

Bobby

What is the job title of the person at your business that handles the metaverse? Regardless of the scepticism that surrounds it, the metaverse is coming. It's already attracting billions of pounds of investment, and was also one of the key subjects of this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Across the week, the concept has been discussed in various keynotes and breakout sessions, including a panel that debated whether businesses should have a new kind of CMO. Not a chief marketing officer, but a chief metaverse officer. There are already some examples of this emerging in some of the biggest brand names in the world. Nike has a head of metaverse studio, Eric Redmond, and Telefónica has a chief metaverse officer in Yaiza Rubio. Seeing this, smaller companies may feel the pressure to follow suit, perhaps assigning someone within their ranks to take on the responsibility of navigating this emerging virtual space, or even hiring someone new. Others though, are questioning this trend. Is it something that needs its own department and its own lead executive? Should there even be a metaverse-specific job title? We put this question to Gartner director analyst, Tuong Nguyen who is part of the Gartner team that works with emerging technologies and trends. That includes all things metaverse.

Tuong Ngyuen

Gartner defines the metaverse as an immersive digital environment of independent yet interconnected networks that will use emerging protocols for communications. What it does is it enables persistent decentralised, collaborative, interoperable, digital content. That's a bit of a mouthful. So in plain speak, what that means is it's the next era of the internet. The difference between the internet of today, and the metaverse of the future, is in the definition I just talked about. Where people are, and I want to emphasise this, immersed in digital content. Whether they're being transported to another time or place, that's a digital-only interaction such as you would have would with say virtual reality, or the physical world around them is being transformed with digital. So what this immersion does then is it changes how people are going to interact with the world around them, because they're being immersed in persistent decentralised, collaborative, interoperable, digital content. So who should be in charge? The reason I think you haven't found a clear answer to this, well one of the reasons, is this is to be determined, right? In the near term, it's likely going to be a centralised, single role, but over the long term that will diverge. So for now, maybe it's someone like the head of innovation, someone who's looking on that far technology horizon. Moving forward though, I don't think it's going to be a specific role. But eventually it becomes part of the process, I don't believe you have someone within an organisation who is in charge of the internet today. It's within IT, it's within HR, it's within all these other departments within an organisation. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding, or maybe incomplete understandings of the metaverse. And as such you do see a number of organisations saying, "oh, we need a metaverse head". And that's fine. Whether it's an informed decision or not, it's a new area and they want to dedicate a resource to exploring this potentially transformational area. But like we were talking about before, just like the internet over time it's just going to be part of the business.

Bobby

Also, like the World Wide Web, the term 'metaverse' doesn't refer to one technology, as it incorporates a very long list of different elements that all work together much like Gartner's definition. And that can also include some things that are the result of frankly speculative guesswork. This makes a job description a little bit tricky.

Tuong

This hypothetical head of the metaverse needs to understand the breadth of the metaverse, not just a single application, a single use case, a single technology, a single trend. They don't necessarily need to be experts in all technologies, but they do need to understand how those pieces weave together and have at least a high level strategic understanding of all those technologies that you need. And I'll give you a few more, not to say that this is a definitive or comprehensive list in any way, but: AI, cloud, edge computing, augmented reality, Virtual Reality, digital twin, Internet of Things, sensing technologies, that list goes on. They do need to understand what all those pieces are at a strategic level, and how they come together to create experiences that we will expect from the metaverse. You do need to be fairly well-informed on technology. I'm not saying you need technical knowledge, but you do need that technology background in order to connect the dots between all those technologies. I think of it like being a chef. You don't need to intimately know every ingredient you're using. But you do need to be familiar with it, so when you're tasked with combining them you know which ingredients fit together and how.

Bobby

The right skill sets will certainly get you places. But the world can be a tad superficial, certainly online, and sometimes a fancy-sounding job title can open a few doors. So we spoke to Tom Ffiske, the editor of the Immersive Wire newsletter, to gauge the feeling within the immersive technology industry. Tom is also a member of the Accenture global thought leadership team that deals with all things metaverse.

Tom Ffiske

If your career is going to be in immersive technologies, obviously job titles are a significant factor when it comes to that. You do get more inquiries or more interest in a certain type of title, which can be beneficial on sites like LinkedIn. But ultimately it comes down to the value you give, and my worry is that it's peacocking to an extent, people ruffling their feathers and spreading them out going "look at me, look how magnificent I am, I'm the chief metaverse officer". And my worry is that peacocking without value behind it will be a detriment to them instead, because people will look beyond the thin veneer of postulating and then realise they're talking complete fluff, which is my worry to an extent. The crux of the problem is that not all companies need a chief metaverse officer in the slightest, none. If you are more specialised because immersive technologies or blockchain technologies, maybe to an extent web3, I can understand why you want a C-suite position which is focused in that area. Because you need someone with that seniority, and then it filters downwards to run that part of the business. The fact of the matter is most businesses don't need it.

Bobby

The design consultancy Journey was one of the first companies to use the title of chief metaverse officer, a role held by its founder Cathy Hackl. Hackl could have easily been the CEO - it is her company after all - but she felt that CMO would offer more opportunities to discuss the practicalities of handling the metaverse within a business. And it also lets its customers and partners know they are dealing with a metaverse-first business.

Tom

Journey is an exception, Journey is a company that has a chief metaverse officer partially because they have a whole division which is focused on the production of these immersive experiences. Her name is Cathy Hackl, I had the pleasure of interviewing her for The Drum last year actually, because we were discussing the significance of the CMO role within that piece. Her response is the fact that ultimately it is is a title which is necessary within her area, and then goes from there. But then after the discussion I remembered back in 2017, where there were people who were labelling themselves as 'chief blockchain officers', and you don't see chief blockchain officers that exist nowadays. So part of me wonders whether this is genuinely a part of a hype cycle, where people adopt that role for now. There's a lot of generative AI happening, so we might see 'chief AI officers' who will appear and then might then disappear over time as well, but who knows.

Bobby

IT Pro was able to catch up to Yaiza Rubio, the Telefónica CMO at MWC. And her description of the role was very much about defining exactly what it is. The company has been working towards the metaverse since MWC 2022, and Rubio has spent much of that time researching the technical needs of the project and finding the candidates that have the skills for those needs. She has identified that it requires a team of diverse talents covering areas such as machine learning, finance, graphic design, and also web3. Metaverse job titles might not have longevity, but the GSMA is clearly quite taken with the idea of a chief metaverse officer. It is also fully behind the entire concept of the metaverse, going by the amount of coverage it has received at this year's MWC. For context, it has a similar weight to 5G in 2018, where it was simply impossible to ignore. Ironically 5G is a key technology that will enable the advancement of the metaverse and 6G is also likely to be a cornerstone of it, which arguably makes the metaverse a definitive part of future MWC events. Whether CMO stays as 'chief metaverse officer', however, is uncertain.

Bobby

As always, you can find links to all of the topics we've spoken about today in the show notes and even more on our website at itpro.co.uk. You can also follow us on social media, as well as subscribe to our daily newsletter. Don't forget to subscribe to the IT Pro Podcast wherever you find podcasts. And if you're enjoying the show, why not tell a friend or colleague about us? We'll be back next week with more from the world of IT, but until then, goodbye.

Metaverse tech has already attracted billions of pounds in investment, and despite its detractors looks set to play a major role in the future of communications and productivity tech. It was also one of the main themes at this year’s Mobile World Congress, where the concept of a CMO - that’s ‘chief metaverse officer’ - was discussed in detail.

Companies like Journey, Nike, and Telefónica already have individuals with metaverse in their titles, but there is still a lot to be proved about the longevity of these roles. With metaverse tech still lacking definition in the minds of businesses and consumers alike, the impact that this new concept of a CMO will have on the industry as a whole.

In this special episode, IT Pro reviews editor Bobby Hellard presents a report from MWC, covering the definition and responsibilities of a chief metaverse officer, and whether or not the role could have a vital role to play in the C-suite of the future.

Highlights

“In the near term, it's likely going to be a centralised, single role, but over the long term that will diverge. So for now, maybe it's someone like the head of innovation, someone who's looking on that far technology horizon. Moving forward though, I don't think it's going to be a specific role.”

“The crux of the problem is that not all companies need a chief metaverse officer in the slightest, none. If you are more specialised because immersive technologies or blockchain technologies, maybe to an extent web3, I can understand why you want a C-suite position which is focused in that area.”

“[In 2017] there were people who were labelling themselves as 'chief blockchain officers', and you don't see chief blockchain officers that exist nowadays. So part of me wonders whether this is genuinely a part of a hype cycle, where people adopt that role for now.”

Read the full transcript here.

Footnotes

• MWC 2023: Can AI-embedded 6G 'greenify' next-gen networking?
• MWC 2023: Huawei launches 'world's best' ransomware detection system
• Siemens and Nvidia partner on industrial metaverse concept
• Stop worshipping CEOs – tech is a team sport
• A laptop with a rollable display – who is this for, exactly?
• Into the metaverse: Everything we learned from our virtual tour
• Meta deepens metaverse partnership with Microsoft and Accenture, still lacks compelling business case
• The IT Pro Podcast: How secure is metaverse tech?
• The business of the metaverse
• What is metaverse security?

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Meta's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has said the company still plans to build a platform that allows a wide pool of app developers to build digital experiences amid lawmaker's concerns over a potential metaverse monopoly.

The comments come amid an antitrust probe of Meta's latest acquisition of virtual reality firm Within Unlimited which sparked concerns that Meta may attempt to control the development of metaverse technology.

During his testimony at a California federal court, the Meta founder and CEO argued that the firm aimed primarily to support developers in expanding the virtual reality industry, rather than dominate it.

Representatives from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cited an email Zuckerberg sent in 2015 alluding to the company's ambition to create "most of the apps and software services" for the VR industry, Reuters reported, which appeared to indicate a different strategy.

The CEO likened the company’s current approach to that of Microsoft with its productivity suite. He suggested the motivation behind the deal is not centred around expanding its presence in the fitness space, but rather complements current efforts to develop productivity-focused metaverse experiences.

"It’s less important that we own the experiences than that they exist,” Zuckerberg said during the proceedings.

Zuckerberg has been highly vocal on the company’s productivity focus as it continues to build its metaverse estate.

At the Connect event in October 2021, the company’s shift to a metaverse focus catered heavily to prospective business audiences and highlighted the potential long-term benefits for enterprises.

“Current use cases of augmented reality, including Spark AR, are great examples of how the metaverse will meet the physical world,” the company said in a November 2021 statement.

“We’ve already seen businesses use AR to allow customers to virtually drop furniture in their home to see how it would fit, or use AR to let people try on makeup or glasses right from their Facebook feed. Regardless of sector, there will be use cases for businesses that seek to leverage mixed reality and physical-world experiences.”

Financial Impact

While the tech giant has high hopes for its current metaverse ambitions, this shift has inflicted a significant financial toll.

In September, Meta revealed it had invested $36 billion into the Reality Labs division since 2019. Similarly, in the first nine months of this year, Meta lost $9.4 billion on its Reality Labs unit.

In an earnings call at the time, Zuckerberg added that the company expects the unit to have “significantly” wider operating losses in 2023.

But despite significant losses, Bosworth said this week that Meta plans to sharpen its metaverse focus moving forward, and the firm appears willing to incur further losses to facilitate development of what it views as a high-potential industry vertical.

Bosworth also revealed that around 20% of Meta’s overall investments will go toward Reality Labs.

“It’s a level of investment we believe makes sense for a company committed to staying at the leading edge of one of the most competitive and innovative industries on earth,” Bosworth wrote.

“The good news is that in the long run, we think 2022 will be remembered as a year when foundational pieces of technology enabling our vision for the future made their way into the hands of developers and users for the first time.”

Augmented reality (AR) has had a rough start to life, which is perhaps not a surprise for a technology launched into the public consciousness by Google with skydivers. Almost a decade ago, Google Glass was unveiled at the company’s I/O conference by people leaping out of a plane. Despite the flashy entrance, Google Glass stalled, held back by privacy concerns and a failure to meet expectations; rather than offering a snazzy sci-fi overlay, Glass was like trying to read Twitter from a TV on the other side of the room.

Other AR headsets have followed, from Microsoft’s HoloLens to Magic Leap. More recently Meta partnered with Ray-Ban to launch an admittedly better-designed iteration of smart glasses. None, though, have found real mainstream success, although Glass and HoloLens are quietly being useful in medical and enterprise settings.

Now, a set of companies are hoping for a shot at the AR market. Mojo Vision announced the Mojo Lens was ready to go earlier this year, and only awaits regulatory approval, while InWith unveiled its version at CES 2022.

The ideas are the same: cram contact lenses with miniaturised circuits so they can communicate with smartphones to display information. Mojo Lens is a hard contact lens, while InWith is a soft lens, more commonly worn by most people for corrective vision. With countless examples of AR devices failing to catch on, these companies are banking on smart contact lenses being the technology that sees AR winning mainstream acceptance.

How close are we to workable smart lenses?

Michael Hayes, co-founder and CEO of InWith, has been working on building flexible electronics into soft contact lenses for just shy of a decade, developing proof of concepts for lens manufacturers. The technology embeds miniature processors, communications chips, antennae, sensors, chargers, energy storage and more into a tiny lens to display images and text to the user’s eye.

The product will hopefully arrive within the next year, Hayes says. “What we’re working on right now is regulatory approval of the first version of the lenses. That’s the priority right now, and then we go to market.”

Although there’s some buzz around smart lenses, however, people must understand the technology’s limitations, warns Oscar Mendez, lecturer in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) a the University of Surrey. Notably, at least initially, the field of view will be very small. “Consumers need to be aware that it’s not going to be a hugely immersive experience where even your periphery is looking at things,” he says. “It’s going to be something more targeted.”

What are the limitations of smart lenses?

Hayes says the first versions of smart lens AR will be more of a heads-up display (HUD) than a fully immersive experience. “It’s not going to be like putting on an Oculus Rift right off the bat,” he says. “You’re not going to be immersed in a 3D game experience, you’re going to have information that alerts you to things in your environment, tied to smartphone alerts and cues that you don’t currently have in your field of vision without looking at your smartphone.”

Of course, hardware is only part of the problem. Mendez is also working on camera localisation. If the AR system’s camera “knows” where it is, then virtual items can be pinned or “parked” in a spot and stay there – if you leave a virtual note for yourself as a reminder when you return home, it needs to be there when you get back, for example. “It’s no longer just a heads-up display that goes where you go, it’s grounded in the real world,” he says. “And I think that’s one of the technologies we need to crack properly before we have AR in the way the public expects or hopes.”

Systems like this exist and are used in larger headsets such as the HoloLens, but achieving the same in a smaller package is a challenge, Mendez explains, particularly when figuring out the tradeoff between performance and what people will accept. “Finding that sweet spot between what the human will tolerate in terms of… something moving around a bit will be interesting,” he says. “That’s more human-computer interaction than it is computer vision.”

Futurist William Higham, meanwhile, argues the problem with Google Glass wasn’t the technology, but privacy. “The big problem with Google Glass was the video camera,” he says. “It created this kind of media storm. Take the video camera off, and I think Google Glass could have succeeded.”

Hayes stresses the first iterations of InWith’s smart lenses won’t have cameras. “We don’t plan on initially introducing a lens like that,” he says.“There will be versions of it where it examines the environment and helps people that have low vision be alerted to things and see better,” he clarifies. “But incognito filming? We have no plans to make that part of our lenses in the beginning.”

Can AR ever truly break into the mainstream?

If and when such lenses are approved by regulators, then one question remains: do people want AR? Highman believes so. “Look at what happened with Pokemon Go,” he says, pointing to the AR game that exploded in popularity in 2016. “That was the perfect example that the adoption potential of AR is enormous. It’s absolutely mainstream.

“I think AR vision products are absolutely the way forward because it’s not a solution looking for a problem – it actually potentially solves loads of problems,” Higham adds. “Using a map for directions on a phone can be problematic, whether you’re walking along or driving.”

Beyond gaming, AR has a wide range of potential uses, with Hayes suggesting the technology could be used for navigation, messaging and instructions. Mojo Lens has partnerships with fitness and sports companies, and it’s no stretch to see how runners, cyclists and others might appreciate the real-time activity and health data without having to pull out phones or glance at a smartwatch. “The only two places you can put information on the human body that is useful is somewhere around the hands and somewhere around the eyes, and, to me, the eyes are much better as it’s just right there,” Higham adds.

Mendez warns, however, that although AR might seem like the best way, people often prefer simpler solutions. He describes research efforts to make a set of instructions to operate a coffee machine work on smart glasses, where one of the main challenges was ensuring virtual arrows pointed to the correct button regardless of where the user pointed their head. Plenty of effort went into solving that tracking issue, but in the end, users preferred simply watching a YouTube video and figuring out which button was which for themselves. “Sometimes the really simple solutions are more enjoyable to the user,” Mendez says.

Hayes notes that AR isn’t the only use case. InWith’s lens can also be used to fine-tune vision, in particular for people suffering myopia or presbyopia, and could one day let us zoom our sight as we would a camera. “This vision correction is the future as well as AR applications,” he adds. “The whole ophthalmic industry is going to be disrupted.”

Will smart lenses end the smartphone?

Mojo’s marketing line is that smart contact lenses open up a future of invisible computing, letting users glance at information discreetly rather than hold up a phone to their face or sit at a laptop. While that may one day be possible for the consumption side of computing, it’s hard to imagine anyone throwing away their monitor and keyboard in order to create – be it coding or making a PowerPoint – using the limited display in a smart lens. In the short term, at least, smartphones aren’t likely to be wholly displaced by smart lenses.

“It’s not straightforward that we’re going to use these devices in the same way we use our phones,” says Mendez. “It’s not necessarily going to replace your phone… it’s more of an extension of your phone than a replacement.”

That said, smart contact lenses overcome the friction of Google Glass and other headsets, and raise the possibility of small steps towards AR, if not yet the full metaverse. Indeed, says Higham, smart lenses may bring ideas like the metaverse into the real world. “I was always a bit wary of these avatars and virtual worlds, so I think that the fact you can do it while still living your real life is great,” he explains. “With the metaverse, people have got to dial down the sci-fi of it and see it’s a tool that’s actually going to make real life easier rather than build some other world.”

Qualcomm has today announced its first dedicated platform designed for augmented reality (AR) smart glasses, promising greater power efficiency, improved AI support and smaller device footprints.

The chip manufacturer unveiled the new AR2 Gen 1 system on a chip (SoC) at its annual Snapdragon Summit event in Hawaii. Qualcomm said it's currently working with more than ten OEM partners on devices powered by the new platform, including Lenovo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and more.

The platform is built specifically to support premium AR smart glasses, with another platform catering to more affordable mid-range devices to follow in future.

“Snapdragon AR2 is an extension of our XR portfolio and the first of a series of platforms engineered to meet the specific needs of AR glasses,” said Hugo Swart, Qualcomm’s vice-president and general manager of XR and metaverse. “It delivers groundbreaking technology designed to revolutionise AR glasses, and shake the metaverse. With it, OEMs can create thinner, sleeker, more comfortable and more immersive glasses users will love.”

Qualcomm’s previous foray into virtual and augmented reality technologies, the XR2 platform, took around a year for the first OEM devices to start hitting the market, and Swart expects this newest offering to follow the same cadence.

“Let's look into history: we announced XR2 Gen 1 in this event, so November, I think it was 2019; the first devices start to come out at the end of 2020. And then more devices came in 2021 and even ‘22,” he told IT Pro. “Based on where we are in discussions, my feeling is that we can get the same rough timeline. So second half of next year, I think we can start seeing these devices.”

The platform will support up to nine simultaneously-running cameras for improved contextual understanding, a dedicated hardware acceleration engine for better motion and position tracking, and an AI accelerator to reduce latency for six degrees of freedom or hand-tracking controls.

There’s also a reprojection engine, which creates smoother transitions when images move between offscreen and onscreen.

One of the biggest problems affecting the adoption of smart glasses is that current technology means the glasses themselves typically have to be large and bulky to accommodate the necessary components.

Qualcomm has attempted to address this with the new AR2 by combining a physically smaller PCB - 40% reduced, compared to the reference design of its Snapdragon XR2 AR platform - with a 45% reduction in the amount of wiring required.

It also uses a distributed architecture, enabled by a multi-chip design and twin AR processors, which allows components to be spaced out more evenly across the arms and bridge of a pair of glasses without affecting latency.

The AR2 is designed for tethered solutions, meaning data which is sensitive to latency can be processed directly on the device, and more complex data processing requirements can be offloaded to a paired device such as a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered smartphone or a Windows PC running a Snapdragon processor.

The system is built on a 4nm process and includes Qualcomm’s dedicated FastConnect 7800 connectivity chip featuring Wi-Fi 7 support and less than 2ms latency.

Power consumption has also been improved thanks to enhanced eye-tracking via the platform’s AI co-processor, which is used to prioritise workloads based on what the user is looking at, scaling back processing in other areas to save power.

Qualcomm claimed that the AR2 Gen1 platform offers a 2.5x better performance for AI operations, while consuming 50% less power than the XR2 design, all with less than 1W power consumption.

The AR2 Gen 1, along with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, is optimised for use with Snapdragon Spaces, Qualcomm’s extended reality (XR) development platform. Pokémon Go developers Niantic also announced that it has partnered with Qualcomm to bring its Lightship Visual Positioning System technology to Snapdragon Spaces in 2023, and Adobe also announced at the event that its 3D content creation tools such as Adobe Aero will begin using the Snapdragon Spaces APIs.

“We strongly believe that Snapdragon Spaces is the industry-leading platform for developers to offer incredible, amazing, immersive XR experiences,” said Govind Balakrishnan, SVP Creative Cloud products and services at Adobe.

“To this end, we are going to start by bringing Adobe's 3D and immersive authoring experiences to smartphones, mobile PCs, and XR devices. And we plan to bring the Universal Scene Description open source technology to Snapdragon hardware devices.”

This article originally appeared in issue 31 of IT Pro 20/20, available here. To sign up to receive each new issue in your inbox, click here

Earlier this year, legendary Swedish pop group ABBA embarked on their first run of concerts for more than four decades. The ABBA Voyage reunion didn’t see its members return to the stage in-person, though, rather it gave rise to ‘ABBAtars’ – holographic projections of the four stars, as they appeared in 1977. Heralded for being hyperrealistic, these holograms perform alongside a ten-piece live band, blurring the lines between digital and reality.

The relevance of ABBA’s comeback tour for the world of enterprise IT might not be immediately obvious, but the critically-acclaimed show might have implications beyond London’s purpose-built ABBA Arena. This is a watershed moment for the once-clunky technology, which has proven capable of attracting 3,000 fans night after night. The potential use cases in wider society, particularly in the workplace, are now much more realistic.

Efforts to bring holograms to the workplace are ongoing, despite fresh interest in the metaverse. Google, last year, revealed Project Starline, an effort to create a video conferencing system with screens that give participants three-dimensional depth. WeWork, meanwhile, announced a partnership with ARHT Media, a hologram tech company, in May 2021 to create a 3D display system called the HoloPod to beam presenters into meetings they might otherwise not be able to attend. The aim is to bring holograms to 100 WeWork buildings in 16 locations around the world. This is on top of Cisco, last October, launching Webex Hologram for AR meetings.

Cisco's Webex Hologram in action

Despite failed attempts to establish workplace holograms in the past, the technology, while not yet commonplace, is a natural evolution of our current mobile-driven social and professional culture, according to Daniel Corazzi, CEO of virtual reality (VR) company Eyeora. “The use of holograms has been hugely successful to bring an immersive experience for the audience, and the opportunity for artists to reach new people,” Corazzi says of music. “Workplaces will eventually use holograms to engage with a wider audience and reach new people, just like in the music industry.”

Embracing holograms in the workplace

The office, and office culture, as we once knew it no longer exists. Following the mass shift to hybrid working, employees no longer congregate together five days a week, while in-person meetings have been largely replaced by video calls. Many organisations have also replaced legacy tools with cloud-based collaboration software that encourages people to work together regardless of location.

However, this shift, which accelerated during COVID-19, is causing fatigue among employees, who have grown tired of endless videoconferencing despite appreciating the benefits of more flexibility. Experts believe this is where hologram technology could come into its own, particularly due to its advancements over VR, which typically requires cumbersome hardware.

That’s a viewpoint shared by Dr David Lefevre, a professor of practice in management and entrepreneurship at the Imperial College Business School. Lefevre was recently involved in a groundbreaking project that saw Imperial College become the first school in the world to have live lectures delivered using holograms.

This project allowed lecturers and visiting speakers to appear as 3D, life-size entities within one of Imperial’s lecture theatres. Rather than simply projecting a prerecorded message, the technology allows those appearing to engage with their audiences in real-time, responding to audience reactions and taking questions via a camera link. Lefevre says this has led to greater flexibility for academics, and has enriched the learning experience for students. He believes hologram technology could bring similar benefits to the workplace.

“Holograms share the advantages of VR but without the need to wear a headset,” he tells IT Pro. Lefevre notes that, while the technology has not yet progressed far enough to enable broad adoption, the institution has found niche use cases, such as formal presentations.

“We have all now experienced the limitations of 2D communication conferencing technologies,” he continues. “Important components of the face-to-face experience are missing, meaning that communication can be less effective, and the sense of presence or connectedness is reduced. Holograms can plug this gap and enable people to interact at a distance but in an impactful manner.”

Imperial College London debuted a world-first lecture delivered by holograms in 2018

Like Lefevre, Corazzi expects hologram technology to, initially at least, enhance specific workplace functions rather than replace them altogether. “Holograms will be used to deliver client pitches, employee training or inductions, or showcase their latest products,” he tells IT Pro. “Holograms offer a powerful new way to connect, collaborate and engage with employees, clients, and prospects – anytime and anywhere.

“I think the hologram will be an extension as well as an evolution to the standard 2D screen, helping with body language and close to real-life attendance in some cases like meetings. Holograms will offer an immersive 3D virtual world where people can socialise – it’s really an extension of the real world that offers exciting opportunities to interact. However, it’s important for businesses to find a balance and apply the asset only when and where needed. In most cases, if physical content is needed in the workplace, then a hologram would not be suitable regardless.”

The challenges of enterprise holograms

Striking this “balance” that Corazzi speaks of might not be the only difficulty organisations need to process. There are fears the technology could further isolate employees who already have limited physical contact with their colleagues and employers. This means, according to Lefevre, that businesses need to ensure it’s used to enhance the ‘remote’ aspects of our working arrangements.

“I’m not convinced that people are keen to return to the office on a full-time basis. It currently seems likely hybrid working, and remote working, will remain common for the foreseeable future,” he says. “I believe that the continued practice of hybrid and remote working will lead to a number of challenges, one of which will be an increase in employees’ sense of isolation.

“However, the most powerful driver supporting this trend is the increase in flexibility that is valued by employers and employees alike. Hologram technology will act as one driver of such practice but not to the same degree. It is more likely to act as an enhancing technology.”

Holograms, he believes, would no more isolate employees than the mobile, laptop or workstation hardware used today to access the workplace remotely. Once businesses understand when it can bring value to employees, using a holographic asset will enable better collaboration, and more interactive training in the workplace, regardless of where the teams are based.

The numbers are in for Meta’s third quarter, and they presented a picture of a company battered by stiff competition, economic headwinds, but above all else a devotion to metaverse tech that continues to degrade investor confidence.

In its most recent earnings report, Meta (née Facebook) announced that net income was down 52% year on year, while spending had surged 19% year on year across the same period, driven by the twin pressures of economic shifts and in-house metaverse spending. Overall, revenue across the quarter was down 4% year on year at $27.7 billion as company sales continued to decline in a year which was also mired by struggling performance with advertising too.

Meta says it has taken financial challenges into consideration with its 2023 budgeting, and is applying scrutiny to “almost all” of its investment portfolios with macro effects in mind. But there is every sign that in the coming year, Meta investors have something of a bitter pill to swallow. When it comes to Reality Labs, the Meta business tasked with the firm’s virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and headline-grabbing ‘metaverse’ development, costs show no signs of decreasing.

In fact, the company said in the report that it actually expects to spend even more on its VR ventures in the coming year than ever before, a fact made more shocking - especially to investors - by the context of the business's financial situation. Reality Labs’ operating cost for Q3 was $3.7 billion, adding to overall losses of more than $9 billion in 2022 so far. On this trajectory, losses are almost guaranteed to exceed the $10 billion reported for 2021, and the company admits that its projections account for even more to be poured into the venture in the coming year.

“We do anticipate that Reality Labs operating losses in 2023 will grow significantly year over year,” said Dave Wehner, chief financial officer at Meta.

This would be a perilous undertaking with a clear end goal in mind, a spending gauntlet for the company to run amidst the global economic downturn, in pursuit of the glory of pioneering a new technological standard for all corners of life. But the tech giant’s gambit is even more baffling for the simple reason that as yet, there is no compelling use case for metaverse technology. For all the money poured into it, the virtual reality oasis that Zuckerberg promises at each company announcement has yet to materialise, and each iteration presented thus far has prompted comments that the overarching idea for metaverse is a waste of time.

In response to a question on the rollout of metaverse tech, Zuckerberg indicated that although people might argue that it’s a bad investment, he believes that the technology will be important for the future, and it is therefore worth investing in. Speaking to the nervousness of investors, he also stressed that those with patience will be rewarded in due course. Whether that will pay off is anyone's guess.

The Guardian reported that Meta shares fell 19% in after-hours reading following the call, slashing company value by more than $65 billion, and shares overall are trading almost 60% lower than they were in Q1.

Increased Reality Labs costs are, in part, driven by the launch of Meta’s upcoming Quest 3 virtual reality headset, as well as due to the annual salaries of new employees. Indeed, Meta has increased its workforce by 28% over the past year, with 87,314 employees now working for the company.

With salary costs this high, Meta could replicate cost-cutting moves of other big tech companies, such as Microsoft’s hiring slowdown or even Twilio’s 11% cut to workforce. The company already cancelled internships for 2023, with candidates that had already been offered placements informed of the cost-cutting measure via email, as the company admitted it was evaluating its 2023 hiring strategy.

Of course, Reality Labs was far from the only contributing factor to Meta’s downturn this quarter. As with Microsoft’s quarterly earnings, the strength of the dollar across the period affected international sales unfavourably, and advertising demand across the sector is slowing as inflation bites into company budgets. Apple's implementation of greater privacy measures in iOS 14.5 also bit into the effectiveness of Facebook identifying trackers, in a move that Meta says will directly cost it $10 billion in 2022.

Competition is proving troubling for the company, as it faces a real rival in TikTok, the favoured app of Gen-Z. The firm, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, offers users short-form videos, and an advanced content algorithm, in a strategy that has become both hugely popular and incredibly profitable, even as it faces calls to be removed from app stores for national security.

“To remain competitive with the likes of TikTok, whose UK sales surged sixfold to almost $1 billion earlier this month, Meta is currently testing the function to schedule posts and Instagram Reels with a tool inside the app, which would be a significant boost to the platform’s content programming capabilities,” said Zarnaz Arlia, chief marketing officer at Facebook and Instagram marketing partner Emplifi.

At Meta’s most recent earnings call Zuckerberg aimed to temper investor fears by stating that in coming years, the firm will “pace” Reality Labs investments, to facilitate company-wide growth and boost operating income. Its stated strategy is to dedicate a set portion of profits from its ‘Family of Apps’ - Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram - towards Reality Labs and other R&D ventures, whilst retaining enough for healthy shareholder returns.

It’s hard to think of a word more associated with metaverse tech right now than 'faith'. Even the most bullish of investors and ardent supporters of the prospect of web3 will likely raise eyebrows at these results and start engaging with the long-held criticism of metaverse tech. Being asked to place trust in a concept that still hasn’t sparked the Zuck-promised tech revolution, and is the butt of jokes by many in the tech community, could prove too much for investors in the coming year.

Perform a quick Google search and you might struggle to find even a single product that’s DARQ-compatible, leading to the question: Is this a real thing? Part of the problem is that DARQ shares its name with a fairly recent and quite popular video game, which gets in the way of any attempt at research.

The DARQ we’re actually interested in isn't a product or a company, but shorthand for a collection of four blossoming technologies. These technologies are distributed ledger (or blockchain), artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, and, finally, quantum computing. It’s not a coherent toolkit, or a necessary foundation of your projects, but if you can’t at least say something about DARQ then it might indicate your line-of-business apps are somewhat behind the times.

Why is the term ‘DARQ’ relevant?

Many might suggest DARQ is comparable to the Codd & Date model. For those who aren’t aware, Codd and Date were pioneers of the database in the 1960s; they proposed simple tests and questions that could help determine how “relational” your database was. DARQ can be similarly used as a yardstick – or sanity check – for your project planning, but it’s really a much broader, more high-level approach. With four immense concepts compressed into a single four-letter acronym, it’s not really amenable to simple box-ticking exercises.

Is DARQ of any practical use to us at all, then?

It can be, you simply need to compare your plans and systems to the broad spread of capabilities available across DARQ’s collected platforms. This should help you understand what you’re missing out on, and where your development and relationship time might be best spent. Your e-commerce system doubtless has a database in it of some type, but could it benefit from a blockchain-type model? Can you scale up a thousand times to accommodate a sudden flood of traffic just after an advert goes live, and then scale down again? What tools should you be using to achieve those desirable levels of stability and scalability? And so forth.

Is DARQ as a problem-solving mnemonic?

It’s a nice thought, but that final letter complicates things. You might find a solution in blockchain technologies that you can start developing today, or discover a pre-rolled AI suite that’s close enough to your problem to be useful. You might even discover some productive trick with QR codes or AR-powered smart glasses.

Quantum computing, however, is more aspirational and forward-looking. Right now, its applications are limited, and few businesses will see much return from rushing to invest in the emergent technology. That said, with the technology becoming more available through the cloud, there’s a valid argument that businesses should be planning ahead of time and priming themselves for when commercial quantum computing does become viable.

Could ticking all the DARQ boxes be a red flag?

Yes – just because an IT project control thoughtscape uses scoring to concretise your own assessments, that doesn’t mean the scores have any special value, or translate in any way to business benefits. “Perfect” technology scores can easily go hand-in-hand with a “nul points” rating from the people who have to use a system, or the shareholders.

Perhaps the value of DARQ is to remind us to be wary of hype. You might be onto something there. Thinking about DARQ certainly encourages more actual, well, thinking than relying on narrow web-page service stats or session counts. If DARQ hasn’t been on your radar, your team might welcome the new perspective.

Welcome to issue 31 of IT Pro 20/20, distilling the most important themes of the previous month into a simple, easy-to-read package.

Earlier this year, the UK played host to a stunning spectacle. Making use of state-of-the-art hologram technology, the ABBA Voyage tour was a reunion of sorts, seeing so-called ‘ABBAtars’ taking the stage instead of their human counterparts. The holographic projections performed alongside a ten-piece live band, blurring the lines between digital and reality.

The technology has been widely hailed as being hyperrealistic, and it inevitably raises questions as to how sophisticated holograms might be used elsewhere. We ask then: will the same technology make its way into the office?

Keeping with that theme of future technology, we also analyse the role of cloud computing in the era of quantum computing, and show how Lenovo may have finally found a solid business case for smart glasses.

The next IT Pro 20/20 will be available on 31 October – previous issues can be found here. If you would like to receive each issue in your inbox as they release, you can subscribe to our mailing list here.

Image courtesy of ABBA Voyage

We already have computers in our pockets and on our wrists, and in the not-too-distant future we’ll be strapping them to our faces too. All the major Silicon Valley players are hard at work developing augmented reality (AR) glasses that blend the physical and digital worlds together, and they are expected to hit the market over the next few years.

We have, of course, been here before with devices including the Google Glass. The last few months has seen a slew of new options teased to the market, including Ray-Ban’s collaboration with Meta and Lenovo’s T1 smart glasses, with more to follow. What makes the device manufacturers believe that customers will find their AR kit any less weird and disturbing than the failed devices of before?

A warning from history

“The idea of being constantly watched is not something that everyone would appreciate,” says Thomas Ffiske, a metaverse and immersive tech analyst who writes the AR industry newsletter Immersive Wire. He’s not speaking hypothetically. Back in 2013 when Google launched its Glass wearable, it generated countless headlines about the potential privacy worries, and there were even reports of restaurants and bars banning “glassholes”, as early adopters were labelled.

Will the same happen again with AR? “I'm not sure much has changed in the past few years that would get people to accept it more,” says Professor Jason Hong, who works in the Human Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie University. “It's putting people at risk for no clear benefit to themselves or no clear benefit to society. Those were the concerns then, and it's not clear that anything has changed.”

What’s going to be pivotal for Meta, Apple and the others, then, is demonstrating the utility of the new technology – much as today we accept the benefits of Alexa and CCTV over the perceived cost. “When we look at the features of Google Glass there were not a lot of benefits, it was basically just a smartphone in front of your face,” says Professor Philipp Rauschnabel, who researches AR at Bundeswehr University Munich. “There were not a lot of useful apps.”

Rauschnabel believes that this time, it could be different – at least for Apple. “Apple has invested millions of dollars to have AR on their smartphones,” he says. “AR on a smartphone doesn't really make sense to a user, because you have to hold it. However, Apple has learned about AR and it has learned about useful use cases. So I expect when Apple enters the market with glasses, they can build on a lot of knowledge about how AR works and how it can be used. They will enter the market with a strong ecosystem of useful apps that really provide benefits to users.”

Building trust through smart glasses design

Making AR we can trust isn’t only about having a range of sufficiently useful apps. The real path to widespread acceptance begins with the fundamental design of the hardware and software. “I think they need to be very clear on what data is being used and how,” says Ffiske, who foresees a particular sensitivity around data usage on live map layers that glasses will overlay on the real world.

“Companies are making live maps of the world at the moment, where there's more context and depth. I think Meta might need to be clear when people's data is going to be used for that. There may well be targeted ads on this layer, but then they have to make clear it’s only used for that specific purpose.”

Another trust-building strategy could be for device makers to carefully consider what they actually let users do with their devices. “I would say that the main thing is, unless there's a clear motivation for it, not to actually record things,” says Hong. “That would probably greatly assuage people's concerns.”

We also already have a real-world example of another new technology becoming broadly accepted by being careful and judicious. “A lot of the things actually have always-on microphones, but they're only looking for the keyword first,” says Hong. “And then it actually responds in a very loud way. So, everybody knows you're talking to Siri and you know that some of the audio is being sent off. I think that's a pretty good example of everybody being on the same page with respect to what's being recorded and what's not.”

Perhaps the hardest privacy question for designers is where data is processed. In recent years, we’ve seen both iPhone and Android emphasise local processing, where images are analysed on device using the phone’s own hardware, in response to heightened concerns over privacy in the cloud. This functionality will be critical to how AR glasses function, as they will need to have a camera or LiDAR scanner constantly running to overlay data on to our world correctly.

That will require a lot of processing power and may be one of the reasons why we’re still waiting to see devices from the major manufacturers. “I'm not sure if it's possible using today's technology, because the microprocessors and the amount of battery you can have on these glasses would probably not be sufficient,” says Hong. “Even if you could, it'd be so warm and so uncomfortable.”

Hong thinks some sort of remote processing is inevitable, even though there are risks. “That's going to cause a lot of problems, because it's unclear what data is being captured, and where it is going,” he says. “What happens if you're in a bathroom or a gym? If it's on in these sensitive locations, that can be really embarrassing.”

Rauschnabel agrees that any sort of local processing will be hard if the technology is to work effectively. “The trend will not be local processing,” he says. ”You can make the glasses smaller, so that the glasses are basically just the training technology [for example the camera] and the display. Everything else is sent to an external server over a 5G network… because the idea is that you can have the devices smaller and lighter and you can save energy.”

Guaranteeing privacy in next-gen smart glasses

There is something unique about AR glasses – and that is whose privacy is most affected. “The difference here is you're particularly threatening other people's privacy,” says Rauschnabel. “Apple focuses on the user's privacy, they've never talked about other people's privacy because it never mattered.”

This is arguably a lot harder when we have a camera or Lidar sensor constantly rolling, pointing at everything we so much as glance at. “It's not so challenging to protect one's own privacy, it just means you have to make sure that other people can't access your sensors and cameras while you're using it. But when it comes to AR, I don't know how they will treat other people's privacy.”

He speculates when they do arrive, Apple’s AR glasses might have specific restrictions on facial recognition or only allow face tracking for specific individuals. There are some real-world examples of how these privacy concerns could be mitigated. For example, in 2004, South Korea passed a law requiring a sound of at least 65 decibels to be made by a device every time a photo is taken. And more recently, Meta has built similar functionality into the Ray-Ban Stories, with an LED lighting up whenever the camera is in use.

Professor Hong speculates that taking a photo with AR glasses could require some sort of physical gesture, such as the wave of a hand, so that the people around you know what is happening. But ultimately, even if these sorts of protections are added, either in software or by law, the pessimistic view is that the battle for privacy is unwinnable. The devices are coming, and the unfortunate thing about technology is that it just keeps getting better. One day soon, it’s possible that almost all of us will be so-called glassholes.

“If a lot of people are using them, and the devices are so small that you can't distinguish smart glasses from regular glasses – and this will happen – then there is no way to control it,” says Rauschnabel.

Smart glasses are one of those technologies that just refuses to die. Companies like Microsoft and Google have had a crack at it, with varying degrees of success, and here we are in 2022, with high-tech eyewear still not quite in the mainstream.

The history of virtual reality goes all the way back to the late 50s, though the term was actually coined in 1987 by author and technologist Jaron Lanier. Along with AR (augmented reality), VR has primarily centred around gaming and immersive experiences, but there is a feeling that we’re entering a new age of VR thanks to the sudden emergence of the so-called ‘metaverse’. Meta (née Facebook) is leading the charge here, though I have to say what Meta presents as the ‘metaverse’ looks an awful lot like characters and backgrounds from Wii sports.

However, if we leave the low-quality avatars and cartoon landscape to one side, there are other use cases for smart glasses that can benefit businesses and remote workers. One example was presented by Lenovo with the announcement of its new T1 smartglasses, which were revealed at IFA in Berlin. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to have a full hands-on session with the T1 glasses; instead, I got about three minutes with them at the Showstoppers consumer trade event, where Lenovo had a presentation table.

With the device in hand, my immediate impression was that they looked a little stupid and, to be fair, most smart eyewear prototypes are unattractive. Part of the reason, for me, is that they’re an ugly mix of sunglasses and VR headsets. The T1s themselves aren’t as large as the latter, but they’re a little bit like bulky Ray Bans. Nowhere near as svelte as Meta’s ‘Ray Ban Stories’.

The T1 works with a smartphone or a laptop and according to Lenovo, this will include MacBooks. The two prototypes the company had on display were hooked up to an Android handset via a USB cable. Presumably, they will eventually be wireless, but the display of the smartphone screen is transported to the glasses with the cable. The phone's display then switches to a trackpad so you can move a cursor around a screen that you can see through the glasses, essentially making the phone a mouse.

I played around with it for a few minutes and asked various questions - and you know what? It was just straight-up cool. Cool in a way that I could actually see the use cases or the reason for it, not like foldable phones, which still seem like an answer to a question no one asked. This felt like a future technology that had reached the now. I had the graphics of a smartphone in my eyes, a virtual desktop that only I could see. I felt like flipping Iron Man.

Said desktop moved with my head, but there was also a button on the arm of the glasses that I could click to keep the content in a single place. What’s more, it doesn’t block your peripheral vision and you can still see the real world beyond the graphics. Now, I can’t say how good this is for working on documents or typing, but for controlling a smartphone UI and watching a quick video, it was great. How this will operate with a laptop screen is still a mystery, but I like the idea of having a screen that literally no one but me can see. It’s complete privacy in that regard, which will make your sensitive work that little bit safer when in public. Lenovo told me that it’s predominantly going to be aimed at the consumer, with a release date estimated at early 2024 and a price tag that will be under £400.

However, while I was clearly sold on the idea of a desktop for my eyes only, I still recognise that this in itself may come with issues. For starters, it’s an immersive technology and that might not be a good fit for work, particularly as more and more of us are apparently doing an increasing amount of our work remotely. The idea that you can do your job in a virtual space and essentially ignore the outside world seems like a fast track to burnout and isolation. For now, though, I’m content with the idea of a virtual interface that only I can see. I just wished they didn’t make me look like actual glasses.

It’s impossible to see the future, but modelling potential outcomes is powerful. Want to know how a driverless car will perform on a specific street in rare weather conditions or how an individual will react to a new drug or the impact of a larger train station on a city’s travel habits? You could wait and see – or you could ask a digital model to tell you.

Singapore is choosing the latter when it comes to everything from weather to solar panels to 5G rollouts. The country is the first to edge towards something approaching a so-called digital twin, in which all of Singapore is represented digitally to act as a starting point for virtual modelling – and perhaps even a reality-based metaverse.

Before zipping over to Singapore to examine how the island nation made a digital copy of itself, it’s worth taking a closer look at what we mean by digital twin. The idea originated in space engineering, with NASA attempting to test its spacecraft designs in extreme situations before they hurtled off the planet. In product design, a digital twin can be straightforward, a simple 3D virtual model of an object to better understand manufacturing, for example.

For training driverless cars, a virtual vehicle can be placed into the digital version of a city; the virtual twin of the car can then ‘drive’ through a simulation of scenarios it might not experience in its lifetime on actual roads. For healthcare, a virtual version of a person could reveal how personalised treatments impact the real patient. And with a city or a country, a digital twin offers a safe sandbox to model changes to weather, the impact of transport tweaks, and anything else urban planners would like to consider without high costs or major disruption.

However, capturing every detail of an entire country – even a city-sized one – is no easy task, and it’s even more difficult to keep the data up to date. Indeed, it may not ever be truly possible. After all, having slightly incorrect or old data could skew an outcome, leading city planners down the wrong path if they rely solely on a twin. As with any technology, a virtual twin is a tool to aid, not replace, human thinking.

Mapping Singapore

As an island nation, Singapore is used to flash floods, but torrential rain in 2011 caused a series of damaging floods throughout the year, prompting the country to look at ways to fight back, especially with the worsening impact of climate change likely to exacerbate the problem. Alongside that challenge, local authorities had another problem: Singapore is a tiny nation with a dense population, meaning land use needs to be carefully considered. It’s pertinent especially with regards to why Singapore temporarily stopped building data centres, for instance.

To help figure out the regions most at risk from flooding, and better use scarce land, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) created a 3D map of the entire country in incredible detail down to a tenth of a metre; it’s possible to see road lane markings. That first programme began in 2012, with aerial data collected in 2014 and again in 2019 to update the existing dataset.

The aerial data collection isn’t just about photos. Aircraft also carry LIDAR sensors that send out a laser pulse to capture 3D information such as the height of buildings. That extra data is necessary because Singapore has so many trees. “The ability for the laser pulse to penetrate through canopy is critical for Singapore,” says Teo Hui Ying, senior principal surveyor in SLA’s Survey & Geomatics Division, noting 47% of the country is covered by trees. “It allows us to generate a more accurate terrain map for the nation” than if trees were allowed to get in the way.

Plus, laser scanning can also be used within buildings, giving the dataset internal properties for some state buildings. “With the point clouds you can get a visualisation of a staircase in a building,” she says, or underground subway stations, a project the group is just starting to trial. The idea is that underground and above ground models could be combined to help map utilities and tunnels. After all, what makes up a city isn’t just what’s above ground and visible.

There’s another way to capture 3D data, notes Teo. The aircraft take photos vertically, looking straight down, but also at an oblique angle. “One aircraft model actually captures five images with very little exposure,” she explains. “That allows us to create realistic building models… and replicate the real world environment in 3D to facilitate simulation and analysis.”

Alongside that, beginning in 2015, the SLA began mobile mapping, with a camera mounted on a car, akin to what Google does with Street View. “It’s mounted on a vehicle that goes through public streets in Singapore capturing point clouds in 360-degrees,” said Teo. “This helps complement the ground information as airborne mapping has limitations.”

While that map was impressive, the two years required to collect the data and pull it all together meant it was already out of date, sparking a search for ways to more quickly update the imagery. In 2019, the country turned to infrastructure solution developer Bentley Systems’ mapping and digital twin software to organise images taken at street level as well as overhead. In all, 25 terabytes of data was collected over 41 days, including 160,000 high-res aerial photos, in order to create a digital map of Singapore that’s accurate to 10cm. In all, it took eight months – much faster than the previous effort but also more detailed and significantly cheaper at £19.5 million under budget.

Use cases for a national digital twin

Singapore built the map with a few key use cases in mind – notably land management and flood avoidance – but the aim was to create a product that could be used by multiple agencies in different, unexpected ways, including a terrain and obstacle map for flights in the area, national park tree mapping, and even future 5G deployment. “With the approach developed once, used by many, we aim to create reliable, high resolution and consistent data to meet multiple agencies’ requirements,” she says, stressing the importance of open standards for future data sharing.

For example, this detailed map was used to build a model to help plan solar energy rollouts, helping the government decide where to put solar panels. Researchers were able to discern where on a specific building’s rooftop a panel should be placed to optimise energy collection. “The map helps Singapore find out which buildings can harness solar potential the most,” she says.

Other ideas include building design, to see how a new development will impact existing structures. “3D building models have a lot of urban use cases,” she said. “If there is a new development, we can see how it will affect the surrounding area in terms of shadows, for example.”

Plus, such a detailed map can be used to help autonomous vehicles navigate the country, easing the rollout of driverless cars and other robotics. “High resolution street maps are something that is in progress and we are looking at targeting the autonomous vehicle and robotics industry,” she says, saying another future use case could be managing traffic of unmanned aerial vehicles, such as drones. “With testing UAV delivery and so on, you need very accurate 3D maps to ensure that the unmanned aerial vehicles are able to do their take-off and manoeuvres.”

And then there’s the metaverse. The tech catchphrase of the moment – thanks in large part to Facebook rebranding as Meta – means a digital map in 3D of a city, including interiors of buildings, could one day be visited by our avatars. “It’s something we’ve started to look at recently, and we’re working on small pilots with our 3D mapping data,” Teo says.

This multipurposing means the data must be shared between agencies, which is more complicated than it sounds. Not only are the data sets huge, meaning it’s not trivial to download or replicate, but they’re sensitive in terms of national security. “This mapping exercise takes in the whole of Singapore and there are a lot of security facilities,” she explained. Because of that, “all of the processing is done in a secure area.”

Instead, the data is hosted in the cloud, where it can be accessed and used. Plus, that means the SLA can generate smaller slices of data, such as a topographic map of an area, for a specific use case. “It seems very silly to actually pass the dataset to them because it contains more than 20TB of data,” she added.

Does a digital map make for a true digital twin?

While impressive – and handy – is this project an example of a highly detailed digital map or a true digital twin? What makes the latter is the ability to be updated, but this system still takes months to do so, meaning it’s inherently out of date. “We mention this as a digital twin, but at the same time we have to humbly say that we may not be there yet,” she says. “We are still in a development stage.”

She admits it’s a question of semantics, with some in the industry arguing a digital twin needs live data. “At the moment, ours is very much a snapshot,” she says. “What we have captured is a moment in time.”

The advent of real-time sensors and live cameras could change that, says Teo, but that’s no easy task. “We keep a lookout on new technologies that evolve with time,” she says. “Remote sensing would allow us to find out changes in between times when we fly. We can’t fly every year so we would need to adopt other technologies to help us detect the changes.”

And that’s just the technology to gather the data. In addition, the SLA would need software to manage the new data and compare for changes. Teo explains the aim is to use automation more in the future to build models out with less human intervention.

That’s why city or country-wide digital twins won’t be common anytime soon – they’re hard work. Instead, digital twins are more likely to be developed for specific pieces of infrastructure. Bentley Systems has created digital twins for a route upgrade for the Transpennine train line, a Chinese solar plant, and bridges in Minnesota, for example.

Still, cities are pushing ahead with the idea of capturing every nook and cranny in order to improve planning. Orlando, Florida is working with gaming giant Unity on a 3D model of the city to be used to showcase the region to investors, as well as urban planning, and Las Vegas unveiled at this year’s CES the first stage of a digital twin project with Cityzenity to help boost sustainability efforts. While it’s so far limited to a small area of its downtown core, unlike Singapore this is a live model with real-time data collected through sensors watching traffic, air quality and more.

It’s clear digital twins, be they city wide or limited to a specific infrastructure set, can help urban planners, but more data more often will be needed first. Singapore’s combination of aerial photography and LIDAR paired with street-level scanning shows one way forward, but the next step is sensors to automate updating the dataset. Then Singapore could truly be the world’s first country with a digital twin, enabling digital cars, drone deliveries and the metaverse – in short, letting all the future tech we keep talking about finally actually happen.

As I crash into my 58th year on this planet, I am becoming more aware of the physical frailties of getting old. I am not getting old, of course. 60 is the new 40, according to my friends. They are too kind.

But we should be aware that the old viewpoint that ageing members of our society and workforce don’t use technology is going to come to a crashing halt soon. Those of us marching towards retirement are quite technology aware, and the old excuses don’t wash.

With age comes some, shall we say, “adaptations” of our abilities. For myself, having real-time glucose monitoring from the Libre, and now Dexcom G6, has been transformative technology for my insulin-injecting diabetes.

However, these are easy, mainstream solutions. We need to consider the impact of accessibility in the wider context. In a recent podcast, I sang about the merits of the Microsoft Surface Adaptation Kit. It costs a few pounds, it doesn’t have a record-smashing business processor or a high resolution screen. It's a set of stickers and raised/bumpy labels for you to stick on various items on your computer. It even comes with the stick-on pull tabs to make it easier to open up the screen, or pull out the foot.

The unfortunate reality is a lot of mainstream IT products are actually quite difficult to use if you have accessibility needs, and the addition of just a few little items like labels and pull tabs can be transformative. Full marks for Microsoft for putting together this kit, which is useful on any computer, and most certainly isn’t limited to the latest devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro 8, for instance.

All of this is a learning experience. My learning started when I was 20, when I spent a year working with a chap who was blind. Realising that I was his eyes in the lab was completely revelatory, and totally changed my perception of accessibility, and how to support people who have such needs. If I could wave a magic wand, teenagers wouldn’t go on a gap year but would spend time working in the community with people with accessibility needs.

We should remember that companies like Microsoft and Apple take accessibility incredibly seriously. You don’t see this work, simply because most people don’t need to look for these features. But the range and depth can be quite breathtaking. And don’t assume that this is done for profit. I’m reminded of the comment made by Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an interview nearly a decade ago: “When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind, I don’t consider the bloody ROI.”

So I was delighted to see another wave of accessibility features coming from Apple. I know I could find similar work from Microsoft in Windows 11, but the Apple examples are to hand. For example, this morning I was looking through the Accessibility features in macOS, and found an item called “Enable Head Pointer” in the “Pointer Control” settings. This uses the camera in the laptop to work out where your head is, and then tracks your head movements. These movements are then used to drive the mouse pointer on the screen. To my astonishment, it just worked.

Or how about “Enable alternative pointer actions”, which allows Facial Expressions to be mapped to mouse clicks. I enabled “Smile” to map to “Left Click”, and it just works. I had no idea this sort of stuff was baked into the operating system.

How about using gestures to make actions? For example, I can use a range of movements to fire actions on my Apple Watch. Clench the fist to perform an action, or use double clench for a different action. How about pinch and double pinch, which could answer or end a phone call, take a photo, play or pause media playback, start or resume a workout? All of these can be detected by the watch and mapped to actions. Then there’s a huge array of zoom, magnifiers, audio support including screen reading through to mono-ing of stereo audio.

Some of the forthcoming features are simply astonishing, including using the LIDAR in your iPhone to enable door detection, for those who are blind or have low vision. It scans the room and works out where there are doors. Not only that, it can describe the door, and where it is, telling you whether it is open or closed, and whether it can be opened by pushing, turning a knob or pulling a handle. Door Detection can also read signs and symbols around a door, like a room number at an office. This combination of LIDAR, camera and machine learning is truly transformative, and all of this can be spoken to the user.

It soon becomes obvious that a whole heap of these functions are not just for those needing assistance, but for all of us. These aren’t features that should be hidden away behind an Accessibility menu item, but should be front and centre. I have come to think of the combination of my iPhone, Watch and CarPlay as an information and capability fabric. Any forthcoming augmented reality (AR) glasses will need to seamlessly fit into this fabric, and increase the capability of every part of the system.

It is time to bring this capability to the mainstream, and roundly criticise those apps, services and products that are unsupportive or downright hostile, because it affects everyone.

The trouble with emerging technologies is that, while they may open up exciting possibilities, it’s often hard to see what on Earth you can use them for today. The metaverse is a great example: it has real practical potential, but Mark Zuckerberg makes it sound like sci-fi.

With the rise of the metaverse comes the importance of metaverse security, and adjusting to this rather novel trend. I’m not here to offer yet another explanation of what the metaverse is all about. Instead, I want to share my own experiences of going live with this technology.

They’re based on six years of experiments, recently culminating in helping a financial institution take its first tentative steps into the metaverse. The company’s goal was to facilitate stronger collaboration among remote team members, while cutting travel costs, and hopefully reducing office costs – and no doubt those are things you’d like to achieve too.

1. It’s not “the” metaverse

There’s no single, universal metaverse just yet. What we have is lots of little miniverses. Those might one day join together to form “the” metaverse, but right now some are better than others at different things. Being clear about this is important, because, along with sourcing your headsets, picking your metaverse platform is the very first order of business.

Two popular choices are Spatial and Kazendi, and there are good reasons to like both. However, in our recent rollout we opted for some corporate-expensed Oculus headsets in combination with RecRoom. You might be put off by the perception that RecRoom is mostly aimed at kids, but, to quote one of our execs, “most of the really important business gets done over a round of golf”. In the metaverse, nine holes of virtual golf can be squeezed into just an hour, and it’s much better for your carbon footprint than driving to Sunningdale.

Don’t get locked into one favoured platform, though. Just as you might switch between Linkedin and Twitter, or Zoom and Teams, I’ve found that different people prefer different virtual reality (VR) platforms. As the champion of the technology, you’ll need to be on top of each system’s controls and capabilities, as they’re all different.

Incidentally, don’t anticipate that you can just buy a lot of shared headsets either. One chief technology officer (CTO) told me that she felt a VR headset was a much more personal device than a smartphone, laptop or webcam, and that she wouldn’t be comfortable using one that had been worn by another team member for a few months.

2. Pick your team

One of my first metaverse experiences came when I spoke at a conference for Daz 3D – one of the visual effects platforms behind Westworld. While some of the technology on show was super-impressive, I was surprised by how detached I found the experience. When you’re interacting in the metaverse with someone you don’t know in real life, it can feel as if they’re a computer game character, even though you know intellectually that the avatar you see is controlled by another real human being.

Ed Blake, CTO at Waverton, later told me he’d felt the same thing: the lack of facial expressions and emotions in current avatars made it a very different experience for him to Zoom. In a video conference you can pick up a huge amount from body language and facial expressions, but in the metaverse you have to pay a lot more attention to the sound of other users to detect how they are feeling and reacting to what you say.

If you’re working with a group of people who don’t all know one another, therefore, it’s best to start with a non-VR ice-breaker session. While you want to keep things professional, a party-game approach can help: the more that your group feels like they know each other in the real world, the better they’ll be able to communicate and work together online.

3. Activities and familiarisation

Once you’ve chosen your early adopter group, you need to get them through their first experience in the metaverse. Start by creating an environment where people are free to explore how VR works: set them some tasks, and give them time to figure out the controls and discover what they can do.

Don’t rush this. People often need a while to get accustomed to the fact that everyone has god-like powers in a metaverse. I’ve seen otherwise productive sessions be spoiled when people are tempted to try out abilities such as creating, throwing and resizing objects in the middle of a meeting.

While your initial orientation session may be fun, make clear that it has a serious purpose. I’ve battled with senior stakeholders who couldn’t get past the idea that VR is only for games, because they weren’t presented with a plan at the outset.

4. Get serious

For your first proper meeting, lay down some ground rules. Treat it like a real meeting, with no larking about and no playing with avatars. Try to anticipate “how do I do this?” requests – we all know how irritating it is when people can’t find the Mute button in a Teams call.

Keep the first session short; 20 minutes is plenty while you’re trying to get your team up to speed with the technology and its capabilities. an interactive PowerPoint presentation, for example, in the virtual space might be the perfect introduction. Let me emphasise that VR isn’t the right medium for a PowerPoint presentation, in the same way that a telephone call isn’t the right way to give a software demo. But most of us have experienced PowerPoint presentations in the real world, so it’s a familiar basis for your first meeting.

In time, you’ll want to move your metaverse experiences towards whiteboarding sessions or other collaboration experiences. If your business is in the manufacturing or industrial industries then you have a huge set of potential metaverse applications, and big potential business cases to build on. For white-collar industries such as banking, don’t get seduced by the novelty of VR: focus on the real business benefits.

5. Keep it serious

Before long you’ll hopefully have a small group of six to eight colleagues who are high performers for metaverse collaboration experiences. But how do you maintain momentum?

The first important aspect is to ensure your VR meetings are productive. VR experiences can quickly descend into playtime: to avoid this, plan out the content ahead of time. Like all meetings, metaverse experiences should have a clear agenda with set timings, and they should stick to the subject.

Recognise too that the metaverse isn’t the right choice for every type of get-together. VR creates a powerful sense that you’re all occupying the same space, having the sort of shared experience that isn’t possible via a web call. Yet Zoom remains more versatile for larger groups, especially if there is material to present. Regularly check with your team whether they feel meetings have taken place in the appropriate space. Could they have achieved more in person or on another collaboration service? Don’t try to shoehorn a metaverse experience in where it’s not wanted.

Trevor Hunt from Cloud Consultancy Behind Every Cloud says: “As a global team leader I would aim to meet my direct reports at least annually face-to-face – but can you really ‘trust’ someone you’ve not ‘met’ with all your senses engaged?” The best teams switch between media with dexterity, adding layers to their interactions as and when they are needed. Finding the balance between the metaverse, videoconferencing, phone and real-life experiences will be a shared challenge as the technology moves forward.

6. Insist on etiquette

The norms of acceptable behaviour in real-world society have evolved over thousands of years. Most of us pick up the conventions as children, and later through social and work experiences, often without even realising it.

Those rules don’t fully fit in the metaverse. In fact, there are no universal rules: we’re very much in an emergent phase, with ideas of acceptable and productive behaviour still developing. However, it’s already clear that some rules are needed. The particular etiquette for your company culture will likely differ from mine, but it must be understood from the start that the virtual space isn’t a free-for-all where anything goes.

It's equally important to manage crosstalk between the real world and the metaverse. Meeting participants need a place that’s safe and free from distractions: when your brain is in a virtual space, background noise from the outside world can be very disorientating. Book a meeting room if you’re in the office, and don’t wear your Oculus in a setting where you’re likely to be interrupted.

If possible, it’s good practice to stream the headset view to a screen or TV, so those who aren’t inside the meeting can see that there’s a serious meeting going on. This is an important part of spreading the word that the metaverse is a real business tool, and not a toy or a science-fiction fantasy.

Set rules for non-VR participants too. Never touch someone with a headset on, and if you have to interrupt them then approach from the front, speak their name loudly and get confirmation that they have heard you before continuing. I made the mistake of not setting this ground rule early on in my own office-based VR experiences – once you’ve been startled by someone else, you’ll really appreciate why this is such a no-no.

Lastly, set a threshold of acceptability with any avatar designs. I prefer life-like, warts-and-all representations, but there’s a whole conversation to be had about body image concerns and the metaverse. That’s beyond the scope of this article, but try to anticipate any concerns your users may have, and head them off ahead of time.

7. Keep it ethical

Moving into the metaverse may throw up ethical questions, such as issues concerning access and online behaviour. These can be addressed via a three-step process. First, identify your stakeholder groups; second, collect feedback on your activities from them; and third, integrate that feedback into your product design, while communicating your stance on specific concerns your stakeholders have raised.

Helpfully, this is also how environmental sustainability, social justice and corporate governance (ESG) issues should be managed – so in many organisations the discipline is already well developed. You just need to talk to the professionals responsible for these functions and incorporate their approach into your metaverse initiative.

What might this look like in practice? Well, I suspect in the vast majority of cases, your stakeholders will be your business colleagues. However, an immediate division is likely to arise between those chosen as early adopters and those left out: these are two different groups that each need to be represented. You might also want to consider stakeholder groups representing diverse samples of your team. I find five or six groups a good number to try to manage, but there really isn’t an upper-limit.

Next you need to develop a feedback mechanism. This might simply mean running a focus group, and inviting colleagues to raise any concerns – but pay regard not only to what is said, but what is left unsaid. For example, we’ve heard reports of women privately finding VR experiences intimidating due to other users’ inappropriate behaviour. HR professionals are often experienced at reading between the lines – you might want to co-opt a colleague from this department to help out with your focus groups.

Finally, you need to integrate this feedback into your metaverse project, and report back to your stakeholders on what you are doing. You may want to get a group together to collectively decide what the appropriate response should be: in a more formal environment, this might be called your “digital ethics committee”.

Also see what solutions can be discovered from your wider community. One example I came across was a black user raising a concern that a VR training exercise was set around a virtual campfire in a night-time setting, and she felt her skin-coloured avatar made her invisible to other users. All stakeholder groups agreed that an easy change could be made to accommodate this concern: we updated our rules to communicate that metaverse experiences should be created in spaces of natural daylight or equivalent. In every step, what we chose was clearly communicated, and new feedback gathered.

Don’t overlook the importance of the communication aspect. Stakeholder groups may disagree, but I’ve found that a majority decision will always be accepted as long as it’s clearly explained, along with the conditions under which it will be reviewed.

VIVE has announced the availability of its new VIVE Flow Business Edition headsets, which bring the perks of VR to business training, remote meetings, and wider organisational collaboration.

Available now, the enterprise-flavoured version of the firm’s headsets serves up a new optional 3DoF controller for intuitive controls for navigation, while a special ‘kiosk mode’ enables content to be queued up and remotely triggered for users to experience.

VIVE Flow Business Edition also comes with a 30-day trial of VIVE Sync, an interactive meeting tool that the firm says helps boost a user’s presence as well as minimise potential distractions. Users can also bring in helpful content such as videos, 3D models and Microsoft Office items to help in a wide range of use cases.

“VIVE Flow Business Edition is a ground-breaking VR glasses device that will enable healthcare organisations across the US and worldwide to leverage VR capabilities to improve patients’ lives,” commented Eran Orr, CEO of XRHealth.

VIVE Flow Business Edition also boasts an easy form factor and flexibility, the company says. Weighing less than the average smartphone, the glasses manage to pack in features such as adjustable diopter lenses for each eye, while the magnetic face gasket is made of a light and breathable fabric.

Jonathan Newth, CEO of Focal Point VR, said these features make the VIVE Flow headset the “ideal companion” for his VR business.

''The lightweight and easy-to-use form factor and great colour depth displays make it the perfect headset for remote viewers to comfortably ''virtually' teleport to live events or to enjoy long-form on-demand 360 video content from live events and sports,” he said.

The move follows research by global consultancy company PwC, which found that VR significantly helped with training and learning when compared with classroom-based training.

“V-learners were 4 times more focused during training than their e-learning peers and 1.5 times more focused than their classroom colleagues,” the research firm concluded.

VIVE Flow Business Edition is available for £499 via the company’s website and comes with VIVE Business Warranty & Services, which includes a two-year commercial warranty and expedited return/replacement if needed.

We are moving into the post-smartphone era. This might come as a shock to you, but the smartphone has had a decent run. Of course, much depends on what you call a “smartphone”. For most, this would be the arrival of the iPhone over a decade ago. The touchscreen, app store (if not in the initial release) and a rich app ecosystem has simply transformed the world.

Those with long memories might hark back to handsets like the Nokia Communicator and the Palm devices, but let’s try to keep this mainstream rather than chronically niche. You can pin your flag to the Android pole if you wish, but Apple has done more with the smartphone platform than Android, and that comes down to wearables.

The Apple Watch has been the transformative device. Over the past few years, it’s gone from wrist-worn curiosity to the integral part of my portable communications toolkit. So much so that if I leave it at home in the morning by mistake, I will drive back to get it.

Who’s that smirking at the back? I’m being entirely serious: I make many of my phone calls through my watch. Most of my messaging and email browsing too. It took me time and thought to set up the watch face for quick access to these features but, once done, it’s easier to glance at my wrist rather than pull the phone from my trouser pocket. I know others may like Android smartwatch devices, but in my experience they simply don’t manage the magic trick of making 2+2=5.

Against this backdrop, the ongoing ‘metaverse’ chatter about virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are intriguing. VR has been around for ages, of course, and has never managed to move into the mainstream. Even Sony’s VR headset for the PlayStation has never struck populist gold. The essential problem with VR is that you immerse yourself into that world to the exclusion of everything else. That works well when you’re sat on the sofa playing a 3D VR game, but falls down when you need to go to the fridge to get another beer. And collapses entirely when you drive to the shops.

AR tries to augment your physical world with additional content. This has a far better chance of gaining public traction, but there are numerous issues to be overcome first.

Take portability. One advantage of a big VR headset, like the HTC Vive Focus 3, is that you have the space to put essential components like batteries. If your priority is power, you can even put up with a tethering cable connecting you back to a base unit. But, as the Oculus Quest 2 has demonstrated, VR with an untethered device is more than possible.

AR is much harder. Yes, there are AR capabilities that you can use on a phone or tablet, and that’s useful because it expands the range of use cases, but you really want something to carry around with you at all times. This opens up a large can of difficult worms: it has to be light enough to not impose on your movement; it must work alongside and seamlessly with the real-world environment; the size and weight reductions place additional pressures on the design; and the lack of cabling means that a wireless connection to your smartphone will be necessary, and that impacts power consumption and range.

One solution is to integrate the capability into a pair of headphones. This makes sense as it gives space for advanced audio support, complete with mountings for the cameras on the headbands, and extra space for batteries. Or even a small tether cable to a battery and CPU lump that you can store in a pocket. It would need high-speed networking to your smartphone, which would still be the core of the portable information network, but this should be possible with high frequency wireless working as a personal pico-cell.

Once you have overcome all these issues, there are still the deal breaker problems. What are you going to use on this system? How would AR actually improve our lives? Will this combination of smartphone, watch and AR glasses ever achieve the promise of 2+2+2=9?

So many questions, so few answers. Microsoft beavers away with its VR/AR solution in the form of the HoloLens 2, but hasn’t managed to deliver anything mainstream yet. Apple is working on something, but that remains ill-defined and it’s unclear how it will be delivered. The good news: Apple has already put its weight behind AR, which has been available to developers for some years, and there are many strong apps out there using the capability.

If AR is to work, it has to work across a wide range of devices. Maybe Apple will crack the difficult problems, make 2+2+2 equal the elusive 9, but wouldn’t it be nice if the next “era” transcended manufacturers’ ecosystems? I’m not holding my breath.

The high streets that once breathed life into our towns and cities are in decline. Household names including chains, banks and other institutions continue to close branches or vanish from a strong bricks-and-mortar presence, instead pivoting online or closing altogether.

While some locales thrive on a heady mix of independent stores, these are very much the exception rather than the general experience. Technology has arguably been the driver for this change, powering the future of shopping by forcing many online or even out of business thanks to the likes of Amazon.

Now, ironically, technology might be able to reverse the tide. From augmented reality (AR) to public Wi-Fi, what are the special, unique gifts modern innovations can offer businesses to pave the way for a long awaited high street revival?

How technology killed the high street

Technology has played a significant part in pulling people away from the high street. Online shopping for everything from groceries to garden furniture is a lure. It’s easier for the consumer, while price comparison sites and vouchers can generate significant financial savings. It’s especially pertinent in the current economic climate.

The case for store operators is complex: small outlets with local brands can sell far and wide, increasing revenues – if they can invest enough in back-end technology and the supply chain. Large stores can save on rent and staffing, but still need to invest in pickers, transportation, technology and marketing – to name just a few variables.

Still, technology has weaned many shoppers off the high street, and many retailers seem to find the online model more profitable. This is especially true given large online retailers also don’t need to pay business taxes at the same rate as those that rely on a physical presence to trade. The knock-on effect, though, has been a recession of physical presence in British high streets and either closures or migrations into cyber space.

Using technology to get us offline

Nonetheless, retailers can refine their models to support the high street, and they’ve good reasons to want to. Marcel Hollerbach, chief innovation officer at Productsup, for example, offers one good reason when he speaks about brand loyalty. He points out that buying online is often a snap decision based on targeted social ads or other marketplaces rather than the result of product comparison and research. You’re more likely, therefore, to get a meaningful interactions in the physical world. As he puts it: “Leveraging innovative technologies to create purpose for people to walk into high street stores provides more opportunity for long-term customer relationships to form.”

There are examples of high street chains using tech to push the boundaries of encouraging people to spend time in-store – including getting rather “cutting edge” about it all.

Hollerbach points us to Burger King’s use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in its Keep it Real Meals campaign. “Consumers could scan a QR code on the side of their Burger King meal box to access an exclusive digital collectible, and if they completed an NFT set, they would win a real-world prize, such as free Whoppers,” he explains. By implementing gamification technology, he continues, Burger King generated a new purpose for consumers to visit its thousands of locations and purchase meal boxes.

Similarly, in New York, Zara put a digital art installation in a window display. It was entirely possible to view this without entering the store, but was inevitably likely to bring a handful of customers into the store, who then made purchases.

The high street is more than shopping

The next wave of technologies has more uses in the high street than just attracting customers into stores to make purchases. AR has been used as part of the experience at historic sites for many years, and, in this context, it’s not really seen as cutting edge any more. Maybe, though, it also has a place in the high street. Achille Traore, CEO of White Label Loyalty, certainly thinks so, telling IT Pro that treasure hunts using AR – with the ultimate goal of winning rewards – can encourage people to explore more of their local areas than they might have otherwise done. This inevitably includes visiting potential eating or retail locations.

Free city-wide public Wi-Fi, meanwhile, which has been a point of discussion for many years, still has the potential to encourage people to spend time in town centres – and there are numerous examples of how this works in practice. One such case is in North Yorkshire, where 20 market towns are benefitting from a North Yorkshire County Council scheme. In partnership with NYnet, the authority is rolling out infrastructure to promote more digital and physical activity in areas in need of greater economic activity.

Even this only scrapes the surface, though. As Marcel Hollerbach tells us: “There’s a tremendous opportunity for the high street to partner with local artists to bring innovative art experiences into their stores.”. Traore adds more context, telling us it is possible to “create interactive gamified apps to run competitions where customers can win NFTs from local artists. These could be unlocked by completing challenges or visits to certain locations at the high street.”

While innovation over the last 20 years has moved aggressively to shift commerce online, the next generation of technologies might do the opposite. With COVID-19, too, working to ramp up a desire for physical experiences and in-person interactions, defying trends like the metaverse, the scene is primed for innovation to force people back offline.

It's difficult for individual stores to implement the kinds of expansive initiatives that could take advantage of the broadest benefits technology could offer the high street. Local Authorities, perhaps buying in consortia, and with central government funding, alongside partnerships between Business Improvement Districts, arts and cultural organisations, and the social, voluntary and charity sectors, have it all to play for when thinking about how technology could save their high streets.

Mark Zuckerberg posted a video on his personal Facebook page demonstrating his company's "high-end" virtual reality (VR) headset, which has been codenamed Project Cambria.

The hardware itself was pixelated in the video, but it features two minutes of footage of its mixed reality experience.

The headset is capable of high-end resolution and full-colour passthrough so users can interact with virtual objects that are overlaid onto their real-life environments. It has been developed with Meta's Presence Platform, which the company introduced at the end of last year. For context, current Quest headsets can only display passthrough content in shades of grey.

Most of Zuckerberg's clip shows the Meta CEO gesturing and interacting with cartoon characters or painting his environment in bright colours. There's also a brief moment where he flips through floating Facebook pages to demonstrate a virtual workstation which he uses in tandem with a physical notepad and pen.

Alongside Zukerberg's post, Meta also published a video on YouTube, highlighting its Presence Platform and the difference between Quest and Cambria headsets. In both promotional videos, developers are invited to build apps and integrations for the platform, which will eventually be used in the advanced VR headsets.

"I want to share a little about Project Cambria," Zuckerberg says in the video. "Now I'm not going to show you the headset, yet, but you're looking at an experience called 'the World Beyond'."

Zuckerberg added the World Beyond will be available in the App Lab for developers to try out soon. Project Cambria is just one of several VR headsets Meta plans to introduce over the next few years, with Cambria specifically set to come out "later this year", according to Zuckerberg.

The pixelated headset also bears a resemblance to Microsoft's HoloLens mixed reality headset, which has found a niche in certain industries. Although Meta's Project Cambria appears more geared towards consumers, or even people working from home, developers may well build apps suited to specific business use cases in future.

The video leaves a number of further questions unanswered, with no details for its precise launch date or price. Recent reports speculated that it would cost around $800, though Meta has confirmed that Project Cambria will be priced "significantly higher".

Facebook owner Meta Platforms is to open its first physical store, which will allow customers to explore the company’s range of virtual reality headsets and peripherals.

The move forms part of the firm’s plans to drive its ‘metaverse’ concept and will provide a space for shoppers to try out products such as its Quest 2 VR headset, video calling solution Portal, and the Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses.

Opening its doors to the public on May 9, the 1,550-square feet Meta Store will be situated at the company’s Burlingame campus in California.

Meta said its goal with the store is to show people what’s possible with its products, serving up a “glimpse into the future” as it brings its metaverse concept to life – while also “demystifying” a few things about the virtual space.

“The Meta Store is going to help people make that connection to how our products can be the gateway to the metaverse in the future,” commented Martin Gilliard, Head of Meta Store.

“We’re not selling the metaverse in our store, but hopefully people will come in and walk out knowing a little bit more about how our products will help connect them to it.”

Through interactive demos, shoppers can try out video calling through Portal, learn more about Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, as well as explore the store’s Quest 2 accessories and demos – which will feature Beat Saber, GOLF+, Real VR Fishing and Supernatural.

To go alongside this physical space, Meta has also introduced a new Shop tab on its online store for speedier access to its products.

The move follows in the footsteps of tech giants such as Apple, Google and Microsoft, who have all previously introduced physical stores to show off their products.

However, not all these ventures have stood the test of time. Back in 2020, Microsoft announced it would be closing every one of its physical stores permanently in the wake of the global lockdown measures, with staff moving to remote working to provide customers with sales, training, and support.

That decision affected 70 stores across the US, as well as overseas outlets in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

As for Meta, the ambitious company appears confident that its new Burlingame store will successfully provide a space to fuel interest in its metaverse concept.

“Once people experience the technology, they can gain a better appreciation for it,” Gilliard said. “If we did our job right, people should leave and tell their friends, ‘You’ve got to go check out the Meta Store.’”

My first interaction in the metaverse was with a black man in a bow tie. He didn’t say anything and after a minute talking to him I eventually realised he wasn’t a welcome party. He was the avatar I needed to customise. It was at this point I realised I might be the wrong IT Pro journalist to be reporting live from inside the world of virtual reality (VR).

This version of the metaverse had been built by the American IT specialist DXC, which had kindly invited us on a tour of its virtual campus. Once I had sorted out my face and clothes, my avatar was ‘teleported’ to the welcoming area, when I met up with the DXC media team and some fellow journalists.

There were two instant red flags. Firstly, what the fudge is the dress code? I was meant to be “working” and this was a media briefing, but the tour guide wore a pink cowboy hat like he was leading us on a hen do. Secondly, there was a guy doing some sort of dance move. I found it totally distracting. In fact, the whole space was a distraction. I was spinning around looking at the virtual scenery and, quite frankly, I missed most of the actual presentation.

What I did catch, though, was that DXC said it had been working in this area since 2018. Had they been using the term “metaverse” the whole time? We know it comes from the novel Snow Crash, which was published in 1992, but it wasn’t until Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook to Meta in 2021 that it became common parlance.

“We’ve been calling it ‘immersive collaboration’,” a member of its presentation team told me. “But we have been using the term ‘metaverse as well, actually. Since 2001, we were already talking about working in the metaverse, way back before Meta changed its name. So it was not new for us”

Whatever terminology DXC was using, I couldn’t fault its efforts because the world it had built was very beautiful. It was a sort of island with a beach area, a “soccer” field (it’s an American company) alongside a building with meeting rooms and a dance hall. I enjoyed it so much I was still running around exploring long after the briefing had finished. I wasn’t alone, as there were a few avatars dotted around the beach area, mostly loitering at the lighthouse, presumably trying to get the full view of the island. I tried making some small talk here, to no avail. I said “hello” a few times and even got my avatar to wave. I was ignored, though.

DXC probably could have made some kind of effort to get people talking to one another – this was supposed to be ‘immersive collaboration’ after all. I was keen to hear from the other guests and add more perspectives to this account of my first foray into the metaverse. Sadly you only have my thoughts and feelings and they’re largely negative. I mean, well done to DXC, it’s a great place, but what actual ‘work’ can I do there? I didn’t really meet anyone, I didn’t uncover any newsworthy info and, in all honesty, I wasted about two hours – I felt a bit guilty going for lunch straight after it.

So, I had my fun – I even tried to drown myself in the virtual sea – but I left the metaverse still unsure of what use it has in the business world.

Mobile World Congress (MWC) will return to the Fira Gran Via exhibition centre on 28 February in the fullest possible way for the first time since 2019. In the intervening three years, the world – including the tech industry – has changed unfathomably. Beyond mandatory FFP2 face masks and health certificates, however, we’re yet to see how COVID-19 will affect the annual Barcelona-based event.

Two of the biggest talking points at MWC 2022 – 5G and a new flagship Samsung phone – makes it seem as if time has stood still. Only when you scratch the surface does it become clearer how much has actually changed. In early 2019, 5G was only on the cusp of reaching UK smartphone users and businesses. Three years on, though, it’s being used to enable artificial intelligence (AI) and power the metaverse – a term which might as well have been considered alien in pre-pandemic times. Rather than another Galaxy S smartphone, too, which was actually announced at the beginning of February, we can expect a more affordable alternative from the ​​Galaxy A and M ranges, according to Forrester VP and principal analyst, Thomas Husson.

With 5G among the key topics of this year’s event, coverage surrounding 6G is coming off as rather underwhelming. This is especially surprising given the recent developments on that front, including record speed tests and international partnerships. Although MWC’s agenda includes sessions such as the Future of 6G and the Road to 6G, actual concrete announcements for potential 6G-related products, whether on infrastructure or the technology powering it, seem to be missing in action. Should we file a missing cellular network report? Give us until next week to decide.

On the flip side, the future of Wi-Fi seems to be in safe hands. Although the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 are only just starting to be realised, we’ll see some big announcements regarding Wi-Fi 7 and its capabilities. Another major theme will be extended reality (XR), which is likely to steal some attention from its constituent cousins augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

In keeping with tradition, meanwhile, the wide-reaching conference will summon the biggest manufacturers from across the world – although the majority of them may hail from Europe. The rise in COVID-19 cases in China might affect travel plans for some of the biggest Chinese tech giants, which have historically been front-and-centre at MWC. To resolve this issue, CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood predicts that companies including Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi aim to deliver a strong MWC presence by deploying their European-based staff. For one particular Chinese company, Huawei, the return to MWC tastes much different.

The firm has taken a hit like no other in the last two years, facing significant infrastructure restrictions in a number of Western countries, including the UK, and taking a 30% revenue hit in 2021. Huawei might see MWC as a chance for redemption – at least slightly – on European turf, as its focus lies on “surviving” the next five years.

From Wi-Fi 7 to XR, this year’s MWC is set to be a welcome break from covering international tech events from the kitchen table. Remote working is one thing, but missing out on hands-on experience, new friends, and free drinks? Barcelona, here we come.

In a gleaming office in California, Mark Zuckerberg closes his eyes, and dreams of a better world. In this world, people hang out, chat, shop, watch movies and play together, unhampered by distance or time zone. It’s a world in which every creature comfort of modern life is available instantly at our fingertips in digital form. It’s a world where the shimmering spires of corporate-branded ‘experience centres’ stretch all the way to the horizon – and it’s a world that he controls. Mark Zuckerberg dreams of this world, and he smiles.

This hypercapitalist digital utopia is known as ‘the metaverse’ and has been hailed by many as the next evolution in our digital lives, with our online identities being forged into avatars to represent us in virtual worlds, accessed through cutting-edge VR headsets. The entity previously known as Facebook is leading the charge on this, going so far as to change its name to better align itself with the concept, but companies like Nike, Coca Cola, Epic and Gucci are also clamouring to stake their claim on this new frontier.

Except this brave new world isn’t really new. A clip recently did the rounds on social media, purporting to show Walmart’s vision for virtual shopping in the metaverse, but as was quickly pointed out, it’s actually a concept video from several years ago, when functional VR was still a novelty, and brands flocked to take advantage. The same thing happened in the early 2000s, when the short-lived popularity of Second Life led to everyone from Fox and Reuters to Cisco and Sun Microsystems establishing virtual presences within the game.

Second Life didn’t reinvent social interaction, and neither will this new vision for the metaverse. This is because what none of the companies trying to jump onto this digital gravy train want to admit is that the concept is flawed on a fundamental level.

To explain why, we first have to recognise what has made the internet – and its current incarnation in particular – so successful. There are three main pillars on which ‘web 2.0’ is based: convenience, choice and accessibility. The technology to create and consume online content is ubiquitous and affordable, which gives us instant access to a functionally infinite library of goods, services, information and entertainment, no matter what we’re looking for.

Web 3.0, by contrast, misses all three of those marks. Creating a presence in the metaverse currently requires exponentially more time, effort, resources and skills than setting up a web page or social media presence, which means it’s restricted only to the corporate behemoths that can afford it. Consequently, your choices within the metaverse are extremely limited, as are your incentives for engaging with it in the first place. That’s also assuming you have the capability to do so in the first place; many metaverse projects are being planned with VR in mind, which remains prohibitively expensive for most consumers.

Second Life, released in 2003, is a real-time immersive social space in which residents can interact with complete freedom

What’s more, it’s intrinsically less convenient than existing user experiences. Current models for the metaverse most closely resemble a digital equivalent of Disneyworld (another appropriately nightmarish example of unfettered capitalism), with separate areas for different services or activities. Go and visit Nikeland to customise a set of virtual trainers, then head over to the Netflix multiplex to catch a film – that kind of thing. A rather jolly idea, on the surface, but it ignores the fact that I can already do all of that simultaneously, and more besides, with the devices I already have in my pocket and on my desk.

At this point, it’s important to note the distinction between the idea of the metaverse and the related – but not interdependent – concepts of VR and AR. Both VR and AR have compelling potential use-cases in a number of areas, including collaboration and social interaction, but they don’t need to be built on top of a twee, stylised virtual world to be useful. What they need is a solid framework of back-end technical support and functionality.

The ‘utopian’ vision of the corporate digital future, as presented by companies like Meta, is a fantasy, and a complete boondoggle to boot. For businesses, the cost of entering the metaverse will be enormous, and in a scant handful of years, the digital ruins of those abandoned investments will stand as testament to the futility of trying to recreate what we’ve already got.

We already have a blueprint for the ideal metaverse, and you’re using it right now. Since its inception in science fiction, the idea of the metaverse has been built around bringing everything and everyone in our lives together into one cohesive digital world, and the modern web has already achieved that. It may not be represented by fancy graphical environments or immersive experiences, but it’s brought people and cultures together in ways that Meta’s ‘walled garden’ approach can only dream of.

More importantly, it’s powered by the one essential element that every virtual world has so far lacked: interoperability. The rise of APIs has given us the ability to combine content and experiences from a huge range of digital services

The potential to create useful, functional and convenient experiences already rests in the palm of our hands, and it doesn’t require a team of animators and 3D modellers to do it. Instead of remaking the internet to suit the priorities of a handful of tech giants, organisations should instead focus their resources on strengthening the internet we’ve already got, building tools and engaging in true collaboration. To paraphrase Willy Wonka, if you want to view the metaverse, simply look around and view it.

Microsoft and Qualcomm are set to collaborate to expand and accelerate the adoption of augmented reality (AR) for the metaverse in both the consumer and enterprise sector, including developing custom AR chips.

The companies stated they were believers in the metaverse and intend to work together across several initiatives to drive the ecosystem. This includes developing custom AR chips to enable a new wave of power-efficient, lightweight AR glasses to deliver rich and immersive experiences.

Microsoft and Qualcomm also plan to integrate software like Microsoft Mesh and Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform. They hope the collaboration will create transformative experiences for the next generation of head-worn AR devices in the metaverse.

“Our goal is to inspire and empower others to collectively work to develop the metaverse future – a future that is grounded in trust and innovation,” said Rubén Caballero, corporate vice president of Mixed Reality at Microsoft.

“With services like Microsoft Mesh, we are committed to delivering the safest and most comprehensive set of capabilities to power metaverses that blend the physical and digital worlds, ultimately delivering a shared sense of presence across devices.”

Hugo Swart, vice president and general manager of extended reality (XR) at Qualcomm added that the collaboration reflects the next step in both companies’ shared commitment to XR and the metaverse. Swart said Qualcomm’s core XR strategy has always been delivering the most cutting-edge technology, purpose-built XR chipsets, and enabling the ecosystem with its software platforms and hardware reference designs.

At the start of November, Microsoft launched Mesh for Microsoft Teams, its pitch for the metaverse. It aims to make remote and hybrid meetings more immersive and is set to roll out in 2022. It is a mixed reality service that allows people in different physical locations to join collaborative and shared holographic environments within Microsoft Teams to allow for chats, virtual meetings, and the sharing of documents and more.

This came after Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s name change and its renewed focus on the metaverse. He said the metaverse would feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world to allow people to share immersive experiences, even when you can’t be together. The CEO added that it will be a more immersive social media experience, where virtual and augmented reality will take centre stage.

Coined by renowned cyberpunk author Neal Stephenson in his seminal 1992 novel Snow Crash, avatars interact with each other in a shared space he dubbed the metaverse. The 2018 film Ready Player One articulated, too, for many, the realisation of what the metaverse will become once we’re equipped with the technology to deliver these immersive experiences.

Virtual environments have existed since the inception of the web; forums and chat rooms are a form of virtual meeting place, for example. The early experiments of Jaron Lanier with virtual reality (VR) pushed the concept of the metaverse into a three-dimensional space, while Second Life defined how a three-dimensional virtual meeting space could work. Today, games such as Minecraft and Roblox are the latest iterations of the metaverse.

Recent incarnations of the metaverse manifest in popular games like Minecraft

Enter Facebook and its ambitions to create what founder Mark Zuckerberg calls “the successor to the mobile internet”. In this space, “we'll be able to feel present – like we're right there with people no matter how far apart we actually are”. Using the company's Oculus VR headsets, combined with advanced augmented reality (AR), a Ready Player One-like environment is promised. Not to be outdone, other companies have also detailed similar plans, most notably Microsoft with ambitions to adapt Teams to offer a more metaverse-like experience, in the form of Mesh. Despite the hype, are these new spaces actually primed for businesses to reach new heights?

Always online

“Welcome to Mesh for Teams,” announced Microsoft technical fellow Alex Kipman in November, who insisted this vision of mixed reality, 12 years in the making, is something customers are clamouring for. Accenture, indeed, has recently created a digital twin of its headquarters using Mesh with the capacity to reside 10,000 employees within this virtual space.

The idea is to use existing devices to connect individuals in prebuilt spaces represented by their avatars. They hope this new space isn't just Microsoft Office on virtual steroids, but a new way of not just meeting but collaborating. For some, though, Facebook’s reimagining of the metaverse is nothing short of a disaster. Roger McNamee, an early Facebook investor, for example, told BBC News: "It's a bad idea and the fact we are all sitting and looking at this like it's normal should be alarming everyone. Facebook should not be allowed to create a dystopian metaverse,” he added.

Accenture recently used Mesh to build a digital twin of its HQ, with a capacity for 10,000 participants

VR is in every business’ future, though, according to CEO of Mesmerise, Andrew Hawken. "What we've seen Zuckerberg do with the metaverse is show that one of the most prominent tech companies in history just bet the farm on VR,” he tells IT Pro. “I can't think of a more bullish signal that business will be conducted in VR than that. Hearing Zuckerberg's words, I don't believe it will be long before large businesses have teams dedicated to exploiting this medium.”

Zuckerberg's dream still needs technologies to catch up with the hype, however, Niklas Bakos, chief strategy officer and founder of Adverty, points out. "Mostly, the hype cycle around the metaverse involves products and infrastructure that don’t quite exist yet,” he cautions. “To render genuinely compelling environments, we need quantum computing, mature blockchain technology, stable cryptocurrencies and protocols around non-fungible Tokens (NFTs). The goggles, headsets, haptic interfaces, and digital skins we will presumably use haven’t been made yet. Red Dead Redemption 2 was eight years in development. Building an entire, decentralised virtual world, one with its own economic systems, takes time.”

Open for business

Are we going to see a land grab as the metaverse takes shape? Nextech AR, for example, acquired ARWAY, a firm specialising in AR and AI mapping applications, in August, priming it to exploit the metaverse. Businesses reluctant to pursue strategies involving any migration to a shared virtual space could be left behind, though, with more agile companies beating them to the punch on exploring this potentially highly lucrative space. Startups may also challenge the incumbents across various sectors with metaverse-focused services.

“The metaverse is not a new concept, frankly, but with Facebook attempting to put its stamp on it, there will be a lot of business sectors eager to take advantage of Meta’s offering,” explains Rob Nash, founder and MD at the intelligent self-service agency, 4 Roads. “Nike has already appointed a ‘head of metaverse.’ This isn’t surprising, given the fashion industries previous forays into AR-enabled experiences. Consumer industries like travel and banking – even health – are also obvious ones to benefit. In the B2B sector, too, it has the potential to revolutionise training and remote working practises.”

For businesses, the metaverse could become a highly lucrative space for digital products. For example, within virtual gaming, the purchase of virtual tools and other artefacts is commonplace. The metaverse could, therefore, become a commercial marketplace with much further reach. A business, for example, could create a store in the metaverse and sell unique virtual items to collectors. Gucci has already experimented with this on Roblox. Indeed members of Gen Z, says vice president for brand partnerships at Roblox, sometimes see virtual products as more valuable than physical ones. The traceability of virtual goods makes counterfeiting difficult, too, unlike real-world designer goods.

Immersive futures

How the metaverse actually manifests for businesses and their customers remains to be seen. Parodies such as Icelandverse, an “entirely immersive open-world experience” and continued advances in AR, will temper the enthusiasm for a fully immersive space that virtualises the web’s capabilities.

The business opportunities could be vast, however, Garry Williams, business director, UNIT9, tells IT Pro. "The biggest overarching benefit is that owning a virtual brand world allows all their activities to be brought together in one place. Gone are the days of separate apps for each new campaign, temporary microsites for limited edition products, and online events for different time zones,” he explains. “With a virtual brand world, all of this can live together in one easily accessible location for audiences around the world to tap into and enjoy around the clock.”

Nash also points out that we haven't even considered the security and privacy implications: "When it comes to the metaverse more generally, there are numerous challenges around regulation, privacy, sovereign boundaries and more to consider. Regarding Mark Zuckerberg's vision – I'd urge caution.

“Getting into bed with Meta means relinquishing control to Meta and its tech stack. This limits your control and brings challenges around privacy and the control of customer information. It's not as if Facebook has a great track record in this regard, so businesses need to tread with caution there.”

It’s certainly early days for the metaverse as it moves into its next stage of development. For businesses, as with all new technologies, whether the metaverse in its current incarnation has value will require a detailed assessment of what’s actually possible within these virtual spaces, and how this aligns with their development plans and the customer touchpoints already in use. With organisations decentralising their workforces in light of the pandemic, as well as their IT infrastructure, the metaverse could manifest as a natural evolution of workplace collaboration for many, as well as a means of better connecting with customers.

Apple's long-awaited mixed reality headset could make its debut at the end of next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo‌.

The analyst for TF Securities made his latest forecast in a research note seen by MacRumors and 9to5Mac. He predicts that Apple will launch the headset in the fourth quarter of 2022, and expects it to support both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

Kuo's suggests the headset will a high-powered device, claiming it will include two processors; a high-end M1-like processor with a similar amount of computing power to the Mac, and a lower-end chip for sensor-related computing.

The high-power chip will be necessary to drive two 4K OLED displays, he added, explaining that it will need at least six optical modules to process video from outside the headset, and will need to do so continuously.

Kuo also predicted that Apple could attempt to replace the iPhone with an AR device in a decade, but said that it would need to sell a billion devices in that time to succeed.

However, the headset would stand the most chance of success if it operates independently of the iPhone, Kuo suggested. "If the headset is positioned only as an accessory for the Mac or iPhone, it will not be conducive to the growth of the product.

"An AR headset that works independently means that it will have its own ecosystem and provide the most complete and flexible user experience."

It's still unclear whether the device will operate independently of the phone, at least in its first iteration. A report from The Information in September predicted that it would need another device nearby.

Apple first filed a patent for a mixed-reality headset in 2013, and advertised a VR engineering job the next year. Since then, the industry has seen several attempts to introduce virtual and mixed reality. Microsoft tried the HoloLens and supported third-party hardware with mixed reality in Windows, while Google shifted the focus of its Glasses product to the enterprise.

Now, however, a battle is emerging in the mixed reality market, with Oculus owner Meta already planning a mixed reality metaverse environment. This kicked off with Oculus Horizon Worlds and a virtual meeting space for business called Horizon Workrooms. Meanwhile, Microsoft is planning Mesh for Teams to tackle immersive business meetings.

Nike has become one of the first major brands to enter the "metaverse" with a virtual world modeled after its headquarters launched on video game platform Roblox.

'Nikeland' is free for anyone to visit, provided you have a Roblox account and allows consumers to create an avatar they can decorate with real Nike products. Once inside the virtual space, users can play games like tag, the Floor is Lava, and Dodgeball, as well as ones designed by creators.

The avatars are controlled by accelerometers in users' mobile devices which transfer offline movement to online play. Nike suggests this allows real-life movement in the digital space.

Since Facebook announced its metaverse plans in October, the idea has become one of the biggest buzzwords in tech with companies such as Microsoft also talking up plans for virtual worlds. Globally, the metaverse market is expected to bring in over $6 billion for 2021 and more than $40 billion by 2026, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

"Nike created this bespoke world with the backdrop of its world headquarters and inside Roblox's immersive 3D space, building on its goal to turn sport and play into a lifestyle," the sportswear maker said.

The virtual world will also offer rewards with blue ribbons and gold medals for various tasks and challenges, such as finding 'Easter eggs'. What's more, the blue ribbons can be used to gain more building materials for users to develop their own personal spaces - called 'yards' - whereas gold medals can unlock new Nike products.

Nike's virtual world will also be brought to life at the company's New York hub with a special Snapchat lens. This will allow people visiting the kids' floor of the store to walk into an augmented reality version, which will include signature avatars, games, and Nikeland Easter egg hunts.

This article originally appeared in issue 21 of IT Pro 20/20, available here. To sign up to receive each new issue in your inbox, click here

With the resurgent development of low-cost mixed reality hardware in recent years, there’s a renewed impetus to use these devices in real-world business environments. However, enterprises are already oversaturated with innovative technologies, so do virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) warrant prioritising over anything else?

Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 has been widely deployed across the engineering sector and is increasingly becoming an important healthcare tool, especially in surgery. Although businesses and their staff have been adjusting to working in digital spaces, these aren’t as immersive. The value of shifting two-dimensional communications to three-dimensional immersive experiences is slowly being realised, though, as the hardware and software being developed strive to become as common as a Microsoft Teams call.

For many organisations, VR may be too complex to pursue and offers few practical applications. AR, on the other hand, could sustain wider usage. Smartphone-based AR applications already exist, but all eyes are on the next generation of smart glasses. Google Glass laid the foundations, but with Apple, Facebook and Amazon all developing their own versions, this technology could be one that organisations integrate into their core business processes, in areas from communications to recruitment.

This technology is still several generations away from maturing, with Facebook’s CFO David Wehner revealing in March the newly launched Ray-Ban smart glasses wouldn’t have the capabilities many had initially hoped for. Outside of specialist applications, such as engineering and healthcare, VR, too, will continue to evolve, albeit at an even slower pace than AR. As the hardware becomes less cumbersome and the userbase much wider than gaming and other early adopters, however, these technologies may find their way into the core thinking of more and more organisations.

Mixed reality savings

The pandemic has taught business leaders that simply buying more digital tools won't deliver sought-after efficiency gains. As remote working looks set to continue, adopting more engaging communications tools is crucial for supporting post-COVID digital transformation roadmaps.

The value businesses might gain from implementing VR and AR could be vast. Take business travel, for example. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the number of UK business trips made before the pandemic was, on average, 1.26 million per month, with business costs of £6.3 billion per year. Research by Statista also reveals the average cost of one business trip is £280. Making a one-time purchase of VR headsets instead, priced at roughly £300 apiece, could create substantial savings.

Another major area where VR and AR technologies are used is training. Energy company Shell, for example, uses VR as part of its dynamic training to ensure staff are fully prepared to work in hazardous environments. Meanwhile, research published by FutureLearn has found a third of respondents surveyed want to see more VR in education, with nearly half of UK adults (48%) believing digital platforms will be at the forefront of delivering education in the coming years. It's likely then that immersive experiences represent the future of how businesses will train their staff.

Buying into technology for its own sake has never been helpful for businesses. The same applies to investing in AR and VR systems, with any new projects requiring a clearly defined goal and a detailed route to achieving these aims. The relaunch of Oculus for Business and the use cases it could reveal point to a VR-inspired working environment where immersive technologies sit alongside traditional tools.

Don't replace, augment

The key is to use VR in appropriate settings where users benefit from its unique capabilities. For example, using immersive technologies, the University of Wolverhampton (UoW) created 3D digital visualisations of its new £45 million Springfield Campus, where the School of Architecture and Built Environment is based. This provides UoW with a new way to analyse, manage and interact with the built world. James Morris-Manuel, MD EMEA for Matterport, the platform UoW used to create this digital twin, tells IT Pro VR and AR are essential tools. "Immersive technologies will go mainstream as both hardware and software combined continuously improve in conjunction with game-changing technologies,” he says. David Heesom, UoW reader in building information modelling (BIM), adds: “Taking apart a building and reconstructing it in a new location is not a time-tested process but with Matterport, doing this accurately and effectively for historical preservation is suddenly possible. We have a lot of history, and a lot of stories, and Matterport is making preserving these important sites with care a reality.”

Earlier this year, Accenture reported that 65% of executives expected their organisation’s investment in intelligent digital twins to increase over the next three years, with various pieces of research, including data from Markets and Markets, projecting exponential growth of the digital twin industry over the next three to five years. Beyond UoW, there are more and more examples of organisations adopting immersive tech to create digital twins.

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, for example, was turned into a smartphone-friendly hybrid experience with an AR twist. At-home viewers could view the entire venue in AR, scaling it to fit their environment while watching the cars zoom around the track. “By adopting a hybrid approach to the event, this year’s future-facing Central Feature allowed us to connect with both in-person spectators and remote viewers on a deeper level to create a show-stopping event for our visitors, no matter where they were based,” says Adam Waterworth, event managing director at Goodwood. “We worked closely with innovation studio UNIT9 to turn the installation, which measured 50 metres in length and 22 metres in height, into a smartphone-friendly hybrid experience to celebrate iconic British sports car company Lotus Cars.”

Overlaying the real world with additional information clearly has multiple applications across several industries; Dent Reality wants to revolutionise our shopping trips to supermarkets and Nextech AR has launched a virtual fitting room, while wayfinding AR applications are becoming popular in airports. The trajectory for AR and VR technologies is positive, particularly with hardware becoming smaller and lighter, and mainstream business cases emerging more frequently. Although VR-equipped surgeons might grab the headlines, the real power of this technology might be when it becomes commonplace in communications and collaboration.

Hybrid workers will be able to join meetings using a 3D hologram using technology provided by Cisco, the company announced on Wednesday.

Webex Hologram is the tech giant’s latest hybrid work product, and aims to use augmented reality (AR) technology to bridge the gap between virtual and in-person collaboration.

As opposed to the Sims-like avatars offered by Facebook’s Horizon Workrooms, Cisco’s Webex Hologram promises photorealistic and real-time holograms of actual people using headsets from Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens.

The technology will make it possible to deliver hands-on demonstrations, with users being able to share digital as well as physical content, making it well suited for training purposes.

One example of a use scenario is in auto mechanics, with Zak Brown, CEO of Cisco client McLaren Racing, saying that Webex Hologram is “a powerful tool for our design engineers, drivers and crews as we continue to reimagine hybrid sports and support our team on tracks around the world”.

Cisco’s technology eliminates the need to physically transport a car technician to the place where they are needed, saving travel costs and time.

"We can immediately show an engine component from every angle, convey sizing, and instruct on assembly and usage as if they were in person,” said Brown.

The new offering comes as new Cisco research finds that 64% of employees agree that a company’s ability to offer remote work determines whether they will decide to stay at or leave that company.

Jeetu Patel, executive vice president and general manager at Cisco Security and Collaboration said that the tech giant aims to “empower the three billion digital workers on the planet to participate equally from anywhere in the world”.

"Webex Hologram represents a large step toward our mission of delivering a work experience so seamless that there is no gap between virtual and in-person collaboration,” he added.

Webex Hologram is currently only available to a limited number of customers as part of a pilot programme that companies can apply to be part of. Following the trial and subject to customer feedback, Cisco will expand the availability of Hologram with a beta offering.

Webex Hologram comes amid an uncertain future for remote workers, with some being persuaded to return to the office due to pay cuts and government advisory.

Ireland’s data protection regulator is investigating the recently launched Facebook Stories augmented reality (AR) glasses over concerns that users can record people without their knowledge.

Facebook’s smart glasses, developed in collaboration with Ray-Ban, feature a pair of 5MP cameras to capture photos and film, as well as a microphone and speakers so users can listen to media or use the voice assistant. The device pairs with a smartphone app branded Facebook View.

To indicate to others that film is being captured, each pair of glasses features a subtle LED indicator located above the lens that flashes on. This can be dimmed, but not disabled, in the interests of privacy. Recording film is also limited to 30 seconds.

Both the Italian data protection regulator, the Garante, and the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), however, are anxious that neither Facebook nor Ray-Ban examined whether this subtle LED indicator is enough to sufficiently warn those nearby. Concerns also remain that the light can simply be hidden with a small piece of tape.

“The Irish DPC and the Italian Data Protection Regulator, the Garante, are both concerned about the means by which those captured in the videos and photos can receive notice they are being recorded,” the regulator said in a statement.

“While it is accepted that many devices including [smartphones] can record third party individuals, it is generally the case that the camera or the phone is visible as the device by which recording is happening, thereby putting those captured in the recordings on notice.”

The Irish DPC has challenged Facebook to confirm the LED indicator is an effective means of protecting the privacy of other users.

Ireland’s regulator is nominated as the lead investigator for cross-border complaints under GDPR’s one-stop-shop principle for companies headquartered in Ireland, including Facebook and a host of other tech firms.

The DPC and Garante are also calling on the firm to run a public information campaign to alert the public as to how this product may give rise to the covert recording of their images.

“From the start, we designed Ray-Ban Stories with privacy in mind, adding numerous built-in features to provide control and peace of mind to both device owners and bystanders,” Facebook said in a blog post marking the launch of these glasses.

“More information on these features, as well as our new guidelines for responsible use, can be found on the Ray-Ban Stories privacy microsite.”

CLEVR has announced its new augmented reality (AR)-powered Field Services Manager (FSM).

Designed for end-to-end service providers, CLEVR’s FSM includes a unified platform for field operations that facilitates installation, maintenance, route optimization, archiving, and more.

Remote AR assistance, which is integrated into FSM, lets smart home service providers offer remote support to customers via two-way video calls and AR. Developed in partnership with Econic Technologies, FSM’s remote assistance feature also enables customers to point at real-world objects in real time.

"Econic expects that Remote Assistance will cut down on-site inspections of all new installations by 25%," said Vincent Damen, product manager at Econic.

Damen added, "By 2023, we will grow to 200,000 new installations annually. A single inspection costs $148.00 (125 euros), so with the projected number, we estimate saving $7.1 million (6 million euros) annually as well. In addition, remote assistance will significantly reduce the need to drive to on-site locations by 1 million kilometers, which roughly translates to reducing CO2 emissions by 170,000 kilograms."

According to CLEVR, its AR-powered FSM will help organizations lower costs, reduce carbon emissions, and optimize staffing. Thanks to its low-code architecture, FSM is lightweight and highly customizable. The service is reportedly aimed at improving end-to-end services for homes, offices, and stores.

CLEVR also announced plans to expand FSM's capabilities to serve adjacent markets, including home security, home appliances, waste management, utilities, and telecommunications.

"Field services is an area crying out for new, digitalized, efficient processes," said Kay Lankheet, squad lead of CLEVR's Field Service Manager business unit.

Lankheet continued, “CLEVR Field Service Manager enables incumbents and start-ups alike to offer highly digitalized offerings leading to significant cost reductions amounting to millions, an improved customer experience and perhaps most importantly of all, reduced carbon footprint of installation companies by up to 25%."

Back in 2014, augmented reality (AR) was generating a huge buzz thanks to the consumer release of Google Glass; smart glasses that made everyone think we were entering some futuristic new era of a kind only ever seen in Minority Report. Sadly, however, that world was not to be and the biggest thing to come out of AR since then is Pokémon Go!.

Or is it?

AR might not have achieved critical mass in the consumer realm (beyond the gaming niche), but it was quietly embraced by industry, where demand has gradually but steadily grown.

AR in the enterprise

The enterprise AR space has been maturing for several years, with initial investment and adoption beginning notably in 2015. Microsoft’s original HoloLens helped spur significant interest and remains a market leader and recent analysis by PwC has identified at least 1,300 unique examples of commercial AR usage in the UK and US.

“In enterprise it’s been worker and remote enablement that’s driven the AR market,” says Eric Abbruzzese, research director at ABI Research. “Remote assistance and training are consistently the top two use cases. [These offer] increased worker efficiency, and reduced downtime and travel. Integrating the worker with existing systems also adds value – for example having worker input through an AR device feed directly into an internet of things (IoT) platform and auto-update data, which can then be pushed to all workers.”

Interest from industry has grown exponentially in the last 18 months due to COVID-19, as remote working became a requirement rather than a nice to have. Not all of this converted to adoption immediately, but that interest is only strengthening even as the pandemic begins to wane, Abbruzzese notes.

Where are the compelling consumer products?

The consumer market has been a different story. There’s not yet been a compelling consumer smart glasses product and although efforts around mobile device AR have proven successful, they’ve not become ubiquitous.

This looks set to change however. After years of quiet AR and virtual reality (VR) investment behind the scenes, the big tech firms are now starting to bring their solutions out of the shadows.

“AR never left, but the consumer market is showing renewed interest because some of the tech giants – the Apples, Microsofts, Facebooks – are making waves with their rumoured announcements,” says Tuong Nguyen, senior principal analyst at Gartner.

“There’s so much buzz out there right now; funding, patent, acquisition announcements. At its 2021 Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple made a bunch of AR announcements without actually saying those words – but you have to pay attention and connect the dots.

“I personally wouldn’t want to use the term AR because it’s been around for such a long time and there’s a lot of baggage and expectations attached to it. However, the fact is we’ve reached a point where certain elements make mature AR solutions possible. Things have been going on behind the curtains, but it’s when everything’s revealed that the audience gets excited.”

Apple is rumoured to be launching an immersive head-mounted device (HMD) in 2022 and a see-through AR device in 2023. Abbruzzese expects the HMD to be similar to current VR headsets like the Oculus Quest, while the AR device is more open in terms of capabilities and form. “Either way it will almost certainly tether to an iOS device and fulfil a similar role to the Apple Watch today.

“Microsoft has HoloLens and is building out greater AR compatibility and capability in other products like Teams and Azure,” he continues, “while Facebook has Reality Labs, with confirmed a product coming this year and similarly has content and platform partnerships already. Snap also has an upcoming product and acquired display maker WaveOptics.”

AR set to capture consumer imaginations – yet again

Analysts expect products like AR glasses to capture the imagination of consumers over the coming years, with CCS Insight predicting many major consumer brands, including Samsung, to have staked their claims in this area by 2023. It forecasts sales of 15 million such devices in 2025, ramping up in a way similar to other recent technologies. Smart watches, for example, went from less than 1 million units to more than 25 million in just three years.

There are challenges ahead regarding AI adoption – for example, Jeremy Dalton, author and head of XR (extended reality) at PwC, points out that high-end enterprise headsets continue to be very expensive to produce and buy, while on the consumer front there’s currently a limited amount of content available.

On the flipside, Dalton believes AR has strong growth prospects in both the consumer and enterprise markets, and there are some exciting advancements that will help push uptake.

“In addition to advancements in camera-based scanning technology, LiDAR – depth-sensing laser scanning technology – has led to AR becoming even more powerful in the hands of consumers. It’s no longer confined to simply displaying an image on top of a video feed of the real world: Virtual objects act like real ones, appearing anchored to surfaces in the physical world around you.

“And AR has become easier to access,” Dalton continues. “Through webAR, you can do so via your phone’s web browser without even needing to download any software, reducing the friction that was previously there when engaging with the technology.”

Getting ahead of the curve

Forward thinking companies are now trying to get ahead of the curve by researching how AR could support their business and/or business offerings in the future.

Presentation design agency BrightCarbon, for example, recently gave Oculus Quest 2 headsets to each of their 80 staff to enable them to start thinking about how AR and VR tech could work in the events and presentation industry.

“One of our agency’s major growth areas is training, particularly just-in-time and e-learning, and I think this is an area where AR could really come into its own,” says principal consultant John Bevan. “We gifted staff with these headsets partly as a thank you for keeping motivated during the lockdowns but also to see what we can do with the technology and who’s interested in taking it forward. We’ve got so many creative people across the company, from instructional designers through to messaging and visualisation consultants and from the moment we started trying out the VR/AR experience we began thinking of ways it could be used.

“For me it was just exciting to unleash this technology across the business, see what ideas come up, build some prototypes and try things out. This way, we’re ahead of the curve and when our enterprise-level customers start embracing AR and want something built, we’ll be ready to give them a solid offering,” he concludes.

Nextech AR Solutions has joined the Google 3D AR Search Program as an early access partner.

Threedy.ai, Nextech’s scalable model-creation platform, is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and helps customers create 3D product catalogs from 2D images. Its integrated visualization widgets assist businesses in strategizing immersive customer experiences.

Threedy.ai can also stream thousands of 3D visualizations to Google Search, Google Ad Network, and Web AR for Ecommerce.

Per reports, Nextech AR will grant its current Threedy.ai customers exclusive access to Google's 3D AR Search Program. Notable beneficiaries include Kohl’s, Pier 1, Lighting Plus, and Kmart Australia.

Google dominates the search engine space with a 90% market share. With Nextech's 3D models appearing in Google's search program, Threedy.ai partner brands will soon see their products in organic search results.

“3D is becoming an integral part of the online customer journey. 3D/AR experiences are now powering search and discovery, and immersive shopping experiences like virtual try-ons for fashion. 'See it in Your Space' with AR for home furnishing are taking product engagement to the next level,” explained Nima Sarshar, Visual Computing & AI CTO.

Sarshar added: “Threedy.ai is an essential 3D creation platform that automates and scales 3D asset creation. Working with Nextech AR customers, we will be able to build a significant catalog of 3D products that will be indexed for Google Search, and will power our own WebAR/3D and Ad Networks,”

Designed to enhance search and shopping experiences, Google’s AR search program will allow users to map 3D digital objects in their own space while viewing mobile search results.

“Nextech AR is building solutions that connect our customers to billions of people around the world through our AI technology and special partnerships with Google. We are thrilled to work with innovative brands who are focused on the digital transformation of their e-Commerce business with AR shopping. The building blocks for mass adoption of Augmented Reality are taking place,” stated Evan Gappleberg, Nextech AR CEO.

NeuPath has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cynergi to assess the efficacy of the company's virtual reality (VR) program for chronic pain management.

“Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Studies estimate the cost of this lost productivity to be in excess of $300 billion per year in the US alone,” said Harbir Singh, Cynergi CEO.

Singh added: “Collaborating with NeuPath and building a holistic chronic pain targeted treatment program provides an outstanding opportunity to work with employers and other payers to improve patient quality of life while also reducing disability-related costs as well as other direct health care costs.”

Per the new deal, Cynergi’s Rilaxta VRx will be used alongside NeuPath’s remote pain management and virtual care platform across Canada and the US.

Adding VR software to traditional interventions can provide extensive benefits in behavioral pain management.

Cynergi’s proprietary virtual reality tools pair soothing images and sound with proven psychological techniques to reduce anxiety and panic. Developed by renowned Harvard psychiatrist Arshya Vahabzadeh, Cynergi’s VR program also includes guided therapy for benzodiazepine, alcohol, and opioid addiction.

NeuPath’s centers for pain management provide multimodal treatments for patients with chronic pain. Together, Cynergi and NeuPath aim to offer customized VR treatment plans for psychological and behavioral pain.

Earlier this month, NeuPath acquired virtual care platform KumoCare. Designed to reduce wait times, KumoCare enables secure video chat with medical practitioners.

Nextech AR has announced plans to acquire spatial computing firm ARWAY in an all-stock deal worth $1 million.

ARWAY’s augmented reality software kit (SDK) combines artificial intelligence (AI) and hyper-accurate mapping technologies to offer persistent AR experiences on iOS, Android, and Hololens. The no-code platform helps users create a metaverse — a collective virtual shared space — in minutes.

ARWAY's acquisition will give Nextech a platform for building mini-metaverses on a spatial level.

Nextech AR Solutions CEO Evan Gappelberg said, “We think that the mini-metaverse business use case is here to stay, and the implications for future growth are significant. Nextech's mini-metaverse offering will be available to brands and companies that want to create mini-metaverses based on a geolocation like museums, corporate headquarters, theme parks, sports stadiums, University Campuses and more.”

Gappelberg added, “We can scan these spaces with ARway’s technology and drop in AR experiences that are triggered based on geolocation, making for a fully immersive Metaverse experience. The mini-metaverse is the first step toward universal mapping, a concept that while not a reality today, is a future inevitability. Nextech's mini-metaverse offering will enable people to experience the multiverse as it increasingly becomes a normal part of everyday life.”

Nextech AR claims its scalable solutions for AR e-commerce, HoloX Human Holograms, and AR Portals coupled with ARway's cloud AR and 3D mapping technologies place it at the forefront in the race to the metaverse. ARWAY founders Baran Korkmaz and Nikhil Sawlani will also be hired as part of the acquisition.

Per reports, Nextech shares are subject to voluntary resale restrictions. Additionally, the stock transaction is subject to the approval of ARway stockholders, including acceptance by CSE and NEO, among other customary closing conditions.

The Nextech-ARWAY merger is expected to close in August 2021. The number of Nextech shares that will be issued to ARway stockholders will be calculated using the aggregate value of Nextech common shares that are listed on the stock exchange twenty days before the closing date of the transaction.

A newly granted patent shows Apple is looking to improve how iPhone cameras capture three-dimensional detail, which could result in more immersive displays of augmented reality (AR).

The company’s new patent, first reported by Apple Insider, relates to how an iPhone captures 3D images and collect sdata for an AR walkthrough experience.

Currently, iPhone cameras capture the intensity of light in the scene they’re photographing. According to the new patent, future iPhone cameras would also capture the direction the light travels while recording the relative location of objects in the scene.

“The images and information may be processed to determine metadata including the relative positions of the images and depth information for the images,” the patent says.

“The light field panorama may be processed by a rendering engine to render different 3D views of the scene,” the patent says, “to allow a viewer to explore the scene from different positions and angles with six degrees of freedom.”

The “six degrees” reference means that, within an AR display, the viewer could move forward or backward, look up or down, and even turn around and see different views of the same scene.

“Using a rendering and viewing system such as a mobile device or head-mounted display,” the patent says, “the viewer may see behind or over objects in the scene, zoom in or out on the scene, or view different parts of the scene.”

Apple has shown plenty of interest in AR. Not only has CEO Tim Cook described it as having "profound" potential, but Apple also recently purchased AR startups Akonia Holographics and Metaio and applied for many other AR-focused patents.

There are also rumors Apple is developing an AR headset to market as an iPhone accessory. The headset would likely act as an additional screen, projecting documents, videos, games, and more to present the virtual equivalent of a super-sized display.

Nextech AR Solutions has launched EdTechX to help universities impart rich and engaging learning experiences to today's discerning students.

Developed in partnership with Microsoft, EdTechX transcends traditional classroom training with features such as video streaming, integrated assessments, augmented reality (AR) holograms, and data analytics.

"Today's generation of digitally native learners have forced institutions to digitize and evolve the way they deliver education. This has further been accelerated by school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Evan Gappelberg, Nextech CEO.

EdTechX's Azure-powered higher education offering also includes poster sessions to increase student engagement; virtual learning labs for remote training; career fairs for connecting students and employers; convocations for celebrating graduations and faculty accomplishments; and more. The solution allows educational institutions to analyze visitor behavior in real time too.

Students may use live or on-demand videos with in-stream quizzes and completion certificates to earn credits. There are pre- and post-assessments for each course, and participants may choose to beam a 3D hologram into their space for further‌ ‌analysis‌ ‌and‌ ‌experimentation.

Ryerson University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Black Student Fund are among the EdTechX platform's early adopters.

"Nextech AR Solutions is helping education institutions digitally transform the way educators teach and the way students learn, by enabling remote experiential learning through EdTechX," commented Nancy Teodoro, education partner lead at Microsoft Canada.

"Studies have shown that these types of immersive technologies improve student engagement and student outcomes. We are pleased to have Nextech AR as our latest education partner that has chosen Microsoft Azure as their trusted platform to build their EdTechX solution."

Acer has revealed a suite of 3D experiences that will debut on its upcoming ConceptD notebook that will function without the need for glasses or headsets.

"SpatialLabs" will make use of sensor and screen technology to create a stereoscopic 3D rendering that allows users to examine their creations in 360 degrees, without requiring the user to wear specialist hardware.

It uses a stereo camera, with two image sensors, to track the position of the user's head and eyes, and an optical lens, which is bonded to the display, to project a pair of 2D images into each eye.

The final element is 'real-time' rendering technology which enables the users to rotate and move the 3D models in certain applications.

"Building on our commitment to creators through ConceptD, we're excited to introduce SpatialLabs, the next step of Acer's efforts to enable immersive experiences," said Jerry Kao, Acer's Co-COO. "SpatialLabs enhances 3D designers' current workflow, so they can focus their time and resources on the creative process."

The new technology also includes SpatialLabs 'Model Viewer', which is a tool that enables a user to import files in all major 3D file formats and present them in stereoscopic 3D. The information generated about the head and eye positions are incorporated into the displayed 3D model, so that the user can move left or right and the model will rotate in the opposite direction as if they had taken a step to either side of the object.

There is also a SpatialLabs 'Player', where users can play videos in stereoscopic 3D and can swap between 3D mode and 2D mode where they will see two images side by side.

The ConceptD notebook range is expected to arrive in Europe in July, although no specific date has been given.

NHS Digital has signed a deal with augmented reality (AR) solutions provider Scandit in an effort to digitise the UK’s Covid testing process.

The Swiss software company will provide the NHS with a data capture service, which will be available for free to any hospital or NHS organisation involved in Covid test tracking, PPE tracking, or patient care, until 30th November 2021.

Specifically, the company will be deploying barcode scanning technology which will make it easier and faster for healthcare workers and volunteers to track and identify the tested samples. Test site staff members will be able to identify patients from a safe distance, avoiding the risk of contagion, by scanning a barcode on a booking form with the help of a smartphone.

After the samples are taken, they will be stored in a vial with a barcode attached to it, allowing staff to quickly scan it in order to ensure the test sample matches the booking ID and minimise mistakes.

The announcement of the deal comes days after the government proposed twice-weekly rapid Covid-testing which would be made available to everyone in England starting 9 April.

Rapid testing has so far been available to those considered to be most at risk, such as persons over 60 and with underlying health conditions, as well as people who are unable to work from home and frontline NHS staff. However, the government is now encouraging everyone to take regular tests, in order to prevent outbreaks as well as return to “a more normal way of life”.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said that, due to one in three Covid carriers being asymptomatic, “regular rapid testing is going to be fundamental in helping us quickly spot positive cases and squash any outbreaks”.

“The vaccine programme has been a shot in the arm for the whole country, but reclaiming our lost freedoms and getting back to normal hinges on us all getting tested regularly,” he added.

Due to the more regular Covid testing pitched by the government, the NHS is facing a significant increase in workload over the coming weeks. The process is to be facilitated with the help of Scandit-supplied technology, at no extra cost.

Commenting on the deal, Scandit CEO Samuel Mueller said that the Swiss software company’s tech “ensures that tests can be tracked quickly and easily”.

“It also integrates easily with smartphones, meaning that the NHS has been able to scale the number of testing sites and make it easy to deploy home-testing effectively. There is no acceptable margin of error. Our clinical-quality barcode scanning technology delivers a highly accurate read rate whether the scan is happening through a car window at a drive-in mobile test site or by someone who is self-testing at home,” he added.

Mueller said that Scandit has been “helping NHS Digital digitise their nationwide testing process since the start of the pandemic”.

“We have taken steps to support the NHS at every step of the way to integrate our technology into the complex NHS IT infrastructure seamlessly. We look forward to continuing this partnership and helping the NHS make it possible to deliver quick Covid-19 tests for every UK resident that needs it,” Mueller added.

Facebook has unveiled a prototype for a wearable device that can be used as a control for augmented reality systems.

The device is still in development at Facebook's Reality Labs (FRL) - formally Oculus Research - and is part of its work to find alternative methods of 'human-computer interaction' (HCI).

The software used by the prototype is described by Facebook as "wrist-based input combined with usable but limited contextualised AI". It's a form of haptic technology where sensors measure electrical motor nerve signals that run up the wrist to the fingers. The device looks like a very bulky watch, presumably as it is housing lots of these sensors.

The idea is to develop an interface for augmented reality that doesn't involve touchscreens or physical keyboards, allowing users to better interact with and control the virtual layers created by a device.

"The future of HCI demands an exceptionally easy-to-use, reliable, and private interface that lets us remain completely present in the real world at all times," the company said in a blog post. "That interface will require many innovations in order to become the primary way we interact with the digital world."

The software has two critical elements that the FRL team is still developing. The first is 'contextually-aware AI', which is used to translate the commands and actions of a user based on the situation or environment they are in. The second is technology that allows for effortless communication with a system - this is an approach Facebook calls 'ultra-low-friction input'.

Facebook's chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, said the prototype has "amazing potential" for making devices more accessible. Schroepfer also shared two videos of the technology in action, with one highlighting both its 'low-friction input' and its contextual AI with a virtual keyboard.

The Hasso Plattner Institut (HPI) in Berlin has also conducted research into haptic technology for virtual and augmented reality. The institute developed a prototype in 2018 for Microsoft's HoloLens that integrated haptic force feedback by using electrical muscle stimulation.

Apple has announced that hardware boss Dan Riccio will step down from his current role to focus on a mysterious internal project.

The tech giant didn’t specify what Riccio’s new role would entail but stated that he would be reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook.

There are rumours that Apple is on a virtual or augmented reality headset, as well as a potential automotive project. In mid-2018, Apple appointed former hardware VP Doug Field as an executive of the company's Project Titan driverless car development arm, following his brief stint at Tesla. However, the project has been so far considered quite secretive.

However, Apple commentator John Gruber expects that Riccio will work on the former, "simply because I’m certain the headset is closer”.

“I think it’s a sign that the headset is ready to get real, and Apple wants someone as capable as Riccio to lead it with nothing else on his plate,” he wrote on Daring Fireball.

Riccio joined the company in 1998 as a leader on Apple’s Product Design team, becoming VP of iPad Hardware Engineering in 2010 and joining the executive team as the leader of Hardware Engineering two years later.

Over his two-decade-long career at Apple, Riccio has worked on the engineering, development, and design of an array of products, from the first generation 1998 iMac to last year’s 5G iPhone lineup, M1-based Macs, and AirPods Max.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that “every innovation” to which Riccio contributed has made Apple “a better and more innovative company”.

“We’re thrilled that he’ll continue to be part of the team,” he added.

Riccio is to be replaced by John Ternus, who was described by Cook as having “deep expertise and wide breadth of experience” which would “make him a bold and visionary leader of our Hardware Engineering teams”.

Ternus, who joined Apple’s Product Design team in 2001, has been a Hardware Engineering VP since 2013. Over the years, he has overseen hardware engineering work on every generation of iPad as well as led the hardware team responsible for the production of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro smartphones. He has also been a key leader in the ongoing transition of the Mac to Apple Silicon.

Lenovo has unveiled a range of ThinkPad devices ahead of Monday's virtual CES conference, which includes laptops, a detachable device and a set of AR-powered smart glasses.

First up is the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable, a business-focused device that ships with an 11th-generation Intel chipset, a 12.4in FHD display, support for Wi-Fi 6 and a detachable keyboard with a magnetic pen. Lenovo said the device was built due to growing customer demand for detachable devices.

Other new additions to the ThinkPad range include the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2021). Improving on the previous model, the updated laptop comes with an 11th-generation Intel processor, a slightly wider touchpad and a one-bar hinge system.

The firm also lifted the lid on the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga, which is the company's first convertible laptop of the year, and also its thinnest at just 11.5mm-thick. The 13.5in machine also features a magnetic pen and a 360-degree flexible screen.

However, Lenovo's biggest announcement was arguable its Google Glass-rivaling smart glasses. Called the ThinkReality A3, the smart specs are part of a comprehensive digital services package the firm is launching for business collaboration. The glasses will aid hybrid work models and remote workers with virtual monitors, 3D virtualisation, augmented reality and a range of new technologies.

The ThinkReality A3 tethers to either a PC or select Motorola smartphones via USB-C cables, and Lenovo says it can also be enhanced with industrial frame options.

The AR smart glasses are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 Platform and feature stereoscopic 1080p displays presenting the user with up to five virtual displays. An 8MP RGB camera provides 1080p video for remote expert use cases while the dual fish-eye cameras provide room-scale tracking.

"These are the most advanced and versatile enterprise smart glasses in the market and its part of a total strategy of bringing comprehensive digital solutions to help with that intelligent transformation that businesses always tell us that they're working so hard towards," said Kevin Beck, Lenovo's senior story technologist.

"In this new normal of distributed workforces and hybrid work models, businesses tell us they're looking for new technology and they want to collaborate more intelligently."

This article originally appeared in Issue 9 of IT Pro 20/20, available here. To sign up to receive each new issue in your inbox, click here.

For many years, there’s been much talk about how virtual reality (VR) is going to be the next big thing in business. Indeed, we’ve been told that the technology will revolutionise corporate training and that it can help companies to cut costs and boost sales. What’s more, if some recent reports are to be believed, businesses could soon start to run simulations to ensure staff are socially distanced amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In reality, though, VR technology - which became ‘mainstream’ when Facebook acquired Oculus back in 2014 - is still relatively niche and has yet to become the enterprise-dominating technology we were promised.

But that’s largely because it’s already been usurped. That usurper lies in the form of augmented reality (AR), which uses technology to superimpose information, such as sounds, images, and text, on the world we see. While AR may still be in its infancy, it’s a rapidly maturing technology that might just have the potential to revolutionise businesses in the way that VR promised to do so not so long ago.

All about that base

Technologies such as the original Google Glass were early pioneers of AR, and in recent years and months, it’s become the focus of many big-name tech companies. Microsoft has made a big push into AR with its enterprise-focused HoloLens headsets and, earlier this month, Facebook - which previously put all of its weight behind VR - announced Project Aria, a research initiative that will help the company build the first generation of wearable AR devices). Heck, even Apple is said to be investing heavily in AR, having passed on entering the VR space.

This big-name backing, particularly that of Apple, will help AR truly become mainstream. So will the fact that many of us have been using this technology in some way for years, be it through Snapchat filters or Pokémon GO. That’s largely because AR doesn’t require new hardware and, as such, the ubiquitous nature of the technology means it’s available on everyday devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

As we’ve seen with the mass adoptions of these everyday technologies, the more people who understand and embrace it, the faster it will become embedded into the collective consciousness.

“With AR, the technology is ready and has numerous use cases. Because of the huge penetration of smartphones, the devices are out there,” says Glenn Gillis, CEO of AR outfit Sea Monster.

“We believe AR is going to fundamentally change the way we connect the real world with the digital world and that there isn't a single business or industry that isn’t going to be disrupted by AR. Contextual, visual, interactive overlays of digital information into the real world will win over other interactive technologies.”

This ubiquity, according to research from Digi-Capital, means AR could approach an installed base of 3.5 billion by 2023, generating some $85 to $90 billion in revenue. VR, on the other hand, will likely reach an install base of 50 to 60 million within the same period and generate revenues of $10 to $15 billion.

“Mobile AR’s ubiquity and low cost could also help enterprise AR adoption,” Digi-Capital comments. “Together with new generations of smart glasses, enterprise AR could see steady growth until it hits an inflexion point around 2021 across manufacturing and resources, TMT, government (including military), retail, construction/real estate, healthcare, education, transportation, financial services and utility industries.”

Flex-ability

The ubiquitous nature of augmented reality isn’t all that will see it surpass VR when it comes to enterprise use. It’s also far more flexible as it doesn’t require you to strap a headset to your face, become oblivious to the goings-on in the real world, nor make you get hooked up to a powerful computer, meaning you can only really use it indoors.

AR is far more socially acceptable; the technology doesn’t aim for its users to be totally blind to their surroundings. In fact, it can be argued that AR is designed to achieve the exact opposite - by superimposing a layer of usual visuals and data on top of a real-time image, users can be more responsive to the environment around them, unlike with VR.

This flexibility means that AR has a multitude of business applications. It has all the advantages of remote conferencing, collaboration, design, and realistic experience, but without the need for cumbersome or expensive headsets.

Angela Ashenden, principal analyst of Workplace Transformation at CCS Insight, tells IT Pro: “The concept of VR has long been understood, and its use cases have remained relatively consistent, particularly around virtual training and 3D design and visualisation.

“However, with augmented and mixed reality (MR) technologies that overlay the virtual on top of the physical world, we're now seeing an explosion of new ideas and possibilities for how businesses might use these tools. Training and 3D visualisation remain common themes, but the use of AR removes abstraction and adds greater mobility, for example enabling workers to be trained on the job, or enabling users to visualise exactly how a factory layout will fit in situ.”

AR success

Many businesses are already seeing huge success from their early implementation of AR technologies. BMW, for example, has piloted the use of smart glasses at its Munich plant to display picking information in the worker’s field of vision, while barcode scans enable interaction with the warehouse management system. The pilot resulted in a 22% reduction in inventory identification time and a 33% reduction in errors over a typical eight-hour shift. Furthermore, Boeing has implemented an HMD for assembling wire harnesses for commercial aircraft. This helped the company cut production time by 25% and lowered error rates to nearly zero.

The industry where AR is proving most transformative is the healthcare sector. Research shows AR can help patients better describe their symptoms, help nurses more easily find veins, and even assist surgeons in the operating theatre. What’s more, a rollout of Microsoft HoloLens headsets in the NHS has helped provide emergency healthcare during COVID-19 and reduced the number of staff required by patients’ bedside.

“We recently helped Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust adopt Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 mixed reality headsets and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist software – initially to help clinicians collaborate with their colleagues and provide emergency and critical healthcare during COVID, but now to help expand and improve on remote healthcare and community care across North-West England, Wales and the Isle of Man,” Darren Hedley, Director of Public Sector at Insight UK, tells IT Pro.

“Remote Assist has also allowed clinicians to support one another remotely during ward rounds, meaning the necessary expertise is always available without needing multiple staff at the bedside.”

Welcome to the ninth issue of IT Pro 20/20, our digital magazine that brings all of the previous month's most important tech issues into clear view.

Given all that’s going on in the world right now, it’s easy to forget that technology is still evolving. Whether it’s changes to how we work, how we interact with the world, or how we communicate with one another, the next decade will likely be drastically different to the current one. It's this idea that is at the core of this month's issue.

In the first of our three exclusive features, we take a look at the role of augmented technology in business, and how transformative the technology has already been. Unlike the much-hyped virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) has proven to be an exceptionally powerful tool for many roles across a business, from front line workers to executives in a boardroom.

Elsewhere, we examine the surge of interest that many 'touchless technology’ companies have enjoyed ever since it became apparent how dangerous the coronavirus truly was.

We also examine a technology described as the most serious AI threat we face today – deepfakes. What danger does this tech pose to society and is it really a threat to our democracy?

We appreciate you taking the time to download IT Pro 20/20, and we hope you enjoy this month’s future tech-themed stories.

The next IT Pro 20/20 will be available on Friday 30 October – previous issues can be found here. If you would like to receive each issue in your inbox as they release, you can subscribe to our mailing list here.

Bose has decided to shut down its augmented reality (AR) program, as the technology did not meet expectations for “broad, daily use,” according to a company spokesperson. The company is ending support for third-party developers in mid-July, and several members of its AR team have left.

Bose’s AR technology used positional audio in different applications, including on-foot navigation and fitness instructions, as well as Frames, its smart glasses offering.

The company’s departure from AR has been in the works for over a year. John Gordon, senior VP and AR advocate, left last summer. Bose has been deleting AR references from the website since April, after shutting down its AR developers’ kit.

Bose has also faced a number of financial challenges. The company planned to close a number of retail stores prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, and the CEO left at the beginning of 2020.

Several other companies have canceled or reduced development of AR technology. Meta AR sold its AR assets, and Daqri and ODG closed in 2019. Magic Leap is also shifting its focus away from AR.

Scandit has announced it's closed an $80 million Series C funding round led by G2VP. Atomico, GV, Kreos, NGP Capital, Salesforce Ventures and Swisscom Ventures also participated in the funding round. To date, Scandit has raised $123 million.

This latest funding round follows a $30 million Series B round in 2018. Since then, Scandit has tripled its recurring revenues, more than doubled its number of blue-chip enterprise customers and doubled the size of its global team.

Scandit will use funds from this round to further accelerate its growth in new markets while helping expand its operations in North America and Europe.

The $80 million will also support Scandit’s continued R&D efforts, which are focused on developing new ways for businesses to transform their core processes by leveraging computer vision and augmented reality tech.

The need for social distancing has also led Scandit’s platform to become increasingly valuable as companies worldwide seek to create safer, contactless environments for their employees and customers in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the need for rapid digital transformation in these uncertain times, and the need to blend the physical and digital plays a crucial role,” Samuel Mueller, CEO of Scandit, shared in the announcement of this latest funding round.

“The smartphone is a personal tool that can be deployed with powerful computer vision software to seamlessly interact with everyday objects and display real-time insights with AR-overlays. Our new funding makes it possible for us to help even more enterprises to quickly adapt to the new demand for ‘contactless business’, and be better positioned to succeed, whatever the new normal is,” Mueller continued.

Founded in 2009, Scandit is the leading platform for mobile computer vision and augmented reality solutions for businesses. Numerous retail, logistics and manufacturing enterprises already use Scandit’s technology to launch mobile apps and websites geared toward mobile shopping, self-checkout, inventory management and order tracking.

Meanwhile, in health care, Scandit’s tech allows workers to scan patient IDs, samples, medication and supplies.

Microsoft has hired former Apple wireless executive Ruben Caballero to spearhead its hardware division that makes its enterprise-ready HoloLens mixed reality headsets.

After spending 14 years at Apple, most recently leading its 5G modem project, Caballero left in April last year. Almost a year later, he’s updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new position with Microsoft.

Caballero will serve as Microsoft’s corporate vice president for engineering in the hardware design and technology division, holding responsibility for its mixed reality and artificial intelligence (AI) projects. These include the firm’s line of enterprise-ready augmented reality (AR) headset HoloLens, as well as “special projects”.

This area of technology has been rapidly maturing over the last few months, although remains very much embryonic. Still, mixed reality may yet present a fantastic opportunity for businesses in the coming years, whether this is to render internal processes more efficient, or to improve customer services.

The former Apple executive founded and led the company’s wireless design and technology group, which included R&D, roadmap, architecture, design, validation, certification and testing for all Apple hardware. He was also in charge of developing wireless technology, such as antennas inside iPhone handsets, iPads and Macs.

The division he led was eventually swallowed into the company’s custom chip division, run by John Srouji, and Caballero left the company.

His addition to Microsoft’s ranks has come months after the company began shipping its HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset. His experience will no doubt be utilised in the design and production of future editions, as well as pieces of mixed reality hardware.

The HoloLens 2 presents a major improvement on the first edition of Microsoft’s flagship enterprise headset, both functionally and technologically. Beyond improving the hardware, the company has also tried into improving the range of use cases, and the software at users’ disposal to make the most of the technology.

Apple itself is predicted to begin experimenting with AR headsets, although the company hasn’t made as much progress to date as the likes of Microsoft with the HoloLens or Google with its Google Glass hardware.

This article originally appeared in February's edition of IT Pro 20/20, available here. To sign up to receive each new issue in your inbox, click here.

Having the ability to access additional information via augmented reality (AR) is becoming more commonplace as businesses realise the advantages this can deliver. Enhancing what people see via smartphones, tablets and – increasingly – head-mounted displays (HMDs), has the potential to transform many business processes.

The business case for AR has been coming into focus over the last five years. Technologies such as the original Google Glass and Blippar were early pioneers. Today, AR has moved to mobile digital devices – Google’s AR maps for example and Microsoft’s HoloLens is making inroads into specific sectors most notably healthcare.

AR has quickly matured and is now finding practical applications in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, entertainment and healthcare. It is also actively used in the travel sector as an ideal technology for wayfinding at airports. In the cosmetics and fashion industries, where try-before-you-buy literally offers a new dimension, consumers can explore on a highly personal level. In the food and beverage sector, meanwhile, packaging is increasingly using AR to reveal detailed product content to support consumer purchasing decisions.

In a business process setting, AR is also changing how workforces approach tasks. Boeing, for example, is using AR in its production processes, where engineers can see wiring diagrams overlaid onto engines as they are assembled. The company claims moving away from paper drawing has cut wiring time by 30%.

DHL, meanwhile, has expanded its vision picking programme worldwide using Google Glass Enterprise Edition to locate and pick inventory. The company estimates its workers are 15% more efficient using the AR technology than they were without it.

According to research from IT services company Cognizant, 82% business leaders expect substantial AR-driven redesign of business processes in the near future.

Rob Brown, vice president, Cognizant’s Centre for the Future of Work, tells IT Pro: "Where technology has digitised previously repetitive, manual, and paper-based work processes, AR will take the next step by rewiring business process journeys to allow information to be exchanged while on the move. It will remove activities that involve checking information and toggling between multiple documents.

“Many businesses are already embracing the technology. Coca-Cola, for example, is using AR to help its retail partners visualise how drinks coolers would look in their stores; Caterpillar is reducing the significant cost of downtime by using AR for servicing its on-site portable generators; and Walmart is leveraging the technology for employee training,” Brown adds.

The ambitions that businesses from a diverse range of sectors have for AR and VR are only now being realised. Mobile digital technologies have caught up with the AR promise and can provide a technology platform on which to build AR services.

Overlaying reality

Industrial process augmentation is a growth area for AR that will continue to expand. Indeed, in its 2019 State of Industrial Augmented Reality report, software and services provider PTC found that where industrial businesses had implemented AR experiences, 69% of use cases were focused on benefitting their internal workers in engineering, manufacturing, service and training.

In its own report on AR, Seeing is Believing, consultancy PwC explained: “Many businesses are starting to recognise the opportunity to create new revenue streams and grow existing ones. Retail, hospitality and automotive are just three sectors already exploring the potential to sell and showcase products via both VR and AR, while gaming and entertainment companies are using the technology to create new experiences and products.”

Leila Martine, UK product marketing director of Mixed Reality at Microsoft tells IT Pro: “We have found that with AR, it is really important to start with bottom-up projects that quickly deliver ROI and impact into businesses. Alongside this, it's also important for there to be a strategic level of focus and investment to harness new technologies like mixed reality. A great example is the Airbus Holographic Academy in Toulouse. After going through initial [trials], Airbus realised the potential of mixed reality across their business and centralised a team to help Airbus look across their internal and customer-facing requirements and streamline this right into their business.”

The power of AR is that it can narrow almost any skills gap that may exist in a business and can also accelerate customer support in a range of scenarios. Maintenance situations, for example, have become the most conspicuous use of on-site and off-site AR. Increasingly though, business communications within and between teams will use AR when highly technical information must be assessed and acted upon.

Customer experiences are also on the cusp of being transformed. As high-speed 5G rolls out and the Internet of Things (IoT) delivers intelligent environments, products and services will increasingly become AR-enabled. The value to businesses is a closer relationship with their customers. For instance, Hidden Side from Lego can be played with without the need for AR, but the extra dimension AR delivers can be applied in countless other user scenarios.

Future dimensions

Overall spending on AR and VR is expected to grow significantly over the course of this year and over the rest of the decade. In Seeing is Believing, PwC predicted the technology will add £62.5 billion to the UK economy by 2030, with the majority of that figure coming from investment in AR. This includes both internal use cases like training and on the job guidance (which is expected to impact almost half a million employees in this country alone), as well as customer engagement initiatives.

Speaking to IT Pro, Jeremy Dalton, head of VR/AR, PwC UK adds: “Smartphone AR will continue to exist alongside wearable head-mounted displays, especially as the consumer world is still a major force in the AR market.

“In the longer term, we can expect consumers to grow more comfortable with using head-mounted technology for AR features, but this will not totally eradicate the demand for smartphone AR. In the far future, once the technology effectively becomes transparent (think contact lenses), this will be the likely point where we see a phasing out of non-wearable AR.”

Whether AR is used to enhance end-user products, deliver detailed information for technically intensive manufacturing environments, or used to upskill workforces, it has precise applications all businesses can explore.

A clear development roadmap is critical to identify how AR could be applied and how AR services could be delivered. From simple solutions based on smartphones to more advanced implementations using HMD such as HoloLens or ThinkReality’s A6 headset, applying the right hardware and software will ensure high levels of ROI.

PwC’s Dalton concludes: “Augmented reality's future is an evolution of form and user experience – expect headsets to become lighter, smaller and more intuitive to use. Inevitably, as is the case with hardware in general, costs will also fall, further enhancing the investment case for organisations.”

The applications of AR by large firms such as Boeing, AutoDesk and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust grab the headlines as they are pioneering the use of AR in mixed reality environments. However, these large-scale programmes can seem out of reach for most businesses. AR, though, is scalable. Companies that can see how to improve an area of business operations either internally or externally can use AR today with reasonable levels of investment.

Google has made the latest version of its augmented reality (AR) Glass headset, Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2, available for purchase directly through its resellers following its launch in May last year.

While it was originally only available through a select few workplace resellers, rising demand among developers and businesses keen to build new apps for the AR headset has led the company to make the it more widely available for direct purchase at a cost of $999.

The device, which is built on Android, has been designed to allow developers to integrate their services and APIs they already use. Google has also released a set of open source applications and code samples, including sample layouts and user interface components.

“Since Glass Enterprise Edition 2 launched last May, we've seen strong demand from developers and businesses who are interested in building new, helpful enterprise solutions for Glass," said Google’s Glass project lead, Jay Kothari.

“Glass Enterprise Edition 2 has helped people working in logistics, manufacturing, field services and a variety of other industries do their jobs more efficiently through hands-free access to the information and tools they need to do their job.

“We’re excited to see what kinds of new experiences and solutions developers will make for Glass to shape the future of work.”

The Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform, featuring a significantly more powerful multicore CPU and AI engine than that which featured in the original device.

The company said upon its launch that the latest edition of the AR unit allowed for significant power savings, greater performance levels and machine learning support.

Despite the increase in availability for the unit, there are currently no plans to distribute the device in the UK, according to a Google spokesperson.

Glass was first introduced in 2013 as an experimental piece of technology that displayed information in a smartphone-like hands-free form. After stumbling post-launch, the device found its niche in the enterprise space, with applications found in manufacturing and medicine, among other fields, with the enterprise edition launched in 2017.

It’s a similar journey to that of Microsoft’s mixed reality headset, the HoloLens. The AR device launched a couple of years after Google Glass, around about the same time as the first Glass Enterprise Edition, but Microsoft’s device was aimed squarely at the enterprise market upon launch. The firm, too, released a more refined version of the product last year.

Microsoft has patented a set of cool systems that work to conduct heat through a flexible vapour chamber across the hinge used in 'foldable' devices like dual-screen smartphones and notebooks.

The company entered the foldables market last month when it unveiled the dual-screen Surface Neo and Surface Duo devices, but is already seeking to improve the performance and build of future iterations through a next-gen cooling technology.

Microsoft is planning to transfer the heat between regions of dual-screened devices through a vapour chamber which runs across the full span, feeding into a flexible hinge that can withstand repeated bending cycles, according to the filing.

"Examples are disclosed that relate to transferring heat between regions of a device connected by a hinge," the patent said.

"One disclosed example provides an electronic device comprising a first portion and a second portion connected by a hinge region, and a vapor chamber extending from the first portion to the second portion across the hinge region."

In this example, the vapour chamber is coated with two layers of titanium, with these joined with each other to form the space through which heat can transfer. There will also be a working fluid within this space, as well as a third layer comprising features that are designed to conduct the working fluid through capillary action.

There are several other slight modifications of this technology that can be worked into devices of the future, with Microsoft now keen to enhance its portfolio with the recent additions of the Neo and Duo devices.

There are also patented variations that can be used in devices like the HoloLens, with the firm's quirky augmented reality (AR) headset almost certain to get a future revamp given the embryonic nature of the technology.

The HoloLens 2, for example, saw a number of improvements in the arrangement of internal components against its first iteration, given the hardware was largely frontloaded.

Given the scope for hardware improvements, and a boost in the time people can use these devices comfortably, next-gen cooling systems are highly desirable so as not to impair performance.