A METAVERSE expert has revealed how amazing new VR technology will save “millions on expenses” – and it could overhaul how businesses operate forever.
Dave Whelan, CEO of metaverse platform creators Engage, told The U.S Sun the opportunities for companies to save money by utilizing state-of-the-art Virtual Reality metaverse platforms in the future are endless.
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“VR really shines in doing something that’s difficult or expensive in the real world,” stressed Whelan.
While the use of video conference software like Zoom exploded following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, using VR takes interactivity to the next level.
The U.S. Sun experienced firsthand the possibilities for consuming music, for example, after taking part in a VR concert with DJ Fatboy Slim.
But Ireland-based Whelan believes virtual raving is just the tip of the iceberg.
TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Engage is already using its platform to help a school in Japan run VR lessons while car company Kia has adopted the tech to take potential customers around their showrooms.
The emphasis is on the potential to save time and money – as well as to reduce the carbon footprint.
Training in corporate businesses, for example, could be conducted with people at home rather than flying across the country.
The tech then enables the experience to become totally immersive – something which is not possible using video conferencing tools.
With Facebook’s new Meta Quest Pro VR headsets priced at $1,499, the cost may be prohibitive for some, but the building blocks for a shift in how people operate are in place.
COLLABORATIVE CHANGE
“The metaverse and VR aren’t going to change everything,” Whelan admitted.
“But it will change some aspects of the internet like group collaboration, training, and development, virtual events.”
“A lot of corporates come in here thinking they want just a replication of their office for remote collaboration,” added Chris Madsen, Director of Sales Engineering.
“But they very quickly realize that they’ve got a magic wand. And I ask you if you had a magic wand, would you be meeting in a boardroom or would you be meeting on a tropical island?
“Our clients use this for carbon reduction too.
“So instead of putting their workers on flights, they can use the platform and have those hallway conversations with people that you just can’t do on video conferences.”
‘MAGIC WAND’
With Apple set to launch its own VR platform imminently, the whole concept is about to enter even further into mainstream consciousness.
Companies like Engage, who have been operating in the space for around eight years, fully realize the potential and have begun using it for some very worthwhile causes.
“One of the groups using it is a school in Tokyo Bay – there are lots of little islands and it’s very difficult to send out language teachers to the kids,” explained art director David McDermott.
“So they use our system to have the English teacher remotely teach to the kids – it’s lovely to see it be used in a positive way.
“They’ve been on the platform for about four years.
“But it’s a real success story because they started off doing private education and now they’re actually going on to supplying teachers for schools associated with the local government of Tokyo which is brilliant.
“We have thousands of kids every day who come in here into virtual classrooms, but it’s not even classroom settings, they’re on the surface of Mars or they’re exploring different areas.
“We actually have a couple of schools that don’t have a physical building.
We actually have a couple of schools that don’t have a physical building.
David McDermott
“They’re just using us really for everything instead of Zoom. So it’s not all in a VR headset.
“We support mobile phones and tablets, so they’ll spend maybe six, seven hours a day inside Engage, but mostly on phones and tablets.
“And then when they want to experiment and create content, they’ll put on the headset and have like an hourlong session.”
Engage has also been working with a company in the US who have been using VR technology to help kids who suffer from ADHD.
“We are involved in unbelievable, bizarre, crazy, wonderful, meaningful, educational, helpful projects,” concluded Whelan.
“We never know what’s going to come next – but it’s great fun.”
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