Immersive technologies

The computing capabilities that we have available today allow us to create extremely engaging Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality experiences. The development of VR and AR applications shows no signs of interruption and with the introduction of new models of smartglasses on the market we are at the peak of a technological revolution.

Immersive technologies will be the next big step after mobile computing.

Although an important part of the demand for immersive solutions today comes from sectors related to gaming, live event streaming, retail and entertainment, the scenarios and scopes of application are much wider.

The importance of implementing AR, VR and Mixed Reality solutions

With the Axians Italia Innovation Lab Team we constantly deal with retail, manufacturing, healthcare customers, with local administrations to name just a few verticals: incredibly diversified areas but with a common feedback. All interested in understanding what the potential of these technologies are.

Companies want to understand the importance of implementing VR and AR. Over the past few decades, companies of all shapes and sizes have successfully undergone changes that were considered meteoric at the time, such as the shift from fax to email or the introduction of smartphones.

Today as then, going towards Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality is the natural step to stay competitive. These technologies won’t instantly change an industry. They will gradually pervade all companies to the point where their use becomes an integral part of everyday life. In the organization, management, operations and relations with the target.

Today, the number of successful VR and AR applications and implementations is still limited because companies do not fully understand the benefits of using them. A use that will make these technologies the primary ways in which we will interact with the digital world both at a productive and commercial and personal level. A bold statement perhaps, but in Axians Innovation Lab we believe that the path has already been forged.

It is difficult to see it clearly at this juncture but we do not think we are wrong if we say that within a few years, a decade at most, we will wear devices that will allow us to transparently interact with the real world through devices smaller than current smartglasses and that with the support of artificial intelligence will give us a whole series of services and supports without even the help of the smartphone. It is Spatial Computing and will have the same epochal scope that Mobile Computing has had in recent years.

The application of immersive technologies

Currently, immersive technologies are mostly used in contexts such as prototyping, retail, healthcare just to name a few.

In prototyping, immersive technologies have great potential for cost reduction. They allow manufacturers to accurately model and visualize the final result of a product, before it enters prototype production. Ford has been actively introducing virtual reality into the design process for about 20 years. With the introduction of Oculus Rift headset technology, the company has made virtual reality central to its design process.

Other examples come from the naval sector. Moving inside a virtual prototype of a ship allows engineers physically located in different areas of the world to work together as a team, reducing logistics costs. The VR simulation tool allows the production of a prototype that corresponds perfectly to reality before sending it to large-scale production.

In the healthcare field, on the other hand, the introduction of immersive technologies has great potential to improve services to patients in the care sector. For example, in about 100 hospitals in the United States, sets of VR smartglasses have been provided to young patients in order to distract them during painful or invasive procedures.

In the retail sector, the application of AR, VR and Mixed Reality is extremely promising. According to Forbes, the consumer satisfaction rate with the use of immersive technologies exceeds 70%, which makes it extremely impactful and profitable for brands to use solutions that allow consumers to live the shopping experience in an engaging way. What is even more important are the aspects related to the construction of relationships of empathy, relationships of trust and identification with the values of the brand through the emotional and immersive involvement that VR and Mixed Reality can offer.

It’s time to bring brands into the new era of Customer Experience. Enter the virtual world and rely on companies like Axians Italia with the Innovation Lab invest in research, development, scouting, the creation of innovative and engaging formats to make immersive technology an enabling factor in the Customer Journey to enhance the advantages and return on investments in digital innovation for the brand.