Our Blog

This article was written by our CEO Olga Kryvchenko and originally published on Linkedin. To get more biweekly updates about extended reality, subscribe to Olga’s XR Frontiers LinkedIn newsletter.  Picture yourself trying on a fabulous pair of shoes, testing out a trendy new hairstyle, or zipping through a gigantic mall without breaking a sweat, all from the comfort of your own home! With the magic of Augmented Reality (AR) and WebXR, shoppers and shop owners are about to embark on an exciting escapade into the future of shopping. But before we plunge into this virtual wonderland, let’s take a playful peek at the current state of AR and WebXR technologies and how they are shaping the future of retail. A Whirlwind Tour of AR and WebXR Technologies for Shopper Experience: AR fitting apps: Apps like Wanna Kicks by Wannaby and the IKEA Place app allow customers to virtually try on shoes or place furniture in their homes, providing a more satisfying shopping experience and reducing returns. Loreal Groups provides Makeup Virtual Try-on Maybelline, which makes online makeup shopping more convenient. AR scanning apps: Google Lens enable users to identify products, read labels, and gather detailed information, making product searches and comparisons a breeze. AR maps and wayfinding apps: The Aisle411 app helps customers navigate the maze of large shopping malls by providing indoor maps and turn-by-turn directions. AR menus and loyalty programs: KabaQ is an app that showcases 3D models of menu items, while Snatch, an AR-based loyalty program, allows users to hunt for virtual prizes, rewards, and discounts. AR Entertainment Extravaganza: The Leo AR app delivers an array of captivating games and virtual experiences to be enjoyed in shopping centers and other public spaces. The Exciting State of AR and WebXR in Shopping: Good news! The cost of developing AR and WebXR solutions is on the decline, thanks to the availability of pre-built solutions, plugins, and libraries. A treasure trove of resources with 3D assets is already available for use or customization in AR shopping apps. Loads of talented companies can whip up custom 3D models to bring products to life in AR. Plus, businesses can purchase or lease 3D scanners to help digitize their products for AR integration. And, to top it all off, many existing apps are ready and waiting for easy integration with AR and WebXR technologies. Embracing AR and WebXR technologies can have a positive impact on the environment, helping to create a more sustainable shopping experience. By allowing customers to virtually try on products or see how items would look in their homes, these technologies can significantly reduce the need for returns. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in packaging waste and transportation emissions associated with shipping products back and forth. For example, ASOS, an online fashion retailer, implemented a virtual fitting room feature called “See My Fit”, which allows customers to see how clothing items would look on different body types, reducing the likelihood of returns. Similarly, the IKEA Place app enables users to visualize furniture items in their homes before making a purchase, helping to minimize unnecessary returns and their environmental impact. By integrating AR and WebXR technologies into the shopping experience, businesses can contribute to a more eco-friendly retail landscape while still delivering a satisfying customer experience. As AR and WebXR technologies continue to advance, they hold immense potential to revolutionize the online shopping experience even further. One exciting development is the creation of virtual showrooms, where customers can explore a 3D representation of a physical store and interact with products in a more immersive manner. This could transform the way consumers shop online, making it feel more like an in-person experience. For example, Shopify has introduced 3D modeling and AR solutions that enable merchants to showcase their products in 3D, allowing customers to examine items from every angle and visualize them in real-world environments. Another promising direction is the personalization of shopping experiences using AR and WebXR. By combining these technologies with artificial intelligence and customer data, retailers can offer tailored recommendations, virtual styling assistance, and customized product presentations. For instance, the Sephora Virtual Artist app utilizes AR to allow users to virtually try on makeup products and receive personalized recommendations based on their facial features and preferences. Moreover, AR and WebXR can be integrated with social media platforms to create shared shopping experiences, allowing users to virtually shop together, seek opinions from friends, and even attend live virtual events, such as fashion shows or product launches. This would further blur the line between e-commerce and social media, making online shopping a more interactive and engaging experience. But, as with any great adventure, there are a few hiccups to keep in mind. Size measurement in AR apps can be a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, iOS devices boast impressive measurement accuracy thanks to LiDAR technology. However, Android devices have yet to achieve the same level of precision, leaving room for improvement. Not all devices support AR capabilities, so only devices with ARCore or ARKit can join in on the fun. Outdoor GPS accuracy can be a bit of a challenge for AR guide apps. And using AR and WebXR apps may require a little extra setup, support, and maintenance, which could bump up marketing budgets. However, with technology continually evolving, these limitations are expected to fade away, paving the way for a seamless and delightful AR shopping experience. A spectacular shopping spree of the future is just around the corner, with fully immersive AR experiences waiting for shoppers and shop owners alike. By embracing these cutting-edge technologies, businesses can elevate their customers’ shopping adventures to thrilling new heights. So, hold onto your hats, folks, because the astonishing and transformative shopping extravaganza is about to begin! Image: Pixabay

Brands are gradually paying attention to WebAR, an immersive technology that provides companies with new ways to encourage audiences to buy their product. Using WebAR, you can develop advertisements or digital catalogs, where you can observe an item from all angles and try its digital version on yourself or your own environment. Moreover, WebAR solves issues of customers who order an item online and don’t fully realize whether this item suits them or not. And, according to statistics, 91% of online customers bought items that didn’t fit them. Learn more about WebAR technology, its principles of work, and the most successful use cases in our new article.  Technical Characteristics of WebAR for E-commerce WebAR is an in-browser augmented reality that can be used on a smartphone, tablet, PC, or another device. Access to AR through a browser is perfect for e-commerce, allowing brands to provide their customers with instant access to digital content. And customers themselves don’t have to wait till a mobile app with immersive digital content is downloaded on a device. In one of the precious articles, we explained in more detail the main difference between native XR apps and WebXR.  Key Principles of WebAR in E-commerce  WebAR uses gadgets and sensors to activate digital content that is superimposed on a real environment. Immersive AR content here means interactive digital 3D models, (both static and dynamic), with audio and video content, text information, etc. For different business purposes, WebAR has, at least, 5 different types of functionality: Target recognition. It’s a feature that allows AR apps to detect and track 2D images, which activate augmented reality content. This function is available for both regular 2D pictures and QR codes. Target recognition is available for Android (Chrome web browser) and iOS. Target capture. A function that allows WebAR apps to track and augment 2D objects, captured by the user (business cards, stickers, etc). This function works both on Android (Chrome web browser) and iOS. Face recognition. A technology, that detects face surface and mimics. This feature superimposes immersive 3D content on a face to synchronize it with mimics. Face recognition is available for Android (Chrome web browser) and iOS. Surface recognition. A technology that detects flat surfaces (walls, floor, ground, table surface, etc) and places 3D objects on them. There’s also an option of using a device as a controller to move the AR object around. Unfortunately, surface recognition isn’t available for iOS. AR geolocation. This technology places digital objects, using geolocation markers or location tracking. As a rule, AR geolocation is used for augmented reality maps, AR navigators, and Pokemon Go-like games. This function isn’t available for iOS. Advantages of WebAR in E-commerce How WebAR is Changing the Way We Shop Online WebAR allows users to activate virtual try on, which gives them the possibility to check out a digital version of an item before purchase. According to Vertebrae, 57.15% of customers said they’d like to place such items like furniture, appliances, and home decor in their environment before buying. Almost 34% of respondents said they would like to test digital clothes, shoes, and accessories before the purchase. And WebAR allows them to do it. Role of WebAR in E-commerce Interaction WebAR greatly improves customer interaction experience thanks to the opportunity to directly observe and try digital items. One of the ways to enhance customers’ shopping experience are interactive catalogs on the brand’s websites. These catalogs allow customers to observe 3D models of different items and place them on themselves or their environment before the purchase. This function is mostly used by brands for selling: cosmetics (virtual makeup); clothes, shoes, and accessories (virtual try-on);  furniture and home decor (WebAR experiences that superimpose digital furniture in a real room). How WebAR is Driving Business Income in E-commerce Based on a previous point, the possibility to test an item’s digital version before buying increases a company’s income. In Q1 of 2020, French company L’Oreal increased its income by 20% with virtual makeup.  How WebAR is Increasing Audience Engagement in E-commerce WebAR in e-commerce provides a specific way to engage customers. According to Accenture research, 50% of customers said they would turn to brands that implement immersive interactive technologies regularly, and 47% of respondents said they felt more connected with a proposed product by using immersive technologies. Here, you can read more about the advantages of augmented reality in advertisement and how it enhances customer experience.  Examples of Brands Using WebAR in E-commerce WebAR Fashion Experiences By Gucci Famous Italian brand Gucci, in collaboration with ІТ company Kivisense, developed a WebAR try-on, which allows customers to wear digital sneakers. The experience is activated with a QR code on the brand’s official site, and a customer can not just check out digital sneakers, but also take a photo with them and share it on social media. This WebAR experience uses foot tracking technology that helps a digital sneaker to realistically “fit” on a foot. AI automatically calculates a foot size, so virtual sneakers would look right on a user’s feet.  Along with Kivisense, the brand also developed a WebAR installation which represents a Gucci perfume Flora Gorgeous Gardenia. Using a smartphone screen, a potential customer places a digital model of a perfume bottle in a real environment. A user opens a perfume cap, and then virtual pink and blue flower petals are getting out of the bottle. Capturing the perfume mood is the main purpose of this WebAR experience. Try Before You Buy: L’Oreal’s WebAR Virtual Makeup Experience French cosmetics brand L’Oreal developed virtual makeup to help their customers choose decorative cosmetics on Amazon site. This WebAR experience tracks head movement and face mimics.  This experience is also developed by Modiface, which is considered to be one of the top augmented reality developers. The virtual makeup for L’Oreal is enhanced by AI, which provides photorealistic graphics and calibration of virtual cosmetics shades on a customer’s face.  A similar function is available on a Maybelline cosmetics site.  Revolutionize Your Home Decor with…

Today, virtual reality technology is in active development and has already found its application in different fields, from manufacturing to healthcare. Meanwhile, VR solution development requires the presence of a professional team of specialists, that not every company can afford to hire.  In this case, outsourcing the development process to another company is a more convenient solution. In this article, we’ll highlight the key advantages of VR outsourcing and why it’s becoming more popular in business. Flexible and Cost-Effective: How VR Outsourcing Can Transform Your Business One of the most important reasons why companies use outsourcing services is to save money on personnel, additional equipment, and software. Thus, your enterprise can use outsourcing company experience and resources and pay only for required services. It also provides businesses with additional flexibility by allowing them to adjust the scale of VR projects according to their specific needs. Thanks to outsourcing, your company’s employees can concentrate on their main duties. Meanwhile, outsourced developers can perform their VR-development-related work. Moreover, VR outsourcing gives companies access to the latest virtual reality trends and news. How VR Outsourcing Connects Your Business with Top VR Experts By transferring the VR program development process to an outsourcing company, you get access to a team of developers that specialize in different aspects of VR app design. Moreover, this team has the needed experience, knowledge, and technologies to manage the entire cycle of your project development, including 3D modeling, programming, UI/UX design, etc. Also, when you involve a bigger number of specialists with the required skills, you can release an effective final VR product faster and more economically.  Faster Product Launch and Innovative Ideas With VR Outsourcing  Outsourcing companies have access to virtual reality innovations and solutions allowing them to release your product on time. That means a possibility to schedule your product release on market and get ahead of your competitors.    From Risky to Reliable: Benefits of VR Outsourcing for Your Business Outsourcing companies know the most common mistakes to avoid and how to reduce development risks. Moreover, by collaborating with clients from different fields, they can provide high-quality service and innovative solutions, that correspond to the standards of a certain field.  All-Inclusive VR Outsourcing: How VR Studio Can Provide Your Business with Comprehensive Support Providing technical support, regular updates, and bug fixes are important factors, which may tip the balance in favor of outsourcing. And this factor ensures the smooth and efficient work of your VR solution. Moreover, it allows companies to concentrate on their main duties, leaving technical nuances of virtual reality development to experts. Outsourcing offers companies numerous advantages for their development and design of VR apps. When transferring VR app development authorities to outsource company, your enterprise will get a qualified team of specialists, who can produce an efficient product quickly and accurately. If you consider VR outsourcing, make sure that the company you choose is a reliable and worthy one with the required experience and a positive reputation. Image: Freepik

Virtual reality is gradually becoming more widespread in many fields, including music. With its help, newcomers learn how to play musical instruments in a more exciting and immersive environment, that facilitates the learning process. Students can acquire a certain musical instrument in virtual reality since VR is not just about fancy environments. Some apps allow a headset user to use real musical instruments, with digital clues overlaid on them. Seeing these clues, a student masters their skills much faster.  This article aims to showcase in detail various virtual solutions that facilitate music learning. Experience the Future of Music Education  In general, there are two types of VR music apps: games and learning apps. VR music games involve a headset user performing rhythmic tasks to the music. Beat Saber is a bright example of this game. While playing Beat Saber, a user hits digital cubes with lightsabers to the music. Meanwhile, virtual reality learning apps are developed for newcomers who plan to learn to play real musical instruments. The basic principle of VR music apps for learning is it’s interactive experience, where a student uses hand gestures and controllers to press virtual piano keys, pluck digital guitar strings, or beat virtual drums with digital sticks. Take Your Music to Next Level  Experience the Joy of Piano Playing  In a VR piano app, a VR headset user plays on a virtual or physical instrument, with digital clues are overlaid on it. These clues tell a student what piano key they should press on. VR-XR Piano App by ArtMaster allows a newcomer to learn how to play the piano in an unusual set. In the program, you can also choose a location that fits your mood: an opera, Moon surface, cliff, etc. There’s also a selection of songs and compositions to play and the option that allows you to adjust a composition’s speed and the length of notes. Moreover, this program also involves a physical piano, thus creating an additional immersion effect and facilitating the learning process. We at Qualium Systems are also developing a VR piano app. In this app, a VR headset user gets transferred into a virtual music hall with a digital piano. Similar to the previous use case, playing music on virtual piano keys requires the use of hands. The app also includes three levels of learning: easy, medium, and hard. The playlist of our future VR piano app includes both classic and modern songs. Enhance Your Drumming Skills  When dealing with VR drums, a headset user can apply controllers to use a digital stick to beat virtual drums and recreate movements while playing the real drums. Smash Drums is an example of a virtual reality app designed to teach how to play drums. It’s suitable for both newcomers and professional musicians. With a VR headset, users can try their hand at drumming on various difficulty levels, ranging from easy to challenging. A few months ago, the app got an update that includes an additional, highly challenging level that realistically recreates the movements of a drummer. Step Up Your Guitar Game  Virtual programs for learning how to play the guitar involve controller-free hands to pull digital guitar strings. Unplugged for Oculus Quest is an example of an app that uses similar principles. By the way, Tetiana, the Ukrainian host of Disco VR YouTube channel, attempted to play Unplugged, using a real electric guitar. Guitar Strummer is another use case, where a headset user can learn how to play the acoustic guitar. There are two ways to create, learn, and play new chords:  choosing notes that look like virtual balls and playing them with a drummer stick choosing a chord and playing with hands. In this app, you can create and save your own chords. After every play, a program estimates your playing chord performance.  Transforming Music Education: Advantages of VR Technology in Music Learning Virtual reality is becoming increasingly popular in music education due to its numerous advantages for learners, such as A personalized learning experience for musicians. Students can develop their skills in a digital environment that is suitable for them and isolates them from various distractions. Moreover, virtual clues are overlaid directly on a real instrument and allow a student to master a played composition. Virtual apps also provide a user with the possibility to choose the speed and note length of a composition. Compactness and constant access. Virtual instruments help you save some space in your home and play a musical instrument virtually at any suitable time. Only you can hear the music. Your neighbors won’t complain about music being too loud when you learn how to play piano or another musical instrument. Inspiring virtual environment. Sometimes, when a musician plays an instrument, they can find themselves in a not-so-supportive environment with a lot of distractions. Wearing a virtual reality headset, a musician can choose the most comfortable and inspiring place to learn music. Virtual reality has become a convenient tool for learning music by offering a convenient and personalized experience of mastering musical instruments, such as guitar, piano, drums, etc. These apps enhance users’ music skills and improve their performance in an exciting and inspiring digital environment. 

Augmented reality is a technology that superimposes digital 3D content in the real world. You can watch it using smartphones, tablets, smart glasses, and other devices. Digital objects are activated with markers (QR codes, images, physical objects, etc), beacons, GPS trackers, digital compasses, and so on. Today, this technology is actively applied by marketers, as it helps to evoke emotional feedback from users of the product. For example, fans can get partially immersed in a setting of their favorite TV show, and online customers can see the chosen item and try it on themselves. As the number of modern technology users continues to rise, so does the popularity of AR. Statista predicts that the number of AR technology users will be increased to 1.75 billion by 2024. In today’s article, we’ll highlight the definition of AR advertising, its types, and some of the most successful use cases by various brands, like Snapchat, Disney, Netflix, Lacoste, and more. Augmented Reality Advertising: Future of Marketing is Here AR advertisement is about using augmented reality for brand or product promotion.  You can read more about the basic principles of AR in our article about the difference between augmented and mixed reality.  Interactive AR Ads: Engage Your Customers in a Whole New Way Augmented reality can be applied for different types of advertisements, including  outdoor advertisements;  printed ads;  advertisements on packages;  promo campaigns for movies and TV;  virtual try on.  AR Advertising Goes Outdoors: Engaging Customers in Streets  As a rule,  AR advertising is used for street campaigns: billboards and city lights with digital element activation markers for smartphones or tablets.  Pepsi Max’s Bus Shelter is an example of an outdoor AR advertisement. It’s a bus stop with a built-in screen that demonstrates various AR scenes. While people wait for a bus, they see digital meteorites, alien ships, or underground monsters, that are superimposed on a real street in the UK.  City Painter by Snapchat is another example of outdoor AR advertisement. Unlike the previous case, this app is developed for smartphones. A mobile device user “colors” city streets with digital paint. Using a smartphone screen, you can see the results of both your work and those of other “artists”. Print Comes to Life: Augmented Reality Advertising on Your Merchandise This type of augmented reality advertisement is activated by markers, like QR codes and images, placed on printed promo products: posters, flyers, business cards, booklets, magazines, etc. For example, the Net-a-Porter fashion brand augmented their PORTER paper magazine issue with AR illustrations that are activated by smartphones right on the magazine pages. With augmented reality, PORTER readers discover exclusive content and the possibility to order a chosen item from magazine pages through a smartphone. This issue of the magazine was developed in collaboration with The UK IT company blippAR.  A similar function is also available for National Geographic printed magazine. Using a smartphone, a reader unlocks different 3D objects and animations on magazine pages. Unboxing Your Brand: Augmented Reality Ads on Product Packages In this case, a product package isn’t just called to protect from outside influence. With augmented reality, a colorful and original package can be even more attractive for customers with the help of an AR experience. Pizza Hut Pac-man AR Game is a bright example of an AR package advertisement. Every pizza package contains a marker that activates a classic video game Pac-man. But now it’s in augmented reality. Usually, for AR package ads developers implement WebXR technology, the one we discussed in our previous article.  Experience Your Favorite Shows and Movies in a New Way with AR Ads Augmented reality promo campaigns made for smartphones are drawing the attention of your movie or TV show’s potential audience. A movie-based AR experience makes users mentally closer to their favorite movie heroes and attached to a movie or TV show.  A bright example of the use of an AR smartphone app to promote the movie/TV series is The Mandalorian AR Marketing Campaign. It’s an AR program that activates a digital model of the Mandalorian himself and Baby Yoda while recreating some scenes from the show. The convenience of this AR experience is that users can unlock it while sitting on the couch at home. The Mandalorian AR Marketing Campaign was developed by Disney, in collaboration with  Google,  as a part of a promo campaign for the second season of “Star Wars: The Mandalorian”. Another famous case of implementing AR for TV shows promotion is a campaign for the third season of Stranger Things by Netflix. It’s a collaboration of the Netflix project with the popular newspaper, The New York Times. A user had a chance to unlock AR content with the 1980s images on newspaper pages, using a smartphone. These images are Starcourt Mall ads. It’s a fictional mall, where a part of the season three plot is happening. It’s not the first time that Stranger Things promoters use immersive technologies for the show’s promo campaign. During the first season premiere, Netflix presented a VR experience on YouTube with fans being allowed to observe the main location of the season.  Try Before You Buy: Augmented Reality Virtual Try-On  AR try-on scans the human body and allows a customer to try on digital items.  One of the most interesting use cases of implementing augmented reality for try-on is the one presented by Lacoste. In this program, a smartphone user sees both the digital model of a sneaker on their foot and a 3D installation that outlines a style of a certain shoe model. In our article, you can read more about the technology of virtual try-on and its influence on modern retail.  Transform Your Business with Augmented Reality Marketing Today, modern brands pay more attention to augmented reality as a marketing tool for a few reasons, including Improving brands and customer interaction.  Using augmented reality for promotion, you make your brand and products more available for modern gadget users. Nowadays, there are over 6 billion smartphone users around the world, and it’s…

Today, virtual reality transforms and improves many fields, including sports. VR sports training is getting popular being an interesting and gamified process of improving skills for tennis players, footballers, boxers, etc. The immersion effect forces the athlete’s brain to perceive a virtual playground as a real one and makes a human start applying real physical efforts to perform exercises. Thus, VR sports training become an object of interest for both amateurs and professionals. This technology is already applied by the Manchester United soccer club and The Cougars baseball team to bring their training processes to a new level. In this article, we’ll highlight successful VR solutions to improve athletes’ skills. Step Up Your Game with VR Sports Training VR sports simulation is training in an immersive digital environment, where athletes improve their skills and refine their performance during every game. For virtual reality sports training they apply VR goggles and also controllers, gestures, body trackers, and real additional equipment like clubs, baseball bats, etc. (depending on the type of sports). VR sports training offers athletes such advantages as The photorealistic digital environment is designed for athletes’ training. You can recreate a football or baseball stadium, tennis court, boxing ring, ski track, and so on. VR training is held with no unnecessary risks, thus preventing sportsmen from being injured. It’s especially important for active and aggressive sports, like boxing, soccer, football, rugby, etc. Constant blows to the head and other body parts may cause different mental, behavioral, and mood disorders. In one interview, Steve Thompson, the World Champion in rugby, who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, said he doesn’t remember winning World Cup back in 2003.  Combining real physical activity with VR training. The immersion effect makes an athlete perceive a virtual boxing ring or soccer stadium as a real environment and apply physical efforts, just like in the real world. Sometimes, these simulations involve real equipment to strengthen the immersion effect. A possibility to record data and analyze athletes’ progress. You can track their skill improvement, physical condition, qualification level, and scenarios they passed on VR sports simulators. Virtual sports training is suitable for both professionals and amateurs. There are a lot of VR games that recreate different playgrounds and sports competitions as realistically as possible. In addition, there are a few levels of difficulty in the games: from easy to pro. In our article, we described in more detail the advantages of virtual training for athletes. You can read more about it here.  Join the Action with VR Sports Training Virtual reality sports training is actively used to improve athletes’ skills and qualifications. We’ll highlight different kinds of sports, where VR training is applied the most. Step into the Ring: How VR Boxing Games are Changing the Sport During VR training, boxers are getting transferred into the digital ring and compete with virtual opponents. As it was mentioned before, VR sports training reduces the risk of getting injured. It especially applies to head injuries. The Thrill of the Fight, and Creed: Rise to Glory for Oculus are successful examples of VR boxing games for amateurs. The latter game is based on Rocky Balboa and Adonis Creed cult movies. In these simulations, a player passes through rounds with opponents of different qualification levels. In its turn, there is a Boxing Coach app by Sidequest for professionals. In the app, an athlete hones 24 boxing moves and 54 action combinations with the help of a virtual coach. The athlete’s training course plan is designed automatically, depending on their goals, the course length, and the athlete’s qualification level. A virtual coach’s moves were drawn from the moves of real coaches, and that creates real life-coach lesson effect. A player sees points for every performed punch on a screen. Improve Your Swing with VR Golf: The Future of Golf Training VR training is perfect for golf players because you don’t have to rent a whole real field to play and train. You also don’t have to wait for favorable weather — wear a VR headset, and you’re on a digital field. Players hone their golf skills using special golf clubs. Moreover, in virtual reality a headset user sees the possible trajectory a ball can fly on and the number of yards the ball could fly after being hit. There are a lot of popular VR Oculus golf apps for both amateurs and professionals. Like Golf+, for example. It’s the number one VR golf app, that allows players to customize difficulty levels and swings that allow the ball to fly higher or lower. You can also organize a team game in the app and communicate with each other, using avatars. How VR Training Is Transforming Modern Soccer VR soccer training allows coaches and athletes to recreate different scenarios on a digital field. It can be both training exercises and real soccer match simulations. While playing virtual soccer, a user, in addition to a VR headset, should also wear body trackers, especially on their feet. Virtual training by British company Reezil allows injured soccer players to improve their sports skills and physically rehabilitate. The program itself contains players’ qualification level and physical condition data. VR training by Reezil is already applied for the rehabilitation of athletes from such top soccer clubs as Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool. “You need the goggles, 10-foot room, and you’re good to go. You can go ahead and put a headset on, and you can get those touches in. You’re going to have a headset and base stations, and they set the environment you’ll see. You’re going to see the whole soccer pitch, and it all comes from these base stations. It’s really amazing stuff. You’re going to have feet trackers as well”, said Reezil creator Christian Barsanti. VR Tennis Training: The Secret Weapon for Athletes  During virtual training, tennis players improve hitting ball skills in digital realistic environment, with no need to leave home and go to a real tennis court. In VR, athletes see a possible ball…

Despite the fact virtual reality became a widely discussed topic only a few years ago, the first VR programs were developed back in the 60s of the previous century. During this period, the American army began implementing virtual reality as a tool to train soldiers. Considering the fact that today virtual reality technology is developing rapidly, VR was implemented into other fields of military training, particularly in the armies of the USA, United Kingdom, and Ukraine, during the war with Russia. In this article, we will highlight the fields of implementing virtual reality in the army and what advantages VR gives to the military field. How Virtual Reality is Changing Military Training for Better Military VR training is applied for improving soldiers’ combat and tactical skills and accelerating wielding equipment process. The US Forces apply virtual reality to prepare infantry for combat operations. Just like, for example, in this video, where American soldiers train in a fully virtual environment, using training rifles. Speaking about Ukraine, VR is applied for training fighters who operate anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons like NLAW and different types of MANPADS. VR Military Equipment Training For Modern Soldiers Virtual reality military training is also applied not just for infantry, but those who operate air defense systems. Recently, the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces Military Unit “Zahid” received VR headsets to improve shooting down enemy missiles, aircraft, and drones every day.  “These simulators allow us to train personnel and maintain their knowledge level in practice, so they could perform their defense tasks as efficiently as possible. Before entering on duty,  military personnel who guard facilities, are also pass the training, because realism is its main advantage. Militaries see a hostile target and destroy it in virtual reality”, said Denys Levkovych, The Commander of The Staff.  Saving Lives with VR: How Tactical Medical Training is Being Transformed Virtual reality training for tactical medics allows them to acquire practical skills that will be needed on a battlefield faster. Also, VR training helps them to accelerate muscle memory development, so tactical medics could realize how to act in a critical situation instantly. Birmingham University in the UK developed mixed reality training for tactical medics to help wounded fighters. Especially for the training, a hyperrealistic mannequin was designed and transferred into virtual reality. A VR headset user both sees a mannequin’s digital twin and is able to touch a physical one in the real world.  “Essentially how this works”, said doctor Robert Guest, Lead Simulation Developer, “is we are tracking, using infrared cameras on person’s head, as well as their hands, using points on their gloves and a head tracker on a head-mounted display. And this allows us to align their real-world actions with virtual actions. So, we can see them move the head and the hands and they will roughly align to the virtual world. So, we both got a virtual body here and we’ve also got a real simulated body in the real world.” VR Flight Simulators: Future of Military Pilot Training VR simulations for pilots are considered to be one of the earliest use cases of virtual reality.  In VR, pilots are in the cockpit mockup or at the computer table and see a realistic simulation of the sky. VR training allows pilots to pass through different tasks, improve their skills, and master new aircraft models with no risk to life and health. Ukrainian pilots, who protect the sky, also train in virtual reality. Back in May last year, Oculus founder and current CEO of Anduril Palmer Luckey, with the support of the Ukrainian Government, secretly implemented a VR training program for Ukrainian pilots to improve their skills in VR headset Quest 2. The training is based on the American jet plane А-10 Thunderbolt II (aka The Warthog).  A virtual training program for Ukrainian pilots was developed with the assistance of active and retired US pilots, along with Ukrainian infantry officer Alexander Gorgan.  VR Therapy: Treatment for Soldiers with PTSD Among war veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the most widespread mental disorders. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, 10% of men and 19% of women suffer from PTSD.  To cure post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, some specialists apply exposure therapy. It’s the therapy, where a doctor puts a patient with PTSD in a virtual environment, that recreates a war environment. During the therapy, a patient faces traumatic factors, learns how to deal with them, and rethinks traumatic events in a safe and fully controlled environment. Cardiff University organized a two-year-long research, known as 3DMR,  featuring former militaries who went through VR therapy. As research proved, two-thirds of those who took part in the therapy felt an improvement in their mental well-being by 37%.  “We are helping individuals to overcome the avoidance, by walking towards the picture on a treadmill it’s very difficult to avoid and we know that we have to get rid of the avoidance to help an individual to process their traumatic memory,” said professor Jon Bisson from Cardiff university. We partially highlighted the topic of virtual reality as a tool to improve patient’s mental health, including the ones with PTSD. We wrote about the ways VR is used for the psychological rehabilitation of patients here. Main Benefits of Virtual Reality in Army Virtual reality is widely applied in the military field due to its numerous advantages, such as Safe training that recreates the battlefield as realistic as possible; Wide range of locations — considering the fact that military training is held in virtual reality, it gives army unlimited possibilities to design any suitable training location; Virtual training for soldiers are available at any time at any place, even in the battlefield itself; Virtual simulations for military officers can be adapted according to the abilities and qualification level of those who train; A possibility to record data in virtual reality —  this function allows VR headsets users to analyze their mistakes and improve their combat and tactical skills.  Main Challenges of Implementing VR For…

Due to the fact that digital objects are superimposed on a physical environment, AR is also applied as a tool to develop convenient digital navigation. This type of navigation allows users to reach the point of destination both on a street and inside a building more quickly and easily. No wonder the technology is gradually becoming popular and is already used by top companies, like Google, Mercedes, Vienna Tech Museum, etc. Moreover, 57% of developers think navigation is a leading technology for AR and VR in the future. What are the main advantages of AR navigation and why is it so convenient for a device user? The answer is hidden in this article.  Main Power of AR Navigation In augmented reality, a digital object is overlaid onto a real environment, creating an immersive experience. Usually, AR is available for smartphones, tablets, and MR headsets. You can activate augmented reality using special markers like QR codes, images, physical objects, etc.  AR navigation is an innovative technology that puts digital signs into a real environment and leads a gadget user to the desired destination. Augmented reality navigation uses real-time data to give a user current information about the surrounding, including routing options, interesting places, and so on.  Using AR navigation, users see digital signs in real places through their gadget screen and follow these signs. Augmented reality navigation also has other advantages, including Saving time. Instead of wasting time looking at a smartphone map, a user reaches their destination much faster. Regular maps may be confusing cause we see an approximate scheme of a place, not a place itself. Back in the 20th century, famous Polish American scientist Alfred Korzybski once said: “A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness”.   Safety improvement. AR navigation provides a gadget user with real-time information about different obstacles, like traffic jams, etc. Also, it shows drivers and pedestrians where to turn next, so they won’t miss their route.  Additional information about the nearest objects. Some augmented reality navigation apps also contain text, audio, and video content, that is placed onto real static objects, whether it’s a building, monument, or exhibit. AR navigation with a function like this is applied in museums and touristic places to make the tour more exciting due to the immersion effect and the possibility to interact with the surroundings using digital technology. Wide range of use cases.  Augmented reality navigation is a convenient tool for both streets and buildings. For example, you can use indoor AR navigation to help an employee or customer to find the way out of a building with many floors and stairs.  Easy Outdoor Navigation with Augmented Reality Imagine, you need to reach a certain place you’ve never been to before. AR navigation with digital signs in a smartphone will guide you through the street. This type of augmented reality navigation is applied only to streets and open places and uses GPS and special beacons.   Google Maps Live View is a bright example of outdoor navigation. The AR mode can be activated in Google Maps itself. It is designed for pedestrians only, because the user location data is based on immobile objects on a street, like buildings.  “How many times have you been using Google Maps and questioned: wait, which way am I facing? Do I go straight or turn around and go back? Am I going in the right direction? It happens to me a lot, and even more in big cities since high buildings can block GPS signals. Well, Google Maps AR Mode solves this issue”, said blogger Tesia Custode, author of the eponymous YouTube channel. Moreover, AR navigation is a convenient tool for tourists, who arrived at a brand-new location. With digital signs, a smartphone user can both find hotels, restaurants, or museums, and get more information about historical places.  AR-program Florence Travel Guide, where tourists can learn more about important cultural and historical places on city streets is an example of augmented reality touristic navigation.  By the way, you can read more about this AR navigation app here. Revolutionize Your Driving Experience with AR Navigation This option is suitable for you if you plan to reach your destination by car. Augmented reality navigation, embedded in a car, tells and shows a driver which way they should go. Mercedes-Benz becomes one of the first automotive companies to start applying AR navigation for cars. And Mercedes 2020 GLE became one of the brand’s first cars with this type of navigation.  Emme Hall, the author of car’s review, who took test drive, had positive impression of the innovation: “The forward-facing camera offers an augmented-reality overlay to show me exactly where to turn, and the addresses of nearby buildings pop up on the screen, so I never miss my destination. This is a huge step forward for navigation tech”.  Effortless Indoor Navigation with Augmented Reality With the help of augmented reality navigation, people can be guided inside high buildings with a lot of stairs and corridors easier (hospitals, office buildings, universities, etc). Unlike AR outdoor navigation, indoor navigation is not based on GPS and images from satellites. AR apps for indoor navigation use systems of Bluetooth beacons and Wi-Fi inside a building. This type of navigation helps people reach a certain room without asking other people. With AR navigation, new employees or university students can be guided quickly and not to be late to a lecture or conference. For office workers, Augmented Pixels developed AI-powered indoor AR navigation. A digital twin of an office is transferred on the app with destinations marked on it.  AR navigation is also applied to museums. As a rule, it guides a visitor to a room with a certain exhibition displayed. This type of AR navigation also contains data about every exhibit in a museum. Vienna Tech museum, in collaboration with ViewAR, developed an AR guide, that is activated on a smartphone with a QR code. After activation,…

Today, the number of people getting interested in extended reality is constantly increasing with the development of XR and related technologies. According to Thrive My Way, the extended reality market will have increased to more than 125 USD billion by 2026.  The interest in immersive technologies urges enthusiasts, specialists, and entire companies to join, collaborate, share their experiences, and present new inventions that will accelerate XR development. That’s the main purpose of AR/VR associations. We offer you the list of famous associations, where you’ll find out about the latest extended reality news, technologies, and skills you can apply in your business. VR/AR Association VR/AR Association is an international organization, which aim is to improve cooperation between XR solution providers and their customers. Today, these associations are presented by  4300 companies around the world. And our company, Qualium Systems, became part of VRARA a few months ago.  VRARA is focused on training and improving companies’ qualifications, as well as creating new connections between association members, so they can exchange their experience. The annual virtual VRARA Education Forum is their most famous event. It’s a platform designed for organizing conferences, presentations, expert panels, hardware and software demos. This year, organizers expect to see more than 1000 guests and 60 speakers. Last year, VRARA Education Forum was visited by over 1500 guests from 75 countries, more than 100 schools and organizations, and over 50 vendors. You can read more about the annual VRARA Education Forum here: https://hopin.com/events/vrara-education-forum-2023/registration VRARA has its own podcast called Everything AR & VR, you can read about it in detail here.    The Academy of International Extended Reality The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) is an independent non-profit organization, that unites immersive tech companies and allows them to interact and exchange their experience. There are more than 4000 business leaders registered on AIXR. Some of the main fields of activity of the association are training programs and live courses.  Also, AIXR holds such events as VR conferences, where visitors wear VR headsets and enter the digital platform using avatars. Live events, where people are gathered in a physical place. Online webinars through video. This association has its own segments located almost around the world: AIXR North America, AIXR Europe, AIXR Asia-Pacific, AIXR South America, and AIXR Middle East & Africa.  You can apply for AIXR membership here: https://aixr.org/locations/   You can also find out more information about upcoming AIXR events about VR, AR, metaverse, and other immersive technologies. Augmented World Expo Augmented World Expo has been educating and improving the professional work of more than 5000 companies та 60 000 XR specialists since 2010. The association’s main purpose is establishing communications between investors and startup founders, customers and XR services providers famous brands and developers and creators, recruiters and job seekers. Moreover, Augmented World Expo provides members with news digests, lectures, and job positions.  AWE also organizes academic classes and workshops to improve the qualifications of XR specialists.  The platform constantly holds online mini-events in over 25 cities worldwide, conferences, and exhibitions in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Particularly, this year, the annual AWE conference will be held in Santa Clara, California at the end of May – the beginning of June. Organizers expect over 5000 visitors, 3000 exhibition authors, and 400 speakers. In Europe, a similar event will take place in October this year in Vienna, Austria. The organizers of the European AWE conference expect over 2000 guests, 100 exhibition authors, and 250 speakers. Here is more information for those willing to become a speaker of the next conference: https://www.awexr.com/get-involved  XR Association XR Association is an organization, aimed at the promotion of global XR industry development. In XRA, top specialists and company representatives are getting involved in the working process: they carry out research and develop the best ways of using extended reality in business. The members of XR Association are VR headset developers and virtual platforms operators. Hardware components developers. Companies providing XR solutions for business. Companies applying immersive technologies for working and commercial purposes. Small companies developing XR solutions. The key members of the XR Association are Meta, Google, Microsoft, Unity, and Sony Interactive Entertainment. There are other organizations registered in the association including Accenture, Avatar Dimension, Conquest VR, OVR, StriVR, Talespin, and so on. Limitless Future Conference is the main event organized by XR Association. At the conference, industry leaders explore and present new technologies that will improve training, learning, and human resource management. Limitless Future Conference also helps to promote and accelerate virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality development. The previous event was held live in November last year.  To join the association, you can apply for membership here: https://xra.org/joinus/#join Metaverse Standards Forum Metaverse Standards Forum is founded by Khronos Group, which includes top companies like Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, Adobe, Unity, and XR Association (XRA). In general, there are more than 1800 companies registered in Metaverse Standards Forum. Metaverse Standards Forum is founded in June 2022 to “foster the development of interoperability standards for an open and inclusive metaverse, and accelerate their development and deployment through pragmatic, action-based projects”.  Among the latest conferences held by the association is an open house meeting in Barcelona, held in March this year. The purpose of the live meeting was to gather people who were interested in the Forum activities.  Metaverse Standards Forum is open to both profit and non-profit organizations. You can apply for membership here: https://metaverse-standards.org/join/membership-application-form/  Immerse UK Immerse UK is a leading British platform that unites organizations working on immersive technologies. The association is a subsidiary of KTN (Innovative UK) and closely collaborates with the UK government. The association was founded in 2016 and now there are more than 4 000 members registered, including research organizations, enterprises, and industry innovators. The main purpose of Immerse UK is to encourage British XR and metaverse companies to work and make the immersive technology industry the most innovative and successful one in the country. If your office is located in the UK and you want to become…