Utilizing Virtual Technology During the Coronavirus Pandemic

In just a few short months the Coronavirus, aka COVID-19, has gone from an isolated outbreak in China to a global pandemic. While personal and family health has remained a top priority, we are also modifying the way we do business, travel, and educate our children.

If necessity is the mother of invention, adaptation is the father of survival. Learning to leverage virtual reality in our lives is a natural transition. Our modern-day activities that once required an in-person presence can now be accomplished virtually. 

Virtual Reality (VR) has come a long way with capabilities that stretch far beyond gaming. VR can help make the workday feel more professional, education more engaging, and bring all the sites of your favorite vacation spot to your home as you keep yourself and your family safe.

BUSINESS

Video calls and conferences are being widely used to keep us connected in a wide range of business situations, but in many cases, they are proving to be insufficient. There’s no substitute for being in the same room as your team members or coworkers. That being said,  VR technology is gaining traction in keeping the lines of communication open in both B2B and B2C activities.

Utilizing VR in business allows you to gather together with your colleagues without possible exposure to the virus and without the need for travel. Products from Oculus (https://business.oculus.com/) have upped the quality of VR experiences and made virtual meetings and training sessions a reality. It’s now possible for participants to feel as though they’re interacting in the same virtual space. This 3D environment facilitates remote communication and collaboration in unprecedented ways. 

Business training is one of the most important VR applications because you can place your employees in realistic settings. 

If you are taking a more individualized approach, Oculus VirtualSpeech gives your employees the opportunity to hone in on their public speaking skills. You can upload slides for presentations and receive real-time feedback on delivery. You can even receive an eye-contact rating.

TOURISM

VR tours are proving to be useful ways too, including allowing anyone in quarantine to tour America’s national parks or visit the Smithsonian National Museum of National History without leaving home, VR also allows you to travel anywhere in the world without leaving the safety of your living room. 

Google has been on the cutting edge of VR travel technology with Google Earth VR which lets you explore the world via headset by strolling around or soaring above the most famous places on earth. Most recently, this tech giant has released The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks which allows you to take 360-degree tours of some of the most remote and beautiful places in the United States.

EDUCATION

The coronavirus has led to the temporary closure of schools worldwide. According to en.unesco.org, these closures have affected over 87% of the world’s student population. In a matter of weeks, students across the globe found themselves in temporary home-schooling situations.

New educational approaches could result in innovations to narrow the gap caused by the digital divide, and there are companies who have already been focusing on providing new educational options via the VR learning environment. Teachers around the globe are finding new ways to use VR technology to connect with students, bridging the gap created by social distancing. 

Tools like the Expeditions app, originally intended to bring virtual reality and augmented reality into the classroom, could prove just as effective at bringing the classroom into students’ homes. 

Apple has created tools, such as headsets, to combine virtual reality with augmented reality. It is currently developing the ability to record AR and VR experiences to be watched again later or transmitted to others. While it’s already possible to record live gameplay, this application would enable you to capture both real-world and computer-generated elements.

WHAT’S NEXT

These are unprecedented times and we have to continue looking for ways to interact and stimulate our well being. Through virtual reality, social interaction seems possible and can reduce our levels of anxiety and isolation, along with improving our quality of life.