Virtual Reality (VR) started as a very niche product in the gaming world, but its benefits has now made other businesses adopt the technology. Using the VR technology businesses can perform realistic true to life situations and simulations in a risk-free environment while being cost effective. Even if this technology still has some development and advancement to make it mainstream, here are 3 important business applications and implementation for VR that are use right now:
- Retail: Retail offers some of the most explicitly commercial applications of VR. In some shops, VR heat mapping technology such as that from Yulio VR tracks a shoppers gaze in store, providing detailed patterns of which sections of products attracts the customers attention. This enables retailers test and refine their products display, signage and store layout to maximize customers experience and spending. VR also enables shoppers to explore products in a life like way. In 2016 Ikea launched its Virtual Reality Kitchen Experience in Australia to help customers discover kitchen features and imagine how they would feel in their own home. According to a 2017 survey by L.E.K. Consulting, around 70 per cent of early tech adopters were eager to use AR and VR technology for shopping purposes. VR stores are never crowded, have highly attentive assistants, and facilitate a highly personalised shopping experience.
- Training: Training is one of the most important applications of VR. In 2017, Walmart partnered with Virtual Reality creator Strivr, to prepare employees for its Black Friday sales. Immersing employees in a lifelike environment of long queues and crowds is the perfect way to prepare them for events which are not an everyday occurrence. It also removes the need to disturb normal business operations for training purposes. In a more individual example of VR training, Oculus VirtualSpeech helps users practice their public speaking skills in a simulated environment. Speakers can upload their presentation slides to the virtual room, experience distractions, and receive real time feedback on their delivery. In the medical sector, VR enables healthcare professionals to practice in a risk free environment that would be impossible in the real world. Oculus worked with the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) to train staff for high risk paediatric trauma cases.
- Manufacture : VR has an important role in the manufacturing industry due to its unique applications in the design and prototyping process. Manufacturers such as aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus use the technology to eliminate the need for expensive, full scale prototypes of their designs. Since 2007, Airbus has used VR technology RAMSIS(Realistic Anthropological Mathematical System) to simulate the interior design of cabins. With a particular focus on ergonomics, RAMSIS enables Airbus to maximise the space inside aircraft cabins and improve customer comfort, whilst at the same time monitoring factors such as ease of component maintenance and installation. In the small space of aircrafts, small changes can have large impacts. The immersive experience of VR helps manufacturers to take a comprehensive view on alterations, including important safety features such as the reachability of oxygen masks and life jackets.
Credits: foundry4.com, Qad.com
Interesting! We all know how VR can be used in retail, but with the same success, it can be applied in training and manufacturing. Fun fact about Walmart and Black Friday preparations :))