The industrial metaverse is inbound, the European Commission says. With grand forecasts, enterprise and consumer end-users are interested in XR technologies, and various firms are reacting to this demand.
However, while audiences want a metaverse future, they do not understand it, says Gartner Director Analyst Tuong Huy Nguyen.
There is room for XR leaders to provide insight and mentorship to help end-user understand the emerging XR and its place in the world.
Moreover, as enterprise XR champions continue to leverage XR successfully via thoughtful pilots across various industries, decision-makers, and the world, are taking note of immersive technology ROI possibilities.
As Apple works towards the Vision Pro and Meta preparing this Connect event in September, XR’s presence looks to grow in enterprise and beyond.
Europe to Regulate the Industrial Metaverse
This week, the European Commission (EC) launched a regulation initiative to stimulate competition within the XR space, notably enterprise-grade metaverse services.
The EC aims to promote an open and interoperable metaverse future whereby various companies, big or small, can create a shared foundation for immersive web services.
European Commission members are leading an initiative that aims to promote competition and prevent big technology firms from dominating the space.
The EC also wants to ensure that the metaverse is open and interoperable so that companies of all sizes can participate.
As part of its more comprehensive Digital Decade policy programme, the EC is building its regulatory metaverse guidelines to promote digital skills, business, infrastructures, and public services.
EC is debuting a range of “precision” applications to help public services workers leverage XR benefits, including Destination Earth (DestinE) which will create a digital twin of Earth, Local Digital Twins which support smart city developments, European Digital Twin of the Ocean to support scientific research, CitiVerse a metaverse urban environment for city planning/management, and European Virtual Human Twin a healthcare tool for supporting clinical decisions and personal treatment.
The EC looks to shape an understanding of the metaverse with its global standards, ensuring competition, growth, and understanding for all industry players.
NHS Nurse Speaks on First-Hand VR Experience
A recent XR success story is coming from the NHS. Its Co-Lab innovation division successfully completed a small-scale pilot that deployed VR headsets to patients to reduce stress and improve worker efficiency.
Dawn Forbes, a Children & Young People Oncology Nurse Specialist, used the immersive pre-procedure service to calm patients, including young children.
The Specialist noted that the outcomes were “simply amazing to observe.” Forbes also explained that the VR solution “ended up being an extremely positive experience for the patient, her parents, and for the staff.”
The Specialist noted in an interview:
I had a patient who had just been told she has a potential malignancy, and we needed to insert a cannula for blood sampling and for her MRI. As you can imagine, It was an upsetting time for the child and parents. Add to this, the child was also ‘needle phobic’. But, the VR device was used, and the doctor was able to quickly place a cannula without causing any pain or distress.
The pilot’s success at Kidderminster has led NHS decision-makers to recognize the potential benefits of XR for its nationwide workforce.
As a result of the pilot’s success, the NHS has approved four more VR headsets for permanent use at its Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust site. The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Charity also funds the VR hardware scaling initiative.
To successfully deploy immersive devices at scale, end-users must have a clear plan of action demonstrating XR’s benefits and value to decision-makers. The Kidderminster pilot is an example of how this can be done, and it has led to increased funding and support for XR within the NHS.
Vuzix AR Smart Glasses ‘Transformational’ for Surgeries
More healthcare success, this time from Vuzix.
Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive, Vuzix, spoke to XR Today this week about his company’s recent medical use case report that showed how smart glasses can enhance productivity for healthcare professionals.
Regarding highlights from the company’s latest medical report, Travers explained that it aimed to determine “where the market was” and how XR adoptors perceived using smart glasses in operating theatres.
He added that it also aimed to expand awareness of XR medical equipment, conduct market research, and better address the use of emerging technologies.
Travers explained how Vuzix’s hardware solutions can help a healthcare professional with remote guidance services.
Travers added:
With our glasses on, he can stream HIPAA-compliant content to 500 students simultaneously. Doctors can talk him through the operation and explain everything that he’s doing, and it’s literally the catbird seat that you’re seeing [everything] through the doctor’s eyes. Additionally, we work with companies like Ohana One and Doctors without Borders, where doctors at smaller local hospitals in Africa need to perform operations they aren’t familiar with. With our smart glasses, they can get an expert from New York City, San Francisco, or [Baltimore-based] Johns Hopkins to join the theatre experience. The doctor or expert can literally walk them through the operation, step-by-step.
Additionally, Professor Shafi Ahmed, Chief Executive of Medical Realities, spoke to XR Today to continue discussing Vuzix’s ability to enhance healthcare workflows.
Ahmed noted that Vuzix has “answered a lot of questions concerning the limitations of smart glass technologies” with its immersive hardware solution. “I think this bears on how its users can access it much quicker and faster, or for example, set up the device in environments; the whole kind of platform that we’ve designed should be as intuitive as possible,” Ahmend also added.
HoloLens in Nuclear Power Plants
Recently, another enterprise XR champion Laura Smith, Canada’s BIM Lead at SNC-Lavalin, spoke with XR Today to showcase how her team leverages XR devices, including the HoloLens, in workplace areas such as construction and nuclear sites.
Smith’s team uses XR to conduct on-site constructibility reviews, allowing them to identify and resolve potential problems before they become costly delays. They also use XR to visualize AEC environments before making critical decisions, which helps them to make better-informed choices.
In addition to the improved decision-making, Smith’s team has reduced their carbon footprint by using XR. This is because XR allows them to work remotely, which reduces the need for travel.
Smith believes that the AEC industry is still in the early stages of adopting XR, but she is optimistic about the future. She points to companies like Boeing and Google, which use XR to create innovative workplace solutions.
Smith believes that as more companies adopt XR, the costs will come down and become more accessible to a broader range of users – leading to a high potential for XR to transform the AEC industry and make it more sustainable and cost-effective.
