VR/AR/XR in communication uses virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies for human interaction, content presentation, and remote collaboration. With these technologies, it is possible to create immersive experiences that enable users to participate in meetings, presentations, or training sessions in realistic virtual environments or enhance the real experience with additional information and elements. VR/AR/XR in communication covers a wide range of industries, including business, education, medicine, and marketing.
VR/AR/XR in Communication
Type of technology
Description of the technology
Basic elements
- VR/AR platforms for meetings and collaboration: Tools that enable remote interaction in virtual environments, such as virtual conferences, meetings, and workshops.
- Motion tracking: Technologies that monitor users’ position and movements, enabling realistic reproduction of gestures and movements in VR/AR.
- VR/AR/XR collaboration software: Tools to support collaborative projects and remote work in virtual or augmented spaces.
- Interactive presentations: VR/AR/XR enables the creation of interactive presentations that enhance content with 3D visualisations and real-time data.
- Remote communication: Technologies that enable remote conversations and interactions in a realistic virtual environment with full visual and audio immersion.
Industry usage
- Business: Remote conferences, board meetings, and project collaboration in a VR/AR environment to increase participant engagement.
- Education: Remote classrooms and labs in VR/AR that enable students to participate interactively.
- Medicine: Remote medical consultation and surgical team collaboration using VR/AR.
- Marketing: Presentation of products and services in augmented reality to enable customers to explore goods interactively.
- Entertainment: Remote concerts, sports events, and virtual fan interactions with celebrities and athletes.
Importance for the economy
The use of VR/AR/XR in communications is revolutionising remote collaboration and content presentation in various sectors, such as business, education, marketing, and medicine. Immersive technology makes it possible to conduct more interactive and engaging meetings, training sessions, and presentations. Companies can reduce costs of business travel, while education and training become more accessible and effective. In marketing, with VR/AR, products and services can be presented in a way that engages customers, which makes promotional activities more effective.
Related technologies
Artificial Intelligence
AI supports analysis of data from user interactions, personalisation of content, and automation of communication processes in virtual environments.
Cloud Computing
VR/AR/XR communication platforms often use the cloud for data storage and processing and real-time synchronisation.
Big Data
Analysing interaction data in VR/AR/XR helps improve the quality of communication and optimise collaboration processes.
Internet of Things
Integration with IoT devices enables VR/AR environments to be enriched with real-world data from physical sensors and devices.
Automation
VR/AR/XR can support the automation of presentations and communications in business environments, e.g. by generating visualisations from real-time data.
Mechanism of action
- VR/AR/XR communication systems rely on devices such as VR goggles, cameras, and sensors that track the user’s movements and translate them into interactions in a virtual environment. VR/AR communication platforms make it possible to participate in meetings, presentations, or projects where participants can freely move through virtual spaces, present materials, or collaborate in real time. Integration with cloud and web technologies enables remote collaboration, while Artificial intelligence supports personalisation and analysis of interaction data.
Advantages
- Better remote interaction: VR/AR enables more natural and realistic communication at a distance, increasing the engagement of meeting participants.
- Effectiveness of training: Training courses and workshops conducted in VR/AR are more interactive and engaging, which improves learning efficiency.
- Reducing travel costs: Remote meetings in VR/AR eliminate the need for physical travel, saving time and resources.
- Enriching the presentation: Three-dimensional visualisations and real-time data enhance the presentations so that they are more attractive and the content is more comprehensible.
- Personalising the experience: Ability to customise the environment and communication content to suit individual user needs.
Disadvantages
- Cost of implementation: Implementation of VR/AR/XR communication systems can be costly, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Technological complexity: Implementation of advanced VR/AR/XR systems requires specialised knowledge and equipment.
- Physical fatigue: Prolonged use of VR/AR can lead to eye fatigue, dizziness, and other physical ailments.
- Privacy issues: Collecting data from user interactions in virtual environments can raise privacy concerns.
- Hardware limitations: The effectiveness of communication in VR/AR depends on the quality of equipment, including goggles, controllers, and network infrastructure.
Implementation of the technology
Required resources
- VR/AR devices: Goggles, cameras, sensors, and controllers that enable realistic interactions in virtual environments.
- Collaboration software: Tools and platforms, such as VR/AR meeting rooms, that support remote working and communication.
- Cloud servers and platforms: Infrastructure for storage and processing of simulation data and real-time synchronisation of communication.
- Team of specialists: Programmers, UX/UI designers, and 3D graphics specialists responsible for creating VR/AR content.
- Computing environment: Computing power to render virtual environments and handle complex real-time interactions.
Required competences
- Programming: Ability to create interactive VR/AR/XR environments and collaborative tools in virtual spaces using programming languages, such as C#, Python, and JavaScript.
- Computer graphics: Ability to design three-dimensional models and environments that support realistic communications and visualisations.
- Project management: Competence in the planning and execution of VR/AR/XR communication projects, particularly in the context of corporate and educational deployments.
- Performance optimisation: Ability to optimise VR/AR/XR applications to run smoothly and efficiently on various devices, minimising latency and resource consumption.
- Data analysis: Knowledge of techniques to analyse data from user interactions to improve communication and personalise VR/AR/XR experiences.
Environmental aspects
- Energy consumption: VR/AR/XR communication systems require significant computing power for real-time processing and rendering of 3D environments, which leads to increased energy consumption.
- Raw material consumption: The production of advanced VR goggles, controllers, and AR/XR support devices requires the use of raw materials, including rare earth metals.
- Emissions of pollutants: The production of VR/AR devices and the operation of data centres that support communications in virtual environments can lead to CO2 and other emissions.
- Recycling: In the case of VR/AR technology, hardware upgrades and frequent replacements generate electronic waste, which must be properly recycled to minimise environmental impact.
- Water consumption: Cooling data centres that support advanced VR/AR/XR systems can lead to significant water consumption, especially in large IT infrastructures.
Legal conditions
- Legislation governing the implementation of solutions, such as AI Act (example: regulations for data protection and security in VR/AR communication systems used in medicine and education).
- Safety standards: Regulations for the security of personal data and protection of users using VR/AR/XR technologies (example: ISO/IEC 27001 regarding information security management).
- Intellectual property: Protection of algorithms, 3D models, and visual content created for VR/AR/XR communications (example: copyright on VR/AR models and technologies).
- Data security: Regulations for the protection of users’ personal data during remote meetings and interactions in VR/AR environments (example: GDPR in the European Union).
- Export regulations: Restrictions on the export of advanced VR/AR devices and software used for communications to sanctioned countries (example: regulations for the export of VR/AR technologies to restricted countries).