As businesses try to figure out what comes next and how we can establish some level of normalcy at work while maintaining productivity, many are asking the question: Is this virtual reality’s time to shine?

Well, we in the tech industry say “YES.”

Speaking of which, the current, rapidly-changing landscape we have all found ourselves in lends itself to tele-commuting in volumes we’ve never seen before. With most businesses agreeing that “the show must go on” in some form or fashion in order to avoid mass layoffs or even a complete and total shuttering, even though individuals are unable to physically be at the workplace, companies (ours included!) are turning to the likes of Zoom and Teams for some face time collaboration with their teams. But what happens when face-to-face on a 2D screen isn’t enough to keep the ball rolling?

That’s where we believe that VR can come out swinging. When you need to be as hands-on as possible, while still maintaining your distance, virtual reality allows users to gather in a virtual space to learn together, practice skills together, and explore otherwise impossible scenarios together. 

For example, doctors at George Washington University Hospital are harnessing this powerful tech to examine the inside of the lungs of a patient diagnosed with COVID-19. 

Dr. Keith Mortman, chief of thoracic surgery, said that “There is such a stark contrast between the virus-infected abnormal lung and the more healthy, adjacent lung tissue… And it’s such a contrast that you do not need an MD after your name to understand these images. This is something the general public can take a look at and really start to comprehend how severe the amount of damage this is causing the lung tissue.” Outside of healthcare/research, some have already begun incorporating VR into continuing-education seminars and conferences in order to enhance audience engagement with 3D visualizations.

Meanwhile, in the education realm, students of all ages have been sent home to undertake e-learning in lieu of traditional classroom instruction. While this is, and will continue to be, an important option for many students, what about those whose education requires a level of immersion that cannot be gained by watching instructional videos or listening to lectures alone?

Enter Virtual Reality.

“Hands-on” practice is one area where we have seen VR truly shine. Regardless of social distancing requirements, VR-equipped students are able to continue practicing their skills with virtual tools without skipping a beat. And this goes for on-the-job training classes, too! Why let this time pass with trainees sitting at home, when they could be learning the skills required for their job instead? Why come to a complete halt if you don’t have to? When we find ourselves on the other side of these crazy times, employees who can hit the ground running will be essential to picking up as close to where we left off as possible

Here at V3, we have created training programs that allow our customers to keep wheels turning while their competition sits at home. VR headsets can be deployed to trainees, and instructors are not forced to pause their curriculum while the rest of the world is at a standstill. Realistic scenarios, custom environments, and product-specific training procedures give our customers the upper hand. While most companies are poised in the blocks, waiting for the gun to fire to signal when we can resume our lives, our customers are already sprinting down the track!

See our previous blog posts about virtual training here and here.

Lastly, for businesses whose livelihood relies on getting their products into the hands of customers, virtual reality also allows for close-up demonstrations while still maintaining current standards of social distancing. From small items to large and otherwise unwieldy products, demoing in a virtual space creates as close to an in-person experience as possible, and also creates opportunities to market to more potential customers than ever before when distance is no longer a blocker.

See some of our work in digital marketing here.

And the best part about being able to deploy a fleet of VR headsets is that it’s finally EASY! With hardware options like the Oculus Quest being super portable, gone are the days of PC setup, rearranging furniture, and stringing cables to properly setup lighthouses. Such compact portability means that headsets can be packed up into cases barely bigger than a loaf of bread (after being sanitized, of course), and shipped to whoever needs it. The end user can simply pick it up, turn it on, and GO!

Do you have questions about how Virtual Reality can support your business during this time? Or general questions about what else this powerful technology can do? Let us know! Want to SEE what we can do, in living color? We’d love to show you this powerful tool in action. Let us put our claims to the test for you with a demo today!

We genuinely want to hear from you and are happy to share what we know. Your questions might even be a catalyst for our next post! In the meantime, we hope that all of you are staying safe, sane, and healthy.