Can AR and VR Solutions Build the Virtual Office/Workspace of the Future?

Due to COVID-19 and the need for social distancing, remote working is a temporary solution for many employees, while some companies like Facebook and Twitter plan to establish remote working as a permanent option. However, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work had been identified as a solution to overcome climate change and economic inequality challenges and help employees maintain a better work-life balance. Recently, Facebook demonstrated a potential virtual workspace/virtual office with the assistance of a Mixed Reality (MR) device, where the user leverages gesture control to interact and resize multiple virtual displays while aware of surrounding environment.

In order to respond to remote working needs, organizations rely on interactive digital tools such as video conferencing platforms (which have been significantly enriched over the past few years and are also seeing significant usage today) to remain connected and engaged with workforce and customers. This is in conjunction with traditional communication methods (phone calls, emails), of course. However, the larger scale and extended period of remote work will increase the need for novel working tools that boost engagement and productivity, meet the needs of more complex tasks, and of course resemble physical contact where possible. Both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) solutions can be a game changer in remote working and assist in overcoming these physical limits and distances. AR and VR solutions have already proven their value and capabilities in empowering remote employees, enhancing collaboration, and assisting remote employees to make faster and more accurate decisions in fast-paced environments. However, the introduction of AR/VR devices as a standard working tool has not been deeply examined or extensively applied at large scale. The question is, how feasible is that concept and why should businesses consider equipping employees with AR/VR devices?

Both AR and VR tools have been successfully applied in supporting remote workers with real-time guidance/work instructions, enhancing and accelerating distance learning and helping organizations reduce operational costs from traveling and machine downtime. By leveraging AR/VR solutions for digital tasks, employers can decrease spending for hardware equipment (such as monitors/whiteboards/keyboards) by utilizing virtual floating displays or data visualization techniques and, at the same time, provide flexibility to employees. In addition, thanks to the portability and easy set-up of AR/VR devices, Human Resources (HR) departments can deliver AR/VR Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) and remotely support new hires or training needs during COVID-19, when employees cannot travel to training centers or visit offices. Once there is an install base of devices available and supported, companies can view AR/VR as not only a supplement but also a replacement to existing hardware, spreading out hardware and implementation costs. Data visualization and the capability to leverage 3D models plays an important role in eliminating workflow disruption out of office, and allows employees to manage complex information without additional equipment or the limits of physical space. Moreover, customization capability is another important feature of AR/VR, where employees can design their own workplace that better meets their needs.

Furthermore, in the last couple of years more AR/VR providers have been developing or enriching existing teleconferencing solutions by introducing human holograms/avatars and allowing real-time collaboration (by sharing presentations/3D models) which simulate traditional face-to-face meetings. Moreover, AR/VR providers are gradually expanding the capabilities of remote collaboration applications, allowing multiple users to join and interact in real time, which is an essential feature for encouraging businesses and event/conference organizers to adopt AR/VR solutions.

There is no doubt that AR and VR solutions can empower remote workers; however, given the hardware maturity level of available AR/VR devices in combination with high prices and relative limited network capabilities to fully support AR/VR content and multiple users at the same time, AR/VR tools cannot effectively support scalable remote work and employees cannot rely on a virtual office for a long time period. At the current stage, AR/VR devices can efficiently support employees with certain tasks for relatively limited periods of time.

In order to allow long daily usage of the AR/VR devices, manufacturers need to develop more ergonomic and lightweight devices and, at the same time, address battery drain and heat release issues that limit continuous usage. Moreover, there is no doubt that user friendly and intuitive input methods and user interface will play an essential role in encouraging AR/VR devices to be used as standard working tools. For instance, employees should be able to easily and instantly switch between different virtual displays and apps, while virtual keyboards should allow swift and immediate interaction to maintain high productivity levels. Consequently, capable processors and advanced eye tracking and gesture control systems will become essential as demand for these devices grows. Also, since the majority of users are not familiar with using AR/VR HMDs, employee training and time to become familiar with the device will be essential too. For instance, it is anticipated that employees may not be able to use a virtual keyboard with the same speed and flexibility as a physical keyboard. Furthermore, multiple device management is an expected challenge for businesses that plan to adopt AR/VR devices in high scale and especially outside of a corporate network. Security and data privacy regulations should be adjusted to protect both user privacy and corporate data when employees rely on AR/VR HMDs to perform various work tasks. Finally, more affordable prices in combination with support for required applications—Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), office programs, etc.—are key for adopting HMDs as a standard working tool.

All in all, at the current stage businesses that have not yet invested in AR/VR HMDs can encourage employees to experiment with mobile AR applications or video conferencing platforms that support 3D human avatars (and do not necessarily need an HMD). The value of AR and VR in the field has been proven, and is even greater under current work requirements; the same can be true of other remote use cases in time. Greater device support, and streamlining that device support with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, will expand the total active user base, where AR and VR become a high value supplemental working tool for many.