By Application
The Real Future of Work—Do People Actually Want to Work in XR?
The “best” use cases for XR in enterprise today are arguably remote support, training, and design; but I’m more interested in the concept of a virtual office. Employees today may put on XR devices for specific tasks like troubleshooting equipment with a remote expert or reviewing a design with distant colleagues. But what about working a nine-to-five in XR? I’m surely not the only white-collar worker who is sick of her WFH setup, struggling to stay productive, and desiring a better way to manage the 50 open tabs on my laptop screen. Are people actually interested in working in virtual workspaces? Does anyone want to work a full work day in a headset? Should they? Is the ultimate remote work setup possible with just a pair of smart glasses? While people continue to tout the benefits of remote work (increased flexibility, reduced travel, etc.), the downsides are also becoming apparent, including an unhealthy work-life balance, declining social skills, feelings of isolation and loneliness, and a palpable disconnect from coworkers and the organization as a whole. And while some employers call for staff to return to office full-time, there’s no going back, especially for digital natives entering the workforce. Flexible work […]
7 min read
Scaling Reality: How XR Pilot Projects Evolve into Full Deployments
The enterprise XR space has come pretty far in the last 5-10 years. In more and more cases, pilot programs turn into wider-scale rollouts rather than end in purgatory. Check out three examples of XR pilots that made it to the rollout phase: AMAZON In 2024, Amazon incorporated virtual reality and hazard simulation into driver training as part of a $1.5 billion investment in safety. Pilots of VR-enhanced Delivery Service Partner (DSP) training took place in Rochester, New York and other select Amazon delivery stations with dual goals of 1) making driver training more interactive and realistic and 2) getting new drivers quickly and safely on the road. The three-day training experience began in the classroom, where every week nearly 140 prospective drivers learned delivery basics, getting to preview the on-the-job experience, in VR. In addition to VR, a “trip, slip, and fall” simulator allowed trainees to practice driving on slippery and elevated surfaces. Now in 2025, Amazon continues to use VR and simulation technology for delivery driver training. Instead of three days, the training takes place over the course of two days, with drivers “going through the basics” on day one in VR. This includes situational simulations in which, for […]
6 min read
3 New & Recent XR Use Cases in Enterprise
THOUSANDS UNDERGO VR TRAINING AT EMIRATES 23,000 Emirates employees are set to undergo SEP (Safety & Emergency Procedures) training on Airbus and Boeing planes in VR. With 315 aircraft on order and a projected 30,000 cabin crew hires by 2030, Emirates is turning to self-guided VR training to prime itself for growth. The airline’s MIRA program features simulations of the Airbus A380, Boeing 777, and Airbus A350. Each aircraft is fully modeled in VR, including interiors as well as emergency slides, tarmac, airbridges, and more. The beauty of the solution is that it’s affordable, repeatable, and supports multi-user training. Eight to ten trainees can participate in a single virtual training session in order to replicate a real working environment with multiple crew members. New and existing cabin crew employees will begin with two critical onboard safety procedures: Aircraft door operations and mid-flight fire fighting–both high-risk scenarios requiring recurring annual training. The ultimate goal, of course, is having an end-to-end virtual training experience without having to rely on or maintain complex physical training facilities and equipment. Flexibility is key: MIRA is accessible via VR headset or as a 2D version on mobile devices and laptops. Accounting for time/location constraints, mentors can […]
4 min read
Looking Back at the Most Notable XR Use Cases of 2024
2024 Enterprise Use Case Trends: –Greater interest in XR from healthcare and the public sector –Training still the top XR application in enterprise (increasingly in combo with AI) —Digital twins are expanding to more and more industries –More reporting of quantifiable ROI –Sustainability as a frequently cited driving factor and benefit of XR –Up-and-coming use cases: PR and employee wellness Retail, Healthcare, and Government Let’s start with Apple Vision Pro. Vision Pro arrived in February of this year, and numerous brands created apps for the spatial computer. These included popular retailers like Wayfair (Decorify interior design app), J. Crew (Virtual Closet), Lowe’s (Style Studio), and Best Buy (Envision to plan your home technology setup). Though Apple’s headset failed to meet industrial enterprise needs, healthcare and medical professionals proved to be big fans. In breakthrough experiments, Apple Vision Pro assisted in spinal and heart surgeries at London’s Cromwell Hospital and Stanford Health Care in the Bay Area (March) as well as in dozens of surgeries at India’s GEM Hospital in Chennai (May). In all cases, Vision Pro provided consolidated, hands-free access to real-time information about the patient and procedure. Meanwhile, Sharp Healthcare in San Diego established a Spatial Computing Center of […]
6 min read
Stores Provide Shopping Baskets. Why Not AR Glasses?
Back in 2019, I wrote an article posing the question, “When is the time to talk about consumer-facing AR apps in enterprise?” With Apple now reportedly working on smart glasses, the reveal of the highly affordable Meta Quest 3S, and promisingly sleek augmented reality glasses like Meta’s Orion on the horizon, I think the time is now to explore consumer-facing XR applications beyond in-app AR and VR-optional experiments in Roblox. Mark Zuckerberg thinks AR glasses will replace our smartphones by 2030. Whether you agree or disagree with that prediction – I’m personally jaded by recurring declarations that “no, this is the year of XR” – companies should prepare for the inevitable day in the future when consumers own personal XR devices, likely AR glasses. But, wait, there are plenty of consumer-facing AR applications today! Yes, there are many examples of consumer AR, including branded Snap AR filters and useful in-app features for visualizing products and making purchasing decisions. I’m interested in untapped applications for AR glasses in particular, and in the immediate future the opportunity to provide pairs of smart glasses to consumers for temporary use during interactions with the brand or business. AR glasses could reinvent the shopping experience, […]
3 min read
5 More Real-life Examples of Digital Twins in Enterprise
Petrobras ASSET VISUALIZATION In December 2023, it was announced that Halliburton would be developing a digital twin system for Petrobras’ giant pre-salt field offshore Brazil in order to help “reduce expenditure, accelerate production, and improve crude oil recovery rate.” The digital twin will represent the production system, including the reservoir, wells and subsea network of the site, integrating asset sensors and other information and models like 4D seismic data and smart well completion technology to improve reservoir and equipment performance and ultimately increase oil recovery. TotalEnergies AUTOMATION Rockwell Automation was working with TotalEnergies to leverage digital twins as part of a robot fleet management system, or Robotic Supervision System (RSS), for the oil company to drive autonomous operations for offshore platforms. More specifically, digital twins would be used as an interface to operate robots remotely. TotalEnergies has long been interested in robotics in order to reduce employee exposure to the difficult and hazardous working conditions involved in offshore operations. As a bonus, cutting-edge tech like digital twins and robotics help attract young talent. SEACOMP VIRTUAL TOURS Pre-COVID, electronics product manufacturer SEACOMP had an open-door policy for establishing trust with clients, allowing any customer to visit its Dong Guan factory and […]
3 min read
8 XR Applications for Marketing & Sales: 30+ Use Cases Over the Years
I recently reviewed many enterprise use cases of AR/VR/MR (XR) for marketing and sales from between approximately 2017 and today, parsing out eight specific applications of extended reality technologies for marketing and sales including exemplary use cases: Augmented reality product packaging Back in 2017,Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) debuted mobile AR labels to help its 19 Crimes brand stand out in the wine aisle. TWE used Vuforia Engine to create Living Wine Labels, an app that brings the rebellious men and women featured on 19 Crimes bottles to life. In 2019, Coca-Cola rolled out AR-enhanced product packaging, bringing Coke bottles and cans to life through its mobile app. In 2021 and 2022, Jones Soda experimented with AR labels, using AR to turn photos on its labels into videos from partnerships with record labels and influencers. An AR label for its top-selling drinks featured cultural icon Zoltar the fortune teller. In 2023, Greek yogurt brand Chobani created AR-enabled Halloween packaging. Consumers could scan a QR code to launch a mobile AR trick or treat experience. Virtual try-on technology In 2019, Adidas added AR virtual try-on to its iOS app, letting customers try on the brand’s most iconic models and new Alphaedge 4D […]
6 min read
Immersive PR: XR Takes on Public Relations
While using XR for training, remote support, and design has become standard practice in many organizations across industries, one lesser-known application could blossom as consumer awareness of extended reality grows: PR (Public Relations). For several years now, companies have garnered attention for using XR, from incorporating VR into employee training to a host of experiments in the metaverse. Being an early adopter of any emerging technology is in itself a PR move, but organizations have also turned to AR/VR as a PR tool. XR can be a powerful publicity tool for generating transparency and buzz, converting consumers, and building brand loyalty. Here are 5 ways to use XR for PR: Highlighting sustainability Brands have used XR to share how they ethically source materials, how they’re lowering their carbon footprint, how products get from the factory to store shelves, etc. At the 2018 World Gas Conference, for instance, Chevron launched a mobile AR experience to shed light on Barrow Island, a Class A Nature Reserve where the oil giant had recently opened a plant. Specifically, the aim was to show stakeholders how Chevron prioritizes environmental protection at the site. Similarly in 2022, ExxonMobil employed AR to visualize reduced carbon emissions. Reputation […]
3 min read
Up-and-coming Enterprise XR Use Cases
Some lesser-known XR applications are beginning to make headlines. Discover three up-and-coming use cases for extended reality or spatial computing in business and industry: Research / Data Collection In 2019, Bayer used voice and smart glasses from Iristick to enable hands-free crop science data collection. In 2021, Network Rail successfully tested WorkfloPlus on RealWear for hands-free data collection and reporting. Workers operated the headset using voice, and could take pictures, record video, make calls, and track their location–all hands-free. Moving away from pure data collection, H&R Block (with Lieberman Research Worldwide) used VR to rethink both physical office space and the client experience way back in 2015. Instead of physical mock-ups, the firm put Oculus Rift headsets on participants’ heads to test potential (virtual) office layouts and changes to the tax experience. Another great example comes from Kellogg’s: In 2019, the brand worked with Accenture and Qualcomm to pilot VR and Tobii eye tracking for retail merchandising. The team used software from InContext Solutions and data analytics from Cognitive3D to look through shoppers’ eyes as they perused and selected items in a virtual grocery store, turning their behavior into quantitative data. In this way, the brand determined where to place […]
4 min read
Virtual Talent Hunt: Real-world Examples of XR for Recruitment
As the labor market grows more and more competitive and workplaces become increasingly mobile and decentralized, HR departments across industries have been looking to extended reality to transform recruitment. The goal is to make the recruitment process more efficient, engaging, and effective in finding, vetting, and hiring the right people with the right skills. Some of the earliest companies to experiment with XR in recruitment include Hyatt and Jaguar Land Rover. Way back in 2014-2016, Hershey, General Mills, ecommerce platform Jet, and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia all used augmented or virtual reality to show potential hires what it’s like to work for them and showcase their company culture. Around 2016, German railway company Deutsche Bahn used VR to recruit for “less obvious jobs” available at the company, including track welders, traffic controllers, and civil engineers. Similarly in 2018, Hyatt used VR to introduce young at-risk candidates to entry-level roles at its hotels. In one of the more interesting, even ingenious, use cases from 2017, Jaguar Land Rover teamed up with virtual band Gorillaz to discover new engineering and software talent. Essentially, they created a mixed reality challenge within the Gorillaz app to gain exposure among the group’s fans–a new, […]
3 min read
Modern Job Recruitment with AR/VR: Less Boring, More Effective
As the labor market grows more and more competitive and workplaces become increasingly mobile and decentralized, HR departments are looking to emerging technologies to shake up the recruitment process. HR TODAY Today, HR professionals are tasked with finding new talent to fill essential roles as senior staff retire and applicant pools dwindle in many industries. Moreover, they must provide engaging and effective onboarding and training as well as continuous opportunities for learning and development if they hope to retain employees. Conventional recruitment methods just aren’t cutting it. Traditional application forms, job fairs, and interviews not only fail to get candidates’ attention but are proving less and less effective for identifying the right individuals with the right skills. Drawn-out hiring processes involving multiple rounds of interviews and other assessments are unattractive, time-consuming, and costly, with Glassdoor estimating employers spent an average of $4,000 per hire in 2019. It’s no wonder the buzz around VR in the HR world has outlasted the pandemic. VR FOR RECRUITMENT Over the last several years, a number of organizations have experimented with VR for recruitment, including MGM Resorts and even the U.S. Navy. Not only are VR headsets more capable and affordable than ever, they’re also […]
4 min read
Notable XR Use Cases of 2023 and Predictions for 2024
In 2023, organizations continued to explore, deploy, and even expand use of augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR or XR). Popular applications included remote support and training, of course, as well as digital twins, marketing, and virtual offices. Check out some of the more noteworthy use cases from the past year: Automotive Industry Auto companies remained on the cutting edge of XR adoption in 2023. In January, Honda showed off its VR Design Studios in L.A. where the brand uses XR to fast-track development of new vehicles. The following month, Toyota launched an AR view-in-your-space experience to support the 2023 Crown; and Kia Germany opened its first flagship dealership in the metaverse. Speaking of the metaverse, Fiat added ChatGPT to the Fiat Metaverse Store, a virtual car showroom where visitors interact with a genAI-powered Fiat Genius. In March, BMW started a global rollout of Nvidia’s Omniverse platform. The luxury car brand, for one, uses digital twins for factory planning. In the case of a factory set to open in 2025, that includes optimizing layouts, robotics, and logistics systems before production starts. BMW also uses Hololight Space on HoloLens 2 at its Munich headquarters to speed up processes like the testing […]
4 min read
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