On the 19^th of February, our All Access Pass programme cohort attended a workshop all about immersive technologies, learning key insights and hearing from local immersive organisations that are working on some really interesting projects in the North East of England.

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What is Immersive Technology?

Immersive technology transforms digital experiences by bringing the real world and the virtual world together. This includes:

Augmented Reality  

Augmented Reality (AR) overlays digital information, such as images, videos, or sounds, into the real world, enhancing the user's perception of their environment through devices like smartphones or AR glasses. Some examples of this include things like Pokémon Go or Snapchat filters.

Mixed Reality  

_{Mixed Reality (MR) blends th}e physical and the digital world together, so that physical and digital elements can interact. For example, a digital ball could roll off a physical table and fall onto the floor.  

Virtual Reality

With virtual reality (VR), users are immersed in a fully digital environment that replaces the real world and allows interaction with the virtual world. Users may wear VR headsets, to experience 360-degree, interactive simulations.

Haptics

Haptics is a technology that simulates the sense of touch through tactile feedback. Users may wear gloves or fully body suits allowing users to feel vibrations, forces, and motions in response to interactions with virtual objects or interfaces.  

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Applications of Immersive Tech

Immersive technology is being used in so many different ways, and the use cases for this technology are endless. Some examples are:

• Tourism: Enhancing museum and historical site visits with immersive technology by providing additional information, interactive exhibits, and 3D reconstructions of artifacts and artworks.

• Training: Recreating virtual, life-like simulations, for those manufacturing, construction, and even things like firefighting, allows trainees to practice in a risk-free environment before facing real-world challenges.

• Retail: Providing customers with an augmented reality visualisation tool to showcase products in their own homes or on themselves before making a purchase enhances the online shopping experience.

• Remote Collaboration: Hosting meetings or creating detailed 3D models virtually to allow designers and stakeholders to visualise the finished product and make adjustments before development begins.

• Healthcare: Using immersive technologies to help patients with phobias or PTSD, or even remotely performing surgery with the help of immersive and 5G technologies.

Considerations for Immersive Tech Solutions

Ensure that you are keeping your intended audience in mind, when it comes to considering the type of immersive experience that you would like to implement. There may be specific additions to your solutions that you need to bear in mind.

Hardware Restrictions  

Virtual and Augmented Reality headsets, or haptic gloves may not fit every user correctly, as they will have been designed a certain way. Consider whether this may limit users with physical disabilities, users in religious dress, or even users with specific hairstyles.  

Accessibility Requirements

Some users may have accessibility requirements that may affect the way they can interact with immersive experiences. For example, people with glasses or users with visual or audio impairments may require subtitles, adjustable text sizes, sign language or text-to-speech options.

Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is not unusual when using a virtual reality headset. By reducing latency and offering adjustable field-of-view settings, the risk of motion sickness can be minimised.  

User Skill Levels  

Users may not have experienced immersive experiences before and may need extra support with getting set up with or learning how to fully understand and enjoy the experience. Ensure there are how to guides available and staff on hand to support.

Age Restrictions  

Immersive experiences, especially VR, may not be suitable for young children (many VR headset manufacturers recommend that users have to be 12+ years of age). If your users may be under recommended age, a light-touch immersive experience may be better suited.  

Personal Devices

Consider whether users require their own personal devices, such as smartphones, to fully enjoy immersive experiences. Can these devices be borrowed or loaned for visitors without access to this technology?

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Final Things to Remember

• There are lots of different types of immersive technology, which solution best suits your needs and your users’ level of ability?
• Think about accessibility and immersive technologies; will any users require extra support or be unable to join in with immersive experiences?
• Where your immersive experience take place? Will you be able to run it on Wi-Fi or will you need a 5G network connection?
• If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

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In Conclusion

Immersive technologies are changing the way we live our lives and is impacting most industries across the UK. Whether you consider implementing immersive technologies, and which type of immersive technologies you choose will depend on your specific use cases.

Thank you to our insightful presenters and panellists: Kerwyn Dyte, Immersive Lab Manager at Digital Catapult; Jon Meggitt and Alex Book from 1 UP Studios; Keith Daniels and Adam Finlay from NOVAK; and Andi Liddell from Animmersion.

If you would like to learn more about immersive technologies, or want to try some immersive experiences, come along to the 5G Immersive Lab in Eldon Square and speak to one of our Innovation Specialists.  

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