What does the future hold for immersive technologies?
Crédits photos : Prisma / Laval Virtual
Laval Virtual conferences are for those who wish to better understand immersive technologies. Five half-days are planned, covering a wide range of VR/AR topics. In the “XR Devices and Technologies” session, which occurs on Wednesday, April 9, many experts from the immersive field will talk about the latest trends of XR hardware. With AI, mixed reality and sustainability questions, the XR community must adapt the devices to meet new challenges. Laval Virtual gives a market update on these innovations.
Market trends: artificial intelligence, avatars, mixed reality
Laval Virtual conferences are interesting to give a hardware market update, especially on the latest releases and outstanding technical features. This session also strives to highlight the major trends, for example the massive arrival of artificial intelligence and the development of mixed reality.
Ever more realistic immersive experiences
It goes without saying that artificial intelligence became part of every aspect of our daily life, both personally and professionally. VR/AR technologies didn’t escape this landslide. AI brings ever more realism to XR experiences. Generative AI in particular promises advanced personalization. It’s also the era of hyper-realistic avatars, able to have an interaction with a human being, to be your virtual assistant or even to become an influencer.
In other words, realism is the trend. As a consequence, immersive headsets suppliers conceive more realistic devices, with high-quality screens with 4K resolution on business models, up to 3660 x 3142 pixels per eye on the new Apple Vision Pro. Tracking technologies are also making progress and offer natural interaction and smooth navigation. Spatial audio has become the norm, reproducing our perception of sound as in the real world. Haptic technology continues its slow development, allowing users more sensations in virtual environments. All our senses are awake, even if the virtual world tends to lose some of its splendor.
100% virtual is dead, long live mixed reality
Today’s trend is not 100% virtual, where users are completely disconnected from their environment by virtual reality headsets. Today, we are looking to merge the real and the virtual, which explains the enthusiasm for mixed reality which integrates virtual elements in the real world. That’s why professionals talk more and more about XR (Extended Reality), a concept that embraces thi new approach.
Spatial computing, powered by companies such as Apple, is a concrete illustration of this evolution of terms and uses. Even if some habits adopted during the pandemic persist, like remote online collaboration, it still implies interactions which keep a link between the users who are not trapped in a virtual environment. All those progress in terms of quality can bring an increase of usages of the technologies. Eventually, it raises questions of health and sustainability.
Sustainability, health, environment: challenges of XR stakeholders
With its conferences, Laval Virtual aims not only to promote the use of immersive technologies but also to raise awareness and better understand their impact. Industry professionals are constantly wondering about the consequences for user health and the environment.
The big question of VR/AR’s impact on health
Immersive technologies, as innovative as they are, can be dangerous for our physical and mental health. Professionals of the immersive field already know the recurring problems, such as motion sickness. Many studies have also shown the occurrence of eye disorders linked to prolonged exposure. Those consequences are even more significant in children. About this last topic, the XR community agrees that the use of technology should be limited for this population.
The sudden arrival of virtual worlds a few years ago has also raised questions about the physiological impact on the users: social isolation, anxiety of the real world, perception disorders. All these health topics must not be ignored by VR headsets manufacturers and online platforms suppliers. Their goal is to reduce those troubles to make XR experiences more pleasant and to minimize the negative effects on the users. It’s also important for them to think about having a minimal impact on the environment.
Can virtual reality be sustainable?
In a study ordered by the French Ministry of Culture and Economy about the metaverse, researchers already asked the question of environmental responsibility. The French government is taking this issue very seriously, and has recently supported the CEPIR project: Study Case For a Responsible Immersion. The report evaluates the environmental impacts of XR, from the manufacturing to the usage. It is true that an XR experience implies materials and data management.
The question of recycling and obsolescence is also raised. The CEPIR document explains XR’s carbon footprint and gives good practices for the professionals of the immersive field. This project raises awareness and advises companies on how to improve: reparability index, eco-design choices, reconditioning, equipment sharing, etc. Solutions exist and collective intelligence is the key for a more sustainable and responsible XR. Events like the Laval Virtual conferences are a great way to get the international community involved in these essential issues.
What is the future of immersive technologies?
Virtual and augmented reality has always been the subject of scientific research and evolution predictions. Today, many members of the XR community think that technology will be part of our everyday life in the years to come. Given this massive future adoption, immersive companies must face many challenges: protection of personal data, accessibility, prolonged exposure, environment impact. All these topics will be discussed at the “XR Devices and Technologies” session on Wednesday, April 9 as part of the Laval Virtual exhibition.
