XR has invaded our everyday lives, triggering a massive evolution in hardware.
Crédits photos : Snap
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 Everywhere” session, occurring on Wednesday, April 9, many experts of the immersive field will talk about the anticipated omnipresence of XR technologies in our daily life and how hardware suppliers are adapting to this change. Does XR really have limits? Can we integrate immersive experience anywhere? Is there a limit to the “all immersive” concept? Laval Virtual is answering these questions.
Can XR be everywhere?
Is it true that immersive technologies have invaded our daily lives? Without us noticing, more or less immersive digital systems are part of our life as consumers and travelers. This year, Laval Virtual conferences will give insights on VR/AR uses that stand out, from malls to tourist locations and space.
Technologies enhancing customer experience
What’s sure is that XR has deeply transformed the customer experience. In the retail area, these technologies have spread over the years, becoming a powerful marketing tool. For the companies, virtual reality and augmented reality allow to create exclusive sales experiences. Brands are using them to highlight promotions, present products, offer assistance or even create virtual showrooms with online try-on.
Today, the use of VR/AR goes far beyond this. Professionals are investing in immersive technologies to build customer loyalty and boost brand engagement. For example, Tommy Hilfilger invites you to take part in a fashion show in a digital environment. XR is not only used to sale, but to revitalize shopping centers and transform them into place for entertainment and social experience, to offset the dominance of e-commerce.
All customers have become targets of this new strategy, including travelers. XR technologies are all over the touristic and leisure locations, with new experiences. On the one side, there’s the accessibility argument: VR/AR allow everyone (elderly or disabled people) to access inaccessible or vulnerable sites. The biggest museums of the world created visits and virtual exhibitions, like the Château de Versailles the British Museum.
On the other side, tour operators use these immersive technologies to sell, by inviting tourists to visit a hotel or a destination in a virtual environment. Yes, VR/AR is everywhere, even in theaters (see project by Glitch Studio, winner of Laval Virtual Awards 2024) and space.
In the air and in space: immersion knows no bounds
Recently, the European Spatial Agency (ESA) has pushed the limits of virtual reality. In partnership with XRHealth and Nord-Space Aps, hardware supplier HTC sent a Vive Focus 3 in space. The Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen tested this new project inside the International Spatial Station (ISS).
The experience invites the astronaut to work on his physical and mental health, to cope with microgravity, whose effects on muscle loss have been proven by NASA. This immersive experience is a first-of-its-kind project, that adds to the range of applications designed for entertainment in transport, particularly air travel.
For example, Unity, famous supplier of a real-time 3D development platform, offers services to create immersive experiences for travelers, to give them information and distraction while on board.
Meta recently collaborated with Lufthansa, a German aircraft company, to offer the first in-flight XR experience. This experience is for members of the Business class and is a tool to entertain and boost the engagement of travelers towards the brand. This breakthrough in the aviation industry opens new perspectives in the use of XR and shows that software and hardware suppliers are ready.
XR in our daily lives: hardware on the rise
Faced with the expected massive spread of immersive technologies in our everyday lives, hardware suppliers have to innovate. Meta’s project called Orion and the release of the Apple Vision Pro have shaken things up.
Even if it’s a prototype, Meta’s AR glasses represent a big step in the field and show the prospective vision of the American giant. It is now clear that augmented reality is attracting the most massive companies.
For now, most of the smart glasses in the market are for developers and professionals. This is the case of the Xreal Air 2 Ultra, third version of a range of connected glasses with 6DoF tracking and a resolution of 1080 pixels per eye.
However, we are beginning to see more everyday applications, with Snap’s Spectacles model in particular. Even if their appearance is impressive, these glasses can do simple things: play games, go on the internet and buy stuff. This model has no reason to be ashamed of its competitors, with advanced technical and navigation featuresof the Apple Vision Pro.
The release of this latest headset caused quite a stir in the immersive market. The industry is already imagining a massive arrival of immersive technologies, via augmented reality, among the general public. Will XR really be everywhere in the future? Discover some of the answers from experts on Wednesday, April 9 during Laval Virtual 2025.
