Imagine putting on glasses and seeing a virtual pile of boxes in front of you. Then imagine the glasses give you the precise measurements of the boxes, how much they weigh and even a detailed example of how you could pack the boxes on a pallet for ultimate efficiency.
“It recognizes the world around you and does things in context,” said Alan Smithson, CEO at MetaVRse, who imagines a near future in which we’ll use virtual reality glasses that give us both visual clues and context for our digital experience. “When you start to have contextual AR – not just the box but the volume and weight as well — it gets really interesting.”
In the first episode of CompTIA’s Emerging Technology Community’s EM Cast, available on Blueberry, CompTIA VP Jim Hamilton talks with Smithson about the magic of AR, VR and what’s now being called XR.
“XR is the new term for immersive technologies,” said Smithson, who thinks a lot about this stuff and is writing a book to help people with related terminology and imagining the technology of the future.
“Imagine doing a keynote but not having to travel,” he said. “Or going to a conference and seeing someone’s name and also their LinkedIn and connecting on the spot. There are crazy efficiencies out there.”
Solution providers and MSPs stand to benefit from XR, Smithson said, because big corporations are taking a wait-and-see approach.
“The integrators are the ones who can really start to use this,” he said. For this reason, Smithson is looking at use-cases and how emerging technologies can be used to improve efficiencies and help companies make more money. “What you want to do as an integrator is learn these use-cases.”
MSPs and solution providers would be smart to focus on what is going in emerging tech so when customers start thinking about it they can be ready with a solution.
“We’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible,” Smithson said. In his company, he’s keeping up on Internet of Things, blockchain and eye-tracking, which he predicts will be vital to XR. “We’re teaching the fundamentals and empowering people to learn how to do it themselves.”
Smithson would like everyone, particularly young people, to get engaged with XR. “These are exponential technologies,” he said. “We want to inspire future generations to start thinking of these technologies.”
Follow MetaVRse online at @MetaVRse or search #MetaVRse. Click here for more information on CompTIA’s Emerging Technology Community.
To meet people working in emerging technology and members of CompTIA communities, attend the CompTIA Community Forum 2019. The next event will be held March 11 to 13 in Chicago. Register here.
