The buzz phrase can refer to many things: hybrid setups, the increasing globalization of teams, or simply the much-maligned WFH. What it comes down to for employers and employees, however, is a simple question: How does one maintain, or even exceed, excellence in the newly digitized sphere?
Answer: Very carefully. Forbes reports that 98% of those working remotely want to continue doing so at least some of the time. But 53% say such setups make them feel disconnected. A study by Microsoft reflects related problems: During the pandemic, information among remote colleagues stayed more siloed, collaboration decreased, and complex communication became more challenging.
As a result, new projects, onboarding new employees, the ineffable yet undeniable import of casual run-ins, and keeping connected to larger company culture can suffer. What to do?
Enter: The new 3D virtual office. Known by some as spatial computing or the metaverse, tech companies are increasingly offering bespoke workplaces to businesses that solve these problems. Driving this shift is HTC, whose VIVERSE for Business platform is helping to define the industry.
HTC has a history of creating cutting edge products. It introduced the world’s first Android phone in 2008 and, two years later, the first 4G version. Its first VR headset was introduced in 2016. (Upon the introduction of Apple’s Vision Pro earlier this year, one headline noted: “A…Rival has Been in the VR Game Longer and Gone a Lot Further.”) So it’s no surprise that it’s leading the way.
What toolsets, exactly, does VIVERSE for Business bring to the table to address distributed worker challenges? John Dabill, Senior Director of VIVERSE Operations, begins by explaining what the platform is. “It’s a three dimensional office that has spaces designed for different purposes, including meeting rooms, auditoriums, show rooms and many others.” Businesses curate their configuration using preset designs or create more individualized versions. The platform also includes virtual “office supplies”: Speech-to-text sticky notes, shareable whiteboards, emoji-enabled “communication” between speakers and audiences, and avatars in an array of styles are among the offerings.
Dabill says technical capabilities of the platform are essential, but VIVERSE for Business’ greatest power may be in addressing the underlying issues faced by remote teams. “It’s a permanent space, or as we would say a ‘persistent’ space. So unlike video calls, which tend to be very transactional and when you’re done that’s finished,” he says, the platform’s users have the ability to catch up on a more social and human basis. (Again, research shows this is crucial: Glassdoor’s 2022 survey showed nearly a third of remote workers had a hard time building relationships. And loneliness in general can detract not only from effectiveness but job satisfaction. Also of note: a paper published in the Computers in Human Behavior journal stated, “immersive VR technology may play an important role in fostering social connectivity and users’ well-being in scenarios where other options (e.g., face-to-face contact) are not available.”) Adding to the effectiveness is the fact that the platform’s avatars can look very realistic, and even have eye and face tracking capabilities. “You can see much more of the body language,” Dabill says, which makes connecting more powerful in VIVERSE for Business than other video-based talking head encounters.
Then there are tasks that VIVERSE for Business performs better than a real-world office. Chief among these is 3D high-fidelity rendering of physical objects. This is done via Polygon Streaming technology. (The “polygon” refers to the 2D polygon shapes that comprise 3D models.) By only making the part of an object visible that a viewer is currently looking at, it significantly reduces the processor bandwidth needed and, accordingly, latency (the amount of time it takes for a data packet to travel between a server and the end user’s device). This is in contrast to traditional pixel streaming, which renders the entire object at all times, utilizing exorbitant amounts of bandwidth, which can be sluggish (or not run at all) on low-powered hardware. VIVERSE for Business also allows whole groups to view an object on a variety of platforms including smartphones, tablets, and web browsers; in the past, detailed objects have typically only been viewable by one person at a time and via powerful PCs with dedicated graphics cards. Cityscape Digital Head of Commercial Operations Theodore Harding, whose company worked on the design of VIVERSE for Business and is a reseller, explains: “You’re able to make [the model] smaller, investigate it, or walk around it together…So whether it’s an architecture or design or automotive model, this is a really powerful tool.”
The platform’s advantages go on. Its AI-powered live translation feature is available in eight languages, including English, French, German, and Mandarin, and provides near real-time subtitles in a language of one’s choice. Costs are cut by the platform because it’s cheaper to meet virtually than to, say, jump on a plane – and a business’s carbon footprint is lessened at the same time. (The average domestic trip comes to about $1,000 and business class international flights sometimes reach $10,000. EPA statistics show that 29% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were due to transportation in 2022, a portion of which are of course due to business travel.) Also cost-effective is the prototyping process that can be done in VIVERSE for Business. Bell, which creates helicopters, designed its FCX-001 model in 6 months instead of the usual 5 to 7 years with VIVE VR headsets, saving millions. Similarly, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino designed a 450-foot high guitar-shaped tower using VIVE Pro. The fact that fewer design iterations were needed saved the company hundreds of thousands. These projects took place before VIVERSE for Business even launched, along with its new features like Polygon Streaming that make 3D design even easier and more efficient. Then there’s the security and privacy ensured by VIVERSE for Business. It has a history of trustworthiness backed up by independent validation through ISO and other international standards, putting clients at ease when sharing proprietary information.
Assuaging the fears of businesses who’ve invested millions in office space only to see it used sparsely since the pandemic, Dabill says VIVERSE for Business is not a replacement for offices, but a complement to them. He’s also heartened to see it transcend commerce and be used by educators and nonprofits. The latter includes ESG Gaming, a UK startup focused on improving mental health among those over 50. ESG Gaming received this year’s Best Product award at Bett, the largest EdTech event in the world, for The Dome, a multi-room oasis powered by VIVERSE for Business.
Dabill sees the platform being used the same way as other top of the line productivity tools. “People often ask me, do I see us being in a VR headset all day [on the platform]?” he says. “Definitely not.” But, he continues, many times it will be the right tool for a task. “When you think about it, we’ve got two eyes to give us stereoscopic vision and depth perception. And ever since humanity’s invented screens it’s been a compromise: You’re looking at 3D things but on a 2D screen. With spatial collaboration environments like VIVERSE for Business, we’re able to see things and interact with them as you would in the real world.” In other words, compromise is over. And getting real work done across large distances is more accessible – and exciting – than ever.
