Executive summary
It has been almost two years since the COVID-19
pandemic first disrupted global economies, forcing
businesses to examine its impact. Immersive
media businesses, which use technologies such as
augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) that
create or imitate the physical world through digital
simulation, have been no exception.
The World Economic Forum Global Future Council
on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, which
is comprised of interdisciplinary thought leaders
in immersive technology and immersive media,
has assessed COVID-19’s impact on these
technologies. The results show that the pandemic
has sped the adoption of immersive technologies
by several years, with a transformative impact on
various industries. In addition, a recent McKinsey
& Company survey reveals that COVID-19 has
accelerated the digitization of customer interactions,
also by several years.
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For example, industries,
organizations and institutions once reluctant to
adopt certain technologies, such as museums,
were suddenly forced to reimagine experiences in
the digital world to survive the global shutdown.
This White Paper highlights some of the industries
and sectors that have accelerated the adoption of
immersive technologies. It outlines the enhanced
use of these technologies in education and medical
training, virtual events, and art and entertainment
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the area of education, these tools have allowed
personal connection through a digital medium,
filling tremendous gaps in teaching and school
attendance. In fact, in higher education, 85%
of first-year medical students at Case Western
Reserve University (USA) indicated that the use of
mixed reality to teach their anatomy classes made
their experience “equivalent to” or “better than” the
in-person class. Surgeons have adopted online VR/
AR technology to allow students and colleagues to
observe and assist in complex surgical scenarios.
Moreover, user participation at many immersive
technology educational events also increased in the
past two years.
Besides providing notable benefits in education,
immersive technologies are helping to build a sense
of interpersonal sharing, gathering and sociability
at a time when many feel isolated. Beyond the
surge of videoconferencing tools, extended reality
platforms have added a new, creative dimension
of virtualizing life beyond the mundane, benefiting
from a sense of shared presence that cannot
be achieved with video calls. VR helps deliver
togetherness, which is particularly powerful and
necessary in an age of physical isolation.
Immersive technologies are also permeating the
arts and entertainment. As a result of significant
disruptions to attendance at sporting events during
lockdowns, the sports industry had to determine
how to bring fans to the game virtually. One of
the emerging technologies used by the industry
is volumetric video. This technology takes fans to
the centre of sports action, providing views from
unprecedented angles.
Additionally, this White Paper considers the
importance of safety and privacy as these immersive
technologies progress. The Global Future Council is
committed to ensuring continued awareness of the
possible negative consequences of the technology,
while encouraging the development of these exciting
new tools that have proven extremely useful during
the global pandemic. The past two years have
helped to increase the early adoption of these
technologies and proved that they can support
keeping everyone better connected.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sped the
adoption of immersive technologies, notably
in education and training, virtual events, and
the arts and entertainment.
Immersive Media Technologies:
The Acceleration of Augmented and Virtual
Reality in the Wake of COVID-19
Immersive Media Technologies: The Acceleration of Augmented and Virtual Reality in the Wake of COVID-19 3
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