VR/AR Are Not Future Tech — They're Already Reshaping The World

I’m a VR/AR guy — it’s in my title, it’s my passion and it’s what I spend every day focused on. So when I recently wrote about whether VR and AR are worth your time as a business leader, maybe you weren’t surprised I landed on the “pro” side of the coin.

- Gary Radburn

But when it comes to emerging technologies like VR/AR, I know that seeing is believing, and there’s no substitute for solid, real-life examples. So, let’s look at a few industries where VR/AR technology is being implemented and how it’s helping to push boundaries.

In Infrastructure planning

As cities across the country are looking for ways to improve traffic, transport, urban development, policing, mental health and a number of other localized concerns, VR/AR is becoming important research and visualization tools. For example, decision-makers can interact with full-scale, immersive cityscapes in VR, making it easier to plan special land use and make permitting decisions.

VR/AR technology has become more widely accessible and affordable in recent months, but of course, that doesn’t mean outfitting all of one’s employees is an easy lift. That’s why, in cities with strong innovation scenes, startups and other companies with limited budgets are sharing resources to research and innovate with VR/AR on a shoestring budget. In conjunction with Dell, one tech incubator in North Carolina, American Underground, is giving local startups access to VR/AR “labs” with numerous high-performance machines and headsets to promote innovation and collaboration in fields like architecture, real estate, automotive, retail, manufacturing, and education. They’re also training people in their communities to use these technologies in the hopes of inspiring the next wave of VR/AR-related companies and knowledgeable users.

In Training