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RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Potential of immersive technologies

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) The new technologies can be used, for example, to
have become an integral part of the multimedia simplify work processes and reduce costs (e.g., for
landscape in recent years. The underlying maintenance). The topics of training and further edu-
technologies have reached a high level of cation are also positively influenced by the new tech-
maturity and the spread of the necessary end nology. It is therefore worth taking a closer look at the
devices is being pushed further by technical topic of AR/VR.
progress.
Despite the ever-increasing spread of the technologies,
there is still a great deal of uncertainty regarding their
The upward trend in technology over the last few years specific use in companies. There are many reasons for
remains unabated, as AR and VR have long ceased to this, such as the complexity of the technologies, the
be designed exclusively for professional use. The de- large number of technology providers and the possible
vices and corresponding applications have long since areas of application.
spread to the consumer sector, especially the games
and entertainment industry. In general, it is worth first considering the goals and

purposes associated with the use of VR/AR, since dif-
In the professional environment, more and more areas ferent philosophies are already emerging in the most
of application have recently emerged, and the applica- diverse areas as to what should be achieved with the
tion hurdles in terms of costs, integration and ac- use of the respective technology.
ceptance are steadily falling; hence, application scenar-
ios in various economic sectors are becoming more In general, three areas of application can be distin-
and more attractive. guished – collaboration, assistance and learning –
which follow fundamentally different philosophies and
VR and AR are now being used in various sectors and depend on the respective scenarios – so, there is no
industries, be it in vehicle construction, in the imple- right technology or right approach.
mentation of construction projects or in the operating
room of hospitals. Nevertheless, there is still great un- For example, let's look at learning solutions since
certainty as to whether an investment in these technol- nowadays people need to learn something new more
ogies is worthwhile – and what the advantages are.

August 2022: Immersive Technologies in Marketing 9