Experts say virtual business meetings are the next big thing in workplace technology—but how cost effective is it?
As technology continues its rapid advance, tech companies will have to come up with newer, better ways to streamline day-to-day office processes.
The next big thing? Virtual reality business meetings.
One expert said that businesses could potentially be looking at it as a viable option for business meetings within the next two years.
“I think they may soon be extremely realistic and convincing,” Andrew Glennester, professor of visual neuroscience at Reading University, told Mail Online.
“You will all feel that you are in the same room as other people,” he added.
He said that the technology will be so advanced that even eye contact and hand shaking will be as realistic as if you were all in the same room.
“It is quite hard to think of an aspect of meeting in real life that will not be transferred to virtual reality,” he said, adding that there are is ongoing effort to make the haptics work well.
Companies like Altspace VR already have the technology in place being used by banks and government-owned businesses.
Their website boasts that their “newest VR call feature brings you even closer to being there in person.”
Some VR developers, however, still believe that conference calls will remain a popular choice. One hurdle they foresee is the cost of VR technology.
“I definitely can see VR becoming widely used for the purposes of collaborative working … but I doubt it will replace cheaper conferencing technology where visual content is not important,” said Jonathan Wagstaff, head of VR division at IT supply chain company, Context.
Would you be open to using VR to conduct business meetings? Tell us in the comments below.
