Technology everywhere you look. VR is being adopted in practice mainly by the courageous

AAVIT – The Association for Applied Research in IT brings together strong technology players from various fields, from global companies to start-ups. The aim is to highlight the importance of applied technology. Practice shows that many applied research activities end up at the level of technical publications, but research that should have real relevance must demonstrate a direct commercial effect. AAVIT therefore encourages its members, among other things, to have direct interaction that can ultimately meet the expectations of both parties. An example of this is the collaboration between Virtual Lab, a technology start-up that develops virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) solutions, and Kiwi.com, a multinational technology company.

Virtual reality is also making inroads into HR, with major international companies confirming significant improvements in soft skills and overall organisational performance thanks to its involvement. In the Czech Republic, however, companies are still treading cautiously around VR, and it is probably not surprising that one of the first bold companies to open the door to the use of VR in the field of communication is Kiwi.com, whose success is based on technological visionaryism. 

As Leoš Kubíček, founder of Virtual Lab, explains, “Virtual reality offers exactly what companies are looking for – it makes it faster and easier to change habits. We talk about ‘immersive learning’, participants literally immerse themselves in a real situation and learn by experience. The training thus has a higher learning effect, is built for actual practical need, is immediately applicable in practice and, importantly, people enjoy it.” 

Jiří Svoboda from Kiwi.com agrees. “Soft skills are just as important for career success as knowledge in other fields, but not everyone finds communication courses easy to understand and the knowledge they provide applicable in practice. We were intrigued by Virtual Lab’s offer and VR presentation skills training is now being tested by our international team of in-house trainers.” 

With another app, Virtual Lab has also hit the mark for Kiwi.com. Platforms are starting to dominate the market, people need to connect from different places in the world and LMVR (Let’s meet VR) – a 3D remote collaboration platform that easily connects colleagues, clients and professionals in a 3D virtual space – is responding to just that. All you need is your own account on the web interface and a charged headset. In the app, you choose the design of the virtual space, upload your avatar character, invite other participants to connect in the same way, and the meeting or presentation in the 3D space can begin. LMVR finds its greatest use in creative workshops and when presenting 3D models of new products. 

Collaboration is beneficial for both parties – Kiwi.com is currently testing a connection between Prague, Brno and Bratislava, where it wants to deploy LMVR as an environment for creative workshops, and Virtual Lab will get additional input from the practice.  Both companies are members of AAVIT and are proving in practice that digital technologies create a better society and make people’s lives easier.