It’s hard to think of a more fitting location for our innovation expo than the Science Museum in London. Standing amidst over 100-years of technological history, I found myself thinking about AV’s evolution and how far we’ve come, even in the last ten-years!
AV has very quickly turned from cumbersome and clunky to seamless and ubiquitous. It is now a fundamental element of modern life and has completely transformed how we interact with the spaces around us.
But innovation in AV never stops, and our event was not only a celebration of all the successes of the past, but also a look at what’s to come with the unveiling of our newest offering – Extended Reality (XR) Studios.
From silver screen to corporate dream
Specifically designed to solve issues facing the film and TV industry — think unrealistic CGI using green screens — XR innovations like LED walls have been used successfully in recent years for large scale cinematic projects, such as The Mandalorian, but the proliferation of the technology outside of this industry has been lacking.
The launch of the Kinly XR studio recontextualises this technology, making XR more accessible and affordable than ever, while simultaneously addressing some of the corporate and education sectors’ biggest problems — immersing users in an interactive virtual world, for more dynamic and inclusive experiences.
A greener, more engaging solution
One major issue impacting both sectors is an epidemic of stagnant PowerPoint presentations and dreary webinar style events, boring employees and students alike and making them feel disconnected from their professors or colleagues.
When looking at the corporate environment, there are a few different avenues to tackle this problem. For instance, you can force everyone back to the office — an often-unpopular choice that isn’t always feasible for global companies with remote employees.
Alternatively, you could fly your execs around the globe for an in-person interaction but doing this consistently has a serious impact on sustainability goals. Using XR technology offers another solution… teleport your presenters in!
One feature of the studios that we’re really excited about is human teleportation, where live footage of someone in front of a green screen is directly transposed into the XR studio, making both presenters appear as if they’re in the same room together. This makes for a significantly more engaging presentation than if the presenter were merely calling in, and also substantially reduces emissions by removing the need for travel.
The same technology can be used to solve similar problems that the education sector is suffering from, as students grow tired of uninspiring remote learning.
Remote learning has become an institution since the pandemic and with more international students studying abroad, the solution to a disengaged student populous isn’t as simple as reintroducing in-person lectures.
On top of teleporting professors in, XR studios can also implement augmented reality (AR) for more engaging learning. Users can create AR objects – whether that’s a detailed model of a project, a bar graph, or text – and interact with them within the virtual space as if they were tangible. As a result, students will gain a deeper understanding of theoretical concepts or practical applications by exploring these concepts through 3D visualisations and real-time interaction.
Out with the old…
All of this to say, the XR studio allows presenters to connect with their audience from wherever they are in the world, creating a high-end broadcast experience with minimal effort.
Employees and students want to be engaged, and they’re growing tired of the same old, same old, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
During our event, it was so gratifying to see the penny drop for the attendees as they realised the vast potential that XR technology offers. Given the success of this event, I’m sure this won’t be our last – so keep your eyes peeled for the next one!
