This parallel universe, accessible through augmented or virtual reality (AR or VR) glasses, is science fiction for the vast majority of humanity.
But the metaverse already exists on a daily basis for some, beyond gamers and tech enthusiasts. Like Jeff, the founder of a translation startup, who works 25-35 hours a week with an Oculus headset from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio.
To do this, he uses “Immersed”, a virtual reality application that allows him to display various screens (computers, phones, etc.) in the environment of his choice.
“We’re better focused,” he explains, alluding to the ever-present distractions in the home. “And in terms of ergonomics, it’s perfect. The screens are at the right height and I can easily extend them if necessary », he stressed.
He presses his keyboard without seeing it and speaks, apparently, into the void. But in his virtual world, she interacts with the avatar characters of his colleagues (some live in Ireland and Argentina) and even sometimes with strangers, in “public” mode.
The pandemic boosted telecommuting technologies, which allow the removal of geographical barriers and work in remote teams. Accenture, for example, purchased 60,000 VR headsets for remote training.
For startups operating in this niche, the Holy Grail is to replicate the ease of interaction that exists in a real office.
– “Remanence” –
On the Teamflow platform, this translates into a virtual desktop on the screen, shaped like a game board, where employees move the “pawn” that represents them.
In this way, they can “close” to a colleague, and if this person has connected their microphone, they can be heard immediately, without having to make a phone call or write a message.
But there is no VR, because “headsets are not ready at the moment,” said Florent Crivello, the founder of this software.
He assures that it “builds the metaverse of work”, applying the principle of “remanence”. “It’s an essential feature of the metaverse. It means that the world has an existence that is separate from your presence in the world,” he explained.
For example, Teamflow users who “write” on a “whiteboard” in a room find it there, identical, when they return the next day.
About 1,000 people use this app daily.
Immersed, for its part, claims to have tens of thousands of followers, following a rocky period in late 2019 when the company nearly disappeared.
“We had hit rock bottom. I told my seven employees, through tears, that they had to look for work elsewhere, “says Renji Bijoy, its founder. “Everyone decided to stay and code for free,” he evokes excitedly.
– Deficiency –
But health restrictions have revived investor interest in this form of telecommuting.
And the virtual reality application took off, like others, thanks to the boost given by Meta (Facebook’s successor), the social media giant that also owns the Oculus headset and recently decided to focus on the world of the metaverse.
“We’re trying to build a world where anyone can put on a pair of glasses and feel like they’re teleporting into their virtual office,” sums up Renji Bijoy.
Missing? Technical improvements, of course, but above all “photorealistic” avatars that represent us as we are thanks to the use of cameras and sensors, instead of the current cartoon images.
“We’re not that far away,” says the boss. “He’s not going to take five years, it’s going to be much faster,” he anticipates.
Meanwhile, some pioneers of virtual reality work prefer to remain anonymous, lest this way of life be misunderstood.
Like this graphic designer from New York, who worked six hours a day wearing his Quest 2 (Oculus) headset, fitted with better quality straps to make it more comfortable.
During the pandemic, “my productivity doubled,” he says. She got to the point of forgetting to take breaks from him.
“Routine tests showed I was vitamin D deficient, certainly exacerbated by my time in VR,” he said.
Today he hesitates to resume the modality: “I don’t think it’s healthy to replace reality with virtual reality,” he says firmly.
