Training in de Metaverse

One of the most promising uses of the Metaverse, at least in the short term, is the ability to engage in immersive training. Provrex from Drenthe has specialized for years in visualizing training courses with a game engine, and the first steps towards an integrated environment are now being taken. Rocking Reality talked about this with Jos Harms.

“We started six years ago to see how you can train visually in a different way,” says Jos Harms, owner of Provrex. “Because seeing is an important factor in effective learning.” Initially, Provrex started offering solutions based on 360-degree cameras. They were used in, for example, housing and machine building. That was then combined with gamification and VR to create complete education platforms to train people in various skills. This is already happening, for example, in healthcare and enforcement by BOAs.

The Metaverse is also slowly entering the picture in the training market. Harms: “They are still all separate environments, mainly because the current hardware cannot handle it otherwise. But we are now working on a platform to which schools are connected, on which they can make their own choices and have seamless access to different environments, from plane to street to healthcare institution.”

Game engine

The sub-environments that we are now developing Provrex into a game engine must come together in one consistent environment, where people can train in single player or multiplayer. “It is an exciting market in which developments are going fast. Six years ago we still had to explain a lot about such training courses. But now that we have built up a broad portfolio of training courses, more and more organizations are seeing the value of training in VR.”

According to him, schools are currently the frontrunners. “They see the value of training in this way. They have been used to simulated training for more than twenty years. We have also set up VR training courses for the business community, but they often find it very exciting at first. Immersive learning has not yet become established in the construction industry, but if we show them what is already possible, they will be impressed.”

Hardware

Technology is increasingly able to facilitate this development. The recent launch of the Meta Quest Pro, for example, is another step in the right direction. ‘For example, we now have a VR classroom where we can put people together from different locations, but the graphic quality is still limited. With the new generation of headsets, and the associated Metaverse environment that you can build fantastic quality for such solutions. Also for augmented reality.”

He is excited about the rapidly growing possibilities of such hardware. “I think we won’t have a mobile phone in five years. That may sound strange, but the mobile phone itself has also moved quickly. Look at what Google has replaced. In fact, those have already been the first streams of information in the Metaverse. And what we’re going to add now is the virtual component, for example in meetings with each other. We already do that online, but in 2D. That becomes much more realistic in the Metaverse.”

To connect

He therefore describes the Metaverse as a hybrid, dynamic digital environment in which people can meet. “It’s a digital connection environment, technical, social, emotional, for e-commerce, for training, for playing. They are different connected domains where you can do things that you are physically doing right now. The energy transition also plays a role in this. For example, you no longer have to travel, but you can meet people in real life.”

Technically, there are still some hurdles to overcome, but developments are moving fast. “We still have a few iterations to go through, but more and more is already possible, look at the developments in drones, robotics and AI. We are moving towards a digital transformation of which we cannot yet foresee how far it will go for society.”

Skills

“We have the knowledge to shape the Metaverse with our platforms. An additional advantage for us is that we have no problem finding good people in this region, because there are not many technology companies here. And the people who come from school here want to work for us to shape the future with innovative technology.”

He concludes: “The biggest pitfall is that some companies are not yet that far and do not know what is possible. Then they won’t keep up with us anymore. So we have to keep explaining that well, and be able to indicate where they should start. Because more and more people want to do something with this technology, because they’ve heard something about the Metaverse, but they have no idea how to do it. There is a task for us.”