VR/AR

Metaverses are commonly described as immersive, persistent, interactive digital environments, and often ones that can support social and commercial activities. Several metaverse-like platforms exist today, but the full vision has yet to be achieved.

As part of its Future of Work Academy, the university is working with Coursera to enhance courses with interactive 360-degree video, virtual media production, mobile phone augmented reality and VR simulations.

The university is one of 10 that have partnered with VictoryXR to use virtual and augmented reality to create a “digital twin campus” and make online classes more immersive. The pilot program starts this fall.

Community colleges and technical training programs across the state are using AR/VR tools from the workforce training company TRANSFR for virtual workforce training and to teach residents about career opportunities.

Crisis intervention training in Bucks County, Pa., now utilizes virtual reality to give police officers a more realistic view into interactions that involve individuals with mental health challenges.

A defense lawyer in Florida has filed a motion asking a judge to have jurors use virtual reality goggles that would give them a simulated look at an alleged crime from the perspective of the defendant.

Specialty docket clients in some Ohio courts will begin using the Anchored To Hope platform, which includes machine intelligence and VR meditation to combat addiction through 24/7 access to resources.

The Erie, Colo., Police Department will soon be using one of the new technologies intended for officers to train and learn from mistakes via exclusive virtual reality training software, according to Erie officials.

As the likes of space travel and facial recognition made headlines in 2021, state and local governments looked at how — and if — emerging technologies can be put to use for public-sector business.

CEO Patrick Cozzi, whose Philadelphia-based software company Cesium is positioning itself as a major player in the construction of the “metaverse,” explains what the metaverse is and how it will work.

The product release comes as more departments seek out augmented and virtual reality technology to sharpen the skills of first responders. That has led to more money flowing into this growing area of gov tech.

The school based in Eau Claire, Wisc. is the first in the state to train firefighters on the FLAIM system, a virtual-reality program that monitors how much water a user expends, as well as heat and oxygen levels.

While more people take aim at Facebook for allegedly not doing enough to stop disinformation and hate, the company has officially rebranded as Meta. The Facebook app will keep its original name, however.

Next year, officers from four Pennsylvania police departments will be entering virtual reality to help deal with possible, real-life scenarios where they have to de-escalate a situation to make sure everyone is safe.

The virtual reality company Vinci VR gave vocational students a simulation of what it’s like to work on an offshore wind turbine, as the state’s clean-energy projects anticipate needing hundreds or thousands of workers.

A new $20 million, 40,000 square-foot facility in Naperville, Ill. has large touchscreens, simulated rooms, ultrasound devices and other high-tech equipment for medical and engineering students.

The Goshen, Ind., Police Department will soon have its own virtual training simulator after being authorized to purchase an Apex Officer training simulator, making it the first department in the state to do so.

Nonprofit research group RTI International and the White Cross Fire Department have teamed up to pilot augmented reality technology for firetruck pump panel training. The goal is to create a blueprint for the industry.