In the modern connected world, it isn’t unusual for colleagues who work closely together to be physically separated by hundreds, or even thousands, of miles. While there are a range of tools to help with communication, there is still value is having everyone looking at the same thing and expressing ideas, improvements or changes. By using augmented reality (AR), this is what cross-reality company Spatial is hoping to achieve for distributed workforces.
Spatial has spent two years operating in stealth, gathering funding and developing its products. Now the company is ready to reveal is platform that allows for colleagues to turn any room into a 3D workspace.
The platform that Spatial have created can run on a range of AR headsets, including the Microsoft HoloLens. It uses remote presence enabled by virtual avatars to let people feel like they are inhabiting the same space.
The platform also includes a voice-controlled 3D web browser, so users can look for exaples or search specific terms, and use the extended space to explore various proposals and ideas. Spatial is said to work best on AR or virtual reality (VR) devices, but is also available through web browsers and on smartphone devices.
Spatial has also announced that is has raised $8 million (USD) in seed funding from a number of investors, including iNovia Capital, Garrett Camp, Samsung Next, Joi Ito, Mark Pincus and Andy Hertsfeld.
“Spatial has built the most advanced augmented reality platform available today,” said Todd Simpson, Partner at iNovia Capital. “This is game-changing technology that will undoubtedly advance the future of work, and more broadly, the future of computing.”
“We are harnessing the power of augmented reality to create a combined digital and physical world that will change the way we work together,” said co-founder and CEO Anand Agarawala. “With Spatial, collaboration becomes an immersive 3D experience where you can express ideas visually by just saying them, organize thoughts in the room around you and never let spaceconfine your work.”
Further information on Spatial is available on the official website. As usual, VRFocus will continue to bring you the latest developments in AR.
via Mint VR