Facebook’s remote workers of the future could work in AR-powered virtual offices

Facebook is experimenting with ways to bring mixed reality experiences to their remote workers. Image: courtesy of Facebook via AFP Relaxnews

Late last week, Facebook’s vice president of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology gave the world a sneak peek of what the company could have in store for their future remote-working employees: virtual office spaces and equipment available right at home.

With the COVID-19 outbreak pushing companies to permanently allow their employees to work remotely even after the coronavirus risk has subsided, Facebook is experimenting with ways to optimize at-home work and give their workers the best conditions for optimal productivity. On Thursday, the company’s VP of AR and VR technology Andrew Bosworth published a brief clip to Twitter showcasing an in-development virtual office as seen through prototype augmented reality headsets.

According to “Boz,” the tech shown in the eight-second video is a mixed reality concept that “builds on existing technologies like Passthrough to allow people to switch between real and virtual worlds.” Depicted in the clip is someone moving around and resizing virtual, floating desktop displays to work on various projects. Passthrough technology allows for these tools to be projected onto someone’s actual surroundings in real-time, as well as lets them use their real, physical tools like a keyboard.

https://twitter.com/boztank/status/1263573832889073664

While this preview was just a sneak peek of what could be, Facebook stated that “We envision a dynamic virtual work environment anchored by genuine social presence. Next-generation devices would give people infinite workspaces with configurable virtual screens, whiteboards and other visionary tools.” CL

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