Globally, there is a vast market for immersive technology outside of defence. This market has boomed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created opportunity to use immersive technology in all sectors; from doctors practising surgery and using augmented reality for remote care, to workplaces introducing ‘collaborative space.
Since the introduction of immersive technology into the defence industry, there has often been a sole focus on training and mission rehearsal, but at QinetiQ we are looking at using immersive technology in a more innovative way:
QinetiQ is made up of immersive engineers, human behaviour scientists and ex-military, creating an organisation that understands the technology, how it can provide benefit and how the end-user will respond. It enables us to bring concepts to reality very quickly, drawing on real-world experience.
On the spectrum of reality - with the physical world at one end and digital reality at the other - immersive technology consists of Augmented, Mixed and Virtual reality (collectively known as Extended Reality, or XR)
At the far end of the spectrum, digital reality consists of a perfectly immersive experience, where all five of the senses are manipulated. This technology doesn't currently exist, but has been coined the 'Metaverse'.
