Agenda

Description

When people think of emerging technology such as AI, XR, and more, consumer activities and gaming tend to dominate the conversation. But with ongoing business disruptions, including persistent labor shortages and widening skills gaps, business applications could emerge on top for these technological developments in 2023. In fact, according to Deloitte, the U.S. manufacturing industry alone is expected to have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030. There is a need for digital transformation.

From retailers to manufacturers, businesses are looking to the functionality of generative AI, XR and other enterprise technology to enhance operations, especially regarding training for high-risk, industrial jobs. High impact industries such as manufacturing and construction are just a couple of the real-world environments where employee mistakes can prove fatal.

While traditional classroom settings can bolster learning retention, most acquire 70% of the necessary skills from the type of experiential learning that XR training provides.

Additionally, in an age of social media and the internet, training manuals and long-form video or training sessions are no longer effective. The attention span of the average millennial is 8 seconds, and with millennials anticipated to make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, the need for an upgrade of existing training will never be higher. 

In the future, if new hires have access to intuitive and immersive training, not only will the process become more interactive, personalized and therefore more easily applied, but also workplace accidents could be reduced significantly – meaning more lives could be saved.

In this presentation, Jinhwan An, Senior Manager of New Business Development at LG Electronics and Entrepreneur in Residence at LG NOVA, LG Electronics’ North American Innovation Center, will discuss:

• An outlook of the future of training– including AI, XR, and remote learning
• How businesses can leverage smart technologies in workforce training, and the infrastructure needed to support the digital transformation
• Real-life companies and case studies who are developing this technology with large corporate partners

Speakers

Jinhwan An

Sr Mgr of Business Development , LG NOVA

Christoph Leuze

Founder & CEO , Nakamir

Ali Merchant

CEO , iQ3Connect

Description

Join us to explore the exciting possibilities of the convergence of VR and eye-tracking technologies and discover how they can be harnessed to understand human conditions and develop groundbreaking solutions. Driving or working while impaired by drugs puts lives at risk. With the legalization of cannabis in many states, the need for reliable impairment detection technology has never been more critical. In this presentation, you will learn how Gaize is pushing the boundaries of innovation by using cutting-edge VR and Tobii eye-tracking technologies to develop a non-invasive, automated, and rapid impairment detection device that is significantly more accurate than even the best-trained humans.

Speakers

Ken Fichtler

Founder & CEO , Gaize

Johan Bouvin

Senior Director of Sales and Business Development , Tobii

Description

While AR and VR technologies focus on bringing everything virtual, there are a number of people bringing it back into the real world. This panel will bring together a dynamic, diverse group of trailblazers that create new experiences incorporating robotics and XR technology. There will be a discussion of hardware and software that enables technology, common challenges and how you can think about linking the real world with the virtual world. If you have ever wanted to found a startup, create entertainment on or off stage or develop useful robots you should come to this talk to better understand what it entails.

Speakers

Giulio Corradi

Fellow , AMD

Russell Nickerson

Partnerships Engagement , MassRobotics

James Tukpah

PhD Candidate Research Assistant , Northeastern University

Colin Gallacher

President & Co-Founder , Haply Robotics

Description

Integrating XR into a learning strategy can be tricky. Knowing where and when to supplement existing and new training with XR is a new skill set for learning professionals. The most effective integration of XR into learning is with a blended approach that mixes traditional learning modalities with XR enhancements. In this session, we will explore what blending XR into learning looks like, how learning teams can jump from traditional to immersive learning modalities, and explore how different XR options fit into an overall learning strategy.

Speakers

Betty Dannewitz

Learning Solutions Architect , The Ken Blanchard Companies

Destery Hildenbrand

XR Solution Architect , Intellezy

Description

Analog simulation is broadly accepted in healthcare. Given the high costs of building and running a simulation center, facilities are generally in developed nations’ urban centers.

XR is fundamentally changing the dynamic: Learners are accessing expertise around the world in the mediverse. Traditional educational institutions are able to share their best practices in new and exciting ways.

The results? It should be more well trained healthcare institutions in more places around the world leading to better outcomes for patients globally.

Speakers

Jared Mermey

CEO , GigXR

Deborah Lee

Clinical Assistant Professor , University of Michigan

Description

Our current landscape is filled with promising, yet disjointed technologies, each showcasing their incredible potential. But when we merge AI + XR, we open doors to a future of learning never before imagined. This talk will delve into the exciting fusion of immersive, adaptive learning environments powered by AI-driven avatars. Envision a world where we finally have the tools for true personalized learning, continuous real-time assessment, tailored career development, and secure credential verification. The opportunities are limitless for those looking to build a groundbreaking future for learning. Be a part of this revolutionary journey.

Speakers

Monica Arés

Founder , Th3 Third Door

Description

Incorporating compassion and empathy in metaversive learning can be an effective strategy for increasing the retention of discipline-specific lessons in immersive XR learning environments. Morehouse College is exploring the use of emotive experiences to increase student engagement in their Metaversity. By integrating virtual reality simulations, storytelling, and perspective-taking exercises, students are able to connect with the learning material on a deeper, emotional level.

Virtual reality simulations allow students to experience real-world scenarios that demonstrate the importance of the lesson in a more tangible way. The storytelling aspect engages students' emotions and helps them to retain the material better. Perspective-taking exercises encourage students to think outside of their own perspective and see issues from multiple angles, fostering empathy and understanding. These emotive experiences have resulted in increased student engagement and a deeper understanding of the material, which can be applied in real-world settings.

Morehouse College's approach to incorporating emotive experiences in their Metaversity has the potential to improve student outcomes and better prepare them for future success. Take a walk around their digital twin campus, journey back in time on the La Amistad slave ship and World War II, and discover life of others from the lens of storytelling.

Speakers

Mikki Harris

Associate Professor , Morehouse College

Muhsinah Morris

Metaversity Director and Professor , Morehouse College

Description

The promise of VR as the answer to what ails education has been widely touted. Yes, it's immersive and engaging, but do students retain what they learn, and is it a viable scalable alternative?

Welcome to the great debate. Team VR will feature Steve Grubbs, CEO of Victory XR which has already created digital twins for 12 university campuses. Team No VR features John Katzman as an American Ed-tech pioneer s an American EdTech pioneer. He has established numerous companies which assist students with their studies and career choices, including Princeton Review, 2U, and Noodle Partners. But he is not a fan of VR for education. The audience will be persuaded and vote for one side or another in this important debate. Moderated by Robin Raskin, longtime journalist, educator and events creator.

Speakers

John Katzman

CEO , Noodle

Steve Grubbs

CEO , VictoryXR

Robin Raskin

Founder , Virtual Events Group

Description

The term “metaverse” has become the latest corporate buzzword, but how will virtual reality truly integrate into our professional lives?

To answer this question, think back to the late 90s: commercial internet access shrunk the world and established a new playing field for companies to facilitate team interaction, marketing, and product distribution.

Today, executives have a similar opportunity to transform their business’ operations and engage with customers in an immersive environment via the metaverse.

Opening up endless possibilities for communication, collaboration, morale and workplace culture, VR enables coworkers to catch up, watch a presentation, and brainstorm in an array of immersive settings without ever leaving home.

Join Andrew Hawken, CEO and Co-Founder of Mesmerise, and Leslie Marshall, Chief Marketing Officer at Mesmerise, as they discuss how companies can embrace VR for enhanced hybrid work environments. They'll also address the practicality of the medium and current tech limitations.

Speakers

Dan Donovan

Head of Customer Solutions , Mesmerise

Leslie Marshall

Chief Marketing Officer , Mesmerise

Description

Stellantis and have been creating new VR training programs to transform the effectiveness of their workers in concert with the UAW.

Virtual Reality training is perfectly suited to the complex Stellantis manufacturing environment. One of the main aims of their training is to reduce to zero the danger of personal accidents and expensive mistakes. VR allows for highly realistic simulation training, that is deeply engaging for learners.

The goals of the VR training program are:

• Improve training outcomes for workers
• Improve safety, quality and proficiency of workers
• Ultimately they want to use AR / VR to improve production outcomes
• drive proficiency, efficiency and quality
• create real time manufacturing aids

Umajin have created a powerful VR / AR Authoring platform, that significantly reduces the cost of content creation. It provides:

• 3D content pipeline to make it easy to bring in existing assets. With the NVIDIA Omniverse tools the 3D models can be imported from the live manufacturing data from the Siemens CAD systems.
• It allows for multi participant scenarios
• Accurate tracking of people, tools and props within the VR environment
• LMS integration
• After action review

Speakers

David Brebner

CEO , Umajin

Description

Andy Trainor, former Chief Learning Officer at Walmart, will cover the good, bad and ugly experiences and lessons learned as a leader introducing immersive learning into a fortune 1 company.

Topics covered will include:
• Creating and selling the initiative
• Breaking down the project into deliverables
• Mistakes that could have been avoided
• Success stories
• The bridge from a single successful project to established tools and methodologies in production

Speakers

Andy Trainor

CEO - North America , SkillsVR

Description

Drawing on a rich institutional history of teaching, scholarship, and innovation, students and faculty of Shenandoah University are recreating the drama of the Constitutional Convention in an experiential learning opportunity for inclusive audiences. The Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning (SCiL) collaborates with constitutional scholars and teachers to develop a multi-component, immersive experience in the debates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

This reconstruction in virtual reality focuses on the debate over how to elect the chief executive, or president. Employing 3D scanning and motion capture technologies, and in collaboration with the National Parks Services and the National Constitution Center, this work resulted with a high fidelity recreation of Independence Hall's assembly room and avatars of the founders. The experience itself immerses participants in the 1787 time and place to acquaint them with principles, procedures, drama, and learning moments of this occasion. This is delivered in five levels of increasingly interactive scenarios that take the participant from a basic understanding of the Constitution into a dynamic, real-time debate engaging the key goals and challenges facing the founders of the United States.

In this panel or presentation, the project principals aim to discuss the approaches used to create such an environment, debut a short demo of it on stage, and open a discussion with audience members about the utility of such a platform for education and pedagogy.

Speakers

Warren Hofstra

Professor of History , Shenandoah University

Mohammad Obeid

Associate Professor of AR/VR , Shenandoah University

JJ Ruscella

EVP & Chief Immersive Officer , AccessVR

Kevin Hardwick

Associate Professor of History , James Madison University

Description

The way we work is changing at a rapid pace, propelled by the fast adoption of digital technologies, and normalization of remote and hybrid working.
Organizations are already boarding the XR bandwagon, especially for hard skills – and there is growing need to integrate XR in other areas including soft skills, workplace learning and capacity building, as well as the overall employee experience and motivation- which are enhanced by the use of VR and AR.

This comes at a time when the younger generation is already using and becoming more comfortable with XR, thereby setting an expectation that organizations utilize these tools when they become part of the workforce.

This panel will discuss the changing workplace and the various dimensions of integrating XR within organizations giving food for thought to reimagine the future of work.

Speakers

Louise Edwards

Education Consultant & VR Developer , DredwardsVR Consulting

Thomas Kauer

Innovation Digital Product Manager , Major Wealth Management Firm

Nirav Desai

CEO , Moonbeam

Renu Ramakrishnan

Head of Learning Experiences & Client Services , Edstutia

Description

Hear how PwC is experimenting with the metaverse and implementing these new technologies into the workplace – to bring teams together, connect employees across the globe, and create a shared sense of culture across their entire organization.

Speakers

Mikayla Graham

Innovation leader for Acceleration Centers , PwC

Alex Howland

Co-Founder and CEO , Virbela

Description

Delta Air Lines is the U.S. global airline leader in safety, innovation, reliability, and customer experience. Powered by its employees around the world, Delta has, for a decade, led the airline industry in operational excellence while building on its reputation for award-winning customer service.

Creating a safe environment for its employees and customers is one of Delta's top priorities. As such, it is imperative that new employees go through rigorous training to do their job safely and effectively to achieve the high-quality service that Delta is known for.

This talk delves into the benefits and challenges of using a virtual reality first design approach for creating interactive training simulations. We explore the advantages of utilizing VR technology to enhance learning and development and how designing with full VR interactivity in mind leads to more effective training outcomes. We will then discuss the impact of adding moderator capabilities into an iPad companion app to enhance the experience for the person in virtual reality and test their skills at a higher level.

Find how Delta identified the intended means of distribution and deployment, as well as the process for determining if WebXR (desktop version of the VR simulation) is a viable solution. We will share the process of adapting the virtual reality simulations for use on desktop platforms to increase accessibility for a wider audience while still preserving immersion. The presentation will cover topics such as the process of designing simulations that are both immersive and effective and the technical considerations involved in adapting VR simulations for use on desktop platforms.

This session will leave attendees with the following takeaways:

• Deeper understanding of how to design and develop training simulations that take full advantage of the unique capabilities of VR technology

• Benefits of intentional design

• How to translate VR simulations to other platforms for maximum reach and impact

• Considerations for prototyping and production before you start your own project

• Technical considerations for designing simulations that can be used in both virtual reality and desktop environments

Speakers

Annie Eaton

CEO , Futurus

Kevin Marcum

Program Manager , Delta Air Lines