New Future-Focused Remote Software Platform Avoids ‘Zoom Fatigue’ by Using Augmented & Virtual Reality

California-based Company Launches AfterNow Prez Remote in Beta - the Future of Remote Meetings Is Now

Artificial Intelligence (AI)Pipeline & Analytics

By STS News Desk On Jul 30, 2020

AfterNow, building the future of human computing with augmented reality and artificial intelligence, today announced the launch of AfterNow Prez Remote in private beta and available now. The new software platform delivers more meaningful and engaging remote meetings by harnessing the power of augmented and virtual reality. This technology, combined with Oculus or Microsoft headsets, empowers executives, sales teams, trainers, and educators to present immersive content to their audience, resulting in increased engagement, satisfaction, and retention while avoiding burnout and fatigue.

As the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, its ramifications can be felt in every facet of daily life. Perhaps most visible is that in the workplace and education. As many employees and students are working and learning from home, they rely heavily on remote software. According to Time Is Ltd., a productivity software company, online meetings doubled from February to April 2020. As the debate rages over the safety of in-person schooling, the quest to make remote learning efficient and efficacious is paramount.

The drawback to more popular platforms has resulted in experiences such as ‘Zoom Burnout.’ Additionally, many people feel the typical video set-up doesn’t fit their particular working style. Current research shows Virtual Reality training actually results in increased engagement, retention and satisfaction. AfterNow Prez Remote makes use of Virtual and Augmented reality, proving more effective than Zoom or Powerpoint for communicating, learning, and exchanging ideas.

“Over the past few years, we’ve been building high-end custom immersive presentations for the largest companies in the world, and we’ve seen how effective the technology is – we’ve seen positive outcomes when our customers have used AfterNow Prez for sales and internal meetings,” said Philippe Lewicki, Co-founder of AfterNow. “This private beta of our new remote platform is the first step to bringing this technology to everyone – small and medium companies, schools and universities.”

AfterNow is an augmented reality company specializing in custom visualizations and presentations. As a Microsoft Mixed Reality partner, AfterNow has created and designed AR presentations for Fortune 500 companies. Though there are existing VR/AR collaboration platforms like Spatial, Glue, MeetinVR, EngagedVR, and Virbela, to name a few, AfterNow Prez Remote is designed specifically to present which makes it more effective for sales, training, and education. The presenter prepares content specifically for the meeting and goes through that content with the team or students.

“Almost all of us present ideas to one other. Presenting has become central to how we educate our children and work with our colleagues,” says Dave Birnbaum, HCI expert and AfterNow client. “As we spend an increasing amount of our time in immersive spaces, we will need well-designed software that allows us to make presentations that are richly sensory, nuanced, and convincing. Software that gets this right will be a key enabler of the XR revolution.”

AfterNow Prez Remote requires an internet connection and supports one presenter with up to 500 participants. Platforms supported are Hololens 1 & 2 and Oculus Quest. The easy-to-use platform allows a presenter to upload images, audio, videos, 3D objects, as well as enter text and organize them into Slides with transitions.

“In five to 10 years, everyone will be using this technology. Today it’s a great solution for teachers to bring their classes into a student’s home with engaging 3D animated content and live interaction or a sales team that can go and see their prospects or present a virtual tradeshow,” adds Lewicki.

Large tech companies such as Facebook, Microsoft and Magic Leap have invested billions in augmented and virtual reality. The coronavirus pandemic can be seen as the type of black swan event that illustrates dire circumstances often lead to innovation. Humans are 3-dimensional creatures, and with AfterNow Prez Remote, moving away from 2D flat screens and into immersive technology to better learn, communicate, convince and understand proves the future just got real.

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