Regatta VR, a Bloomington-base virtual reality company, recently invited a number of local companies and business organisations for an open house session. Business owners of the town got their opportunities to explore the VR company’s technology.
Regatta VR specialises in augmented and virtual reality e-learning solutions. It employs inventive methods to teach skills that can enhance user experiences.
About 20 participants of the session held at South Gentry Street got to experience the benefits of VR technology within business settings. The open house setting enabled participants to grasp the concepts of VR technology, and more specifically the type being offered by Regatta VR. There were discussions regarding how the technology could be used in their respective business settings.
Jessica Gize, Brand Director at Regatta VR explained that the event was a walkthrough with VR headsets for the attendees.
The headsets being utilised for the exhibitions are procured through leases from other businesses.
Bill West, President and Founder, Regatta VR, started the company a year back upon realising how much impact VR could have in transforming e-learning. West has been a part of the e-learning industry for approximately 20 years.
Various virtual reality programmes took place during the open house session. One of the programmes was conversational in nature, focusing on the subject of workplace sexual harassment.
During the sexual harassment session, the participant donning the VR headset stepped into the shoes of an HR manager. The participant had to deal with an employee who spoke about how the actions and words of a colleague had unsettled her.
The VR headset showed audio and visuals of this particular scenario. A remote control device was offered for the participant to select dialogue options to move the conversation ahead.
The VR-based sexual harassment programme is a key focal point of Regatta VR’s efforts.
The company is attempting to harness VR as a mode of teaching empathy for effectively handling sexual harassment scenarios. The technology shifts the perspective of a person and is thus advantageous. – Bill West
West remarked that sexual misconduct was chosen as a subject as it happens in all industry sectors.
Zoe Peterson, a Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction faculty member, was an attendee at the open house session. Her motivation to participate was to learn how this technology form could be integrated with the Institute’s sexual misconduct research.
One of the key values upheld by researchers in assault and sexual harassment cases is empathy. VR was an interesting training tool for people in the workplace. – Zoe Peterson
Regatta’s arsenal of VR programmes also focuses on other business aspects like negotiation training and customer service.
6-degrees-of-freedom was another course featured during the Regatta VR session. This interactive-type programme offers training to users, for tasks like making a cup of coffee virtually. It featured several other training drills for professionals.
West believes that about 20 percent of the companies might incorporate VR offerings within the coming year.
