“Immersive settings and virtual worlds can present fascinating new opportunities for connecting with people and our content. The way we interact and complete tasks is now more crucial than ever because people are scattered more widely and working habits are more individualised than ever.”
“My team’s role is to research future trends and technologies, test solutions, and reimagine experiences. While immersive environments will play a role in the future of work, face-to-face meetings, instant messages, collaboration tools, and video calls will not. That is why we are focusing on the user experience and honing in on everyday micro moments that could be disruptive in the future as we potentially bounce between physical, digital, and virtual worlds.”
“We’re wondering how people will interact at the intersections of these worlds. What tools will people require to seamlessly move between these locations? What if people refuse to wear a headset and immerse themselves in a virtual world for 8 hours a day? Will they be barred from future projects or collaboration opportunities?”
Intelligent, familiar tools for future interactions
“We’ve been exploring how familiar devices and peripherals could be paired with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to work together as an ecosystem to deliver easily accessible and immersive experiences beyond gaming, using Concept Nyx’s ability to deliver compute all around, powered at the edge.”
“Our labs are packed with curated immersive demonstrations and concepts to help us test and explore how Dell could help people move between various spaces and tasks intuitively in the future. From fully immersive Virtual Reality (VR) builds to Mixed Reality (XR) experiences featuring displays and other tools that remove the need for a VR headset, these environments have helped us evolve concepts like the Concept Nyx Companion. As a lightweight tablet-style device that could be viewed and accessed in VR and XR environments, the concept could be a consistent tool throughout all these spaces and could ensure a user’s content is in one place as they move between spaces and tasks. No more taking photos of whiteboards or copying notes to be uploaded to a different space – users could just screenshot their project space and/or easily copy content for sharing across screens.”
“You could use the Concept Nyx Stylus to input notes by voice or pen, drag and drop them into digital and virtual collaboration spaces, and even use voice activation for AI image creation – ideal for non-aspiring artists! All of these tools could work in tandem with the Concept Nyx Spatial Input in a future desktop environment with a keyboard and mouse, as well as possibly 3D displays. We’ve been thinking about creative ways to connect these traditional tools to create a clutter-free space, as well as intuitive gestures for interacting with content, such as using the tip of the Stylus for writing and the top of the Stylus for interacting with onscreen content, or using the Spatial Input as a dial for a 360 view or zooming in on details.”
“We’ve even considered how people might appear in future digital and virtual spaces. We’ve all been on video calls where we needed to take a break to answer the door or tend to a pet or child away from the camera. Instead of leaving a blank screen, empty seat, or static 2015 headshot, imagine staying present as an intelligent avatar while stepping away or completely off camera with a wave of your hand. To explore this, we’ve been experimenting with gestures and movement tracking, as well as leveraging our imaging technology and video conferencing expertise to develop the Concept Nyx Spatial camera, which, when paired with AI software, could learn a user’s expressions and mannerisms to provide a more authentic representation of them in future interactions.”
Advancing the Concept Nyx Ecosystem
Dell is at the centre of present and future workplaces, from infrastructure to devices, and is focused on developing the tools that will be required to navigate these spaces. Right now, this entails bringing to market tools such as a new generation of UltraSharp conferencing monitors and intelligent webcams with motion activated controls and presence detection, as well as capitalising on technologies such as storage, 5G, multicloud, and edge, which provide advanced connectivity and infrastructure to enable organisations to shape how they work. Productivity tools of the future will be connected and intelligent enough to seamlessly transition from experience to experience and task to task, assisting in breaking down barriers and redefining how colleagues connect with one another.
“My team is still researching the future of compelling, immersive experiences for both work and play. Concepts are critical in enabling our designers, engineers, and strategists to test and tweak devices and solutions in order to inform future experience roadmaps. We can’t wait to keep you updated on our journey!”