Originally, both techniques were known for the excellent potential they showed in the video games and entertainment fields. Today however they are demonstrating their ability to transform the user experience in a wide variety of industries and service sectors.

It is now clear that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are not restricted to the world of entertainment and gaming. They might have been closely associated with these ‘fun’ areas in the very beginning but now the figures show that their positive impact goes much further.

A report from Goldman Sachs forecasts that by 2025 VR and AR will be generating more revenue than the television market. Meanwhile studies estimating the value of the VR and AR markets are outdoing each other in predicting revenue in the tens of billions. Today the applications of these cutting-edge technologies have already pushed beyond the boundaries of the entertainment and gaming industries.

“From the consumer’s viewpoint, AR and VR increase and enhance the human experience. Notions of time and space become relative. As a user, I can find myself in places that I’m exploring for the first time, in eras that I’ve never lived through. This can generate a lot of applications for a wide range of industries. This is even more true when VR and AR are combined with other technologies such as artificial intelligence and eye-tracking,” explains Sivan Iram, General Manager at River Studios, a company working in VR and AR.

Moreover, the power of VR and AR is being demonstrated in sectors such as commerce and mass retail, real estate, plus also in education and in-company training. A quick overview of the most innovative virtual reality applications currently in use should suffice to convince any doubters of the extent of AR/VR potential.

Retail wants to offer a compelling Customer Experience

In the retail sector, a number of luxury and ready-to-wear apparel brands have ventured into filming their fashion shows in 3D, later relaying them to their shops, where customers can use VR headsets to get a virtual front-row seat at the show.

The promise that virtual reality holds in these examples is to generate brand engagement. Volvo in the United Kingdom  recently partnered with Microsoft HoloLens with a view to transforming the purchasing experience. Given that vehicles cannot be available for demonstration with every possible option at every car dealership, it is easy to see how augmented reality can help potential customers not only to visualise the interior and the exterior of the car, but also to test its range of functionality.

Total immersion a boon for real estate viewing

Another sector where opportunities exist to greatly enrich the buying experience is the real estate business. Matterport offers to create 3D visualisations of for-sale properties for real estate agencies, a cut above the 2D photos and modest 360° panoramas that are still the norm here. It provides a demonstration on a mobile app for the end-customer and will also provide the real estate agency with the hardware and software needed to make 3D visualisations, leaving the agency to take care of the actual shooting.

Meanwhile GeoVC, a New York-based start-up, has come up with an app that enables the user to scan a space, such as an apartment. It also allows you to measure the dimensions of a room and even modify the configuration – for example taking out one element such as a screen and replacing it with another feature. Here the immersive experience offered by VR technology is extremely useful when looking to purchase real estate. GeoVC reckons that people visiting a house or apartment with a view to purchase will tend to try and visualise themselves inhabiting the space and also project themselves forward in time – to the moment when any planned alterations have been completed.

Enhancing learning techniques at school and in-company

As the General Manager of River Studios emphasises, VR enriches the human experience. Taking this observation to heart, many start-ups have recently been getting into the education sector, which is an obvious field of application for these technologies. Plunge with London-based Alchemy VR into the midst of the primitive life forms which began to shape our world, listen to Albert Einstein explain his theory of relativity in an amphitheatre with the LectureVR created by Irish company Immersive VR Education, go on an expedition to Mars one afternoon with Google Expeditions, or simply practice your Spanish at a meet up via your headset, courtesy of Californian company AltspaceVR. Virtual reality has the power to transform the way we teach and how students of all ages acquire knowledge. zSpace technology is already in use in many educational establishments in the United States, revolutionising the way children learn about anatomy and biology.

And it is just one step from education to the world of work. Virtual reality and augmented reality are now playing an essential role in the changes taking place in the workplace environment and the tools used by Human Resources departments. ScioVR gives us a taste of what professional training might look like in future. The Swedish start-up has embarked on a research project – the ‘Virtual Operating Room’ – in partnership with Södersjukhuset, one of the main hospitals in Stockholm. Using VR headsets, the medical teams are immersed in classical situations, learn to repeat medical procedures over and over again, and also acquire best practice in terms of communication in the operating theatre.

Next steps

VR and AR technologies can thus enable all kinds of people to develop not only technical competence but also soft skills by immersing them in standard situations. Will company adoption of VR and AR encourage more widespread use of the technologies beyond the realm of video-gaming and take them to the general public? Technological progress – starting with ever-higher picture resolution – coupled with a progressive reduction in costs, could well be a driver. And guess which company is currently working on a VR headset? No less a player than Google, which is now researching a successor to its Cardboard. This is a sign of things to come that should not be ignored.

(Source: http://www.atelier.net)

Thanks to its low-pollution solutions and the arrival of new investors, the Mons-based company has every intention of continuing to grow. Discover more about this inspiring success story.

Eradicate the environmental and health problems associated with medical waste on a global scale: Ecosteryl's ambitions match the technical expertise of this Mons-based company. Founded in 1947, its core business was equipment and machinery for the mining industry.  Around twenty years ago, it completely reinvented itself by specialising in the treatment of (potentially) infectious waste from the healthcare sector.

A global player with high-profile clients

Today, Ecosteryl is a globally recognised player in its sector, exporting 100% of its production to more than 65 countries. Its customers? Hospitals, of course, but also organisations in the waste recycling sector and international institutions such as the World Health Organisation, the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as cities and states. The company employs around forty people and has an annual turnover of over €20 million.

Medical waste, a critical public health issue

Syringes, dressings, masks, sharp instruments... 15% of medical waste is considered hazardous and therefore requires special treatment. Given that a single hospital bed produces between 0.5 and 3 kg of this waste every day, it's easy to imagine the scale of the problem. The infectious, toxic and sometimes even radioactive risks associated with hazardous medical waste are far from minimal: among other things, it can trigger or accelerate a pandemic, and even give rise to new diseases. Decontamination and recycling of this waste, the only solution to eliminate this health risk, is therefore a global public health issue.

An environmentally responsible process

Direct incineration or autoclaving: these are the two methods used by Ecosteryl's competitors to decontaminate hazardous medical waste. The problem is that these processes are far from being environmentally neutral. Incineration causes significant CO2 emissions and harmful emissions, such as dioxins, and is also energy intensive. And autoclaving requires large amounts of water and energy, again with significant environmental consequences.

It is in this area of the environmental footprint that Ecosteryl has made a difference, thanks to a technological breakthrough developed in collaboration with the University of Paris. The decontamination and recycling process uses microwave and dry heat technology to disinfect hazardous waste. The decontaminated waste is then shredded to reduce its volume, after which it can be processed in the same way as non-hazardous waste. Or better still, it can sorted and recycled.

This process requires very little electricity to operate, and its environmental performance compared to incineration and autoclaving is incomparable in terms of emissions and water consumption.

Too much plastic in medical waste: recycling instead of prevention

Single-use plastic products, equipment and utensils are a fact of life in hospitals. In many cases, this single use is justified, for example for syringes. The problem arises when this waste is directly incinerated. But thanks to pre-treatment, decontaminated and dried waste can be given a second life.

Until now, there has been no machine for this final stage. Ecosteryl's latest development, R-Steryl, fills this gap. It is a unique sorting centre. Placed after the decontamination machines, it can sort decontaminated waste and recycle up to 80% of it. The major players in waste collection and treatment know that recycling is and will be a real challenge in the coming years. Ecosteryl is also positioning itself as a key player in this field, and is investing in a number of analyses to this end.

Private equity to accelerate development

Despite its size in the medical waste decontamination sector, Ecosteryl has no intention of slowing down. The company intends to continue and accelerate its international growth, and welcomes new investors: BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity,  Wallonie Entreprendre and IMBC, an investment company focused on the Mons, Borinage and Centre regions. Philippe Dufrasne, Chairman of Ecosteryl, comments:  “With these new shareholders, we have found the right partners to help us stay ahead of the game and achieve our long-term goals, particularly in terms of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance.”

A priority to invest in the transition of companies

BNP Paribas Fortis is also enthusiastic about this new project.

“We are particularly proud to support this company, which has developed a unique expertise in the production of cutting-edge equipment specialised in the environmental field. Over the years, Ecosteryl has succeeded in expanding worldwide in a niche market at the intersection of environmental and health issues. This investment is fully in line with our ambition to invest €1 billion in venture capital by 2025, focusing on funds and companies that respect environmental, social and governance criteria,” explains Raf Moons, Head of Private Equity at BNP Paribas Fortis. 

The Princess Elisabeth Island, is the world's first artificial energy island for transporting offshore wind power to land. A combination of innovation, technology and biodiversity conservation.

8,802 km: that's the length of all the onshore and offshore power lines and cables managed by Elia Transmission in Belgium.  As the operator of the Belgian high-voltage grid, Elia keeps the lights on by matching electricity generation and consumption at all times.

Artificial energy island

Grid operator Elia has just started to work on one of the most challenging projects in its history: the Princess Elisabeth artificial energy island. It will be located in the middle of the 285km² Princess Elisabeth wind zone. This is the second offshore wind zone in the Belgian North Sea that has yet to be fully built. With a capacity of 3.5 gigawatts, the new wind farms will produce electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of 3.5 million households.

Catherine Vandenborre, CFO of Elia: “The Princess Elisabeth Island is a vital link in the successful energy transition in Belgium. The island has a dual function. First, it will bring electricity from the new offshore wind farms to the mainland. And then from 2030, the island will also be connected to wind farms in other countries with which electricity can be exchanged. This will give our country access to cheap and renewable energy.  This is crucial for our energy-intensive industries, which are rapidly moving away from fossil fuels and switching massively to wind energy over the next 10 years. In this way, Belgium is contributing to Europe’s climate goals and the ambition to realise 300 gigawatts of offshore wind in the North Sea by 2050.”

Designing for nature

In terms of location, design and implementation, due attention is being paid to limiting unwanted impacts on the marine environment. “We are going one step further and opting for nature-inclusive design,” explains Catherine Vandenborre. “In consultation with experts, we are taking concrete steps to protect the biodiversity around the island. For example, we are adding ledges to the outer storm walls where the kittiwake – a vulnerable bird species – can rest and breed. Below the waterline, several measures will be combined to create a diverse and rich artificial reef, with a particular focus on the return of the European flat oyster.  The measures have been selected on the basis of their technical feasibility and expected positive outcome.”

Co-creation and innovation

Achieving such a nature-inclusive design required close collaboration and knowledge sharing between all stakeholders and different domain experts. “An instructive process for all involved,” confirms Vandenborre. “With this initiative, Elia wants to set the tone for the environmentally friendly realisation of future offshore infrastructure. Europe’s seas are becoming the power stations of the future. By integrating biodiversity conservation measures from the design and construction phases, we want to increase and accelerate the positive outcomes. The co-creation project with the experts has already made an important contribution to scientific development in this field. But the work is not finished. Monitoring programmes will be put in place to follow up, and if necessary, adjust the selected measures.

Ready for the next gust of wind

As one of the main financial partners, BNP Paribas Fortis is supporting Elia’s transition to a reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly energy system. BNP Paribas Fortis has already financed 8 offshore wind projects in the Belgian North Sea. These 8 farms together represent 2200 megawatts, equivalent to 2 to 3 nuclear power plants. The next round? New wind farms in the Princess Elisabeth zone. This will be done through project financing, with the underlying contracts and resulting cash flows backing the loans.

How does Ziegler aim for greater environmental responsibility? By methodically exploring various avenues. Their approach is based on four key pillars.

The Brussels-based scale-up Optimy brings together corporate volunteering, donations, patronage and sponsorship activities all on one platform. On it, their impact on society is concretely measurable.

"Originally, I didn't think of myself as a social entrepreneur, even though I was involved in sponsorship. At the request of our customers, my partners and I have developed an entire provision of services that has become the most comprehensive platform on the market," says Kenneth Bérard, CEO of Optimy.

One of these customers was the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation, which wanted to make a greater social difference and also give these actions more visibility. "It's a must for companies to contribute to society. This generates added value for the company and fuels a positive spiral. But that social impact has to be measurable. How many children have been helped? How many trees have been planted? What effect does this have on employee satisfaction, image and turnover? Our model offers all of this. This means that companies don't have to purchase new modules every time they want to add additional activities. I think that’s our great success factor. We are the market leader in Europe in our sector and the only company operating in both Europe and North America."

Personal support

"Many companies are full of good intentions. They want to have a positive impact on society, but they often lack a good method to do this efficiently," the entrepreneur notes. "They tend to see all their efforts in isolation. The Optimy platform offers a solution for this. It's easy to put together and it's service-oriented. We adapt to the processes of each business unit and company. It doesn't work the other way around," assures Bérard. "Our customers are not looking for technology; they're looking for guidance. We invest in personalisation, and it's paying off, as a customer satisfaction survey shows."

Structuring actions

The first piece of advice that Optimy always gives companies is: don't shred your efforts, they should form a whole. "We recommend that companies structure their actions using our tool. The corporate social responsibility policy must be in line with the company’s values, DNA and broader strategy. And of course, the actions must be transparent and well executed."

The right partner

From the beginning, the connection Optimy had with BNP Paribas Fortis was decisive for the company’s growth. "The fact that the bank follows us has increased our credibility with our partners, investors, customers and also internally. Now it's setting up a factoring service for us to further support our growth."

Optimy's growth was initially supported by cash flow, which is unusual for a technology company. Financing came into play beginning in 2019. That's when a Canadian fund specialising in software as a service (SaaS) companies and affiliated with the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) became a shareholder.

Multicultural enrichment

As with increasingly more companies, one of Optimy’s biggest challenges is recruiting new talent. “We've been able to convert that challenge into an asset,” concludes Bérard. "We attract talent from abroad. Sixty people from twenty nationalities work in our Brussels branch. This multiculturalism is a huge enrichment and has helped us break through internationally."

“The corporate social responsibility policy must be in line with your company’s values, DNA and broader strategy”.