Facebook’s remote staff could work in AR-powered virtual offices

MENLO PARK: Late last week, Facebook's VP of AR and VR technology gave the world a sneak peek of what the company could have in store for their future remote-working employees: virtual office spaces and equipment available right at home.

With the Covid-19 outbreak pushing companies to permanently allow their employees to work remotely even after the coronavirus risk has subsided, Facebook is experimenting with ways to optimise at-home work and give their workers the best conditions for optimal productivity.

On Thursday, the company's VP of AR and VR technology Andrew Bosworth published a brief clip to Twitter showcasing an in-development virtual office as seen through prototype augmented reality headsets.

According to “Boz,” the tech shown in the eight-second video is a mixed reality concept that “builds on existing technologies like Passthrough to allow people to switch between real and virtual worlds.”

Depicted in the clip is someone moving around and resizing virtual, floating desktop displays to work on various projects.

Passthrough technology allows for these tools to be projected onto someone's actual surroundings in real time, as well as lets them use their real, physical tools like a keyboard.

While this preview was just a sneak peek of what could be, Facebook stated that “We envision a dynamic virtual work environment anchored by genuine social presence.

“Next-generation devices would give people infinite workspaces with configurable virtual screens, whiteboards, and other visionary tools.”