Makers of The Metaverse: Dave Galbraith Of Amerisure Insurance Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality Industries

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Limited availability of “off the shelf” safety training modules and the cost to custom-build content. This is improving with the acceptance of VR training and the commitment of VR tech builders to building more safety experience content.

The Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality Industries are so exciting. What is coming around the corner? How will these improve our lives? What are the concerns we should keep an eye out for? Aside from entertainment, how can VR or AR help work or other parts of life? To address this, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Galbraith.

Dave Galbraith is the Assistant Vice President and Risk Management Technical Lead for Amerisure Insurance. He is responsible for the identification, research, development and implementation of risk management technology programs, and associated vendor management.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! The VR, AR and MR industries seem so exciting right now. What are the 3 things in particular that most excite you about the industry? Can you explain or give an example?

As a company highly engaged in risk management efforts and technologies for employers, we are involved in the VR industry in a very exciting and crucial way. One of the most important components of an effective company safety program is proper safety training. By properly training employees, businesses can help prevent injuries and fatalities as well as encourage ongoing discussions with workers on the best ways to help prevent workplace accidents. As one type of effective teaching method, virtual reality training can reinforce classroom learning and engage users with memorable content experienced in a safe setting. This helps minimize disruption to work and resources while improving retention and recall of training. Virtual reality technology provides downloadable training content within a cloud-based platform. Training lessons can include industry-specific simulation scenarios for high-hazard and high severity exposures for workers, including fall prevention and ladder safety. Amerisure offers leading-edge virtual reality safety training together with PIXO VR™. Most exciting related to this capability:

1. Employees can enter immersive hazardous operations without encountering real hazards.
2. The “hands on” experience is available for large numbers of employees instead of just the “theory of” how a job should be performed.
3. The realistic value in the VR experience: A worker can perform all the tasks virtually, from inspecting, selecting, and donning fall protection, then subsequently tying off properly. They can then perform a task requiring the use of fall protection. If all pre-tasks are performed properly, the worker will safely complete the task. If any pre-task is incorrect, they will fall virtually from the scaffold (without injury).

What are the 3 things that concern you about the VR, AR and MR industries? Can you explain? What can be done to address those concerns?

1. Amerisure has experimented with the AR/MR technology in remote locations (jobsites). Connectivity has been an issue that has prevented further exploration for the live interactive streaming. It works well in fixed locations where internet and phone connections are predictable and stable but is less effective in remote locations where it can bring tremendous value.

• 5G upgrades and sensor technologies will continue to improve access to reliable networks in remote locations.
• Pricing for connectivity hardware in remote locations will continue to improve, making it more affordable for contractors.

2. Given the recent pandemic, many people do not want to wear VR headsets recently worn by others. This is improving and will continue to improve with advancements in cleaning, the waning of the pandemic and durability of the contact areas on the headsets.

3. Limited availability of “off the shelf” safety training modules and the cost to custom-build content. This is improving with the acceptance of VR training and the commitment of VR tech builders to building more safety experience content.

I think the entertainment aspects of VR, AR and MR are apparent. Can you share with our readers how these industries can help us at work?

When Amerisure started the testing of developed content, we used “technical safety experts” to test the VR content. Many of the testers (such as myself) were not “gamers” in the entertainment spectrum. It was a very slow go. We reached out to employees who were “gamers” in their personal lives to help understand how to learn the VR world and how to train others. This switch was a game-changer in getting our VR program into the market for our customers.

Are there other ways that VR, AR and MR can improve our lives? Can you explain?

Just as YouTube® has helped non-mechanics, non-contractors, etc. watch a video on how to repair, assemble, replace parts, or fix problems, the VR/AR/MR world can help the average “homeowner or car mechanic” perform the actual repair in the VR world so they can do it in the real world.

Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!

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Makers of The Metaverse: Dave Galbraith Of Amerisure Insurance Of The VR, AR & Mixed Reality… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.