Immersive technologies enable the full-scale visualisation of a product during the design phase, even before a mock-up has been created. This means that product design stages can be optimised by anticipating problems, by highlighting what such problems might involve, and by reducing their impact on product development costs. Immersive technologies also make it possible to evaluate alternative scenarios and expand the range of product configurations that can be considered.

Immersive technologies can allow users to visualise a large industrial machine within the confines of a small stand by wearing a VR viewer, or even do this from the comfort of their office with the aid of a mobile display device. Similarly, the technology can enable users to assess the internal parts of a product that would otherwise be nearly impossible to view, such as the internal mechanism of a watch, or even to select car interiors and accessories by trying out all possible configurations of fabrics and equipment.

Immersive technologies can be extremely useful for designing and implementing specific CAVEs for the healthcare field. For example, patients suffering from cognitive problems can be subjected to immersive experiences, allowing doctors and specialists to study their reactions and collect behavioural data, in complete safety. Any choices and movements made in the virtual world can be tracked and analysed in detail. CAVEs of this type provide an excellent basis for future certification in the therapeutic sphere.

Industrial machinery and automated production systems are becoming ever more sophisticated and complex. These kinds of technology require a high level of “preparedness”, particularly for those who will be working on the equipment concerned. Often, the specialised training concerned can only be conducted on a real-life system, involving a range of situations that are not simultaneously reproducible and that can incur high costs. By using virtual reality, however, a person can be immersed in a simulated virtual environment and therefore be given the optimum preparation thanks to the specific creation of any operational scenario. Furthermore, transportable virtual systems enable such training sessions to be carried out anywhere.