Women Breaking Barriers in Augmented & Virtual Reality
In the last few years, there has been hype about augmented and virtual reality. It has gained momentum and has made people curious about this technology, especially millennials. It has been increasingly beneficial for the entertainment, healthcare and gaming industries, But how are careers in AR or VR beneficial? Who’s leading the industry? Are there any successful women in the sector?
Even though this technology is very recent, women have been working with augmented and virtual reality since its inception. Taking inspiration from this fact we decided to curate a list that highlights organizations and leaders that inspire and encourage women to join the VR circles such as:
WIIT is a site that brings together women who are interested in immersive technologies. They provide a platform for like-minded women to share their ideas and access online learning resources, training sessions and workshops to improve their skills. Built by four women co-founders, experts in different areas of XR.
A few years back AR, VR, MR were thought of as sci-fi. Now it is a reality. We are adapting and innovating according to our needs, just as Dr Jacki Morie, has more than 25 years of experience creating and building virtual spaces. She is known as one of the pioneers in VR, from a computer science student, a VR scientist at NASA, founder of a VR company. She has given inspiration to all the women who want to make a career in the industry.
Speaking of women who are shaping the future of AR and VR, we can’t leave out Dr Helen Papagiaannis, she lives and breathes AR. Recognized as a world-leading expert in the field. Dr Helen has been working in this sector for more than 15+ years as a designer, researcher and AR evangelist. With her cutting edge talks, she has positioned herself as one of the top influencers of the Digital media industry.
Augmented and virtual reality is not just about science and learning, it can also be fun, and the ultimate example is its use in the film and media industry. The people at Framework Studios are raising the bar for visual effects in movies and virtual experiences.
Cristine Cattano is responsible for this development, as The Executive Producer and Global Head of VR for Framework Studio, she’s been a trailblazer and has shown the potential VR has in the entertainment industry. Notable projects include Game of Thrones ‘Ascend the Wall’ experience, Avengers 'Escape from Avengers Tower' and Merrell's ‘Trailscape.’
The technology industry is dominated by men, but there's been a recent rise in female leaders in AR and VR who are changing the way we look at technology-related careers. With this article, we wanted to spotlight a few of these amazing women who made their mark on the augmented and virtual reality industry. We are sure there are more of them who are still to come and we can't wait to hear how women thrive and innovate in this industry.