Orlando Tech Leaders Converge to Discuss Impact of AR/VR Industry

Community leaders in Orlando’s AR/VR industry gathered at Full Sail University on Monday for this month’s Orlando Tech Association meetup. After a short mixer, a panel discussion and Q&A were held with the title “On the Frontlines of the 4th Industrial Revolution.”

The panel included prominent figures such as OrlandoiX’s very own founder, David Glass, as well as other AR/VR experts: Kunal Patel, co-founder of BrandVR and Indienomicon, Rob Catto, program director of VR/AR at Full Sail University and Matthew Hogan, CEO of Megatonn 3D.

The discussion covered all aspects of the AR/VR industry. A hot topic during the panel was the strengths and weaknesses of Orlando as a tech hub. Many panelists argued that while Orlando was booming with creativity and innovation, the community was doing a poor job of marketing its own talent, thus keeping them from becoming as prominent as Silicon Valley or Austin, Texas. David made a point that these other, larger tech hubs have more local-level support (with events such as SXSW), and that OrlandoiX is essential for promoting the talent and innovation located right here in our backyard.

Orlando has the world’s largest concentration of modeling and simulation companies, which, the panelists claimed, could put Orlando ahead in the near future.

Matthew Hogan, whose firm develops AR/VR hardware, presented intriguing statistics that project the AR/VR industry to grow to $80 billion by 2025. Not only this, but Matthew and his colleagues also shared with the audience the progress of AR in the medical field, and how it could prevent the hundreds of surgical mishaps that occur every year. These are truly exciting times, and to hear it from some of the industry’s leading pioneers just solidifies our hope for the years to com