Experiencing Is Believing: How Mixed Reality Is Revolutionizing Real Estate and Construction

Humanity has strived to replicate and enhance reality ever since it first started using stone tools millions of years ago. Ever since, we have found new ways to do just that through technology, arts, mysticism, and other fields. Not only are we able to shape the physical world in unprecedented ways today, but we also have created parallel realities that go beyond its constraints.

Virtual worlds like “Minecraft”, “VR Chat”, “Second Life”, “Decentraland”, “MetaHumans”, and “Horizon Worlds” are all now changing how we think about reality. Now that the digital world has evolved to the point where all most people can think about are applications like the metaverse, it seems anything that can be envisioned can actually be brought into existence in some way. 

Technologies like Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) are often thought of only from a big-scale perspective. This means that applications and innovations that have an immediate impact are often overlooked by the general public. However, with the hardware and software necessary to interact with these technologies becoming more accessible, new everyday use cases are starting to emerge.

Two industries that are paying special attention to the latest advancements in AR, VR, and MR are real estate and construction. Historically, these industries have struggled with sharing their vision and products with their customers, as videos and pictures often fail to replicate reality in an effective way.

While companies like Matterport and Zillow have aimed at solving this issue by offering virtual interactive tours of 3D renders and real property, these lack substance. A person seeking to build, remodel, or buy a house might be able to gain an idea of how the final product will look, but without interacting with it, the chances of truly connecting and being entirely satisfied are quite dim. This is where AR, VR, and MR can help.

Authenticus is a startup that has developed the technology to add another dimension to this approach. Users can use the startup’s technology to explore 2D and 3D layouts, all while also being able to interact and edit the layout of physical elements like furniture. All of this is possible while walking through the space, giving a true sense of what the space will look like once built or acquired.

Authenticus’ President & CEO Jay Schimpf sat with Fast Company’s Executive Board member Kwasi Asare to talk about how his startup is changing the industry forever. The fireside chat took place during this year’s edition of Grit Daily House at SXSW. The topics of the conversation included how Authenthicus’ technology will change real estate and construction, how it can be applied to the healthcare industry, and how entrepreneurs can find innovative ways to use existing technologies.

If you want to hear more about what Jay and Kwasi have to say about the future of AR, VR, and MR, as well as their experiences with the technologies and how they are “going Star Trek” with them, make sure to check out the video.