This week, amid legal battles, Meta announced a collaboration with UK immersive learning start-up Moonhub to bring VR/MR training to the facilities management industry. The move enables Moonhub to scale its CPD-accredited immersive learning solutions exclusively on the Meta Quest headset portfolio ready for businesses.
Christine Trodella, Vice President, Commercial Sales at Meta, said:
At Meta, we’re excited to bring the power of mixed reality to help create immersive training experiences designed to meet our customers’ needs and objectives across a diverse field of industries. By combining the immersive capabilities of our Meta Quest headsets with Moonhub’s Titan VR training application, Moonhub has created a unique opportunity for professionals to experience the future of training and operations without needing physical facilities or equipment.
Moreover, Trodella noted that Meta is approaching Moonhub due to its “realistic training solution” that could potentially “revolutionise the way teams approach security and facilities management.”
“Meta is thrilled to empower innovative learning and training solutions in mixed reality using the industry-leading Quest platform,” Trodella also remarked.
Moonhub is looking to help drive the immersive learning revolution with its patented “Spot and Jot” technology, which enables a cost-effective, hands-on XR learning environment. According to the partners, the two firms are achieving an 800% increase in XR training sessions in the facilities management industry.
Dami Hastrup, MOONHUB CEO, explaiend:
We’ve seen an incredible reception to TITAN, our security training designed for the FM sector and security personnel all over. Historically, MOONHUB has worked closely with its clients and stakeholders to create tailored solutions. However, it became apparent that there was a need for our content to be scalable, quick and cost-effective to deploy.
The news comes after Moonhub secured roughly $1.4 million in a funding round led by Unconventional Ventures, Pi Labs, and Ada Ventures. The most recent funding boosted Moonhub’s overall funding to $3.1 million since its 2016 foundation.
Moreover, Meta’s involvement in Moonhub comes as the firm faces a colossal legal battle over its Cambridge Analytica controversies. Recently, the US Supreme Court enabled the continuation of the multi-billion lawsuit, and it’s unclear how this could affect the firm’s broader goals, namely XR-if it affects these goals at all.
Meta to Boost Immersive Learning Opportunities
The news comes as Meta leverages various immersive learning opportunities worldwide. Meta has announced the beta program for “Meta for Education,” a product designed for colleges and universities, which was initially hinted at in April. This initiative aims to provide education-focused XR services to teachers, trainers, and administrators through the Quest portfolio of VR and MR headsets.
The beta launch introduced Meta’s new educational solution to colleges and universities in the US and UK. Participating institutions include Arizona State University, Houston Community College, Imperial College London, Miami Dade College, Morehouse College, New Mexico State University, San Diego State University, Savannah College of Art & Design, the University of Glasgow, the University of Iowa, the University of Leeds, the University of Miami, and the University of Michigan.
Participating universities will collaborate with Meta to provide feedback on the beta launch. The aim is to scale and enhance the Meta for Education product ahead of a broader release focused on subjects such as science, medicine, history, and language arts.
Kim Grinfeder, University of Miami Professor and University XR Initiative Lead, remarked:
The first time I put on a headset, it was immediately apparent to me that this is not like a screen or TV. It had a completely different feeling. We were creating experiences. I immediately recognized this as a tool that’s going to change education—change the way we teach. It allows us to bring the world into the classroom.
Like the Meta Quest for Business product model launched last year, the new education solutions are designed to empower teachers, trainers, and administrators with XR applications and management features tailored specifically for education.
The updated management features enable teachers to use multiple Quest devices simultaneously in a classroom setting. Furthermore, advanced device management tools eliminate the need for teachers to update each device individually, streamlining the onboarding process and making it more efficient.
Interestingly, Meta emphasized that the education package includes Metaverse capabilities, potentially reviving interest in this once-hyped technology. Meta explained that these Metaverse solutions can enhance classrooms through digital field trips and training opportunities.
Meta calls the early results “promising,” notably Monica Arés, Executive Director of Imperial IDEA Lab, Imperial College London, also stated that “this moment is greater than any one institution or one company-we need to come together in collaboration across the creators, the developers, educational institutions, research organizations, and tech companies to build this new learning ecosystem because it’s going to benefit every individual and industry.”
After its initial launch and first round of feedback, Meta plans to expand the solution in the final weeks 2024. The company focuses on educational and training applications for the Quest portfolio. This follows the recent launch of the Meta Quest 3S at Connect, designed to be an accessible entry point for integrating MR across various sectors.
In April, Meta first announced the education model. At the time, Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, noted that education and training providers represent a “considerable market” and that Meta is witnessing a growing number of developers who are “building and releasing apps aimed at this sector”—with Clegg noting that there is scope to scale immersive education products at a “much wider scale.”
