Avatour is the world’s first multi-party immersive remote presence service, launched by the Imeve team in September 2019. Avatour allows remote participants to join in a real place, in real time, using inexpensive mobile 360° capture technology. To better understand how Avatour works we’ll discuss the uses cases, the two types of experiences on the platform and then dive into the gear behind Avatour.

Avatour is a remote presence business solution with use cases expanding across various industries. Below are some examples of how businesses are using Avatour technology:

• Architects, engineers and project stakeholders can visit the jobsite instantly and safely from wherever they are, helping reduce downtime and ensure project quality.
• A realtor can share a property with a remote buyer, sharing the space with them in real time, communicating in real time. This helps close deals faster and offer a unique experience to their clients. 
• A hotel property manager can invite their clients and vendors to tour the property in real time from anywhere in the world, helping to increase utilization and revenue from wedding venues, meeting and conference rooms.

There are two sides to an Avatour session, the Host experience and the Guest Experience. Check out the chart below to understand how each side works:

Avatour is the platform that uses the technology to make remote presence possible, and we require some inexpensive, off-the-shelf hardware on both the Host and Guest sides. Let’s look at the Host side first.

To share a space with individuals from anywhere, the Host requires a 360° camera and an Android device. (We support the Insta360 One X and Ricoh Theta V cameras, and most Android phones and tablets running Android Oreo or later.)  Optionally, a bluetooth headset helps make audio communication clearer in noisy environments. Finally, a tripod/selfie stick and some associated mounting hardware are required.  

 

The gear the Host will need:

    

The equipment looks like this when assembled: 

General contractor Dave sharing construction site in Florida with an architect in California. 

 

The space can be shared with up to five participants, known as Guests. The gear requirements for Guests are much simpler. A Guest can join using any modern web browser on any mobile/desktop device, but for the best experience, Guests should use a VR headset. Currently we support Oculus Go, GearVR, and Cardboard headsets, with additional platform support coming soon.

The guest experience will look like this, if they’re joining in using a headset:

Kevin, an architect in California, joins Dave on the property.

When Kevin and Dave join an AVATOUR session, they discover the next best thing to being there. Kevin is able to review every aspect of the project progress, as if he was standing right next to Dave on site. Dave can bring the camera around the site 

By using readily available off-the-shelf hardware, AVATOUR makes real-time immersive telepresence affordable and easy to use. We can also provide a kit with all necessary equipment bundled with the AVATOUR service, allowing our customers to get started immediately.

AVATOUR is in Beta release now, and we have capacity for only a limited number of customers. If your business can benefit from remote presence, request access to AVATOUR Beta and we’ll be in touch!