Products that a company wishes to present are not always available or easily transportable. While photography and video technology have helped to overcome these problems to some degree, virtual reality represents a huge step forward. For example, immersive technologies can allow users to visualise a large industrial machine within the confines of a small stand by wearing a VR viewer, or even do this from the comfort of their office with the aid of a mobile display device. Similarly, the technology can enable users to assess the internal parts of a product that would otherwise be nearly impossible to view, such as the internal mechanism of a watch, or even to select car interiors and accessories by trying out all possible configurations of fabrics and equipment. This represents a substantial increase in the options available for visualising products and a real help for customers during the purchasing process.

Industrial machinery and automated production systems are becoming ever more sophisticated and complex. These kinds of technology require a high level of “preparedness”, particularly for those who will be working on the equipment concerned. Often, the specialised training concerned can only be conducted on a real-life system, involving a range of situations that are not simultaneously reproducible and that can incur high costs. Consider, for example maintenance operations that can only be conducted when the system or machinery is not operating. By using virtual reality, however, a person can be immersed in a simulated virtual environment and therefore be given the optimum preparation thanks to the specific creation of any operational scenario. Furthermore, transportable virtual systems enable such training sessions to be carried out anywhere. Similarly, communication technologies allow for virtual collaboration scenarios (involving multiple users working together to complete a project in the virtual world) and remote virtual training scenarios.

Immersive technologies can be extremely useful for designing and implementing specific CAVEs for the healthcare field, intended for research into cognitive rehabilitation processes. For example, patients suffering from cognitive problems can be subjected to immersive experiences, allowing doctors and specialists to study their reactions and collect behavioural data, in complete safety. Any choices and movements made in the virtual world can be tracked and analysed in detail. CAVEs of this type provide an excellent basis for future certification in the therapeutic sphere.