The disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic has forced the Indian (and global) industry to adopt fast, disruptive technologies coming under the umbrella of extended reality (XR). The globe’s technological and social media giants have already immersed themselves into this eminent virtual reality (VR).
The hesitancy on the part of India Inc. is due to their profoundly conservative attitude and age-old traditional business mindset. Dr CSS Bharathy, Certified Industry 4.0 Professional and the Founder and CTO, has taken a pledge to replace that hesitancy by infusing his positive attitude, caring nature and visionary leadership style reflected in his futuristic mission called Fusion VR.
In an interview with Insights Success for its ‘2022 League of Innovators,’ Dr Bharathy is compellingly detailing his very promising plan, demonstrating the reality-altering future scenarios of this alternate reality.
Highlights of the discussion are produced below so that you can enthral yourself by going beyond your imagination.
Describe your professional journey.
My professional journey began as a humble plant operator in the petrochemical industry twenty-seven years ago. Such a beginning has made me appreciate the struggles and the meaningful contributions of people at every level of an organisation. I had the opportunity to work in India and Singapore and gain expertise in plant operations.
My passion for multimedia and a creative drive motivated me immensely, and I became the first Adobe certified video specialist in Southeast Asia. I have been closely associated with the Panasonic SEA core team and worked on the celluloid to digital film making production pipeline design in 2004.
I have trained innumerable professionals with my expertise during my teaching stint in Singapore. I became an entrepreneur and succeeded in multimedia training and stereoscopic imaging, and in the process, I helped many people achieve their dream careers in multimedia.
With a doctorate in Stereoscopic 3D and a team of engineers, technologists, and creative professionals, I founded Fusion VR, becoming one of the very first to commercially launch a VR experience, ImmeX Zone, for the general public. I helped develop indigenous VR-HMD and a simulation chair integrated with dynamic haptic and effects for experiencing VR in 2014.
We have developed the technological and domain experience to provide many Industry 4.0 solutions in the areas of VR, AR, MR, and digital twins. We have successfully developed VR training modules for local and international clients. We have developed a proprietary XR platform to deliver top-notch solutions to customers with compressed development timelines.
I’m a keynote speaker at industry conferences and seminars, in addition to being recognised by Forbes and Fortune magazines for technological leadership. I’m also actively contributing to the Government of India in the framing of the new XR policies for the nation.
I am also looking ahead as there is an excellent future for the manufacturing industry in what I call the Enterprise Metaverse.
Who inspires you to wake up every day and keep making a difference in the respective industry you are catering to?
The unlimited potential and benefits of immersive technologies such as VR, AR and MR is the most important reason. And wondering how companies can tap into these benefits is what gets me up each day.
The future of Industry 4.0 and the enterprise metaverse is promising and opens the door to provide huge advantages to all manufacturing sectors. I really want all verticals of the manufacturing industry to step boldly into the Fourth Industrial revolution and help make this country a leader in manufacturing.
As a leader of Fusion VR, what challenges have you faced while establishing and running the business?
The most significant challenge is convincing the manufacturing industry leaders about the benefits of industry 4.0 technologies.
Except for a few, there are many manufacturing companies that are hesitant to implement disruptive technologies; this hesitancy disappears after a demonstration of use cases and the finer aspects of our products and services.
With the government’s focus, energy, and incentives, I hope to see greater adoption of VR/AR/MR.
Brief us about the operations of Fusion VR, its mission, vision, and core values.
The focus of Fusion VR is to deliver innovative Industry 4.0 solutions to the manufacturing sector.
Our expertise is in the oil and gas, chemicals, utilities, mining, and automotive sectors. We have diversified our operations, collaborated with like-minded partners, and entered the education space where we deliver end-to-end solutions for VR infrastructure and training. We have also delivered innovative projects in the digital museum’s space.
Our mission is to make Industry 4.0 technologies more accessible for all manufacturing companies. Fusion VR is not just a technology company, but one with extensive as well as deep domain expertise to develop and implement effective solutions, unlike companies that have come out of the VR gaming and entertainment sector.
Our vision is to become India’s leading provider of all Industry 4.0 services such as VR, AR, MR, Digital Twins and become a key player in the Enterprise Metaverse. Our core values are innovation, excellence, and exceeding customer expectations.
How has the current pandemic affected your business, and what steps have you taken to safeguard your employees while catering to your clients?
While the first and second waves of COVID infection affected, our employees readily embraced remote working technologies, which significantly minimised the impact on our operations. What is important to note is that our processes were geared for remote working through our secure infrastructure even before the pandemic began. Such technological leverage helped us sail through the pandemic without hiccups and any such situations in the future. In fact, Fusion VR delivered on significant projects within agreed timelines amidst the pandemic. Perhaps the only constraint created by the pandemic was our inability to meet potential customers and conduct product demos and interactions due to quarantine and travel restrictions. We always believe in direct discussions with our clients to establish a personal connection and tap into the unlimited potential of immersive technologies and the Enterprise Metaverse.
What creative ways have you employed to make the work environment of Fusion VR vibrant?
At Fusion VR, we strive every day to foster an open and inclusive work environment. We promote an informal and results-focused approach with our internal and external customers. Our work culture promotes excellence and rewards employees who deliver that. Employees are indeed our partners in the many growth initiatives we undertake. We believe a positive and caring leadership style makes our workspaces more vibrant and working more fun.
According to you, what are the essentials of being an innovative business leader?
In my humble view, an innovative leader demonstrates a keen willingness to embrace opportunities. This inspires the team to develop a can-do attitude and always view challenges as opportunities. This kind of leader also needs to be open, inclusive, and caring. A leader who eliminates fear and job insecurity promotes greater innovation. To become an innovative leader, transparency in all aspects and walking the talk are a must.
What would you like to share with the young generation of entrepreneurs looking to step foot in a leadership role in their respective businesses?
The young generation stepping into leadership roles need to foster a work environment that is open, flat, inclusive, empathetic, and results-oriented. They also need to focus on creating a learning organisation and demonstrate that they have something to learn every day. Humility, respect for experience and genuine caring from leaders will enable employees to contribute more than what they are asked for.
In terms of future growth, where do you see yourself and Fusion VR?
Fusion VR will continue to provide excellence in delivering innovative solutions to the manufacturing industry and play a key role for companies embrace in joining the Fourth Industrial revolution. We will continue to work with a broad spectrum of industries and customers in the private as well as government sectors. We firmly believe we will be part of the tremendous manufacturing growth path and blaze our own innovative trail towards the Enterprise Metaverse. As a leader, I will continue to evangelise the enormous potential of Industry 4.0 while encouraging young leaders to be bold, innovative, and persistent in their endeavours.
