February 18, 2022 Forecasted Expected reading time: about 2 min

Microsoft has long been talking about Mesh, the application that enables digital meetings to be held among avatars in a virtual space. In 2022, we may actually experience Microsoft's latest application.

Microsoft's productivity experts have identified two trends from when we shifted from physical meetings to digital meetings as a result of the pandemic. The experts identified that remote workers are more effective than expected, but we miss each other. We miss meeting in the hallways, having a coffee chat, and seeing each other. Many also miss seeing the body language from the other side of the meeting table. Even without using words, body language can tell a lot.

Mixing digital with reality

The ability to see each other via platforms like Microsoft Teams is fantastic, but it requires that we see each other and not just our initials. That's why Microsoft has worked to solve this problem, and is set to start rolling out Mesh for Microsoft Teams in the first half of 2022.

The application combines mixed reality capabilities in Microsoft Mesh, allowing multiple people from different physical locations to collaborate, join virtual meetings, send chat, collaborate on shared documents, and more - but as avatars in virtual meeting rooms.

Image: Microsoft (https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/mesh-for-microsoft-teams/)

Participate in Teams meetings with your own avatar

The first step most Mesh for Teams users will take is to join a standard Teams meeting as a customized avatar of themselves, instead of as a static image or on video. Organizations can also build immersive spaces – metaverses – within Teams. Mesh for Teams users can bring their avatars into these areas to mix and mingle, collaborate on projects, and experience meetings where chance encounters spark innovation.

For larger companies, this is the perfect tool to use for onboarding new employees during the pandemic, with the ability to give new hires an understanding of the company's culture. There's a lot of new and exciting things happening, and it's likely to become the new social meeting place going forward. Initially, users will be able to enjoy premade areas, but will later have the opportunity to create their own exciting areas.