Farmers, Geico, and Progressive to Go VR

Farmers Insurance is showing off a new training scheme that uses virtual reality. Its employees and loss adjusters are sent into virtual reality situations to do job training exercises. This creates a safe environment in which Farmers' staff can learn every part of the job without having to do so in the real world.

Farmers Using VR

The scheme is currently being rolled out to all Farmers Insurance offices. The goal is to show its importance in training employees in situations that would otherwise be difficult to create. With the virtual reality tech, the only limit to a scenario is imagination. Having invested almost half a million USD in the new technology, it is clear that Farmers believes in its benefits.

Geico and Progressive Follow Suit

Geico and Progressive have been watching from the sidelines to see the benefits. Soon, they will be looking to implement the scheme themselves. These companies are paying extra attention as the results start coming in. The tech will become cheaper as it becomes more readily available. We expect other insurance companies to follow Geico, Progressive, and Farmers in the investment over the next few years. VR will allow all involved to assess the risks we face every day. How will VR affect your Geico or Progressive insurance policy? We don't know yet.

VR in Other Industries

The beauty of the idea is that we can use it in other industries, and it will be really useful in environments where you need a lot of real-world experience to do the job. For example, Formula One drivers have long used simulators to recreate track and car conditions without having to actually get into a car, so VR is a natural step forward. What has started with insurers like Geico and Progressive will soon spread. It is likely we will one day train our astronauts in VR environments, as well as many other workers in high-risk professions. It would also make for an interesting Career Day at school if you could get a VR taste of the job you might like to try.