All right. Well, hello ladies. I'm really, really excited to be a part of this um amazing community. Um So my name is Nancy Copelands. I'm the senior vice president of Inflection Consulting Services and managing director of the Exchange, which is a networking group.Um So my background is in augmented and virtual reality. Um I built with my team, the longest running Augmented Reality experience in 2018, currently involved in autonomous vehicle innovation and A R and VR. So we'll be talking a little bit about robotics, augmented and virtual reality today.

Um So I wanna start off with everyone. Let's imagine a world where the streets were empty and the world became closer than ever. Seems like it was just yesterday that COVID hit, right. And so we had to transition into a virtual world immediately. So not only did our Children have to learn from home, but we had to work from home as well. And um some companies were able to flourish in this environment and others were kind of struggling. Um And it was really left up to each and every one of us to figure out how do we navigate this new world. And yet one of the biggest things that occurred out of this and I want you to really think about the answer. But what do you think the greatest global epidemic has been? All right. I wanna see if any of you answer this. It's loneliness. So it has been proven that loneliness is as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. And especially with COVID, we all were isolated and forced into isolation. And so that really ramped up that um effect of loneliness. So what is our new normal now? Um Well, because of the last year and a half that we've been mainly in isolation, um We have now found out that there has been an enhanced amount of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and unfortunately, suicide among our friends and family.

Um There's been a massive work environment shift that has happened where, you know, positively have a flexible autonomous um kind of work schedule now that really helps specifically for women um and balance in mind. Um But with all of that, the reality check here is that 50% of America's labor force are women. And of these women have still handle all household duties while working full time. So you're really doing two jobs at once, one getting paid and the other one by love. Um But this is something I want you to really think about us as females within technology. And so really what is the solution when it comes to this? Um And that's where mixed reality and robotics comes into play, especially as women technologists, we become more in the forefront of these types of innovations. We can now insert our own personal experiences into the actual experiences we have within these different alternate realities.

And so this is why now in history, it is the absolute best time to have women come through and be leaders within these technologies because we are now advanced enough to be able to utilize technology um on a one on one basis. So it's and it's very accessible. So it's not too expensive to be able to access this type of innovation as well as automation. Now with artificial intelligence, um we are able to do things we were never able to do even five years ago. And so this is where the power of alternate realities comes into play. And so that's where we have here, we have here um virtual reality, this is here, glove. So haptics wear where we can actually feel while we're in virtual reality. And then over here on the bottom, left hand side is eye tracking motion. So not only are we in an alternate reality, but we can see where eyeballs are going and where we're intuitively interacting with these virtual realities, which is data that is very, very helpful for us.

Because when you're in an alternate reality, it is proven that your brain cannot discern the difference between a physical and alternate reality that is huge because this is where women can really shine with our superpowers. So currently, we have 97% of all augmented virtual reality and robotics um development created by men, right? So with that, we're inserting an unconscious bias um by not having women developing these technologies and not being intuitive to our own experiences that is changing.

But we have a lot of uh a lot of way to go. Um The other thing is that while we are coding these experiences, this is where women can really shine, which is the empathetic responses and emotional cues that we need in spatial computing interactions. So the biggest thing when we're talking about augmented and virtual reality is content. So just like we're doing content and social media, we need content to be made within augmented and virtual realities. And this is where women can truly make an impact with that. The next thing is solo tasking. So I know as women, we are the queens of multitasking. However, it is proven that if you do one task at a time, you're more efficient. But as we have the innate ability to multitask, we can actually integrate that type of uh system into a robotics um structure. So we have found that um as we utilize robotics in our labor intensive types of work, it actually increases human efficiency time by 85%. Um which is phenomenal just because that also increases safety in the workplace um And that's some place that obviously as women, we're intuitive and we have that nurturing ability. Um And as mothers that we want to have safe working places. All right. Now, I wanna kind of shift your thinking when it comes to alternate realities because sometimes it's a little hard to kind of wrap your brain around it. But what we are doing in these alternate realities now is no longer do you enter in experience?

You actually are the experience. So I really want you to think about that because what that really does is it opens up the capabilities of us to have human interaction. So just like when in COVID, we were isolated, we didn't all have um virtual reality headsets or anything like that. However, we're moving in that direction and this is where women can truly help. So this is kind of a case study that occurred where um as I said, the brain cannot discern the difference between alternate and physical realities. So there was a study done where they took people um and put them through a solitary confinement um situation in virtual reality.

They were not um needing to go into solitary confinement, but they wanted to understand the psychological impact of that. Um And what they found is that the psychological impact of being in, in in solitary confinement, drastically increased mental health issues in people that were not needing to be in solitary confinement. So they found that there actually is no rehabilitative um component to that type of um I guess system. Uh if you're, if you're in the penitentiary system. And so because of that, we were able to understand that by utilizing these sympathetic responses and studies to find this out, the other place that women will definitely shine in. Um A R and VR is in the classroom. Um I'm sure a lot of you are mothers and had to navigate um school from home and doing the online learning and all that stuff and everyone's zooming and all the troubles and hacks that all the students and all your kids figured out. But honestly, when it comes to virtual reality, I think this is gonna be an amazing space for students to, to really authentically be themselves, but also lead um female teachers, educators and technologists to really truly um bridge that gap between an in person and a virtual experience to really enhance the educational um environment for our kids.

And so I think this is gonna be the next space that I think a lot of women are really going to gravitate towards, to in, in increase the innovation and from here. Um And I wanted to show you that even though we've been doing virtual reality and augmented reality for realistically the past 10 years, even though it's been 20 but really getting into it for the last 10 years, there has been significant um innovations that have occurred specifically women led innovation finding out um that you can actually reverse PTSD, depression, anxiety and phobias through mental health exercises through virtual reality.

Again, our brain cannot discern the difference, right? And so because of that, they have been able to reverse these mental health issues as well as mitigating brain degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia, right. So we've been trying to find this cure for these diseases for a very long time. And here it is in, in a new innovative technology like virtual reality. Um And they found that that there is a more long standing impact with these technologies to help these patients than it is with traditional physical um or mental therapies. All right. And I didn't cover a lot about robotics, but one of my favorite places that I love talking about is robotics or collaborative robots and especially with COVID. Um there was a huge demand for sanitation robots, whether it was in hospitals, supply chain management, efficiencies in warehouses, right?

So all of our Amazon packages, they needed to get sanitized before we got to them. Um There is now such an explosion and a need for collaborative robots. And this is where I can see um women really playing a role, especially on the efficiencies of supply chain management as well as the distribution side um to be able to bake in a structure that can be a lot more intuitive and um a lot more room for innovation. And the last part and this is my favorite one is companion robots. Um There has been a great deal of artificial intelligence being um innovated upon, especially with these types of A I components or A I um deliverable um robots where it comes from, we have Sophia, which was the first iteration. Um And she was actually made by a man as well as her personality. Um Little Sophia came in as an educational tool for Children. And now they've reiterated into a custom platform where you can actually basically clone a person and they can go through um a series of tests and mental exams as well to basically find and pinpoint their personality and how to mimic that.

And the artificial intelligence um software can actually read that and build upon that. So this is where if we're going to be utilizing um technology like this, trying to clone women, that's where women should definitely be innovating for sure. Um And now I want to talk about the future because we are realistically really living in a two D world right now, almost in a 3d world, right? So two D is our laptop. As we are speaking right now, you're seeing me on a screen in two dimensions. Um 3D is when we'll be able hopefully next year to be in virtual reality in a conference setting that you can see me in 3D. And what's really gonna happen within the next 5 to 10 years is a convergence of all these realities. And what that really means is that we now are unleashing the boundaries of what we can actually conceive as ideas, concepts, activities, interactions to where we can actually play around with multidimensional spatial cognition between these realities and really um create a boundless area for us to innovate.

And I believe that this is the true space that women will make a difference because on a day to day basis, we have to be problem solving on so many different concepts all at one time in real time that I believe this is where we'll be able to take that in intuition that we have and create some amazing um tools out there that we can utilize and really bring the humanistic um component to interacting.

Again, I think technology these last few years have kind of separated us and now it's our time to be able to bring all of us together through technology and to make us more interconnected. So that's kind of a few things that I wanted to share. And this is kind of one of the things and mantras that I've been really living this last year, which is physically distancing socially connecting through emerging technology. And if you want to connect with me, I would love to um get to know each and every one of you just connect with me on um linkedin. Um I am on there and message me and I already got a few messages and I'll get back to you. But I am so excited to be a part of this. If there's any questions, please let me know through the chat. But that's all I have. Let me see. How can I do this? There we go.

Hey, Nancy. Awesome presentation. So interesting. I feel like you think, you know a little bit about these things and then someone pops on here with just way more insight than we have. So, thank you so much. I think we have a couple more minutes if you don't mind, if I pick your brain really quick. Definitely. Yes. OK. Awesome. So, and if people have questions in the chat, drop them in there and we can grab them quickly as well. But um you know, I thought it was so interesting when you were explaining that our brain can't tell the difference between the two realities, right? I think for those of us that have maybe just tried a game version of this kind of, of these, you know, VR or things like that, we may not get kind of that full experience where we can see the difference. But I think it was when you started talking about, you know, mental health supports and really like tangible functions of how these tools can be used that we start to kind of see that a little deeper. Tell me a little bit more about the multidimensional concept. What would that actually look like? What do. What do you think of when we say that to you?

OK. So a really good analogy would be if you've ever seen 3d Chess and you've played that in an app? Um Basically think of two of those 3d chess layers working with each other and playing multilevels. And that's kind of the idea that really translates in like right now, our most common thing that we're using is apps, right, apps on our phones. So it's a two D world that we're trying to integrate into a 3d world right now. What happens in this multidimensional space is that we're literally alleviating any dimensional boundaries. So if you want to basically tele kinetically speak to someone through this technology, you can um we're moving in a direction that we will have implants within the next 10 years.

So babies can be born with already contact and um like tooth implants already integrated into our bodies. Um that can basically take data sets of, you know, your health and everything else is like that. So it's not as scary as it sounds. However, it's one of those things that as, and I think this is where women really help out too. Is that as we understand, kind of um as we have that nurturing ability, what are the lines that what's my privacy and what do I protect versus what information, who, what am I gonna share? And I think this is where women can really truly shine is on the corporate governance level um to determine that.

Yeah, I think some of those body integrations are where people start to worry about privacy and where that line is, right? Do you, is there a piece of it, Nancy? When people I'm sure you get this question like is there a part of it you're afraid of or a part of it that you think we need to watch out for with? Is there any cautions that you tend to give when, when you're asked this?

Yeah, I, I mean, the biggest one I think is just the motivations of developing these technologies. Um And so really the biggest one is corporate um just intentions. And I think this is where the first step is truly getting more women on leadership roles and positions is where we need to figure that out first and foremost. Um And that comes into being able to say, hey, you know, if you work for a corporation right now and it's all men that's on the board or maybe one a great way to start is asking your leadership, can we have an advisory board, an inclusive advisory board of, of, of our team members and of our employees start there and you'll start seeing chipping away at that, that you'll have a lot more inclusivity with that.

Yeah, that's a great tip because you're not necessarily stomping in there going we need to hire X number more women something we're hiring as a cost to it. It's more complicated. But, you know, and that's maybe, maybe that's the platform that you want to take as well. But in this case of the example you gave, it's great for you, for you to kind of come in with an idea that maybe is a little bit more tangible, a little easier to start with like an advisory board. So I think that's a really great tip of somewhere to start. We got another question in the chat here. I, I'm keeping you on the spot. Um I got another question in the chat just asking, what are you most excited about for the future,

Nancy? Well, for me, it's honestly working with more women in technology. Um, you know, I'm working with a consulting firm that we really work with, um, really high tech innovations and we have to create um, solutions for problems that haven't even been invented yet. Um And so it's really, really helpful to have a diverse group of women typically is what I'm looking for. Um, and just the idea of really having a strong support network of women that are just trying to innovate, but also on the corporate side, you know, it's really hard and it's kind of, um lonely sometimes that, you know, if you're doing this for so long and, and you have to figure all these things out on your own.

I my main thing is just getting a bigger network of women to work together.

Wonderful, such a wonderful concept. And of course, here today, many, many women in tech coming together for exactly this reason that you're describing, we need to kind of support each other and be here and just learn about what each other are doing, right? And see if there's ways that we can all kind of collaborate. So, um so awesome, the work that you're doing, Nancy, I'm sure, you know, there's more that are happening. So if you have, if you're around throughout the rest of the conference or you said linked to people can find you so really great opportunity to continue to connect and um and talk about this very, very interesting topic. So, thanks so much for being here today, Nancy. Thank

you, Margo. Thank you ladies. I'll be hanging out in the chat.