Women are pushing boundaries in all fields, but 2022 is predicted to see a rise in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) as a field. No surprise, some of the top companies and most innovative research are being run by women.

To define the terms, VR is a virtual and interactive experience whereas AR uses real life but can be enhanced. Think of VR as putting on the goggles and AR as a Snapchat filter.

VR and AR aren't just about video games and experiences, all though many women are creating this kind of technology, it can also be applied to business and decision making, healthcare, real estate, tourism, architecture and learning. As tech continues to advance, VR/AR will become more and more accessible as well as common in workplace settings.

Facebook announced the launching of the metaverse as a virtual social ground, but this kind of technology will take some time to get there. For now, learn about the inspirational women creating a virtual future.

10 Yasmin Elayat

Elayat is an Emmy award-winning director for creating immersive experiences in film and art. She is the co-founder of the company Scatter where she heads creative and innovative initiatives as the Chief Innovation Officer. Scatter is credited to creating volumetric filmmaking, a combination of techniques from film and interactive video gaming. Their technology Dephtkit is the most widely-used volumetric film toolkit in the global industry.

Apart from her contributions to the creative world through technology and storytelling, she is an advocate for social and political issues which include racial justice, cyber security and the accessibility and diversity of technology. Follow her on social media to keep up with the current conversations around VR and technology.

9 April Speight

Speight is one of those multipotentialites who can work in anything from luxury fashion to cloud spatial computing. She currently works with Microsoft as an educator in spatial computing, and she is launching a Python learning program for kids.

She enjoys creating virtual experiences through her work at Microsoft and leveraging education at the heart of any tech project.

8 Dr. Helen Papagiannis

Dr. Pagagiannis is an artist, designer and researcher who currently works for the World Economic Forum to use VR/AR to explore global models of the economy. She founded the company XRgoes Pop which is a magazine for VR. On her Instagram, she declares being a pioneer of AR since 2005, along with becoming an augmented author and game creator. Overall, she sees her work no matter in what field as art.

7 Christina Heller

Heller is the CEO of Metastage and previous CEO of VR Playhouse, in her 15 years of volumetric VR content creation, she is pushing to build immersive experiences.

On the Metastage Instagram, you can see implications for their technology in creating body positivity, immersive music videos and film implications. Heller's work goes beyond entertainment and is pushing boundaries in tech.

6 Elizabeth Reede

Co-founder of BLVD Elizabeth Reede comes from an art and design background but is using her passion to team up with VR. Her company partners with museums and art exhibits to create virtual art experiences that can be enjoyed around the world.

She is a leader in virtual experiences which have gained popularity since 2019 and are projected to skyrocket.

5 Yuka Kojima & FOVE

Kojima is more than a VR pioneer but a global businesswoman, in 2017 she was named in Forbes Asia's 30 under 30 list. She kick-started her career as a project head for Sony Entertainment in video game development, but after discovering VR left for her own endeavors.

A Kickstarter campaign that raised $11 Million in funding led to her breakout invention with company FOVE: the first VR headset with eye-tracking potential. The headset revolutionized VR and now stands as the base of the industry.

4 Christine Cattano

Head of Immersive, US, at Framestore Christine Cattano has been working in content creation for over 15 years. Her company aims to bring the highest quality virtual immersive experiences with collaborators like HBO's Game of Thrones, Microsoft, Samsung and Volkswagon.

From amusements parks to nature and entertainment, Cattano is lifting technology out of traditional senses.

Related: The 30 Percent Club: An Organization Bridging The Gender Gap In Worldwide Senior Management

3 Jeanne L. & BeingAI

Jeanne L. Is one of the female icons in tech, AI, VR and AR. Pictured above with her team at BeingAI, it is the first transmedia AI company. If you don't know what that means, it is an innovative and multidimensional form of storytelling.

Jeanne L. is famous for her work at Hanson Robotics, the company with the first humanoid Robot Sofia, and her non-profit organization the Nama Institute.

2 Ana Garcia Puyol & Meta

Get ready for the Metaverse with Ana Garcia Puyol, the Harvard design graduate who is head of facebook's meta-project.

The aim of the project is to create new ways for social connection in the meta-universe, it might all sound a little inception-y but it is the most anticipated futuristic project that everyone is talking about on social media.

Stay tuned for further development by Puyol.

Related: 10 Top Trends Going Into 2022 you need to follow

1 Jerri Ellsworth

Jerri Ellsworth is another VR giant working out of Silicon Valley. She first founded CastAR in 2013, a VR/AR software technology company and now is the CEO of Tilt 5, which focuses on bringing board games into the metaverse.

Ellsworth is passionate about building dimensional and immersive experiences of the future, and no doubt she will do just that.

Next: 10 Women Influencing Tech Today

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