Augmented reality and virtual reality are about a lot more than playing games on the couch. The companies Fast Company is honoring in this category reflect that, with AR and VR tools for medicine, filmmaking, business presentations, shopping, and, yes, entertainment. They treat the technology as more than a gimmick, using AR and VR to enhance perceptions and understanding in everything from household repairs to medical treatments.

XRHealth, for instance, uses virtual reality to provide clinician-guided medical care, from PT exercises to mental health therapy. Medivis offers augmented reality views of a patient’s body to doctors, helping them see real-time imagery data as they plan surgeries. Bilt provides consumers 3D instructions for do-it-yourself tasks from changing a flat tire to unclogging a garbage disposal, along with tutorials for common tools. Similarly, JigSpace enables more intricate demonstrations in the professional realm, with augmented reality presentations including elements from computer-aided design files describing products to clients from Pepsico to Alfa Romeo. For ordinary computing tasks, Xreal has produced unobtrusive sunglass-like augmented reality glasses that are compatible with a wide range of devices, including most popular computers, smartphones, and video game consoles. And powering such popular AR and VR headsets as the Meta Quest 3 are chips from Qualcomm, which also created software that makes it easier to create AR experiences across Android devices.

On the entertainment side, AmazeVR has built tools for quickly putting together virtual reality concerts for artists Megan Thee Stallion and Zara Larsson; while Disguise has rolled out AI-enabled technology to capture actors and other performers as they move on stage without the need for special suits. And Sandbox VR has proved virtual reality gaming doesn’t have to be a solitary affair, with immersive multiplayer arcades that capture player motion from head to toe.

1. QUALCOMM

For building the processors that enable today’s cutting-edge AR/VR technology

2. SANDBOX VR

For transforming VR into group fun

3. XRHEALTH

For using virtual reality to treat a variety of health conditions, even in space

4. DISGUISE

For revealing the power of big, immersive graphics—live and on TV

5. XREAL

For making AR displays that work with the devices you already use

6. JIGSPACE

For helping people show, not tell

7. MEDIVIS

For helping surgeons be better at their jobs

8. AMAZEVR

For making virtual reality concerts the real deal

9. BILT

For demystifying home, auto, and bike repair with interactive walk-throughs

10. JOURNEE

For bridging the gap between augmented reality and the web