AREA Research Agenda

The AREA Research Agenda is a living resource focused on filling gaps in industry knowledge and removing obstacles to the widespread adoption of Augmented Reality in industry. It is intended to inform research organizations, governmental and non-governmental funding organizations, and corporate planners who are establishing or updating their research priorities to address enterprise AR ecosystem needs. When more understudied research topics receive funding, and when the research findings are published, the entire ecosystem benefits.

Instructions: Click on a Category or Keyword of interest. Then, click on a Title to access the research topic description.

Research Topic Selection

The AREA Research Agenda identifies the topics on which research has high potential for impact based on prioritization of gaps in documented research and shared knowledge. Prioritization of gaps is established using data science and the following sources:

• Find AR – A searchable database about enterprise AR in ACM and IEEE publication databases since January 2017.
• Past AREA research project candidate topics submitted by AREA members.
• AREA members’ research interests.
• Research Agenda Project Team members’ collective expertise.

Research Gap Identification Methodology

The AREA Research Agenda begins with the current research landscape for industrial AR formed exclusively on the basis of research published after January 2017 and including June 2021 in the peer-reviewed literature. Standards, patents, books, and engineering dissertations are not included. The Research Agenda leverages Engineering Village, a recognized technical document search tool.

Research Categories

• Business – Business operations and strategy, integration with existing business infrastructure, logistics, policies.
• Displays – Design, development, and use of displays for Augmented Reality experience delivery, including device energy management, display technology, optics, wearables.
• End Users/UX – Computer human interfaces, Human Factors, human-computer interaction, presence, users.
• Industries –Including Automotive, Aviation and Aerospace, Chemical, Construction, Consumer Products, Cultural Heritage, Education, Emergency Response, Farming and Natural Sciences, Government, Industrial Equipment, Liberal Arts, Manufacturing, Marine, Medical, Metals and Mining, Oil and Gas, Power and Energy, Telecommunications, Transportation, Utilities.
• Standards – Business and technical standards to address interoperability and conventions for AR adoption in enterprises or industries.
• Technology – All engineering domains, including software and hardware for Artificial Intelligence, audio, computer vision, data, developers, engineering, geospatial, graphics, input, IoT, networks, robotics, security, semiconductors, sensors, simulation, video, web services.
• Use Cases – Including collaboration, inspection, safety, quality, maintenance, navigation, smart cities, training.