The following aspects of work are improved via AR:

• Collaboration
• Engagement
• Communication (with both consumers and employees)
• E-commerce
• Field service
• Workplace strategies

The overlay of images, objects, and spaces on the physical world transforms the customer experience into an immersive and interactive journey. AR forms a connection between our three-dimensional world and two-dimensional technology, creating a range of possibilities for enterprises of any industry.

An example of how AR can be used in businesses mentioned in the article is customers’ ability to search for information by visualising an object instead of clicking through pages online. Additionally, customers can present a malfunctioning object to a technician unable to see the issue on their end, and can also access the complete history of the relationship between the customer and communications service provider.

According to the article, marketing, e-commerce, and service will achieve the greatest advantages from AR. The following industries are listed as have existing AR use cases, such as remote training:

• Retail
• Healthcare
• Travel
• Public safety
• Banking
• Manufacturing

Specific use cases addressed in the article are:

• “Ask Mercedes”: Mercedes’ AR app virtually assists customers by answering questions about vehicles.
• Warby Parker: This prescription glasses company uses a combination of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence to give glasses recommendations via an infrared camera that captures facial images.
• Westpac Bank: This New Zealand bank has developed an interactive AR mobile app for bank management; customers can scan their bank cards using their phone camera to see and manage their accounts.

Despite these use cases being customer-centric, they bring attention to how enterprises can also implement AR. In the ‘ICT Enterprise Insights Global Survey’ of over 4800 IT professionals, 61% said they have AR investments (minor or significant) planned for 2020, 24% said they have strategic AR investments planned, and 37% said they have minor AR investments.

The article concludes by acknowledging that better understanding of AR technologies will accelerate AR adoption. As AR becomes increasingly more vital for businesses, companies in all sectors must devise long-term strategies.

Read the full report, ‘Market Landscape: The Augmented Reality(AR)-Enabled Customer Experience’ here, and the full article here.

In a Financial Times article, VR has been shown to be involved in planning decisions with the City of London Corporation, in a collaboration with New London Architecture, Innovate UK, and VU.CITY. Using VR, the project has captured detail in a nearly 3kn square area to a 2cm accuracy, a first for an area of this size. According to Alastair Moss, Chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, VR technology will highlight the benefit of planning in regards to space and enhancement of the city. VR planning will offer more advanced urban planning solutions.

Other VR, AR, and MR research reports conducted by IDTechEx include ‘Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality 2020-2030’, and the analysis ‘Optics and Displays in AR, VR and MR 2020-2030: Technologies, Players and Markets’, which provide insights into the future of wearable technology. Over 100 products and 80 companies are reviewed within the former report, providing conclusions about the market future. The latter report offers further detail into optics and display features of the innovative technologies.

Key questions addressed in the reports include:

• What are the major drivers in VR/AR/MR adoption?
• What are the major drivers for optic or display choice in a VR/AR/MR device?
• Which use cases benefit the most from VR/AR/MR technology?
• How will VR/AR/MR sales evolve in the next decade?
• What are the drivers behind future growth?

COVID-19 has shifted more attention onto VR and AR products due to its interactive, hands-free nature, and this focus is expected to remain. The increase of funding and adoption of VR, AR, and MR (Mixed Reality) in the past decade is anticipated to continue into the next decade. Many industries will be affected by the market, due to its result of increased innovation.

Read the full article here, and the full research report by IDTechEx here.

The Airspace Operations Laboratory at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in Silicon Valley developed the AR software. It provides a digital overlay consisting of essential information about a vehicle’s mission, flight patterns, etc., bringing awareness about the local airspace to people such as local public officials, airspace operators, and emergency responders. This is vital for safety reasons and to form communications with local communities as more unconventional aircraft integrate.

AR leverages the capabilities of the Microsoft HoloLens to visualise data in the physical world, helping air traffic management occur in a far more interactive way than has been done previously. In addition to headsets, AR can also be used on smartphones.

NASA’s future in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), which is aiming towards developing air transportations systems that transport people and cargo between aviation-underserved places, will benefit greatly from AR. The technology addresses challenges with uncrewed vehicles; with smaller uncrewed aircraft in urban environments, AR enables ground researchers to help test air traffic management systems by projecting interactive data overlays onto the real world.

During NASA’s final Technical Capability Level demonstration of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management project, the AR software underwent field evaluation. Joey Mercer, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in Silicon Valley, is quoted to have said that AR is a great tool for safely incorporating uncrewed aircraft into complex airspaces. In making automatic traffic system and uncrewed aircraft information accessible and visible, AR is changing how our skies are managed.

Read the full article here.

Gartner reported that from 2016 to 2018, the number of IoT devices increased from 6 billion to 11 billion, and is expected to reach 20 billion by the end of this year. With the advancement of IoT, companies can use these platforms to collect large amounts of data to monitor industrial performance. Each stage of production provides the following information:

• Status Data: a manufacturing robot is working
• Location Data: the position of a product in the production line
• Automation Data: the temperature as regulated by a sensor

AR converts IoT data into relevant information for employees, supporting operation, maintenance, and performance. This increases efficiency and reduces error rates, making optimal use of limited skilled workers. AR leverages “dynamic data” such as:

• Warning signals
• Capacity indicators
• RPM readings
• Temperature readings

The article discusses two industrial use cases for AR: medical device manufacturing and pharmaceutical production, and assembly line in industrial manufacturing. In the first use case, AR can visualise dynamic data such as air filtration or room temperature in the operator’s field of view, using a mobile device or smart glasses. This visualisation allows the medical operator to:

• Monitor changes – the impact that an adjustment has is immediately visible
• Take action immediately – as problems occur, they can be addressed
• Forsee problems before they occur – issues can be avoided in advance

In the second use case, errors can be extremely costly, as even a minute of downtime costs up to $22,000 in the automotive industry. An AR data display therefore helps manufacturing workers with:

• Diagnosing errors – the nature and location of malfunctions on machines are immediately visible
• Performing maintenance and repair – having relevant information in direct view makes equipment servicing and fixing errors easier
• Equipment monitoring – values are shown at the machine instead of on complex dashboards

The article concludes by recognising that combining AR and IoT maximises their potential. A BCG survey has revealed that 80% of businesses already working with either AR or IoT believe that combined solutions will become widespread in their industry in coming years.

Read the full article here, and see RE’FLEKT’s AREA member profile here.

The growth will be primarily driven by China and Japan, which together would be accounting for around 59% of the overall data and content management revenue in the region.

Increasing demand for optimising business process and improving efficiency are set to propel the adoption of data and content management solutions in the region, the research says.

“Enterprises are inclined to SaaS-based data and content management software as they exhibit the potential to provide flexibility, cost-effectiveness and are easy to manage,” says Siddharth Tiwari, technology analyst at GlobalData.

“Cloud-based offerings are assisting organisations with the capabilities of the minimum hardware requirements by optimal and shared utilisation,” he explains.

“The large presence of SMEs across APAC augments the adoption of relatively low-cost cloud-based data and content management solutions for different business needs.”

According to the research, exponential growth in the web and mobile generated content through varied sources like blogs and social media platforms have resulted in the growth of structured as well as unstructured content, which has, in turn, led to the increased proliferation of data and content management solutions adoption amongst the enterprises.

“The demand for data and content management is likely to be more in large enterprises as these companies have a huge amount of data in their repository, which can only be handled with this solution,” says Tiwari.

“Enterprises are considering improving their data and content management, increasing the ease-of-use and accessibility of their solutions by implementing cloud deployment, which would also provide the additional benefits of lower costs and less maintenance,” he says.

In terms of verticals, manufacturing will witness the highest growth rate in the data and content management market, followed by energy.

Data and content management solutions in these sectors offer various benefits such as the extended life of content for a regulatory purpose, centralise location and quick access for content, and efficient management and publication of content.

“New developments related to data and content management bring an exciting new realm of possibilities as enterprises are looking to automate and modernise the workplace and empower next-gen workforce,” says Tiwari.

“Furthermore, increasing adoption of cloud analytics and growing inclination toward data integration would further increase the adoption of data and content management solutions in the coming years.”

The original article can be viewed here.

FourPlus launched in April, and provides high-end virtual laboratories allowing technicians to train using head-mounted displays. The Birmingham (UK) based company is already liaising with customers and working on a project; they design bespoke solutions, however are also working on off-the-shelf software. Mulhall will be talking about her company at the 17^th Annual bioProcessUK Conference this December at a pitching event for best new technology.

According to her, reducing consumable costs and “taking equipment out of production” for training is beneficial. Further advantages of VR technology mentioned in the article include:

• “Learning by productive failure” – technicians can make errors in VR that they couldn’t in a physical lab
• Allows for data capture and visualisation – for example, locating which areas a technician has cleaned
• Personalised training to the experiences and background of each user

Mulhall explains why she founded the company, stating that the oil and gas industry is advancing in its use of VR, therefore she thought the technology would also be useful for life sciences. FourPlus have a large, multi-disciplinary developer team working on transferring life science processes into VR, overcoming industry obstacles.

Read the full article here.

Remote working environments require an appropriate substitute for physical human interaction in addition to compelling digital content. Scott Likens, PwC’s Emerging Technology Leader, emphasises that VR is suitable for learning human skills, and is a more immersive vessel for training than face-to-face or standard online training.

VR training statistics stated in the report include:

• Employees’ confidence to act on training increased by 275% when using VR, compared to 198% for classroom training
• VR was up to 4 times faster than classroom training, and took two-thirds as long as e-learning methods

Likens further commented that VR enables participants to focus better due to less distraction. He also suggests that, during remote work, employers could send out sanitised headsets to workers’ homes. Towers-Clark recognises that this could nullify the time and cost effectiveness of VR, although research is being put into solving this issue. For example, Dr. Anna Carolina Muller Queiroz, an expert in VR education research, is quoted to have said that many businesses are developing a virtual workspace to “bring the environment closer psychologically”.

The article concludes by assessing the revolutionary possibilities of VR in the working environment. Even after the pandemic, new technology will be required for engagement, accessibility, and mental wellness during remote working. Currently, continued fervour is needed for keeping VR costs and content in check while it is utilised for training and work.

The idea of the piece is that Combier hacks the Hype Cycle, observing at each point that very early on, much like the technology’s journey through the Hype Cycle, the customer themself goes through a similar cycle as well. The piece follows the customer journey through the technology trigger, the peak of inflated expectations, the trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment and plateau of productivity.

The Hype Cycle

1. Technology trigger

This is the initial phase of any rising technology where the concepts and ideas related to technology take place. No products are launched in the market, and the management is keen on people’s interest.

Following our customer journey metaphor, no attempt to use the technology has happened yet.

2. The peak of inflated expectations

In the second stage, the technology is implemented in the market and a lot of publicity happens on both successful and unsuccessful criteria.

Hopes for AR and knowledge distribution skyrocket as key influencers in the customer’s organization get onboard, spawning long-term strategy impacts on whiteboards. It’s in these meetings where the technology is heavily oversold to blue sky futures, and distanced from the practical realities for which they were intended.

3. Dip/Trough of disillusionment

This is a crucial phase where many companies fail to alter their products with upgraded versions and [too] few who were successful in addressing problems [have the ability to] continue investing more.

The first results with a customer are in, and they are a bit of a let-down. What happened?! The fair-weather champions in the management team now flip 180 degrees.

4. Slope of betterment/enlightenment

At this point, innovation and investment become more important for growth as, companies establish products based on future technology and test them in the real environment.

Now somewhat seasoned, the end users and adjacent teams within the customer learn more about their own use cases and applications for AR.

5. Elevation/Plateau in productivity

In the last phase, productivity elevates and deepens its root in that technological field. Products become widely implemented in technology and producers establish quality standards.

Finally, long term productivity improvements set in, however it only experiences a gradual growth in impact because of internal scarcity in AR authoring skills and the difficulty of scaling customization for their use cases.

The author then goes on to explain their approach in terms of the 3 key things that you can do to help a company scale augmented reality faster, more productively, and more legitimately.

1. Realize early that AR is not a silver bullet
2. Start with the right use case, then scale
3. On-board, enable and train with the right Partners

These three key topics are then explored in detail in the full blog.

Ravindra Puranik, oil and gas analyst at GlobalData, commented, “The growing use of wearable devices, smartphones and tablets in the oil and gas industry is making it conducive for the adoption of AR applications in the industry. Combining AR with technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), big data and artificial intelligence (AI) will help in the creation of more holistic solutions for O&G applications, including real-time detection and repair of equipment breakdown.

Chevron, a leading O&G company has equipped its field technicians with the Microsoft’s Hololens for undertaking routine maintenance tasks. The Hololens enables the technicians to receive remote technical assistance while performing challenging tasks, thereby improving efficiency. Chevron conducted several trails with Hololens and is now set to increase the deployment of these kits at its operations worldwide. This could encourage other operators to follow suit and thus increase the penetration of AR technology in O&G in the near future.

O&G companies are collaborating with tech companies, such as Microsoft and Google to develop industry-specific AR solutions. Tech start-ups are also joining in the effort to develop customised AR solutions for the specific needs of the O&G companies.

Puranik noted, “AR startups, such as Fieldbit has developed solutions for aiding O&G operations by delivering real-time information to field technicians. BP successfully tested these solutions in 2017 and then went for mass adoption in its US operations.”

AR can be used to facilitate field technicians to maintain a digital checklist of regular tasks, offering notifications and reminders on pending tasks.

Puranik added, “The ability to deliver remote technical assistance via AR devices is helping companies save transportation costs and eliminate delays in attending to equipment breakdown. It speeds up maintenance activities while also safeguarding personnel by preventing them from making technical errors.”

Rupantar Guha, thematic analyst at GlobalData, commented, “Enterprises are starting to recognise the benefits of AR in training, remote assistance, maintenance and repair, and customer support. COVID-19 is fueling the adoption of AR devices such as smart glasses across several industrial applications, and it will continue in the coming years. Despite this, GlobalData believes large-scale enterprise adoption of AR is still some way away. The technology’s high cost and relative immaturity, combined with significant privacy concerns, will prevent widespread enterprise adoption of AR for at least the next three years. Large enterprises will be the prime adopters of AR during this period, while small and medium-sized businesses across all industries will wait to see evidence of long-term benefits before investing.”

Currently, the global MRO sector is significantly changing; manufacturing and economic growth is fuelling the demand for repair and maintenance. These activities are being accelerated via Augmented Reality solutions to attain MRO efficiency in global, independent, private, and public enterprises. Industry standards are still in the development phase, but AR for the MRO market is expanding and providing opportunities for industry players.

Key points mentioned from the report include:

• AR for MRO market was worth $403.3 million in 2018, and is estimated to reach $3319 million by 2024
• The Western Europe AR market has the largest presence, with the US driving the market
• AR-based innovation has gained traction in the past 3 years
• AR software solutions have a broad scope of use in MRO
• Example use case: AR solutions provide businesses with the ability to monitor and examine engine parts, allow for a motion preview of a running engine, and analyse airline maintenance operations
• AR applications enable greater efficiency and accuracy
• Technologies such as machine learning, cognitive computing, and cloud computing are allowing for the growth of AR for MRO

The global AR market is analysed by applications, regions, components, and industry verticals. The applications are: system surveys and audits, risk identification and management, performance modelling and benchmarking, and preventive and corrective maintenance. Regions covered include: North American, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. The components are separated into AR hardware and AR software. Industry verticals focused on in the report are: manufacturing, automotive, utilities, oil and gas, and aerospace.

Key vendors, identified based on geographical presence, marketing and distribution, portfolio, significant events, and revenue generation, mentioned in the report include:

• AREA Member PTC Inc.
• AREA Member Atheer, Inc.
• AREA Member Upskill
• Microsoft Corporation
• Google LLC
• Apple Inc.
• Blippar.com Ltd.