One use case of AR discussed in the article is Swiss equipment manufacturer Bühler Group’s use of Schneider Electric’s ExoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor (AOA). This enables operator access to information such as safety instructions, checklists, CAD drawings, and manuals, overlaid onto physical equipment using a mobile device’s camera. Human error, repair time, and downtime are all greatly reduced as a result of the technology.

Preston Lockwood, Maintenance Manager at the Lexington facility of Schneider Electric, has said that AOA allows for flexibility, as any operator can complete a task with AR guidance and support.

Safety

The visibility that AR provides in regards to identifying sensors on machinery means that workers are safer, and time is saved. Technicians can see sensors and valves in real time and identify problems without having to “lock out”. This previously involved technicians opening the gate and locking out the machine, which exposed equipment inside, creating a risk. Since AOA provides much more information, the team can go without entering the machine, which is a lot safer.

Leading the Way

Recently, Emerson Automation Solutions launched its Plantweb Optics Augmented Reality, aiding manufacturers with managing critical asset performance. Helping operators to locate assets is particularly useful for new employees or contract workers. Vineesh Kapoor, Product Management Director for Plantweb, explains that the AR application provides a route towards a device, reducing time spent. Additionally, Plantweb Optics AR allows for better, faster decisions, as engineers can access data easily without extra conversations.

Field collaborations are significant in process industries, as AR enables technicians and experts to share a screen a fix assets faster and safer. Engineers can also access instructions and procedures quickly, which experts can overlay onto equipment via the AR app.

Emerson Automation Solutions also provides an ROI calculator to estimate AR payback and how much money is being saved by reducing field trips. Kapoor has further stated that many businesses are bringing in new talent from technical schools who require training. AR and VR enhance this experience, increasing engagement.

The article concludes by reiterating the huge benefit of AR, specifically in regards to saving time. Technicians can call the Plantweb Optics AR app and move through each step of repairing assets a lot quicker than before.

Read the full article here.

The following industries are named as ones which XR is helping to survive and thrive:

• Manufacturing
• Education
• Healthcare
• Marketing
• Tourism
• Design
• Consumer goods

Although AR and VR have been developing since the 1960s, this technology industry is less than seven years old. Overhype was detrimental in delaying integration, and even after vast improvements, adaptation and adoption are at a slower pace than assumed.

Important points made in regards to forecasts and the future of XR in the article include:

• By 2030, it is anticipated that XR will boost the global economy by $1.5 trillion; jobs enhanced by AR and VR is expected to increase from under one million in 2019 to over 20 million.
• Edge computing and 5G are stated as other reasons for this growth, as they ensure seamless immersive experiences by allowing for high-speed, mass transmission of large data.
• Boosting XR benefits, edge computing and 5G enable new ecosystems of real-time data applications, improve image quality, and reduce latency.

A VR use case during COVID-19 is from the University of Bristol in relation to medicine. Their creation of a 3D model allows researchers to visualise the virus and test potential vaccines and cures in simulations. In addition to the acceleration of knowledge, the model allows for remote collaboration between researchers.

Other examples of companies integrating VR for remote collaboration are:

• Seymourpowell : a strategic design and innovation consultancy uses their platform Reality Works with VR to enable their team to create 3D designs together remotely.
• The Leadership Network: using their Gemba VR platform, the executive training organisation moved masterclasses into a virtual sphere.
• Virtuality: European ARVR tradeshow partnered with Manzalab Group, using their solution Teemew Event to digitalise their physical arena.
• Engage: this immersive education VR platform extended to host more people at a time (150).

XR technology now involves more advanced eye and hand tracking capabilities to prove ROI by measuring customer engagement. Key point in relation to this mentioned in the article include:

• A global consumer goods enterprise partnered with Accenture, utilising VR to safely host focus groups, evaluating effectiveness before making business decisions. As a result, sales and profit increased.
• MyndPlay, EEG brainwave technology, was integrated into OculusGo headsets, flagging up which adverts alerted individuals’ attention. Recent studies show that 80% of customers are more likely to purchase a service or product from personalised recommendations.

The use of AR in social apps is also addressed. The greater accessibility and lower cost of AR had led to a faster adoption than VR. Additionally, there is said to be great potential in how AR and MR technologies have progressed, shaping how individuals interact with the physical world. For example, Scape Technologies (recently acquired by Facebook) uses computer vision, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence to pin AR and MR content to specific geographical locations.

Apple’s latest development of AR glasses are mentioned as an example of upcoming, mainstream XR products. These new XR innovations suggest that the technology industry is evolving and democratising. Companies are encouraged to adopt XR technologies for an enterprise advantage.

Due to acceleration by COVID-19, APM Terminals discovered the advantages that AR, VR, and XR provide for different aspect of the company. Gavin Laybourne, Chief Information Officer at APM, has said that the adoption of these technologies is to increase data quality and offer more data that can be accessed immediately for employees. Engineers can share screens and documentation remotely.

Previously, APM engineers may have used devices such as tablets or GoPro cameras to liaise remotely. However, ARVR technologies supply more effective tools, while reducing costs and increasing employee safety. Employees have less health risk by working in virtual scenarios from home.

In a container port, Artificial Intelligence can also be used in conjunction with AR, VR, and XR. This enables real-time intervention of issues pertaining to health, safety, security, and environment. Laybourne also said that one of APM’s terminals runs 50 cameras using AI with Microsoft to spot these issues all 24 hours of the day. When the technology is integrated with AR, VR, and XR, the tools become even more powerful.

Usually, company personnel at APM will travel to specific terminals to oversee operators’ work and provide feedback, but the pandemic created a requirement for remote work. Laybourne further explained that ARVR technology allows for live supervision via headsets, believing that the technology will soon be part of daily business.

Previous concerns about the need for high connectivity have reduced, as progression of the technology makes stable connectivity the only requirement. The article concludes with another quote from Laybourne, stating that understanding how ARVR technology helps frontline workers is key to integration.

By investing in RealWear HMT-1 hands-free headsets equipped with Microsoft Teams, Mars Petcare found the perfect complement to its vision for more productive workplaces. Effortless, hands-free, and safer collaboration tools remain key to helping firstline associates at Mars Petcare become true equipment owners, making factories more productive and reducing travel and downtime due to maintenance.

Supporting autonomous maintenance with purpose-built technology

As Global Autonomous Maintenance Pillar Leader at Mars Petcare, one of David Oswald’s many responsibilities is autonomous maintenance. “As part of our Mars Supply Excellence program, we train and support our firstline teams to become true equipment owners responsible for the long-term reduction of losses. Our goal is to free up time on the shop floor to do the proactive work and make sure the equipment stays in a healthy condition.”

Through autonomous maintenance, Mars trains firstline associates to perform straightforward maintenance and preventative steps that keep equipment running like new—and keep factories at their most productive. The goal is for more streamlined factories and greater efficiency. “We say stop the stops,” says Oswald. “We target the short stops, such as resetting a machine or clearing a jam. We want an operator to run 240+ minutes without any intervention on their machine.”

Part of Oswald’s role requires finding the right technologies to support the Mars Supply Excellence program. To make collaboration effortless, he looks for highly mobile, hands-free devices designed specifically for the noisy, high-traffic reality of a manufacturing facility. That’s where RealWear hands-free headsets and Teams comes in, providing firstline associates on the factory floor tools that connect them to maintenance experts instantly for troubleshooting and training.

Teams on Realwear uses Teams meetings to power remote communication between HMT-1 users and their office-based colleagues. “The fact that the RealWear device works with Microsoft Teams was a big selling point for us,” says Oswald. “This allows us to connect associates on the shop floor with large numbers of people and collaborate in real time. Plus, the noise-canceling aspect of the ProBuds hearing-protection headphones and the hard-hat make it safe and ideal for the kinds of environments we work in.”

Other topics addressed in detail in the article include

1. Keeping associates more safe and secure with the right tools
2. Training and educating associates to drive efficiencies with new productivity tools
3. Saving travel time and supporting sustainability

Read the whole article online at Microsoft

See RealWear’s AREA member profile 

See Microsoft’s AREA member profile 

Vuzix Smart Glasses are now being used in hospitals around the world to perform a wide range of functions including training, virtual rounds within ICUs, triage in the emergency room and in the operating room to guide surgeons during surgery, and to provide remote training and mentor remote doctors.  The past year has been a challenging one for many businesses in supporting their operations, but it also has opened the door for the deployment of new innovative technologies like Smart Glasses, especially within the healthcare industry.

Over the course of 2020, healthcare has emerged as an important new business segment for Augmented Reality (AR) smart glasses. Vuzix has seen smart glasses move from a preconceived idea in healthcare to actual deployments and everyday use inside hospitals and medical facilities both domestically here in the United States and globally, with significant deployments in South America, Europe and the APAC region.  Over the last several months, Vuzix has rapidly emerged as a go-to provider of smart glasses-based solutions to support the healthcare industry in a variety of capacities.  As a result, the healthcare sector has been an important growth contributor for Vuzix throughout 2020 and the Company expects this trend to continue into the foreseeable future. In early 2021, for example, Vuzix will be supporting the rollout of Verizon’s 5G-enabled EMS solution, which is focused on the delivery of enhanced medical augmented reality to support the patient EMS journey from pre-incident to recovery, powered by Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network for first responders and public safety.

Read the original press release here.

Designing 3D experiences often requires coding knowledge from games development. Therefore, MetaVRse developed the platform to allow a virtual world to exist with ease of editing. Although the platform is described as a “3D web game engine and spatial design creator tool”, users in any enterprise or industry can invent their own virtual environment.

Alan Smithson, CEO of MetaVRse, has explained that their no-low code approach enables any user to participate in creating. The platform operates on every system, browser, and device, with no need for different versions or apps, and without code.

After launching in June this year, MetaVRse has since announced partnerships to increase availability for training, marketing, and showrooms. The platform has partnered with programs from the following companies:

• AREA Member Qualcomm 
• Nvidia
• Autodesk
• Oculus
• Founders Factory
• Creative Destruction Lab

MetaVRse applications will soon be deployed in more enterprise sectors. Low technical requirements are expected to encourage creators to adopt AR. Julie Smithson, Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer, has said that MetaVRs has “opened the door” to creators by removing the need to code.

Read the full article here.

The integration began in 2016 and has been expanding ever since. Support agents and IT departments can have optimal communications with both external and internal users as a result, increasing customer satisfaction as well as efficiency. Previous features gave ServiceNow users access to remote communication and support sessions within forms such as ServiceRequest, Change Request, ServiceNow Inicident, or Problem.

Now, TeamViewer Pilot uses AR to guide frontline workers and technicians anywhere. 3D object tracking places markers for real-world objects and adds annotations in a live stream for customers or employees to share.

Key enhancements of the integration listed in the article are:

• Improved administration capabilities – new permissions increase control over which people have access, and allows for an easier setup for device access
• Frontline workers, experts, and support agents can directly initiate AR connections from ServiceNow Incidents
• Pilot session invites can be sent to anyone via SMS – phone number and language of the individual are retrieved from within ServiceNow

Alfredo Patron, Executive Vice President of Business Development at TeamViewer, has said that the newly updated app allows for connectivity and technical support through physical tasks. TeamViewer Pilot is beneficial for remote guidance in solving real-world problems, as frontline workers and experts can share a screen and discuss the issue in real-time.

Companies require a ServiceNow license and compatible TeamViewer Tensor plan for the integration. Once they are authorised, the integration can be easily deployed with minimal steps. For more information about the integration, visit here.

The technology is used worldwide, and provides solutions for a range of industries. For example, leading brands such as Volvo and Ford use MR to enhance their process and the customer experience. Early integration of MR is said to add value for enterprises in the long term.

To give a better understanding of the technology, the article states the differences between MR and VR:

• VR is digitally rendered, whereas MR is based in a real-life, physical space
• VR headsets must be worn for users to enter a virtual environment, in addition to gloves or handheld sticks, but MR does not require special gloves to communicate with virtual objects
• VR headsets turn black when switched off, whereas MR headsets turn transparent like glasses

MR acts more like AR, as they both depend on real-life environments, but the differences between MR and AR are also detailed:

• AR can only showcase virtual objects onto physical spaces, whereas MR can facilitate users to interact directly with the object
• AR is operated via a screen and camera, but MR is more immersive via use of a head-mounted display

MR applications have already been applied to remote support for construction workers, virtual testing for engineers, and training methods for police. The following MR use cases are addressed in the article:

• Healthcare: Trainee doctors can use MR to practise surgeries and gain better visuals of data throughout the process to maintain focus. MR is a key tool for rendering enterprise solutions, particularly for distant integration. For example, Microsoft’s Holoportation development enables users with MR devices to remotely collaborate with team members in the form of 3D holograms.
• Manufacturing: MR allows users to view digital versions of equipment by pointing their mobile phone or tablet screens towards areas in the factory. Technical training also benefits from MR, as superiors can give instructions to workers about machinery via a headset. MR provides training solutions as well as reducing repair times.

According to Deloitte, over 150 companies in various industries have deployed MR solutions.  Another report recently discovered that almost 14.4 million US workers will wear smart glasses by 2025. MR therefore has great potential for innovation, increasing engagement and interactivity to existing technology.

The Series A+ investment brings the total funding raised by CREAL to $15.5 million. The round was led by Swisscom Ventures, and included the following investors:

• DAA Capital Partners
• Ariel Luedi
• Investiere

CREAL has made a lot of progress with shrinking its light-field display to fit into AR glasses throughout the last few years. Light-field displays generate images that authentically represent our perception of the physical world. Accommodation and vergence, the two focus mechanisms of the human optic system, are supported by light-field displays. According to CREAL and other sources, the displays provide more comfortable and accurate visuals for ARVR headsets.

After demonstrating the basics of light-field technology, CREAL has been working on miniaturising it to fit inside AR glasses, while still providing a wide, useful field of view. Progress had already been showcased early in 2020 before the pandemic impeded this.

Tomas Sluka, Co-founder of CREAL, has stated that the organisation succeeded in merging its prototype technology with a “head-mounted form-factor”. In addition to this, the funding round was intended to bring in new hires within the job market.

The article concludes by mentioning that CREAL is planning to form partnerships with ARVR headset developers through which it can utilise its technology. CREAL’s goal is to provide a “complete technology package” for AR glasses.

XMReality’s software is used on smartphones, and allows remote technicians to share a view with customers. It also provides overlays and drawings over the real-time view, giving visual instructions on identifying and repairing problems. As well as preventing the need for on-site visits, the Zebra headset also allows for a hands-free experience.

The partnership between Zebra and XMReality demonstrates the increasing connectivity between data hubs and frontline workers via wearable AR technology. Remote employees can access both warehoused data and human expertise with the technology. XMReality’s camera system adapts any Windows computer into a guidance station for remote workers. Its software also supports industrial AR glasses from other AREA members Vuzix and RealWear.

The HD4000 Enterprise HMD (head-mounted display) is also supported by XMReality’s remote guidance software. Weighing only 1.06oz, the HMD is equipped with a 9-axis head tracking sensor for user tracking, uses a 5-megapixel camera to capture field imagery, and has a colour screen to display graphics, video content, and text. The HMD is designed for applications in the following sectors:

• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Warehouse management
• Field mobility

Read the full article here.