The Head of Commercial Solutions at Design Interactive, Matt Johnston, is quoted to have said that AR and VR enable two technicians to see the same view at the same time. The organisation is developing a virtual classroom program for training technicians, using a combination of AR and point-of-view video training. This creates a procedure involving 3D interactive holograms and other content. Once finished, any trainee or expert in the company can download the content, making the entire process remote.

Other key points throughout the article include:

• AR smartphone apps overlay step-by-step guides onto a technician’s field of vision; they can point their phone at equipment and view AR information such as supplemental icons, updating along with the camera’s movements. Experts can also be involved by logging in and viewing the technician’s screen.
• Adoption of AR during Covid-19 has accelerated due to social distancing, as technicians can work completely remotely using AR.
• Kenneth Calhoun, Fleet Optimisation Manager for Altec Group, has been investigating the current education system and found that few schools have invested in modernising truck equipment for the upcoming generation of technicians. Calhoun has stated that AR and VR can be utilised to educate students on newer truck technology.
• Director of Industry and Customer Engagement at Tradiebot Industries, Beth Rutter, is quoted to have said that kinesthetic / tactile learners tend to be attracted to the repair industry, and AR/VR technologies can provide an environment in which they can learn appropriately.
• According to Marlo Brooke, the CEO and founder of Avatar Partners, Mixed Reality gives technicians the highest memory retention, and allows for less experienced, Level 1 technicians to train at the level of senior technicians. Additionally, the technology allows for a 75% reduction time for troubleshooting vehicle problems, as AR provides “x-ray vision”, allowing them to detect the issue efficiently.
• Experts’ skills are also increased due to AR, as their work is sped up by 25%.

The article includes a section stating the differences between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, and elaborates on specific use cases of the technology in vehicle maintenance. For example, AR is particularly useful for bumper removal; since the sensors in bumpers now compromise other vehicle systems, AR apps can overlay icons on the vehicle representing which areas can be removed, which tools should be used, and the appropriate procedure.

As a result of Covid-19 reducing face-to-face interactions, the retail must adapt quickly. Via Contentstack’s use of AR, retailers and brands can create engaging, contactless self-service experiences. This can further attract customers, increasing foot traffic.

Sonja Kotrotsos, Head of Product Marketing for Contentstack, is quoted to have said that the app demonstrates how easy integrating AR is, and that retailers can use emerging technologies to differentiate from other brands by building content-rich, interactive, dynamic experiences.

Contentstack and Valtech built their prototype application using cloud-native, API-first SaaS, headless (MACH) technologies, and microservices. The app simulates an in-store shopping experience for skincare products using web-based AR. The scenarios are as follows:

• First scenario: point of sale experience. Information on ingredients and product reviews for a range of serums is given, and a personalised recommendation is offered to the customer, based on a pre-existing profile (e.g. personal skincare goals or purchase history) or integrations with influencer marketing programmes.
• Second scenario: “first use” experience. After purchasing the serum, the customer receives usage instructions, such as how much and how frequently they should use the serum. Their existing skincare routine is extrapolated from here too.
• Last scenario: how the AR app is used once the customer has used the product for some time. Further personalised recommendations suggesting repurchase, adjusting use, or using a different product are given. Reviews can also be left by customers, which are then integrated into the first scenario.

Vice President of Commerce at Valtech, Pascal Lagarde, is quoted to have said Contentstack’s personalisation capabilities, simple internalisation, and a vigorous workflow enabled them to build the AR app. The beauty industry specifically requires personalised information that can be easily understood, and the proof of concept represents how retailers can support the shopping experience.

The article concludes by addressing how previous retail AR proof of concepts have been unsuccessful, therefore the Contentstack and Valtech prototype is promising news for both the retail industry and AR.

Bellanger writes that, “Earlier this year, Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz resigned from the Augmented Reality headset company he founded in 2010. It was clear that the device his company had spent nearly a decade developing wasn’t viable for the consumer market, though it had previously been heralded the industry leader.

Abovitz’s departure came one month after the company had laid off one-third of its staff, following attempts to sell itself. While the move coincided with mass layoffs across the country owing to the coronavirus pandemic, some employees didn’t buy COVID as the root of Magic Leap’s immediate struggles, Bloomberg reported.

Despite the company’s uncertain future, when Peggy Johnson heard Abovitz was stepping down, she raised her hand for the job. At the time, she was Microsoft’s EVP of business development—she’d been one of Satya Nadella’s first hires—and she had experience with augmented reality, working with Microsoft’s HoloLens as well as Qualcomm’s Vuforia product (Qualcomm is also an AREA member – view their profile here).

“I had an ambition for a while to be a CEO, but I knew it needed to be the right fit for me,” Johnson told Fortune senior writer Maria Aspan along with attendees of Fortune’s virtual Most Powerful Women Summit on Thursday in her first interview since she assumed the role in August. “I had had a great run at Microsoft, and I loved it, but I just wanted to step into that role. When you look around, there are so few women CEOs, and even fewer in the tech industry. And I just wanted to take the reins and do it.”

HoloLens had a similar trajectory to Magic Leap. It was first envisioned as a gaming device, but because of its high price tag, it’s now targeted more toward business. Under Johnson’s leadership, that’s the direction Magic Leap is headed today.

Sensing trouble, when Johnson assumed the role, many onlookers used the phrase “glass cliff” to indicate the belief that Johnson was taking on leadership of a failing company and thus doomed to fail herself.

“I don’t worry at all about it,” Johnson said in response to these concerns. “And frankly, sometimes it’s exhausting that that word is put forward when a woman steps into a CEO job. I chose this. And I chose it because of all of the elements that were in place.”

Johnson listed Magic Leap’s device itself as well as its IP portfolios and “diverse, talented team” as elements she identified that would position the company for future success as it transitioned toward the enterprise space.

Now, in line with her business development background and drawing upon her 35-year career, Johnson says she’s focused on growing the company’s list of partnerships. Magic Leap is reportedly in talks with Amazon regarding implementing its cloud services, though Johnson did not discuss any developments with Fortune.

“What I’m focused on is ensuring we’re picking the right areas of enterprise to focus on,” she said, citing training, remote assist, and 3D visualization as the three primary use cases the company is zeroing in on. Given the rise of remote work owing to the COVID pandemic, Johnson says she sees promise for teams to meet virtually and review product designs.

For another example, far-flung diagnostics professionals may be able to help fix machinery: If a person on a factory floor is wearing a headset mounted with a camera and a screen, a remote worker can circle components and identify problems.

Meanwhile, Magic Leap is deploying its own technology to a similar end. It recently used augmented reality headsets to host a board meeting, providing the illusion that avatars of board members were seated inside Johnson’s home.

“They all showed up in the room behind me, in my library,” Johnson said. Amid the pandemic, “it felt finally, that emotional factor that you get in a physical meeting was back again.”

In this edition of the CIO Review, we bring you the story of some of the most successful AR/VR tech solution providers that deliver the best outcomes for their clients”, said Justin Smith, Managing Editor. “We hope this edition will provide you with the right assistance in choosing the best AR/VR tech solution providers that align with your requirements.”

Paracosma has also been recognized as one of the Top 10 AR/VR Solution Providers 2019 by CIOApplications Europe and “20 Most Promising AR/VR Tech Solution Providers – 2018” by CIO Review Magazine for offering high quality AR/VR Application Development and 3D content creation services.  Paracosma services include industrial AR for machine maintenance, training, assembly and test applications; enterprise AR and VR holographic video executive training solutions and interactive training simulations for oil & gas applications; medical/surgery training; live 3D copresence and communications in virtual environments; advertising, marketing and branding experiences; a white-label 360 video distribution platform; 3D modeling and rendering for studio photography replacement; photogrammetry recreation of large-scale digital twins; as well as custom content creation and application development .

“We are honored to be recognized for our achievements again by CIOReview Magazine and to be listed among the “10 Most Promising AR/VR Tech Solution Providers – 2020”, said Ken Ehrhart, Founder and CEO of Paracosma Inc. “We continue to dedicate our efforts to providing the highest quality and most advanced AR/VR services at the most affordable prices.”

Additionally, Paracosma is providing VR Collaboration Services  for businesses to operate in a risk-free environment. Businesses can interact with their customers “in person” in a virtual office, auditorium, meeting hall or event venue that is accessible to anyone in the world with an Internet-connected AltspaceVR compatible device.

See Paracosma’s AREA member profile here.

Despite the advantage of remote support, James Kobielus claimed that it tends to lack the immersive capabilities of robotic technology. Detail about the following particular technologies is included in the article:

• RPA (Robotic Process Automation) = this software-centric approach has already arrived in remote work environments; however, it is not the same as having a human assistant nearby.
• EC (Embodied Cognition) = these tools use sensor-driven Artificial Intelligence to power hardware-based robots as digital assistants, bridging the gap via anchoring robotics in physical environments. Facebook researchers are developing this technology to automate physical tasks, which could boost worker productivity. Furthermore, Facebook Research have just open-sourced SoundSpaces, an audio simulation platform that trains robotic agents to navigate 3D environments.
• AR (Augmented Reality) = this technology can support remote work environments where certain aspects of its physicality are unknown to the worker. 3D descriptive captions are displayed over the worker’s camera view, supplementing the information with guidance and labels. This presents employees instantly with the necessary information, eradicating the need for workers to retrieve information via paper manuals or computers. MIT’s Computer Science and AI Laboratory have created a system that can identify and caption people’s behaviours via WiFi and other signals, which can be used to detect when disabled employees require assistance, among other advantages.
• VR (Virtual Reality) = VR is able to simulate key tools, activities, and participants that may be missing from the worker’s physical environment; computer-generated imagery can supplement tasks, projects, or outcomes, while avatars can be used to represent personnel who are not present. Additionally, head-office staff can use VR to visualise the remote worker’s environment.
• MR (Mixed Reality) = a hybrid of AR and VR, MR blends real and simulated work environments. It is appropriate for supporting remote environments where not all participants are within an employee’s field of vision, which would call for ambiguous or missing aspects of the environment to be labelled. The technology is useful for training situations for those in high-risk careers.

The article concludes by claiming that immersive technologies such as AR will become fundamental for remote workers in coming years, enabling enterprises to deliver 24/7 support.

Due to Covid-19, restricted travel and social distancing requirements have accelerated AR-based solutions for remote assistance, since it has now become a necessity for industry operations. As opposed to video-calling applications such as Zoom or Skype, Augmented Reality is software technology allowing users to overlay graphic material onto video images via mobile network. For instance, an expert and on-site technician could both view a panel of switches on an annotatable screen connected via their own PC, phone, or tablet. The expert could then circle or drop a virtual arrow on the part that needs attention for the technician to see on the screen.

Key advantages of AR-based remote assistance noted in the article include:

• Instantaneous feedback system – users interact with the elements of their work in addition to with one another
• Highly mobile form of communication – includes annotations, on-site images, and graphic augmentation as well as a two-way voice connection
• Increases safety – e.g. reduces number of healthcare workers needed in a hospital room, limiting exposure to Covid-19
• Helps maintain workflow continuity
• More intermittent, special-purpose vehicle of communication than video conferencing

Other potential features of AR, dependent on the specific software, include:

• Retaining images
• Issuing push notifications
• Looping in multiple users
• Recording a session for future training
• Object character recognition
• Transferring files

The article concludes by stating that, even post-pandemic, AR is likely to become a prominent tool for operating personnel and frontline technicians to rely on.

The £147 million invested by the government, and additional funding from industry, is intended to support the integration of new technology to increase productivity in manufacturing. This will further create many new high-skill jobs, attain new customers, reduce consumer prices, and reduce carbon emissions.

Fourteen cutting-edge manufacturing projects will be funded by the first £50 million; these will involve 29 larger businesses, 30 small or medium enterprises, and nine universities. Some of the winning projects include:

• Dialog – based in Flintshire, Dialog integrates human-interacting and automatic robots, allowing machines to make better and faster decisions in an efficient and affordable way.
• Smart Connected Shop Floor – GKN Aerospace, based in Bristol, is leading a multi-sector team testing digital technologies such as AR headsets for engineers. Smart devices will also be used to exchange information between outdated and more modern computer systems.
• The Digital Sandwich (Digitised Food Supply Chain) – based in Chelmsford, leading UK sandwich supplier Raynor Foods Ltd is developing major software that will enable catering businesses to connect online and share data, improving cash flow, boosting food quality, increasing productivity, and reducing waste.
• WeldZero – this West Midlands project will utilise sensors, automation, and robots to weld metal in production, improving accuracy and the general manufacturing process. The machines will hasten production in the automotive and construction industries via collecting and giving valuable data feedback, in addition to making stronger, higher quality parts.

The programme will further support SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) via government and private sector partnerships in which experts will work with businesses to recognise obstacles to growth and how to overcome them. A national network of innovation ‘hubs’ will also be made, allowing businesses to share advice or partner, sparking ideas and growth.

Alok Sharma, Business Secretary, is quoted to have said that the support of these ground-breaking projects will drive economic recovery in the UK via increasing productivity. Secretary of State for Wale, Simon Hart, has further stated that Wales’ existing industry can be vital for the next manufacturing generation, and the aim is to develop a resilient economy in Wales via manufacturing with the UK government’s commitment.

The article concludes by stating that the UK government will spend 2.4% of GDP on R&D throughout the economy by 2027 to earn power and boost productivity.

The technology allows experts to help identify and solve complex issues remotely, via viewing what the technician is seeing in real time. Documents and images can also be displayed in the technician’s field of vision via the glasses. The program, Virtual Remote Support, was recently distributed to all 383 Mercedes-Benz USA dealerships, following an initial pilot program in January that began at 13 dealerships before COVID-19 interrupted business travel.

Christian Treiber, Vice President of customer service at Mercedes-Benz USA, is quoted to have said that COVID-19 accelerated the need to release the technology, as it now enables field specialists to provide support from and to any location. The user benefit also involves a more rapid turnaround on complicated service issues that would usually inconvenience the customer, add to dealership costs, and take up important service department space.

Further key advantages of the smart glasses include:

• Reduction in time and expense devoted to travel
• Reduction in potential exposure to COVID-19
• Greater customer satisfaction, leading to greater customer loyalty
• Success rate heading towards 60%

Another company that has employed AR glasses is Porsche, via their program Tech Live Look; they use smart glasses from Osterhout Design Group in addition to AREA member Atheer’s AiR Enterprise. According to Porsche, their system can reduce resolution time up to 40%.

The article concludes with another quote from Treiber, stating that issues can now be resolved in minutes or hours rather than days as a result of the combined Microsoft HoloLens 2 glasses and Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Remote Assist system.

The project will function in the following way (visualised in Auganix’s article):

• Warehouse operator starts acceptance checklist
• Automatic damage/shortage detection
• Scan label to start a checklist on the MAWB nb
• Fill in checklists with voice command
• High quality pictures of damage added to check
• Data automatic send to cloud in one report

Iristick reported this month that testing and validating two new proof-of-concepts has led to a new project milestone. The first one, currently passing the testing phase, focused on digitisation of acceptance checklists. The second, which has almost completed its first development sprint, aims to automate a shipment’s label recognition via Artificial Intelligence, improving handling processes.

Additionally, Iristick has stated that these proof-of-concepts can potentially deal with multiple manual procedures and tasks within ground handling operations, via innovation and improvement of standard operational processes in the air cargo sector. Field testing for smart glass technology in the airfreight industry was based on the following criteria:

• Improved observation and data capture
• Eliminating paper-based procedures
• Speed up the air cargo processes
• Create a safer work environment

The article concludes by stating that feedback from testing week has made way for developing a future-proof scope, enabling an improved handling process. Iristick’s ultimate aim with the implementation of XR technology is to change the air cargo industry future.

Read Iristick’s AREA member profile

• 70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy or are working on one, according to ZDNet.
• VP of Engineering for OnLogic, Michael Kleiner, has stated that digital transformation is about how technologies solve issues rather than simply adopting them – he is quoted to have said that digital transformation requires the company to try a new process rather than the right technology.
• Drew Falkman, Director of Strategy at Modus Create (digital transformation consulting company), is quoted to have said that the definition of digital transformation varies depending on the organisation, therefore innovation and adaptability are vital for keeping companies competitive and disruptive.

Tips for starting your digital transformation:

• After coming up with your own definition of digital transformation, start with identifying and aligning on a goal; e.g. looking for places with measurable ROI, with high impact but relatively low effort.
• The starting point will vary across industries, although organisations that acknowledge a requirement for transforming how they conduct business will generally find a reduction in efficiency, leading to an impact on their bottom line.
• Other key starting points include: adopting agile methodology, devops adoption, and cloud transformation, and upgrading to an improved operational software.
• Businesses should ask themselves, ‘how can we improve this, and what data do we need to improve it?’ – for example, the manufacturing industry has benefited greatly from digital transformation as it began identifying how factory floors could become more efficient and smarter by deploying predictive models and downtime monitoring.

The article concludes by reiterating that where you start, and how well you adapt to change matters.

Falkman recommends starting out with a pilot to work out the kinks if you are considering larger transformations. Kleiner also suggests starting out small, such as identifying an obvious efficiency gap and determining an easy solution, before working up to bigger transformations.

This is all great advice. The AREA also guides for getting started if Augmented Reality technology is the way forward for your organization.