AUGMENTED REALITY WAVE WITH MASS APPLICATIONS: HOW AR IS CHANGING THE WORLD

I see what you see: technology evolving the human
experience

From fighter jets to kitchens, hospital rooms to refineries, chances are, you’ve already experienced augmented reality (AR) technology. AR harnesses technology to superimpose images, text, or sounds using smartphones or tablets via an app. If you were roped into trying a Snapchat filter or drive a newer vehicle equipped with blind-spot assist or a heads-up display in your line of sight as you sit behind the wheel you’ve seen AR’s benefits firsthand.

But what you see today is most likely the cusp of what is yet to occur with AR in terms of business.

 

History of AR
AR technology is not a new term for the world. Two Boeing employees coined the phrase in 1990, but the first-known technology was invented with some success in 1957 by a cinematographer the Sensorama to bring added sensory effects to viewers. A quick Google search chronicles multiple rehashings to describe the next several decades of development
in AR concept and virtual reality (VR) concepts.

Between 1990 and 2000 industrialization of AR grew with applications of AR in a movie theater and entertainment as well as navigation. In the 2000s, AR went public after finding the first outdoor mobile game called ARQuake, naturally expanding as more mobile apps were developed.

In the 2010s, AR grew as Google developed the first smart glasses in 2011. The automotive industry joined the AR bandwagon in 2013, followed a year later with Google Glass wearables, and two years after that with headsets. The popular Pokémon Go game helped to increase
public attention about AR in 2016. Ever since, AR continues in the way of daily advancements and is becoming increasingly sought after with the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) support, 5G networking, and big data analysis. Mobile game called ARQuake, naturally expanding as
more mobile apps were developed.

 

Smart, connected products (SCPs) relate to AR to
advance industries
Smart, connected products (SCPs) can build on AR to help transform how businesses compete. They allow users to keep a watchful eye on operations, potentially from miles away, be alerted of real-time issues, manage operations remotely, and have the potential to be fully
autonomous. From smart glasses and head-mounted wearables to mobile devices, when AR is combined with SCPs, AR can offer increased benefit to its user. It distinctly increases value through how your team sends, receives, and integrates what the technology is seeing.

How AR applies during the pandemic
During the pandemic, businesses have learned many valuable lessons. COVID-19 case volume and the public panic that ensued highlighted the need for better and more user-friendly technology.
The pandemic made it abundantly (sometimes painfully so) clear that a
business’s ability to pivot and adapt is directly correlated to whether or not it will succeed.

While pandemic shutdowns showed us the necessity for human-centric
interaction, people and businesses were tasked with being agile and ingenious. Many turned to technology to solve the problem, turning dining rooms into offices and living rooms into classrooms.
When quarantine hit, social distancing quickly highlighted the lack of technology implementation.

As COVID-19 cases continue to decrease around the world and companies decided their return to work/work from home/ hybrid models, many choose to continue digital solutions implemented over the last year to increase efficiency, reduce operational costs, and improve both the
customer and employee experience.
One of those additions? Augmented reality. Besides the cost savings and
increase in productivity, your company needs to implement an AR integration strategy because AR is quickly redefining our world.

 

AR is the future
Soon, AR will become the new interface between machines and humans,
connecting continent to continent. Companies already using this ever expanding technology have seen huge gains in productivity, quality, and
employee morale.
AR addresses a myriad of issues by allowing on-site, real-time feedback,
with little left open to interpretation. It has proven to dramatically reduce errors and increase retention. From hospitals to a construction line to universities and the military, incorporating AR into your organization will reshape its functions.
AR can help create and train employees, as well as better serve customers.
By utilizing all AR has to offer, your organization will set the standard and
place you above the rest. The AR user interface is software-based via the cloud, allowing you to personalize it to grow and evolve with your business.
The current worth of the AR market is $15.3 billion and is expected to grow five times by 2023, valuing it upwards of $75 billion. The future worth of AR technology is expected to be seven times higher than the worth of VR technology. Last year, active AR devices numbered 598 million and are expected to grow to 1.7 billion by 2024.

 

Smart glass
The RealWear HMT-1 is the world’s first hands-free tablet class wearable computer for Android™ available for industrial workers, supporting remote mentor video calling, document navigation, guided workflow, migratory flows, and industrial IoT data visualization.
It is water- and shock-resistant, 100% hands-free, micro-display, equipped with powerful wireless connectivity, and easily allows for remote collaboration.

 

The RealWear HMT-1 supports the industry by providing in-situ data and support for the field works and training with software and hardware to help people improve safety, reduce error, and increase productivity. Since it is a head-mounted wearable, there is no need to use the hand and assist for the variety of uses it accomplishes.

These include:
• on-demand training
• inspections and auditing in the field
• instant sharing of problems in the industry with the subject matter expert
• digital workflow solutions
• product testing and quality control
• incident reporting
• access to industrial manuals
• industrial IoT data visualization while accessing field data in cloud computing

Additionally, the Real Wear HMT-1 supports data accessing and visualization using IoT and cloud computing techniques. AR technology connects the gap between the wealth of digital data available to us and the physical world in which we apply it. Therefore, we can make
real-time, accurate decisions based on reality without relying on two-dimensional pages and screen.

 

Virtualize the expert
Telepresenz offers clients a fully functional AR application that offers remote assistance and workflow software solutions that can be seen in the following case examples.
In one recent case, a hospital neurosurgery department used Telepresenz to train its residents and senior doctors or surgeons are often on-call, off-site. The residents-in-training see the patients when they are brought into the emergency room, consult with the on-call physicians, and the AR technology allows the doctors to see everything the residents are
seeing first-hand and then walk the residents through treatment plans. This has proven quicker for all parties; it allows a more accurate patient assessment, a better learning opportunity, and a better patient experience than the phone.
Another case recalls an aerospace manufacturing company that utilized augmented tools, including telestration. This company designs, assembles, and tests high-performance valve actuators and controls for critical and demanding applications in new vessel construction. It was opening a new facility; however, a lack of experienced technicians caused a production
backlog.
Through telestration, engineers from the original location could immediately log in and see first-hand via augmented reality. The technicians on-site could fix the problems, listen to guidance, and re-start and increase the production pace. Because of this positive outcome, the manufacturer reduced dependency on experts traveling on-site each week, thus decreasing expenses.

The addition of AR implementation from manufacturing to hospitals demonstrates the unlimited potential AR can bring to your company’s daily operations.

When considering AR solution partners consider issues such as the ability to customize or integrate with other applications, customer support, industry expertise, and ability to deploy within the customer’s firewall.
From its modest beginnings as an entertainment enhancement, AR has advanced in the decades since to turn the heads of technology leaders and businesses looking to gain a competitive edge within their industry and beyond. Staying abreast of the latest offerings is paramount and the difference between being on the leading edge instead of being
relegated to a history discussion.