Konica Minolta develops AR glasses for industrial environments

Konica Minolta has developed AIRe Lens, a new wearable augmented reality (AR) technology designed to bring digitalization and AR to the assembly line.

AIRe Lens has been developed specifically for industrial applications. The smart glasses deliver technical information and step-by-step guidance to wearers while maintaining mobility and hands-free production. The technology is designed to guide industry operators step-by-step through work processes, such as assembly, maintenance or quality assurance tasks. It is an optical, head-mounted AR device with a transparent display that can be controlled via simple gestures or the push of a button. Powered by a hot swappable seven-hour battery, AIRe Lens supports a full working shift. The technology is claimed to offer the durability, comfort and high optical quality required for all day use in manufacturing contexts, where precision and safety are paramount.

AIRe Lens is a unique Konica Minolta development. It is a collaborative creation of the company’s own Industrial Optical System Business Headquarters (IOH) in Japan and Konica Minolta’s European Business Innovation Centre (BIC). AIRe Lens has been initially introduced in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Zdeněk Vrbka, smart glasses program manager within the Konica Minolta BIC, explained: ‘While digitalization is shaping and improving many processes in the industry, it often still stops with the workers at the assembly line. Their work processes are frequently paper-based and therefore inefficient. This has had practical reasons in the past: Workers need their hands free, particularly when assembling complex and bulky machinery.’

Back to News +

Share Article: