PTC has unveiled a reality lab that will advance the adoption and exploration of augmented reality technologies.  A press release today announced the unveiling of Reality Lab, a test center led by researchers who will create applications that leverage augmented, virtual, mixed, and physical realities with the purpose of improving people’s interactions with their physical environments. The lab will apply human-centered design and human-computer interaction to new technology, empowering people with more intuitive and practical computer user interfaces for managing the next generation of networked computer systems.

An early believer in the potential of AR for industrial use cases, PTC acquired the industry’s most advanced and widely adopted Vuforia^® AR technology platform for custom development in 2015. Since then, PTC has leveraged Vuforia to expand the capabilities of its market-leading ThingWorx^® Industrial Innovation Platform. Building on its proven history in helping customers optimize their product design, manufacturing, and service initiatives, PTC is helping to bring the power of AR technology to these traditional business activities with the ability to visualize, instruct, guide, and improve interactions with physical things.

Full details from their press release can be found here.

A new survey by enterprise resource planning and MRO software provider IFS has found that unplanned maintenance is the biggest challenge to maintaining aircraft operations, and maintenance managers see augmented reality technology as very useful in meeting this challenge.

The survey asked for the views of 150 aviation professionals. Nearly 60% of the organizations surveyed cited the availability of aircraft for operations as the industry’s biggest challenge. Nearly half of those surveyed said unplanned maintenance and regulatory compliance were their key priorities

Over three quarters, or 77%, of companies surveyed believed augmented reality tools could reduce the damage unplanned maintenance does by providing remote support to technicians and providing one-to-many knowledge transfer from repair experts to working mechanics.

The survey also looked at other technologies. Survey respondents ranked automation, big data, robotics, augmented reality and the Internet of Things as the top-five disruptive technologies.

The Internet of Things was viewed as a priority area for investment by 39% of firms, big data analytics by 39%, artificial intelligence by 37%, enterprise resource planning by 33% and mobile computing and applications by 31%

Of the commercial aviation companies surveyed, 44% said they were advanced in digital transformation, a higher portion than most other industries. Only 7% saw themselves as still exploring digital transformation, with about half having achieved enablement and a third having IT deliver digitally enabled services continuously. A smaller share, 11%, see themselves as optimized around digital transformation as a primary strategic focus at executive levels.

According to survey respondents, the top barriers to moving forward on digital transformation were, in descending order of importance, security concerns, aversion to changes, regulations, the wrong organizational model and inadequate ROI.

The full article can be read here.

The solution, which combines Upskill’s Skylight AR platform on Google Glass with a smart wrench, enables mechanics to perfect the tightening of B-nuts.  This is a process that can be universally replicated in many different manufacturing and maintenance settings.

What was particularly compelling about this use case for GE was the potential impact Skylight on smart glasses could have on reducing errors: a cost savings well into the millions annually.  The pilot also drove an average boost in worker efficiency between 8 and 12 percent.

With Skylight displayed right in their line-of-sight, GE mechanics:

• Received guided instructions on how to perform engine assembly and maintenance tasks
• Tracked and confirmed real-time torque values provided by their smart wrenches
• Used voice commands to move through steps and collaborate with other team members
• Streamed their point of view through a live video connection to get help while troubleshooting

“This has tremendous potential to minimize errors, cut down on costs and improve product quality”, said Ted Robertson, Engineering Manager at GE Aviation. Upskill’s AREA member profile can be read here.

An article on VR Focus discusses Electrolux’s investment in Augmented Reality. The technology company has begun to manufacture AR smart glasses and related software at sixteen factories in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

The mobile application, Tempestive Reamplia, works alongside AR smart glasses to enable remote collaboration between field experts and on-site engineers. This increases the efficiency of troubleshooting by providing visual instructions without requiring a site visit. Updated instructions, technical documentation, and annotated images can also be transferred using this system.

Carsten Franke, SVP Industrial Operations at Major Appliances EMEA, is quoted to have said that using AR technology and digitising enterprises is rapidly changing the workplace, allowing for quicker and easier problem solutions, competitive advantages, and reduced costs.

The article concludes by mentioning the significant influence of AR on industry and enterprise, in sectors such as retail, automotive, construction, and design.

An article on PR Newswire reported on the recently announced update on the collaboration between Fieldbit and BP. Fieldbit Hero, an Augmented Reality solution applicable to field services, has been operating at BP Lower 48 sites in New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming for a few months, but its use will now be extended to the rest of BP’s Lower 48 US sites.

The Fieldbit Hero enables field experts to share the technician’s view via real-time video to improve accuracy of diagnosing issues. AR then allows visual instructions and real-time data to be overlaid onto the field worker’s view. Experts can also use the technology to extract visual records and store them for later use.

Advantages of Fieldbit Hero use in the field at BP Lower 48 include:

• Improvements in safety and efficiency
• Reduction in production losses, well downtime, and travel expenses
• Helps preserve practical field services knowledge of workforce

Brian Pugh, Chief Operating Officer at BP Lower 48, is quoted to have said that the company will continue to utilise advances in technology to improve various aspects of their operations, including safety and reliability.

AREA member XMReality launched the sixth generation of its XMReality Remote Guidance software on November 9 2017, which is said to further strengthen the company’s position within knowledge sharing through augmented reality (AR). The new version has been updated with an entirely new user interface for more efficient usage and speedier connectivity. New features in Generation 6 include phone-to-phone communication, which was not previously possible and is further proof that the software is hardware independent.  Full details can be read here.

A summary of new features in XMReality Remote Guidance Generation 6:

Entirely new user interface for more efficient usage Phone-to-phone communication

Flexibility to change between guidance mode, viewing mode, overlapping with finger and pointer mode and more

Addition of team concept to facilitate knowledge sharing and team collaboration

Simplified license management with self-service for easy tasks

Standardized protocols and encryption to suit common business policies KPI tools so that the customer can track progress and ROI

“We are very proud to present the sixth generation of XMReality Remote Guidance. It features several new functions but also a fantastic user experience,” says Johan Castevall, CEO at XMReality. “Our vision has been to ensure that all users will enjoy and will want to use our product. Our main focus has been to make it even easier to use. Together with new tools for analysis and statistics, we are allowing our customers to become even more efficient.”

“We see great opportunities in the new version of the XMReality Remote Guidance software, which will open up new opportunities for us to improve our internal knowledge transfer as well as with our customers. Digitization and Industry 4.0 is a high priority for us at Bosch Rexroth and we have many ongoing projects to realize it. We are actively working to find new collaborative tools within our service organization and we are always looking to find new ways to provide better service to our customers. The solution from XMReality is a very important piece of that jigsaw,” says Christer Eberger, Sales Service Machinery Applications and Engineering Field Service at Bosch Rexroth.

XMReality’s AREA Member profile can be found here.

An article on Computer Weekly describes a few ways in which Augmented Reality can boost worker effectiveness, benefit productivity and reduce costs in various sectors.

The three major areas listed in the article as aspects of industry which AR can give an advantage to are:

• Product development and design – e.g. AR imaging is used for determining vehicle dimensions in the automotive industry. This enables designers to communicate and test out changes without the time and cost consuming prototyping.
• Manufacturing and assembly – e.g. AREA member Boeing conducted an aerospace assembly trial involving Google Glass. This allowed technicians to query for instructions while completing complex tasks and view them via the AR headset. The results showed significantly reduced error rates and a 25% reduction in wiring production time.
• Support, maintenance, and inspection – e.g. AR applications on digital tablets can be used in a motor workshop to display locations of certain components, and can also provide instructions and requirements for fixing malfunctions.

The article concludes by claiming that AR has the potential to increase worker effectiveness through use of real-time data displays on new machine interfaces. If more industry enterprises invest in AR, then this can lead to increased efficiency, improved worker safety, and reduced rework.

An article on Iconics recently announced the integration of ICONICS’s human machine interface (HMI) software with RealWear’s head mounted industrial HMT-1™ wearable. The combination of these technologies enables users to have hands-free access to visual historical and real-time data KPIs.  RealWear is a member of The AREA.

Applications of the RealWear HMT-1™ include:

• Industrial IoT data visualisation
• Remote video collaboration
• Technical documentation
• Assembly and maintenance instructions and streamlined inspections

Russ Agrusa, President and CEO of ICONICS, is quoted to have said that the integration of their HMI software with the HMT-1™ hardware gives a solution to users requiring a hands-free interface for accessing untapped data. Sanjay Jhawar, President and Chief Product Officer at RealWear, is also quoted to have said that a safe and ergonomic human-machine interface was able to be developed from the combination of RealWear’s technology and HTML5, and that their partnership enables a complete wearable solution for field workers in sectors such as manufacturing, energy, and process control.

Readers are likely to be very interested in Michael Park’s article on Augmented Reality, which focuses on the enterprise. AR is poised to radically improve manufacturing, logistics, and skilled trades.

The technology also has the potential to increase productivity in warehousing and transport by optimizing processes across the entire supply chain. I spoke to AR thought leaders and investors who gave me three key insights from into how the technology will disrupt manufacturing in terms of training, logistics, and transportation.

The article talks through training skilled talent in manufacturing hubs. The technology can spur significant improvements in productivity by shortening the learning curve for on-site staff.  AREA Member Atheer is mentioned, for their platforms which allows access to contextual documentation and resources, step-by-step task guidance, and barcode scanning — all of which can be directly transmitted to an on-site employee’s smart glasses.

This technology could easily be expanded into other skilled trades, such as various engineering disciplines, welding, plumbing, and electricity systems. With the rise of automation potentially eliminating manual roles AR training tools will be useful in future-proofing the global workforce.

The streamlining of logistics operations are discussed with warehouse employees typically performing multiple actions when managing an order. They must locate the correct product, scan it, and deliver it to the loading dock. Greater speed than a human could achieve is made possible.

If used correctly, such technology has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of warehousing operations – DHL is cited as an example.

AR applications could streamline the time it takes to identify packages and determine their route and destination in the transportation industry. For example, an AR mobile app or wearable device can project information about the type of goods being transported, each package’s weight, and whether it is fragile.

With quotes from industry big players and videos, this is an engaging article that discusses a number of relevant applications of augmented reality in industrial settings

A recent article on Business Wire discusses the International Data Corporation (IDC) IT industry predictions release for 2018 and future years. The organisation has focused mainly on digital transformation of enterprises as a result of innovative technologies, e.g. ARVR.

Frank Gens, Senior Vice President and Chief Analyst at IDC, is quoted to have said that some of IDC’s predictions for the future are a continuation of blueprints for the enterprise digital transformation journey, whereas other predictions involve new strategies for integrating emerging technology.

Here are some examples of IDC’s top worldwide IT industry predictions:

• 60% of all enterprises will have begun to implement part of a full digital transformation platform strategy via a new IT foundation by 2020
• By 2021, over $530 billion will be spent on infrastructure and cloud services by enterprises, and over 90% of organisations will be using this technology
• Human-digital interfaces are expected to diversify by 2020; 25% of field operators and workers are predicted to use Augmented Reality by this time
• By 2021, at least half of global GDP is expected to be digitised, with main growth drivers of all industries being digitally-improved operations, relationships, and offerings
• 90% of big enterprises are predicted to generate revenue from data-as-a-service by 2020