AREA Completes Safety and Human Factors Research Project

The AREA Research Committee recently distributed to members two deliverables produced as part of the organization’s third research project, Assessing Safety and Human Factors of AR in the Workplace. This groundbreaking, member-exclusive research project produced the first framework for assessing and managing safety and human factors risks when introducing AR in the workplace. In addition to a tool to support decision-making, members also received an in-depth report of findings based on primary research.

Through the knowledge of its members and detailed interviews and research conducted with the wider enterprise AR ecosystem, the AREA’s reusable framework will promote a consistent approach to assessing safety and human factors of AR solutions.

This research was undertaken by AREA member Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and managed by AREA sponsor member Christine Perey of PEREY Research and Consulting.

“For the first time, AREA members have a framework that will enable them to consider important requirements from the perspectives of key project roles and at each stage of the AR project,” said Perey. “The framework and supporting report are invaluable tools, built on the experience and knowledge gained by members and the larger community through many AR projects.”

“Through a combination of desk research and interviews with experts in the enterprise AR field, we captured rich and comprehensive insights into best practices and potential issues to overcome in these previously under-researched areas,” noted Amina Naqvi of the MTC, the author of the framework and research paper.

“This is another great example of the value the AREA brings to its members and the wider enterprise AR ecosystem,” said Mark Sage, Executive Director of the AREA. “By working together and learning from our fellow members, we’ve been able to produce research results that bring real benefits, and help to reduce the barriers to adoption for AR projects.”

The AREA has prepared a free Executive Summary of the Best Practice Report and a case study for non-members, “Assessing AR for Safety and Usability in Manufacturing” to help companies in the AR ecosystem to adopt or design safer and more usable wearable AR solutions.

If you’d like access to these resources please follow the links below hereto download them.