As President, Ryan will serve as the organization’s primary advocate, fostering partnerships, driving strategic direction, and ensuring the successful execution of programs and initiatives. Ryan replaces Boeing Technical Fellow Paul Davies, who served as AREA President for more than eight years, and continues as part of the AREA Executive Committee and as Vice President of the AREA Enterprise Segment.

At Collins Aerospace, Ryan leads the RTX XR Working Group, helps lead the RTX XR Community of Practice, and co-chairs the RTX Immersive & Interactive Visualizations Technology Interest Group. Ryan has also led teams that have invented numerous visual analytics and virtual reality-enabled applications.

“We’re excited to announce Ryan Wheeler as President of the AREA,” said AREA Executive Director Mark Sage. “With his technical background in AR/XR technologies and proven track record of working with AR/XR communities, we are certain he will steer the organization’s efforts to make it easier for enterprises to adopt interoperable AR-enabled systems that fully deliver on their promises. I would also like to thank Paul Davies, Technical Fellow at Boeing, who has served as President for many years, and he will continue to actively be involved in the AREA.”

About the AREA

The Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (AREA) is the only global non-profit member organization. Whether you view it as the next computing paradigm, the key to breakthroughs in manufacturing and service efficiencies, or the door to unimagined applications, AR will have an unprecedented impact on enterprises of all kinds. AREA is a program of Object Management Group®. Visit https://thearea.org for more information.

Note to editors: AREA is a program of Object Management Group® (OMG®). See the listing of all OMG trademarks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

“AR-assisted inspections can greatly benefit aerospace and defense, oil and gas, and healthcare industries due to intricate processes and inspection protocols, strict safety and quality compliance guidelines, and the high cost of downtime,” said AREA Executive Director Mark Sage. “AR solutions enhance task performance, reduce mental workload for frontline users, minimize errors, and allow for better utilization of resources.”

Common barriers to the adoption of AR-assisted inspections include:

• Technological barriers can be mitigated by establishing innovation hubs outside of their IT infrastructure to enable close evaluation of potential AR solutions for quality and compliance inspections.
• Economic barriers can be addressed by implementing scalable proofs-of-concept (POCs) that show tangible ROI for solutions using data and performance-driven KPIs. This showcases the potential savings and efficiency gains and provides flexible pricing models and financial incentives to lower the initial investment barrier.
• Organizational barriers require effective change management strategies. These include engaging stakeholders at all levels, providing comprehensive training programs, and designing intuitive, user-friendly AR solutions.
• Collaboration with governing and compliance bodies to establish clear guidelines and standards for AR-assisted inspections can mitigate regulatory and compliance barriers.

Please view an executive summary of the research report on The Adoption of Real-Time AR-assisted Inspections for Quality and Compliance from the AREA website. Vertical Realities completed the research report on behalf of the AREA.

The full report includes a comprehensive view of the factors affecting the adoption and implementation of AR solutions for inspection use cases and a template for measuring the direct impact of AR-assisted inspections (available to AREA members).

Please also consider the website’s executive summaries of other AREA resources and enterprise guidance. To learn about AREA membership, visit the AREA website.

About the AR for Enterprise Alliance (AREA)

The AR for Enterprise Alliance (AREA) is the only global membership-funded alliance helping to accelerate the adoption of enterprise AR by supporting the growth of a comprehensive ecosystem. The AREA accelerates AR adoption by creating a comprehensive ecosystem for enterprises, providers, and research institutions. AREA is a program of Object Management Group® (OMG®). For more information, visit the AREA website.

Object Management Group and OMG are registered trademarks of the Object Management Group. For a listing of all OMG trademarks, visit https://www.omg.org/legal/tm_list.htm. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

“We are delighted to join the AREA community. Becoming part of a network sharing our enthusiasm and passion for augmented reality was easy. The opportunity to share and gain knowledge with fellow members will be invaluable, benefiting us and our clients,” said Alex Taylor, CEO of Net4 Connect. “Through our membership, we hope to gain new insights, foster innovative collaborations, and stay at the forefront of industry advancements, ultimately enhancing our service offerings and driving success for our clients. We look forward to contributing to and growing with this vibrant community.”

“Net4 Connect is a welcome addition to the AREA,” said Mark Sage, AREA’s Executive Director. “We look forward to the contributions they will make to our alliance in the use of augmented reality and their knowledge and expertise in AI, IoT, and 5G.”

About Net4 Connect

Empowering Innovation with Cutting-Edge Technology Solutions. Visit our website: https://net4connect.com/.

About the AR for Enterprise Alliance (AREA)

The AR for Enterprise Alliance (AREA) is the only global membership-funded alliance helping to accelerate the adoption of enterprise AR by supporting the growth of a comprehensive ecosystem. The AREA accelerates AR adoption by creating a comprehensive ecosystem for enterprises, providers, and research institutions. AREA is a program of Object Management Group® (OMG®). For more information, visit the AREA website.

Object Management Group and OMG are registered trademarks of the Object Management Group. For a listing of all OMG trademarks, visit https://www.omg.org/legal/tm_list.htm. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Combining Magic Leap’s advanced spatial computing platform with NavVis’s mobile mapping systems and spatial data platform, the two companies aim to enhance the use of AR applications across key industries, including automotive, manufacturing, retail and the public sector.

As part of this strategic partnership, NavVis will bring its NavVis VLX mobile mapping system and NavVis IVION Enterprise spatial data platform to Magic Leap’s new and existing enterprise customers with an initial focus on manufacturing. Magic Leap customers will be able to leverage NavVis’s expansive visualization capabilities to generate photorealistic, accurate digital twins of their facilities at unprecedented speed and scale.

The market opportunity for digital twins and other forms of advanced visualization is significant – with demonstrated potential to transform the world of work as we know it. While attention around the potential of the metaverse has put a greater focus on all types of mixed reality technology, AR represents an immediate opportunity for businesses to enhance productivity and improve operational efficiency. Magic Leap’s open, interoperable platform will also enable the metaverse to scale for enterprise applications.

While the Magic Leap 2 platform offers cutting-edge scanning and localization capabilities in real-time on the device itself, NavVis’s technology will allow Magic Leap customers to pre-map and deploy digital twins in large, complex settings that can cover up to millions of square feet – including but not limited to warehouses, retail stores, offices and factories – for a variety of use cases, such as remote training, assistance and collaboration. Such applications will enable companies to reduce operational costs, enhance overall efficiency and democratize the manufacturing workforce of tomorrow.

“We are seeing significant demand for digital twin solutions from our enterprise customer base and are thrilled to partner with NavVis to make our shared vision for large-scale AR applications a reality,” said Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap. “Coupled with our Magic Leap 2 platform, NavVis’s advanced visualization capabilities will enable high-quality, large-scale and novel AR experiences that business users demand.”

The NavVis partnership is an essential component of Magic Leap’s strategy to cultivate an ecosystem of best-in-class technology partners that will deliver on the promise of enterprise AR, leveraging Magic Leap 2’s powerful, open platform. With a global customer base of more than 400 companies, including the likes of BMW, Volkswagen, Siemens and Audi, NavVis has a proven track record of delivering immediate and long-term value to enterprises looking to modernize their operations.

“Enterprise AR solutions for larger-scale activations will open the door for greater innovation in the workplace,” said Dr. Felix Reinshagen, CEO and co-founder of NavVis. “Our own experience shows that 3D mapping and digital twins are a fundamental foundation for large-scale persistent AR applications. We’re experiencing strong demand across many verticals with industrial manufacturing as a clear front runner. Magic Leap is a world leader in delivering impactful, innovative experiences in these verticals, and we are excited to collaborate with the company to advance this mission and further enable the future of work.”

About Magic Leap

Magic Leap, Inc.’s technology is designed to amplify human potential by delivering the most immersive Augmented Reality (AR) platform, so people can intuitively see, hear, and touch digital content in the physical world. Through the use of our advanced, enterprise-grade AR technologies, products, platforms, and services, we deliver innovative businesses a powerful tool for transformation.

Magic Leap, Inc. was founded in 2010, is proudly headquartered in South Florida, with eight additional offices across the globe.

About NavVis

Bridging the gap between the physical and digital world, NavVis enables service providers and enterprises to capture and share the built environment as photorealistic digital twins. Their SLAM-based mobile mapping systems generate high-quality data with survey-grade accuracy at speed and scale. And with their digital factory solutions, users are equipped to make better operational decisions, boost productivity, streamline business processes, and improve profitability. Based in Munich, Germany, with offices in the United States and China, NavVis has customers worldwide in the surveying, AEC, and manufacturing industries.

In the world of pharma manufacturing, precision is key. To execute flawlessly, pharmaceutical scientists and operators need the proper training and tools to accomplish the task. User-friendly augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (XR) technology that can provide workflow guidance to operators is invaluable, helping name brand companies get drugs, vaccines, and advanced therapies to patients faster.

AR has been a cost-effective way to improve training, knowledge transfers, and process execution in the lab during drug discovery and in the manufacturing suite during product commercialization. Apprentice’s AR Research Department is now seeing greater demand within the pharma industry for XR software capabilities that allow life science teams to use 3D holograms to accomplish tasks.

For example, operators are able to map out an entire biomanufacturing suite in 3D using XR technology. This allows them to consume instructional data while they work with both hands, or better understand equipment layouts. They can see and touch virtual objects within their environment, providing better context and a much more in-depth experience than AR provides.

Users can even suspend metadata in a 3D space, such as the entrance to a room, so that they can interact with their environment in a much more complete way, with equipment, objects and instruments tethered to space. Notifications regarding gowning requirements or biohazard warnings for example will automatically pop up as the operator walks in, enriching the environment with information that’s useful to them.

“It’s all about enhancing the user experience,” Linas Ozeratis, Mixed Reality Engineer at Apprentice.io. “At apprentice, our AR/XR Research Team has designed pharma-specific mixed-reality software for the HoloLens device that will offer our customers an easier, more immersive experience in the lab and suite.”

Apprentice’s XR/AR Research Team is currently experimenting with new menu design components for the HoloLens device that will reshape the future of XR user experiences, making it easier for them to interact with menus using just their fingers.

Apprentice’s “finger menu” feature allows users to trigger an action or step by ‘snapping’ together the thumb and individual fingers of the same hand. Each finger contains a different action button that can be triggered at any time during an operator’s workflow.

“Through our research, we’ve determined that the fingers are an ideal location for attaching AR buttons, because it allows users to trigger next steps without their arm or hand blocking the data they need,” Ozeratis added.  It’s quite literally technology at your fingertips.”

Why does the pharma industry want technology like this? Aside from the demand, there are situations where tools like voice commands are simply not feasible. The AR Research Team also learned that interactive finger menus feel more natural to users and can be mastered quickly. Life science teams are able to enhance training capabilities, improve execution reliability and expand the types of supporting devices they can apply within their various environments.

“Introducing these exciting and highly anticipated XR capabilities is just one stop on our roadmap,” Ozeratis adds. “There are bigger and bolder things ahead that we look forward to sharing as the pharma industry continues to demand more modern, intelligent technologies that improve efficiency and speed.”

You can watch the full webinar on Using Theorem-XR and HoloLens 2 for Engineering Reviews.

Key highlights

Theorem has also picked out 5 key benefits of using the Microsoft HoloLens 2 in Engineering which appear in full detail on their blog.

Visualize your models at full scale.
Work collaboratively with other engineers.
Make better factory planning decisions.
Work with large datasets using Azure Remote Rendering.
You can still work with colleagues that are using other XR technologies, or none at all.