Augment IT, a leading international Extended Reality (XR) company, continues to develop the groundbreaking Paraverse platform for AR devices. The platform, which is specifically tailored to the needs of paraplegics, is already available for Magic Leap 2 and will be optimized for use with Apple Vision Pro.

Augment IT developed the Paraverse platform on the initiative of the Swiss Paraplegic Center (SPC) and tested it in close collaboration. Over more than a year, the team gained valuable insight into what tetraplegics and paraplegics need and how those needs can best be met.  People with spinal cord injuries are currently confined to their beds and require constant assistance, even turning a page in a book.

This image is a screenshot of the product and may not represent the final version.

The Paraverse-platform provides users with barrier-free access to the digital world. This includes core functions such as making phone calls, reading messages, surfing the Internet, or continuing education and entertainment on video platforms – all controlled with the eyes.

In addition, high-resolution panoramic photos, and videos, especially the Vision Pro’s 3D videos, allow you to relive memories in a whole new way – as if you’re part of the experience. With the new 3D Personas, users can connect with family and friends outside the clinical environment using FaceTime or Microsoft Teams and thus maintain relationships.

Apple Vision Pro’s precise eye tracking allows them to make decisions completely on their own. This greatly enhances their quality of life. Privacy is also protected because, unlike traditional screens, only the patient is able to see the content in the headset.

The feedback from the limited number of initial trials of the Apple Vision Pro has been very encouraging. Patients have been very enthusiastic, and we have gained valuable insights for further development this year.

The goal is to make the platform available to hospitals and specialty clinics worldwide. The software currently runs on the Magic Leap 2 and will soon be available for the Apple Vision Pro.

Luca Jelmoni, CEO of SPC, emphasizes the importance of the Paraverse platform for patients: “The possibilities to communicate with their loved ones, reflect on experiences, learn new things independently, or transform the space you see every day into a completely new world – these possibilities can transform and significantly enrich the lives of our patients.”

The Paraverse platform is more than just a technological innovation. It improves the quality of life and can be a great help in coping with everyday life, especially in the beginning. This enormous added value has been confirmed several times by patients in the early stages of the project. The product is now being continuously developed and will gradually be made available to other clinics.

Reto Grob, CEO of Augment IT, is especially pleased with the positive feedback: “It was clear to us that immersive technologies create entirely new user experiences in many application areas. Paraverse is an initiative close to our heart because the value for the user is enormous. We have already proven this with Magic Leap 2 – and now with the launch of Apple Vision Pro, we have another technically outstanding platform in our long-term plan to significantly improve the lives of people with disabilities.”

About Augment IT
Augment IT is a leading international company in the field of Extended Reality (XR) with a clear focus on industry, transportation, and healthcare. The company delivers innovative XR software solutions that create real value for its customers. With well-known customers such as ÖBB, Hilti, and Arxada, and offices in Switzerland, Germany, and North Macedonia, Augment IT is consolidating its position as an ambitious XR start-up.

As we ease out of the first month of 2024, we are now fully engaged in the new year. In the past 30 days, I’ve had an opportunity to learn from my peers, such as Tom Emrich of Niantic (trend watches on his newsletter) and the co-chair of the AREA Research Committee, Samuel Neblett of Boeing, and to reflect on the projects in which I’m involved.

I’ve compressed my vague sense of hope and excitement down into a few enterprise AR trends I will be watching over the next 11 months. These are not predictions but significant areas of focus that I believe will drive innovation and the adoption of enterprise AR. I’m now officially keeping track of these trends to see where, how, and if they come about.

Please share these with your colleagues and your partners. Do you have evidence that either confirms or questions any of these trends in your companies? I hope you will share your evidence, feedback, and ideas with me at [email protected].

Artificial Intelligence

The convergence of AI and AR is the most significant and least surprising of the trends to watch in 2024. The signs are everywhere.

#1 Enterprises are beginning to internally test Generative AI (GenAI), including LLM lakes and private co-pilot solutions. Early adopters will increasingly combine these capabilities with AR tools. There are dozens of ways that the use of AI improves workflows and reduces the costs of enterprise AR. Well-positioned and programmed AI can extract relevant content from corporate data sets for visualization. Here are a few examples of where and how GenAI could boost AR:

Using Digital Twins for baseline and AI for detecting and matching features in 3D environments (rare in 2023), we expect enterprises to expand their interest in and need for spatially-aware apps and services. For example, we will see a proliferation of AR-assisted Visual Positioning Services for navigation and risk detection based on 3D maps.

Combined with advances in hardware (see below), GenAI will permit the automatic generation of richer AR experiences for hundreds of use cases, including but not necessarily limited to 3D spatial maps. Multi-modal LLMs, an advanced type of AI that can understand and generate not just text but other types of data, such as images, audio, and possibly even video, are on the rise. These Multi-modal AI models incorporate previously captured scenes into new instructions. They will detect sounds from the environment and predict risks or propose the user to respond in specific ways without being programmed/coded in advance.

#2 AI and computer vision advancements could address concerns over privacy in data collection and handling. Privacy and sensitivity to security risks from the use of cameras and other sensors in the workplace continue to be obstacles to large-scale AR deployments. With AI, real-time image and feature detection, blurring, and obfuscation methods can be combined with AR displays (or their associated services and software) with lower cost and power. Enterprise AR solutions for protecting the privacy of things, places, and people (AR device users and those around them) with AI in the loop will proliferate in response to the need for compliance with corporate privacy policies as well as national and international regulations.

Hardware

#3 Aside from a few roles (e.g., architects or those viewing medical imagery), knowledge workers don’t need to spend their time or money on large, virtual screens (aka Apple Vision Pro). Video see-through isn’t a viable substitute for Optical see-through in the workplace, where employee tasks require hands-free AR and peripheral vision. Video quality issues, including distortion, fixed camera IPD, high ISO, low dynamic range, low camera resolution, and low frame rate, are exceedingly difficult (think: high power use) to overcome. However, a lot of money will be invested, and marketing campaigns will make people try. Try though they will, the entire Video see-through headset push will not make a significant dent in reducing the optical see-through requirement for enterprise AR displays. I’ve heard repeatedly that any risk manager who would approve the use of video see-through XR displays for use in a production environment where risks are high is risking their employment.

#4 Smaller, more powerful, and less power-consuming sensors will be more economical to deploy and manage. In addition to the lower cost of implementation and management of IoT, more specialized semiconductor solutions, especially those specialized in computer vision but also for processing audio and motion, are increasingly being added to AR display devices. Imagine sensors on the device detecting the user’s need for corrective lenses and then generating the corrected version of the real world (enhanced with AR, of course) without the user’s being aware or needing to wear two pairs of glasses. The improvements in display capabilities, combined with cheaper hardware distributed in the user’s environment (think: intelligent spaces) and connected to AI in the display or on edge computing hardware, are making context awareness less expensive to acquire and more reliable. A deeper understanding of context translates to many of the other trends identified below.

#5 More companies will introduce lightweight, cheaper (and less capable) AR glasses to the market. Not all users need or want a full “computer” on their heads. There are more ways to add value than a helmet or a heavy and powerful wearable AR display. Some devices are offloading processing to tethered phones. Others offer wireless, monocular AR glasses to display only heads-up messages to users. We will also watch for the audio-only AR glasses segment to expand where voice prompts and AI-enabled audio responses satisfy the use case requirements.

UX

#6 New modes of interaction are beginning to complement/replace/displace the need for controllers and virtual keyboards. We are already starting to see more use of eye tracking, gaze, and natural gestures (e.g., pointing with better hand tracking) for inputs. Improvements in hand gesture tracking technologies will, in many cases, translate to lower cognitive loads and lower computational loads. Neural inputs using a headband or muscular signals via a wristband allow users to control all their digital devices using natural human interfaces. The user’s tongue might even become a source of input. Also, look out for brain sensing with EMG.

#7 Similarly to #6, due to new and different sensors in devices, there will be developments in how users receive/perceive the digital data in context in the workplace. In addition to animations, video clips, still images, and text, we will see rapid experimentation and exciting opportunities to use spatial audio and to provide just-in-time instructions and information to users using combinations with other wearables (e.g., watches and smart garments).

Infrastructure

#8 Private 5G networks, combined with 5G compatible hardware and cloud and edge computing, will permit richer experiences without heavier or power-consuming devices. While the verdict is still out on the cost-effectiveness of private 5G networks based on current implementations and use cases, they are gradually improving. There will be more 5G support in the next-generation AR displays. These core enabling technologies will lead to increased adoption of AR experience streaming and collaborative AR experiences.

#9 Security for AR experiences may be addressed in the network using improvements in off-device and automatic authentication of AR users and devices. Ensuring corporate cybersecurity is an enormous concern for all IT departments, and most AR devices are ill-equipped to meet all the requirements. Expertise in security risk reduction is not a core competency of most AR providers. Innovations to ensure high corporate data protection, privacy and reduce exposure from AR user intentional or inadvertent actions will come from network technology providers. They and their service provider customers have solutions that are emerging from research and will be tested in the near future.

Software

#10 Low-code/no-code will continue to gain traction with the assistance of AI. There are now dozens of low-code/no-code solutions available. The problems are figuring out which ones meet the enterprise requirements, including but not limited to security concerns. While AI eats away at the need to manually code experiences, subject matter experts are becoming the authors of more and more custom experiences. The biggest winner from this trend will be medium-sized companies without the necessary engineering resources to meet all their AR use case needs. With the low-code/no-code options reaching greater maturity and ease of use, the need for dedicated and highly paid AR experience developers and tools with steep learning curves will diminish.

#11 Standards are increasingly relevant and, combined with the expanded support of open-source libraries, reduce the need to develop and maintain display-specific apps and content for delivering experiences across a range of AR devices. Although W3C WebXR continues to evolve slowly, the processing requirements for Web-based solutions are being increasingly met by the hardware in a broader range of AR display devices. The improvements in network infrastructure also make more edge processing possible. Using the Web to provide AR experience content is highly scalable and can be entirely deployed in a company’s Intranet. Khronos Group’s OpenXR is already widely adopted on AR hardware and, combined with support for glTF, is significantly simplifying the development of content creation platforms (fueling the no-code/low-code trend). We expect that other standards will be adopted for AR experiences.

#12 AR developers’ skill sets and tools become more specialized, and the learning curves become steeper. On the one hand, AI and adopting standards simplify and accelerate the creation of AR experiences; they also introduce new risks. These are golden opportunities for specialization. AR developers and those with expertise in adjacent fields will increasingly have new offerings, such as deeper integrations with Learning Management systems, Enterprise Resource Planning, and Product Lifecycle Management platforms. Editing of AR experience recordings to preserve knowledge and accelerate its transfer will combine AR expertise with AI tools.

“Many organizations are rightly concerned about cybersecurity threats and forbid the use of unsecured devices,” said Mark Sage, Executive Director of AREA. “The industry needs to integrate AR hardware and software, including AR applications, with existing enterprise infrastructure while ensuring proper access controls are in place, and that, if an individual device is lost or stolen, no information is compromised.”

The research addresses securing AR content and data at the application layer for multi-user devices. Typically, only one person at a time will use wearable and hand-held XR devices; the sessions must be authenticated, with content and generated artifacts removed once they have ended. Organizations must encrypt simulated sensitive information at rest, in transit to a device, and from the device upon logout or closing of the application.

This research will demonstrate an implementation of application-level authentication in the Unity development framework, the most widely adopted and supported application framework for head-mounted augmented reality devices. The outcome of this research provides a design pattern that organizations can apply in sensitive corporate environments, with a detailed discussion on additional cybersecurity considerations. The research also includes a Unity code that only the AREA members can access.

Please view an executive summary of the research report on the Deployment of Wearable AR in Highly Secure Corporate Environments from the AREA website. 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 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.

BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 1, 2023 – Object Management Group®️ (OMG®️) has partnered with AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, to co-locate a new digital transformation event with InfoComm 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Under the brand ‘Transform! @ InfoComm 2024’, OMG and AVIXA will host a technical program along with a dedicated conference and networking opportunities focused on digital transformation and the impact of AI on June 12-14, 2024, during InfoComm.

“Many of our senior technology and engineering professionals are leading digital transformation efforts at commercial, government, and academic institutions across many industries,” said Bill Hoffman, Chairman and CEO of OMG. “Cloud computing, AI – including machine learning and generative AI – digital twins, and other solutions are all part of this technology mix just as they are becoming critical to the AV industry represented by AVIXA. We see a natural synergy between the enterprise need for digital transformation and the skill sets that InfoComm attendees bring to the table and look forward to bringing our two communities together for the first time in Las Vegas next June.”

“Enterprises of all descriptions are adopting digital solutions at an increasingly rapid pace,” said David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA. “As professional AV and collaboration tools become part of a larger ecosystem of enterprise technologies, it’s critical that our industry embraces the rush toward digital transformation and the challenges and opportunities it represents. We’re thrilled to be partnering with OMG to bring this new and exciting program to InfoComm 2024.”

The InfoComm 2024 team are taking inquiries for exhibit and sponsorship opportunities for ‘Transform @ InfoComm 2024’. Additional information on the event’s conference program will be available over the coming weeks.

InfoComm 2024 takes place June 8-14 (exhibits 12-14) at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit www.infocommshow.org.

About AVIXA
AVIXA is the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, producer of InfoComm trade shows around the world, co-owner of Integrated Systems Europe, and the international trade association representing the audiovisual industry. Established in 1939, AVIXA has more than 3,000 enterprise members representing over 20,000 AV professionals, including manufacturers, systems integrators, dealers and distributors, consultants, programmers, live events companies, technology managers, content producers, and multimedia professionals from more than 80 countries. AVIXA members create integrated AV experiences that deliver outcomes for end users. AVIXA is a hub for professional collaboration, information, and community, and is the leading resource for AV standards, certification, training, market intelligence, and thought leadership. Visit avixa.org.

About InfoComm
InfoComm is the largest technology exhibition and conference in North America focused on the pro AV industry. The exhibition is produced by the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA), and currently ranks as the 28th largest trade show in the United States by Trade Show Executive. In addition, AVIXA and its partners produce a global portfolio of trade shows and conferences, including InfoComm China, Beijing; InfoComm India; InfoComm Asia; Integrate; and Integrated Systems Europe.

About OMG
When tech organizations, governments, and academia need to solve discrete pieces of a technology puzzle or discuss matters of common interest, they often seek to join or form a consortium. Since 1989, Object Management Group®️ (OMG®️) has created and nurtured a productive community with common technology interests and problems to resolve. OMG communities include Augmented Reality Enterprise Alliance (AREA), BPM+ Health, Consortium for Information and Software Quality™ (CISQ™), Digital Twin Consortium®️ (DTC), Industry IoT Consortium® (IIC™), OMG Standards Development Organization (SDO®), and Responsible Computing (RC™). OMG is global, not-for-profit, and vendor neutral. Visit OMG.

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.

Furthermore, practical knowledge regarding utilizing existing 3D spatial mapping for AR platforms and other tools/use cases is limited. Similarly, knowledge of tools and techniques for creating and managing 3D environment maps (offline or in-situ) is insufficient. Consequently, developers and engineers deploying enterprise AR fail to take advantage of valuable opportunities to:

• Decide when, how, and with which partners to integrate 3D mapping into their toolchains
• Integrate and utilize 3D mapping in their authoring platforms
• Incorporate and integrate feature detection from 3D maps into their AR experiences
• Rapidly and accurately capture 3D environments
• Leverage existing standards for efficient and future-proof AR solutions based on 3D mapping.

Research Goal

The AREA seeks to provide its members with knowledge and a deep understanding of the current state of the art of continuous or periodic 3D mapping of enterprise and industrial environments for AR and the available tools to leverage this information to develop spatially aware applications such as AR. This project provides actionable information which members can use to more effectively identify solution providers and partners and leverage prior investments made by their own organizations or their customers and partners in digital twins and 3D spatial maps.

Download the 10^th Research Report, 3D mapping of enterprise and industrial environments for AR,  executive summary here.

If you’d like to learn more about this project or any other AREA research projects, please send an email to the Research Committee. To get involved, learn more about AREA membership here.

Call for 10th Research Project Proposals – 3D mapping of enterprise and industrial environments for AR.

You may have heard about the industrial metaverse lately in the news or event at recent events. This immersive and interactive world combines real and virtual elements to create a new, innovative form of collaboration and production along with many other evolving uses. This digital environment is rapidly changing how we work, learn, and play, and augmented reality (AR) plays a crucial role in its development and success.

AR is a technology that superimposes digital information onto the physical world, creating a new and interactive experience. AR revolutionizes the industrial metaverse by allowing users to visualize and control digital models for improved enterprise design, production, and maintenance.

“The metaverse brings the physical and digital worlds together, allowing people and things to collaborate more intuitively with complex systems in person or afar,” explains Steve Dertien, Chief Technology Officer of PTC. “The metaverse, as a 3D interface for IoT, will make the physical and digital indistinguishable and therefore augment our human ability to make better-informed decisions with a minimum of mental energy and training.”

One of the critical benefits of AR in the industrial metaverse is that it reimagines remote collaboration and knowledge transfer. By combining natural and virtual elements, AR can create a shared experience between experts in different locations, allowing them to work together on complex projects and problems in real-time. This can help reduce the time and cost associated with traditional collaboration methods, such as travel, while also improving the quality and accuracy of the results.

Another essential benefit of AR in the industrial metaverse is that it can help to reduce the risk of human error and improve safety in high-risk industrial environments. For example, AR can provide workers with real-time information and guidance, reducing the need for manual processes and minimizing the risk of accidents and errors.

The AREA recognizes that human-centered design is critical to building and deploying successful AR applications, devices, and services. The Human Factors Committee is a forum for members to exchange ideas, resources, and research on best practices. The AREA-funded research on Safety and Human Factors Assessment Framework and Best Practice Report reviews the general risk management cycle as a preface to describing a new ‘Safe AR Design – Best Practice’ methodology for enterprise AR. Check out the case study and report here.

In addition, AR can also help to improve the efficiency and productivity of industrial operations. By providing workers with real-time information and feedback, AR can help to optimize processes and increase the speed and accuracy of decision-making. This can help to reduce downtime, increase output, and improve overall performance.

To fully realize the benefits of AR in the industrial metaverse, it is vital to have the proper infrastructure in place, depending on the use case. By investing in the right technology and tools, companies can create a new and innovative industrial environment optimized for collaboration, production, and efficiency. One example of this is remote assistance. Whether you are working on adopting AR or a provider, the AREA’s member ecosystem works together to help accelerate enterprise adoption across industries.

In conclusion, AR plays a critical role in developing the industrial metaverse, providing companies with a new and powerful tool for collaboration, knowledge transfer, and production. With the right technology and infrastructure in place, AR can help companies revolutionize how they work and compete, creating a new, innovative form of digital collaboration optimized for a safe and productive future.

It’s difficult to say precisely how augmented reality (AR) will impact the enterprise industry in 2023. It is a rapidly evolving field, and many factors could influence its development and adoption. However, with the expansion of technological advances and adoption, AR will likely continue to be used in various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, and more. Some potential ways in which AR could impact the enterprise industry in 2023 include the following:

1. Improved training and onboarding: AR can provide employees with interactive, immersive training experiences that are more engaging and effective than traditional methods.
2. Enhanced remote collaboration: AR can enable remote team members to work together more effectively by providing a shared, virtual workspace.
3. Increased efficiency and productivity: AR can streamline workflows and allow employees to access information and tools more quickly and easily, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.
4. Improved customer service: AR can provide customers with immersive, interactive experiences that enhance their engagement and satisfaction.
5. New business models: AR could create new business models that leverage the technology’s unique capabilities.

To learn more about the impact of AR check out our AREA use cases.

Industry Adoption Capabilities Include:

In manufacturing, AR can assist with training and maintenance, allowing workers to access real-time instructions and information as they work. It can also be used to visualize and design products before they are built and assist with maintenance and repair tasks.

In healthcare, AR can assist with surgical procedures, allowing surgeons to access 3D images of the patient’s anatomy and other relevant information during the operation.

In education, AR can be used to create immersive learning experiences, allowing students to interact with 3D models and other digital content in a more engaging way.

Overall, it is expected that AR will continue to play a significant role in the enterprise industry in the coming years, helping businesses to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience. The AREA is working to help enterprises maximize the impact of AR by providing up-to-date resources and neutral, reliable guidance that make the path to AR adoption surer, shorter, and smoother.

By identifying opportunities and challenges, disseminating information, spearheading research, promoting dialogue, and providing a forum for AR providers and enterprises, the AREA is clearing a path to interoperable AR-enabled enterprise systems that fully deliver on their promises. If you are new to AR and looking to find a useful tool to develop solutions take a look at our Enterprise AR Use Case Development Framework.

To learn more, visit: www.thearea.org

Michael was a true expert in the 3D visualisation space. After a stint in the late 1980’s in the US, Michael returned to the UK to become a research associate in 3D Computer Vision at the University of Sheffield. This led to a distinguished career in Immersive Technology including time spent in New Zealand, returning to the UK and Bristol to work at DIVISION, as VR R&D lead and Director of Marketing and Product Management.

DIVISION was acquired by PTC (an AREA sponsor member) and Michael held numerous executive roles delivering product and solution management. We spoke many times about the hard work and fun he enjoyed working at PTC and I’m certain that his dedication, insights and intelligence were important factors in the success of PTC today.

After leaving PTC in 2017, the AREA was fortunate to secure Michael’s time as the AREA Researcher. At the same time, the AREA also worked with Michael’s business partner and wife, Angela. For over 4 years, Michael was fundamental in creating in depth, thought leadership content for the AREA members. Blog articles include:

• Overcoming barriers to AR adoption
• How does AR fit into a company technology strategy?
• Enterprise AR Solutions: Build or Buy? (AREA Podcast)

Michael was also the lead for the development of the AREA Statement of Needs (ASoN) tool, used for collecting and delivering enterprise AR Requirements.

Michael was not only an expert in the enterprise AR field, but he was a good friend, with a wicked sense of humour and one of life’s all-round good guys. He will be missed. The AREA family sends their thoughts and condolence to Angela and the family.

“The Best of Swiss Apps Awards” is a major annual event for the software development community in Switzerland – and this year, the winner of the Gold award in the Extended Reality category went to AREA member Augment IT, a leading Swiss software company specializing in Mixed and Augmented Reality enterprise solutions. The awards ceremony was held on November 2^nd in Zurich.

The winning app is called woodtec AR Utility, and its award-winning success provides meaningful clues to how AR can increase its presence in the industrial enterprise. The innovative solution uses AR to completely do away with paper plans in the prefabrication of wooden walls – saving time, effort, error, and cost.

“The feedback we got from the award judges is that the solution won because of how it applies AR,” said Reto Grob, Augment IT’s Managing Director. “It brings together the physical context of the tabletops with the digital overlay information to really take IT into places it has not been possible to go to before.”

woodtec AR Utility enables fabricators wearing HoloLens 2 devices to view up-to-the-minute plan information in context on the work surface, thereby reducing the time required to access and verify plan information – and minimizing errors. Watch a video of woodtech AR Utility in action here.

Augment IT created the app for woodtec Fankhauser GmbH, a 35-year-old Swiss-based company that designs, builds, and markets a growing array of machinery to support the fabrication of engineered wooden components, from cross-laminated timber (CLT) to prefabricated wall and roof panels.

As the people at woodtec Fankhauser GmbH like to say, “We make machines but we love wood.” That love of timber construction has led the 35-year-old Swiss-based company to continually seek new ways to make it easier, faster, and more affordable for its customers to build with prefabricated wood. woodtec AR Utility is the latest example – and the company’s first customer software solution.

Augment IT engineers and woodtec Sales Manager Benjamin Fankhauser worked collaboratively throughout the development process.

“Our approach was to work iteratively and in a very agile way,” explained Grob. “We did a very fast prototype first with, let’s say, a first risk investment. After that, the use case was proven, and we could go into a productive development – again in phases – to balance the investment versus the returns. Benjamin Fankhauser was a key person because he understands the requirements of their customers. He was also key in helping to identify the most suitable first adopters and to guide them in making the change to the new solution.”

Today, a year after its first deployment, woodtec AR Utility continues to gain acceptance among the company’s customers.

When asked what the success of woodtec AR Utility has taught Augment IT about accelerating the adoption of enterprise AR, Grob replied, “The main obstacle is not the solution itself, but rather the change management requirements of introducing a digital tool with hardware and software. It is very important to focus on those features that reduce the friction for the workers to use. Therefore, listen to them and prove it by implementing convenience features. The best integration and user management system do not help if the workers won’t adopt it.”

What’s the best way to open developers’ eyes to the enormous potential of hands-free assisted reality applications for frontline workers?

For AREA member RealWear, the answer is to invite developers to a two-day event at their Vancouver headquarters, give them their own RealWear Navigator™ 500 device, and have RealWear’s CTO and VP of Software show them how to create a hands-free, voice-driven application.

It’s the first-ever onsite RealWear Developer Academy and it all happens November 16 and 17.

“It’s an opportunity for developers with mobile or desktop app development experience to create hands-free, voice driven solutions,” said RealWear Senior Director of Training and Implementation Kristen Naeini.

RealWear is “the world’s leading provider of assisted reality wearable solutions that engage, empower, and elevate the modern frontline industrial worker to perform work tasks more safely, and with increased efficiency and precision.” Because RealWear gives these workers real-time access to information and expertise, while keeping their hands and field of view free for work, it has attracted a growing number of world-class customers, including Shell, Goodyear, Mars, Colgate-Palmolive, and BMW.

In addition to getting hands-on experience with RealWear technologies, participants will have opportunities to network and share ideas with RealWear team members. The cost for the two-day event, including the Navigator 500 device, the training sessions, and RealWear-hosted lunches, is $2500 per person ($1000 for those who bring their own devices).

Attendees will leave the event with the apps they’ve developed, the skills to develop and optimize more solutions, and a deeper understanding of the benefits that RealWear can deliver today to frontline workers.

“We’re at a golden time to enter the market while still being considered an emerging technology,” said Naeini. “Because our solutions offer a non-immersive, mixed reality experience, it allows us to provide situational awareness, health and safety compliance, and actually start delivering on Industry 4.0 aspirations today – without delay.”