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

An article on Datamation discusses the place of Augmented Reality in the technology market, including the hype cycle. It mentions that the AR market is predicted to grow to $49 billion by 2021 compared to $209 million in 2016, according to an IDC study.

Virtual Reality is compared to AR in the article, with failures of the former being focused on as opposed to the success of the latter. The most useful industries for AR are said to be training and repair; e.g. AREA member Boeing uses AR in engine repair, as the overlay provides guidance for which areas of the engine need to be fixed.

The article also states a reason why there is more demand for AR tech in industry rather than for consumer use. Rob Enderle, principal analyst for The Enderle Group, is quoted to have said that the consumer sector is restricted by budgets whereas the industrial sector is more willing to pay larger sums of money. Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, is also quoted to have said that other industries that will benefit from AR include real estate and tourism.

The failure of the first Google Glass release is discussed in the article, with reference to the latest Glass announcement; the second version is aimed at use in the enterprise rather than for consumers, which perhaps reflects the direction in which AR is going.

The article concludes by claiming that AR is at the stage of requiring data models and training for users, and expanding platforms from smartphones to headsets for consumers.

Significant points from the report include:

• The global ARVR in healthcare market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.2% in the forecast period
• Key driving factors for the market are: increasing private funds, emphasis on delivery of efficient healthcare services, and healthcare funds being increasingly spent on emerging tech
• The use of ARVR in medical training provides an enhanced understanding of anatomy and physiology, and results in less complications and trauma during surgery
• VR is a great advantage in exposure therapy for helping patients with phobias
• Health apps that help train doctors and patients also aid fitness management
• The ARVR healthcare market is restricted by a lack of clear regulatory guidelines for medical use
• North America is the leading ARVR healthcare market, Europe being the second
• Key factors contributing to ARVR market growth in North America are: established distribution channels and ease of access to technologies

Key market players in the market mentioned in the report include:

• Siemens Healthcare
• Intuitive Surgical Inc.
• Foursquare Labs, Inc.
• GE Healthcare
• Vuzix Corp
• Simulab Corp
• Medtronic
• VirtaMed
• WorldViz, LLC
• Oculuc VR, LLC

Jay Kothari, Project Lead at Glass at X, is schedules to offer the opening keynote this year. Kothari will use the event as an opportunity to explore the implications of wearable tech, specifically Glass, on the future of work.

Kothari’s session will explore the enterprise wearables space and address the reasons why enterprises can no longer afford to ignore this new category of technology. Some key questions that Kothari will explore include the following: Are wearables a legitimate enterprise priority right now? Has the technology caught up to enterprises’ needs? Which devices and applications are seeing the most traction today? How will the role of wearables in the workplace evolve? And how can enterprises prepare for the future? What’s clear is that Kothari’s questions are questions that everyone should now be asking, whether they’re educators or professionals leading an enterprise looking ahead to the future of workplace training.

The article runs through a fairly basic description of wearable tech.  We are well on our way to realizing the shift from mobile phones to wearable tech, and the upcoming Enterprise Wearable Technology Summit in Boston this month is yet another sign of how rapidly the wearable tech market is expanding.

Safety, compliance and training are all on the agenda at the upcoming Enterprise Wearable Technology Summit. In a session focused on wearables “below the neck,” for example, presenters will explore how devices ranging from smartwatches and smart clothing to exoskeletons and body-worn sensors can be used to track workplace activity to increase efficiency, productivity, and safety; collect real-time data and communication; generate employee biometrics; help employees with navigation; and increase on-site security.

In another session, Albert Zulps, a Regional Director at construction firm, Skanska, will explore wearable tech in relation to construction industry safety. As noted in the program overview, the presentation will “on how wearables, IoT, sensing devices, virtual reality and RTLS can enhance environmental awareness and real-time visibility of worker’s safety and productivity on active job sites, as well as into operations.”

The implications of wearable technology for workplace training are profound. Indeed, it now seems likely that over the coming decade, wearable tech will become the primary interface through which workplace training is delivered. This will help to create new types of apprentice-based opportunities but also enable trainers to collect detailed feedback on what trainees do and do not understand. There is hope this will lead to more learner-specific training opportunities and over all, more effective and cost-effective training programs.

The mechanic is on the ground with a plane in Boston that’s in need of engineer servicing, and she is using AR technology (particularly “see what I see” video conferencing features) on the repair with an engineer in San Jose who worked on the original design of the engine.

The engineer can use smart glasses to electronically “circle” a part that needs attention (shown on the screen of the smart glasses so that both the mechanic and the remotely-connected engineer).

The engineer in San Jose can provide more detailed guidance to the mechanic in Boston, getting her to look more closely at various aspects of the aircraft part that she is working on – and provide real-time feedback to the mechanic on the next steps that she needs to take.

How many challenges are solved at once:

• Allowing the engineer in San Jose to deliver detailed, contextual guidance that allows him to see and interact with the malfunctioning aircraft part, so that he is able to scale the delivery of his highly-valued skills to the mechanic in Boston (without having to travel in-person to do so).
• Using an engineer in San Jose to troubleshoot an MRO issue in Boston, which helps provide national and international scale for the engineer’s employer.
• Offering the mechanic in Boston immediate access to the latest task checklists (for working on the troublesome part) – and any existing training videos – directly via her smart glasses before initiating the video conference call to the engineer in . This ensures that valuable aviation engineer time is only sought when other support avenues have been exhausted.
• Getting the right information to the right place – quickly and easily. Using smart glasses (and either voice, gestures or head movements to access the information and remote experts she needs), the mechanic is safely able to get at all the information she needs without having to remove work gloves, move away from the part she is working with or otherwise be distracted from the task at hand.

A recent report discusses the Global Smartglasses Market examining the performance of the market in 2017. The market report contains in-depth research of the market state and the competitive landscape globally.

The report includes Smartglasses market size, revenue, market share, Smartglasses industry volume, market trends, Smartglasses growth aspects and a wide range of applications, utilization ratio, supply and demand analysis. It also shows manufacturing capacity and Smartglasses price during the forecast period from 2017 to 2022.

Top vendors which are mentioned in this report include:

• Google Glass
• Microsoft
• SONY
• Samsung
• Newmine
• Baidu glasses
• Recon
• Lenovo
• ITheater
• And many more

The report covers the top Smartglasses manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.

Giving information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of the Smartglasses industry and rules  and policies.

To request a free sample of this report click here; bit.ly/2tRiHus

The valuation of the Global Augmented Reality Market is estimated to reach USD 124.37 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 76.60% between 2016 and 2022, according to a new market report.

The global Augmented Reality Market report has been composed based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry professionals. The primary focus of the market report is to define and specify Past-Current Size, Augmented Reality Shares, Price, Segment & Forecast to 2022.

The report offers a detailed analysis of the Augmented Reality market dynamics which will influence the market during the forecast season and gives a proper understanding of the Augmented Reality major players, dominant Augmented Reality market segments, diverse geographic regions and Augmented Reality market size (revenue).

Augmented Reality market Key Players analysis

• Google and Inc.
• IBM Corporation
• Infinity Augmented Reality and Inc.
• Blipper.com Ltd.
• Metaio GmbH
• Microsoft
• Corporation
• Sony
• Corporation
• SamsungQualcomm
• Inc.Apple and Inc.

To read the report in full click here

An article by ndmcolumns.com discusses the latest smart glasses market report by QYResearch. The report, named ‘AR & VR Smartglasses Market’ brings to light the comprehensive study and factual information of the global market.

The report focuses on regional as well as global markets, its key players, along with market segments including a detailed study on various divisions and its applications. It also covers the precisely studied and evaluated data of the global market players and their scope in the market using a number of analytical tools.

Main topics that are discussed in the report include:

• A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent market.
• Important changes in market dynamics.
• Market segmentation up to the second or third level.
• Historical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volume.
• Reporting and evaluation of recent industry developments.
• Market shares and strategies of key players.
• Emerging niche segments and regional markets.

To request a free sample of this market report click here.

Office Genie, an office search engine organisation, surveyed 1000 UK employees and found that 36% of employee respondents cite increased productivity as a benefit of using wearable technology in the workplace. This survey also found that 42% of respondents believe that stress monitoring is an appropriate use for wearable technology in the workplace.

Head of strategy at Office Genie, Peter Ames, said: “If employers are planning to introduce workplace wearables, these concerns have to be considered. First and foremost, employees need to be clear as to the legitimate reasons behind their introduction. Creating a document informing staff of the data sets that will be employer-accessible can help reduce fears of snooping bosses. These concerns aside, workplace wearables have been linked to improved productivity and job satisfaction, as well as health benefits. So it definitely isn’t worth writing them off, particularly with the majority of employees in favour of them.”

Other survey findings include:

• 41% feel supporting employees’ physical health would be an appropriate use for workplace wearables.
• 43% of respondents cite employee wellness as a benefit of using wearable technology in the workplace, and 41% cite health benefits.
• 51% of respondents believe wearable technology is beneficial in the workplace
• 33% of respondents would prefer to use employer-provided wearable technology for professional use only, and 21% would use it for both professional and personal purposes.

On the downside:

• 49% are worried about the negative effect wearable technology could have on employees’ stress levels
• 58% are concerned that their employer could look at data recorded by the devices outside of the workplace
• 67% worry that the use of wearable technology in the workplace could result in a big-brother-style surveillance culture