The mixed reality, computer aided design (CAD) 3D visualization tool is known as ProtoSpace. It has been crucial to the lab’s collaborative development of spacecraft, says the technical lead for ProtoSpace, Benjamin Nuernberger.

Nuernberger, a mixed reality researcher and developer who guides the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL’s) related software architecture design and implementation, explains that ProtoSpace allows scientists to see 3D CAD models of the spacecraft through augmented reality. To use ProtoSpace, researchers employ the Microsoft HoloLens, a commercial off-the-shelf mixed reality head-mounted display device combined with the JPL’s augmented reality application to superimpose a 3D digital image into the real world—as opposed to a virtual reality environment that creates an entire digital world.

“ProtoSpace has been used for various stages of the mission life cycle, all the way from the stage where you have an initial CAD design and you want to communicate that design to other people, to the early design stage and trying to figure out the design decisions, then to find the optimal design and to validate those designs, and for planning and troubleshooting,” Nuernberger notes.

“It’s really great because all the different scientists and engineers can collaborate and see this spacecraft spatially, stereoscopically, floating in a conference room, or maybe overlaid onto the actual hardware in a clean room. It allows them to talk about it as if it was physically there.”

In February, NASA deployed Perseverance to Mars for two Earth years to search for signs of ancient life, collect rock and soil samples, demonstrate technology and advance the possibility of human exploration on the planet. In April and May, NASA conducted several successful demonstration flights of Ingenuity, first verifying that powered, controlled flight was even possible on the Red Planet, and later testing how aerial reconnaissance and other tasks could aid in the exploration of Mars.

Read the full article here

LifecycleIQ Services provide the transformative partnership that customers need and expect today. By combining digital technologies with expansive human know-how, the services help companies work faster, smarter and with greater agility at every point in their business cycle. The services can help companies realize the power of a Connected Enterprise during the design, operations, and maintenance stages in greenfield and brownfield facilities.

“LifecycleIQ Services create a more intimate customer engagement model, one that can help companies not only solve problems, but also see new possibilities in production and transform them into reality,” said Frank Kulaszewicz, senior vice president, Lifecycle Services at Rockwell Automation. “We’re investing in providing a wide range of holistic services to help companies be more productive, safe and secure anywhere in a product, process or plant lifecycle.”

Inbavanan Rathinam, senior director, Solutions & Services, Asia-Pacific at Rockwell Automation, said: “One challenge faced by many industrial players in Asia-Pacific is how to adopt smart manufacturing technology quickly whilst seamlessly integrating legacy equipment and machinery. LifeCycleIQ Services help to address this unmet need holistically, enabling enterprises to be future-ready by incorporating agility and flexibility in both infrastructure and processes.

“Driving efficiencies also continues to be increasingly important to businesses across every sector in the region, with growing attention on sustainable operations. LifeCycleIQ Services enables our customers to better plan and service every aspect of the plant, from design to safe operations, enabling reduced energy usage, minimized wastage, and maximized output.”

Industrial companies can use LifecycleIQ Services to achieve outcomes like:

Capturing more value from digital transformation initiatives

Digital initiatives can struggle to get off the ground because companies don’t know what steps to take or where to start. Using the knowledge and experience within LifecycleIQ Services, companies can strategically plan, implement and scale their digital initiatives.

Support can begin with defining strategic objectives, identifying use cases and quantifying business value. Rockwell Automation can then continue to support customers through implementation, ongoing maintenance and continuous innovation.

Reducing risk with comprehensive cybersecurity support

Cybersecurity is a top priority today, but few companies have specialists with both information and operations technology (IT/OT) security knowledge. Rockwell Automation is uniquely equipped to address complex security challenges in IT/OT environments. The company understands the OT environment and how it interfaces with IT and follows industry security standards.

LifecycleIQ Services can help companies adopt a proactive cybersecurity approach and address the entire attack continuum — before, during and after an event. Also, as more companies connect their plants to remote workers and partners like original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Rockwell Automation can help protect those connections with secure remote access and security posture assessment services.

Improving workforce support

Companies need new ways to support their workforces as they contend with global health challenges and skills shortages brought on by the retirement of trained workers and an influx of new technologies. They also need workforce support as they seek to make the most of IIoT technologies.

LifecycleIQ Services can help companies address their unique workforce challenges and gaps by assessing needs, identifying priorities and creating workforce development programs. Rockwell Automation also uses remote support capabilities and augmented reality technologies to help companies interact virtually with support engineers, strengthen skills with virtual training, and provide safety and security services without sending people into plants.

To improve customer experiences, LifecycleIQ Services is also introducing a new way to receive multiple services in one contract. An Integrated Service Agreement allows companies to select a package of offerings to simplify their support needs and have just one number to call to access experts and receive priority service. Companies can get 24×7 technical support, repair services, reports and analytics, field services and more, all in one integrated contract.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 24,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.

Members joined during May 2021

Keen Research

Keen Research develops SDKs for on-device automatic speech recognition for devices running iOS, Android, Linux, or ChromeOS operating systems. The SDK uses a state-of-the-art speech recognition engine based on Deep Neural Networks at its core, and it includes a variety of acoustic models. – CEO, Ognjen Todic

Insider Navigation

A Vienna-based large-scale Augmented Reality company, founded in 2014, is the first company to offer AR-based indoor positioning for industrial solutions, which has been operationally in use for years.  Among the well-known customers are Volkswagen, Ford, JLL, Magna Steyr and many more. CSO, Lena Miglbauer

DoX Systems

DoX Systems is a Finnish software company founded in 1991 who develop retail systems that aid with technical documentation and related processes. Their current customers consist of large-scale enterprises and SMEs in Nordic countries. Sales, Tommi Tolvanen

Members joined earlier in 2021

Rockwell Automation

Looking to see how we can help our Clients – Member since Apr 2021 – Director of Digital Technology Office which includes all Industry 4.0 technologies. Director – Global Information Solutions Technical Consultants, Andrew Ellis

Xennial Digital

Xennial Digital is an XR company focused on immersive learning for enterprise and educational clients. CEO | CXO, Douglas Fajardo

Holo-Light

Holo-Light specializes in immersive software and technologies for the enterprise market. The company has developed a unique remote rendering SDK, ISAR, that allows users to stream entire big data XR applications in real time. Holo-Light also provides ARES Pro, a powerful XR software, enabling engineers to work and collaborate on 3D CAD data. Chief Marketing Officer – Co-Founder, Luis Bollinger

Augmented Reality Engineering FZE

We create Extended Reality experiences. We provide intuitive digital solutions to your tough problems. Covering industries from the workforce to academia. CEO, Akram Amir

INFRASI

“We simplify enterprise mobility with cost-effective, cloud-enabled and modern IT infrastructure solutions. By embracing and adopting this technology, your company becomes increasingly agile and effective, digitally transforming your business for maximum results.” CEO, Doyin Adewodu

Siemens DI SW

“Amid unprecedented change and the rapid pace of innovation, digitalization is no longer tomorrow’s idea. We take what the future promises tomorrow and make it real for our customers today. Welcome to… Where today meets tomorrow”.  Product Management Visualization, Ian Fisher.

• According to the report, the hands-free, voice-controlled devices provide on-site automotive technicians instant access to Ford expert advice no matter where their dealership is located.
• RealWear assisted reality solutions have enabled automotive technicians in South Africa to perform complex and difficult repairs faster and more accurately than ever before.
• Ford is using the solution to cut the expense of sending experts to every far-flung location in their dealership network.
• The devices have also enabled Ford to boost customer satisfaction by reducing wait-times and ensuring vehicles are repaired correctly the first time.
• Ford will expand their use of RealWear’s headsets to more remote dealerships in South Africa – as well as to other locations in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ford’s Announcement Says it Gained Business Benefits From the RealWear HMT-1 Hands-Free Deployment

According to the article, global innovation leader Ford Motor Company has gained a series of business benefits after introducing RealWear HMT-1 assisted reality devices in their South African dealerships. Ford had previously rolled out RealWear’s solution in parts of Australia and Europe.

List of Benefits Provided

Ford is enjoying many benefits throughout their South African Dealerships. These include:

• The ability for remote technicians to gain real-time access to Ford experts so they can complete difficult repairs faster, easier and more accurately than ever.
• The ability to eliminate vehicle repair bottlenecks cause by the delays in on-site expertise.
• The ability to significantly reduce the enormous expense of sending vehicle repair experts to far-flung remote locations.
• The ability to boost customer satisfaction by repairing vehicles correctly the first time – and reducing customer vehicle downtime.

Ford says its employees have been very happy with RealWear’s solution.

Read the full article here. 

See RealWear’s AREA member profile here. 

With increased language support, and the platform and hardware independence in place, we enable companies globally to scale XMReality even broader. The new language support functionality makes it easier to add more languages whenever needed. The combination of guidance features and multiple languages help our customers and partners to bridge language barriers and become even more efficient in expanding into their markets.

Smarter communication and less barriers allows for faster, more secure ability to help people all over the world, meeting a diverse audience. It will also make it easier for workers to reach out for help when both the caller and the recipient can view the app in their own language. Those who resell XMReality Remote Guidance as a part of their offer, will experience less friction in both packaging and marketing of the solution.

XMReality is now available in:

Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish and Spanish.

Read more about this and other updates here Latest Updates 

XMReality AREA member profile 

The way we work is changing. While businesses tackle the challenges of increasingly competitive markets, the workforce needs to constantly adapt to new tools, changing processes and different work environments.

Emerging technology is transforming the industrial workplace. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) improve automation, data driven insights and operational efficiency. However, the technology that holds the most potential for creating our future workplace is Augmented Reality (AR).

RE’FLEKT explores the future of the industrial workplace and the role of Work Augmentation and Remote Collaboration based on AR technology. We take a close look at how businesses will work tomorrow by connecting their workforce with information and knowledge today – using Enterprise Augmented Reality.

The guide is comprehensive and comes in a number of sections:

• How enterprise AR tackles business challenges
• The digital AR guide
• Manufacturing in the remote economy age
• AR devices

You can read the full article here 

Knee+ is a patented platform designed to assist orthopedic surgeons to perform surgeries better and faster by providing real-time positioning of instruments, directly in their field of view. Knee+ is intuitive and requires minimal training even for those who have never utilized navigation or robots since it does not change the overall technique for 90% of surgeons who use a conventional technique. Knee+ consists of proprietary software using unique computer vision and artificial intelligence algorithms and running on connected Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses, with no bulky capital equipment or disposables required. The solution is simple, accurate and much less expensive than surgical assistance robots.

The United States represents 50% of the worldwide market for knee replacement surgeries, and according to estimates there are more than 30,000 orthopedic surgeons in the U.S who carry out approximately 600,000 total knee replacements annually. Pixee Medical plans to start surgeries as soon as possible in the US with Digitally Augmented Surgeons to prove the efficiency of its breakthrough, affordable, and efficient solution, especially adapted for the growing surgery vertical of ambulatory surgical centers.

“The FDA’s clearance of Knee+ is an important step forward and we plan to quickly expand our platform to perform hip and shoulder replacements,” states Sébastien Henry, Founder and CEO of Pixee Medical. “In addition, our platform is designed to become the cornerstone of data acquisition and exchange during surgery as well as a plug-and-play hub for accessories like connected instruments, robotic arms and wireless tools. Vuzix’ M400 Smart Glasses play a vital role within our Knee+ solution.”

“We are thrilled to see Pixee Medical receive FDA clearance for Knee+ and we look forward to supporting the worldwide distribution of their innovative AR solution, particularly now in the U.S. market, which accounts roughly half of the world’s annual knee surgeries,” said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix. “The Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses are lightweight, comfortable and completely wireless and their high-performance camera is ideal for reading QR-code markers and precisely calculating the 3D coordinates of the instruments used during Knee+ surgeries.”

Iristick.H1 has dual 16 Megapixel central cameras, a unique optical zoom lens and a 3-axis adjustable display to give instructions and additional information to the smart glasses’ wearer.

With the zoom lens on one side, the display on the other side and the central cameras in the middle, you get the most balanced pair of smart glasses on the market. This new device can be adapted to both right and left eye dominant wearers and can easily be clipped onto dedicated or personal PPE. With its IP67 certificate, Iristick.H1 can be used in a wide range of professional environments.

Smart glasses provide frontline workers with a powerful tool to collaborate in real-time with remote experts, making their interventions more effective and safer. The pandemic has accelerated the use of smart glasses to cope with travel restrictions and to keep operations running. We strongly believe this new remote way of working will become a standard in the future. With this product innovation, Iristick wants to provide the right smart glasses for every frontline worker.

Why was this new device, Iristick.H1, developed?

We believe true innovation comes from listening to our customers and making products that serve their needs. And realizing that not all customers are the same. Some operators work outside, some inside. Some wear safety glasses and helmets, some don’t. Some need prescription glasses. Some work in sterile environments, others in dusty or noisy environments, some in hazardous areas. The one thing they all have in common is that they need both hands free and the correct information to do their job.

But for a long time now, the smart glasses market has tried to serve all these customers with one product. This ‘one size fits all’ approach does not fully value the variety in operators, industries and use cases. After carefully evaluating the needs of our customers, we made a list of features for product innovation that resulted in the creation of the Iristick.G1 and Iristick.H1.

Will there be a solution for hazardous areas?

Hazardous areas require special equipment. The Iristick.H1 will be the foundation for the ECOM Visor-EX^R 01 for use in intrinsically safe environments. ECOM Visor-EX^R 01 is a co-created product by Iristick and ECOM Instruments – A Pepperl+Fuchs Brand, world-leader in intrinsically safe mobile devices. This collaboration brought together the expert knowledge of both companies, resulting in a new product that will serve mobile workers in the hazard areas market (ATEX/IECEX Zone 1, DIVISION 1).

Watch the launch video here : https://youtu.be/FkBNq6dQpa8

ABOUT IRISTICK

Founded in 2016, Iristick creates industrial smart safety glasses to support enterprises in their digital transformation. Iristick empowers the frontline workers of Industry 4.0 in three domains: remote assistance, digital work instructions and pick-by-vision logistics. Iristick smart eyewear is currently being used and tested by customers in maintenance, after sales support, logistics, shop floor activities, quality control, telemedicine and education.

Iristick, based in Antwerp, Belgium, supports customers globally. Winner of a Red Dot Award, H2020 European Commission Innovation Grant (N°811820) and holder of multiple patents.

More info: www.iristick.com

• Johnson said a launch of the Magic Leap 2 could be only months away
• The device is half the size of the first-generation headset and about 20 percent lighter.
• The device is optimized for professional use and is designed to be wearable for long periods, and it’s supposed to double the Magic Leap One’s field of view.
• “For frontline workers, the product has to be something comfortable that they can wear all day long.”
• Magic Leap has spent the past year transitioning from an all-purpose mixed reality company to a specifically business-focused one.
• Johnson told Protocolthat she sees a “massive” opportunity for enterprise AR headsets.
• Johnson says she sees a more viable short-term future in areas like health care or military applications. “The devices are still getting there. They’re not quite right for consumers, but they’re perfect for the enterprise.”

Read full interview with Protocol.

Read Magic Leap AREA member profile.

The training solution is based on the Augumenta SmartEyes system, which uses camera-equipped smart glasses to connect field workers in Africa with Japanese experts who can view the local scene and provide instructions and support in real-time.

JICA is responsible for delivering Japan’s official development assistance as an implementing agency, providing ODA Loan and Grant Aid, and executing Technical Cooperation in developing countries. With approximately 100 offices and a network of people cooperating within its numerous programs running all over the world, the organization provides, for example, technical training for participants from developing countries in a wide range of fields, such as medical, industrial, and agricultural fields.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, JICA programs allowed Japanese counterparts to host experts and researchers from developing countries in Japan and thousands of Japanese experts to travel to the target countries to arrange hands-on training locally. The pandemic caused disruptions to the programs: experts have been forced to evacuate and the hosting of trainees has been suspended. Last autumn, JICA launched an open call for proposals to find solutions that enable the programs to continue operating despite travel restrictions.

The Augumenta solution will initially be deployed in two countries in Africa as a tool to aid technical guidance:

1. In the medical field, including infectious disease control, between the researchers at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Ghana and experts in research institutions in Japan;
2. In the field of infectious disease control between the University of Hokkaido and The School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Zambia;
3. In the field of agriculture, connecting experts in Japan and the Agriculture Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture in Zambia studying rice cultivation. Augumenta’s SmartEyes solution matched the criteria set by JICA and was selected out of the 24 submitted proposals to provide the much-needed communication solution.

SmartEyes fulfills the key program requirements, including:

1. Needs to work with varying network conditions.
2. Does not require the researcher to stop working to communicate.
3. Provides proper visibility to the target, traditional webcams have not been sufficient.
4. Short learning curve, the solution does not require technical expertise to be used.
5. Can be customized based on JICA’s needs.

Read more about this in the full press release

Read Augumenta’s reaction in their blog about the SmartEyes JICA announcement

Read Augumenta’s AREA member profile