ABI research has released a summary article on their research into Medical Augmented Reality, which is predicted to accelerate in growth after 2019. The source post on abiresearch.com says that current medical AR activity comes mainly from first responder trials and initial forays into training and education applications, and that the market will grow through widened telemedicine and surgery use cases. Enhancing the operating room experience and remote surgery viewings and preparations are expected to benefit from expanding AR in the medical sector.

Michael Inouye, Principal Analyst at ABI Research, says that “several key milestones need to be met” before this time. He says that medical education applications expansion is vital, and that significant investment and safety trials will be required in order to use AR in a surgery setting, this could start taking shape as early as 2017.

Pristine, Ubimax and Vuzix are some of the companies that are beginning to work towards the anticipated medical AR demand.

An article by Martin Rushmore on the Port Strategy website, discusses potential uses of Augmented Reality in the Port Industry and obstacles that may have caused slow acceptance and adoption.

The high degree of risk, safety, the environment and complexity seems to be the main reasons for the slow acceptance among ports. Other factors mentioned in the detailed article, with comments from industry experts, are summarised below:

• Military experimentation and testing, such as the NAVD diving helmet. (See a previous AREA article here for more information). This is currently in the second phase of testing. Once perfected, the system will be used for commercial salvage and repair, providing benefits for ports.
• Cost is still an uncertain factor and companies must still look at the cost vs. revenue balance.
• Cargo movements at ports requires maintaining reliable real-time information, where a glitch in the system can lead to costly and dangerous consequences.
• The industry needs reliable partners who understand both the industry and the technology to provide a useful solution.
• The potential for AR in ports is great and that there is ROI could be within 12 months in some cases, especially when it comes to its use in training applications.
• A combination of technologies might be used to improve performance in the environment for example by bringing together real-time operating data and make it a key stroke or finger swipe away from the user, so the relevant data is where it needs to be when it needs to be there. This improves productivity and safety for the operations.
• Improved visualization is possible e.g. the uses are product visualisation, project and process alignment, and training/education of employees and stakeholders.
• Ports have adopted VR technology for more than a decade in training;, this can be advanced and improved with AR.
• Lack of understanding may impede growth. It is said that Augmented reality technology may not be well understood in the port industry. There is no one application provider focused specifically on applications for ports.
• The article mentions how AR could be used in security, for example emergency personnel could have their vision blocked during a fire; AR overlay will allow the emergency services to get to assets to shut down the equipment.

A recent article on Worldcrunch discusses how Augmented Reality is going to be applied in industry in the near future as well as in smartphone games such as Pokemon Go. Patrick Sayd, head of the vision and engineering laboratory at technology research institute CEA List, is quoted to have said that improved smartphone technology has aided the success of AR applications due to AR overlay having to adapt to movements of the camera.

Other key points in the article include:

• Testia has developed Mira, an AR application for aircraft manufacturers that finds the appropriate place for “brackets” (which secure the interior walls of an aircraft) to go. This app has reduced time taken to do such a job from three weeks down to just three hours.
• Boston Consulting Group is working on a projector that will enable hands-free use by displaying virtual images onto the workplace.
• Moundir Rachidi from the company is quoted to have said that AR will increase quality and productivity as well as decrease training time.
• Safran, an aerospace organisation, has been investigating the many possibilities for AR over the past year. Nicolas Lepape, head of this ARVR project, is quoted to have said that the position of pipes needed in the engine can be visually projected onto it.
• Many other companies are currently using, or planning on using AR, such as Airbus and Sunna Design.
• It is predicted by some that wireless lenses will replace headsets and smart glasses in the future.

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Apple CEO Tim Cook has yet again divulged his thoughts on Augmented Reality, according to a post on 9to5mac.com. There’s “no substitute for human contact” explains Cook in the interview, “And so you want the technology to encourage that”. This is the ultimate benefit of Augmented Reality in Tim Cook’s eyes, says the article.

Although Cook indicates in the original interview that it may take some time to get Augmented Reality right, he describes it as “profound”. Cook has previously mentioned during an Apple earnings call that he views Apple as being in the Augmented Reality race for the “long run”.
9to5mac.com adds that Apple has recently been holding meetings with immersive content companies such as Jaunt, according to BuzzFeed News. Although Apple has remained quiet about what it’s got planned with AR, Cook’s comments on the technology certainly implicate the company’s vested interest in Augmented Reality.

Vuzix Corporation has welcomed four new partners to their Vuzix Industrial Partner (VIP) program, announces a post on prnewswire.com. US based Apprentice Field Suite and Third Eye Health and Germany based ESSERT GmbH and Picavi have evolved from AR partners in Vuzix’s original M100 smart glasses to VIPs.

Supplier of Smart Glasses, AR and VR technologies and products for consumer and enterprise markets, Vuzix has won numerous Electronics and Technology awards, which are named in the article. Founded in 1997, products from the company include personal display and wearable computing devices, offering a portable high quality viewing experience along with mobility solutions, wearable displays and VR and AR.

Early access to Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses is one of the benefits all four companies will have as Vuzix VIPs. The state-of-the-art M300 platform is designed to address customer feedback from more than two years of use of the M100. The advanced ergonomic design and feature set of the M300 allows enterprise users to operate in an increasing number of situations. For more information on how their latest partners will benefit from Vuzix M300, refer to the original article.
“We are thrilled to have these partners join our VIP program,” says President and Chief Executive Officer of Vuzix, Paul Travers.

Earlier this week, an article on Equities.com discussed the role of Vuzix within the smart glasses market. The leading company is soon releasing the M300 Smart Glasses model worldwide, which is predicted to give the market a boost.

Key points in the article include:

•  This year, the wearables market is predicted to generate $15 billion
•  In 2020, the wearables market is anticipated to reach $34 billion
•  Global sales of head-mounted displays are expected to quadruple next year according to Gartner, Inc.
•  The M300 Smart Glasses run on Android but can pair with iOS devices, and have built-in GPS and Bluetooth
•  The M300 Smart Glasses are also voice activated, have a built-in camera, and can scan bar codes
•  Vuzix generated $560,000 revenue in the second quarter of this year

SeekingAlpha recently released an article discussing the smart glasses industry and its potential due to the launch of Vuzix Corporation’s new M300 smart glasses.

Applications for smart glasses in the enterprise include:

•  Industrial
•  Off-shore heavy equipment operations
•  Medical/healthcare
•  Automotive
•  Aerospace
•  Customer service
•  Remote support
•  Warehouse logistics
•  Utility/field service
•  Manufacturing
• Training

Advantages of smart glasses listed include:

•  Hands-free so can continue working while using the device
•  Augments the real world for accuracy
• Can share the view of the wearer

Details of Vuzix are stated in the article, including statistics about its net cash balance, market capitalization, and Intel’s involvement with the company. The Vuzix corporate presentation has also forecast that 14.4 million US workers will use smart glasses by 2025, compared to an anticipated 400,000 next year.

The article concludes by suggesting that investors should keep track of the smart glasses industry, as it holds promise for the future.

An item on PR Newswire recently reported that Strata, a major developer of 3D design technology, has begun first round funding for Augmented and Virtual Reality for the enterprise. The company will be able to assist in creating AR/VR experiences from 3D projects as well as from scratch, and is offering custom AR/VR development.
Areas of industry which can benefit from AR/VR include:

• Interior design
• Architecture
• Exhibit
• Store layout
• Product
• Packaging

The manager of the Strata funding is Greg Kofford, the co-founder of Lanstead Investors PTY Ltd., who is quoted to have said that AR/VR have significant potential for investment, and Strata’s funding will enable them to get ahead in the new technology market. John Wright, the new President/Managing Director for Strata, is also quoted to have said that AR/VR tech will have a profound impact on people’s lives.

A press release dated October 10 2016 revealed that the M300 Smart Glasses has won Compass Intelligence’s Enterprise Wearable Device of the Year award.

Compass Intelligence is a market analytics and consulting company. The winner was deteminred by an expert panel of judges from the industry. Samsung Gear S2 won the cateogory Consumer Wearable Device of the year.

The Vuzix M300 features ergonomic design and enables enterprise users to operate in an increasing variety of complex situations. The press release points to other research into entperirse wearables market such as Gartner’s prediction that global unit sales of Head mounted wearable display devices to more than quadruple in 2017.

Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate announced ten startup organisations to participate in EMERGE 2016: Wearable Technology, which will connect strategic partners through a common aim for development and research. The link to the program can be found here.

The program is centred around wearable tech used especially by first responders; they require devices such as advance sensors, integrated voice, embedded data communications, and body-worn electronics, and wearables can integrate multiple technologies. The program will also allow the startups access to feed back from first responders, industry partners, and educational resources for business development from mentors.

Dr. Reginald Brothers, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, is quoted to have said that the startup selection is essential for innovating, and that entrepreneurs are major players in inventing solutions for integrating tech into existing equipment.

Listed below are the ten selected startups, the first two of which are AREA members. The AREA would like to wish them all the best in the program:

• Augmate
• Six15 Technologies
• CommandWear Systems
• HAAS Alert
• Human Systems Integration
• Lumenus
• LuminAID
• Pear Sports
• Vault RMS
• Visual Semantics