It is important for enterprise AR developers and project leaders to recognize the wide variety of sources of error that contribute to failed AR experiences or adoption and to mitigate the risks they introduce. Due to variations in sensor manufacturers, some smartphones don’t behave consistently from one unit to the next. Most of the time these differences are undetectable to the user. In the case of gyroscopes and compasses, however, the differences can lead to important discrepancies in how data is presented to the user. Modern mobile operating systems and suppliers use firmware bias to detect and remove or reduce such discrepancies.

According to a post published on the Apple Insider blog, users have found that on iPhone 6s running iOS 9 the sensors produce errors that cause the geospatial Augmented Reality experiences to drift uncontrollably. When users experience such issues to view the stars, they have doubts about application developers and may choose not to explore Augmented Reality technology in the future. But their lives and the equipment with which they work is not at risk.

In the future, users of personal head-mounted displays in enterprise and industrial settings could suffer from similar issues. Choosing hardware suppliers that have developed and use the highest performance sensor reliability test suites could be an important factor to successful adoption and use of AR in enterprise

Osterhaut Design Group (ODG) has announced the establishment of its reseller and partner program, Reticle Connect. Through this new program, the smart glasses designer and manufacturer is putting in place the systems that will make its hardware available to customers through integrators with Augmented Reality expertise in 15 countries.

When the company’s R-7 devices begin shipping later in 2015, partners will be able to provide complete solutions.

The North American partners include:
– Houston-based Optech4D, provider of software as a service (SaaS) for day-to-day operations, maintenance, and health and safety to the Oil and Gas sector and complementary industries such as nuclear, aerospace, aviation, and construction.
– San Francisco-based Vital Enterprises, provider of enterprise Smart Glass software to complex manufacturers and field services to aerospace, automobile, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, energy and high tech.
– Austin-based Pristine, helping connect novices and experts for hands-on work in the field through telepresence in industries including heavy machinery, healthcare and manufacturing.
– San Diego and Budapest-based AeroGlass, provider of Augmented Reality solutions for general aviation pilots, selling to both North America and Europe.
-Los Angeles-based Low Vision, a leader in the distribution of technology that improves the lives of those dealing with declining vision.

The ODG press release also announces that the company has formed a strategic partnership with AREA member Augmate to help customers deploying Augmented Reality in enterprise.

The rapidly changing landscape of Augmented Reality technology providers is helping some companies to “re-invent” themselves. Kudan Limited is one of the providers that formed relatively early (2011) but then didn’t get much traction. In a recent press release issued by Kudan, the company is promoting its Software Development Kit (SDK), some executive hires and a strategic partnership with New York-based publisher Time Inc.

The SDK could be interesting for enterprise AR developers who feel comfortable using Objective-C and Java APIs and need support for 3D assets. The press release emphasizes that the mobile-friendly Kudan AR Engine supports rendering of 3D models and delivery of HD video.

Although the company does not promote any smart glasses development partners or specific activities in this direction, the press release hints that, by virtue of its small footprint, the run time applications created using the Kudan SDK could be well suited for use on wearable devices such as hands-free displays.

Creating an entirely new user interface and experience is a big investment. And it takes more than a year to complete. In remarks made during DreamForce, the SalesForce annual event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella suggested it will be at least five years before consumers are able to benefit from HoloLens, the company’s first hands-free display.

In this post on VentureBeat, the Microsoft CEO’s remarks at DreamForce were analyzed and suggest that virtual reality will be reaching mainstream in advance of Augmented Reality smart glasses such as HoloLens, but that Microsoft’s HoloLens developer-focused program is ramping up and likely to launch in 2016.

According to analysts, the “developer and enterprise scenarios” is where Microsoft will test out the current generation of hardware. Enterprise developers will probably have a program similar to that offered by Google, also known as the Glass at Work developer program. Entry into the Microsoft HoloLens program will probably include both strong understanding of the use cases and a financial commitment.

AREA member, APX Labs has released an exciting new infographic describing the state of the enterprise wearables market. The infographic identifies the top use scenarios and the relative interest levels of enterprises that participated in the study.

Study results are provided in a complete report of the enterprise wearables marketplace. The report identifies new opportunities as well as deployment barriers including device cost, complexity and performance of the hardware. Nevertheless, 93% of the companies surveyed say that they are exploring the use of wearables, half of them are currently piloting wearable technology and the fastest growing device segment is smart glasses, although smart watches have a higher penetration at the time of the study.

The report concludes that the momentum to adopt wearable technology is high with companies reporting that almost ½ their employees will one day benefit from using these devices for their job.

Data visualization frequently contributes to improved collaboration among team members and better, more informed decision making. In mining, there are field geologists who need to communicate strategies and options with resource geologists and both need to share their recommendations with mine operators but the tools they use have been designed for use in an office on a graphics-accelerated computer with access to large 3D models and databases.

Geological modelling software publisher ARANZ Geo announced that it has begun testing a new feature of its 3D package, Leapfrog, to bring the data closer to the mining site, in and over the pits.

Using the newly introduced Augmented Reality-assisted Leapfrog features allows geological models to be superimposed over a pit or an underground operation to give a big picture view of the geology in a manner that can be readily understood by multiple audiences. Field testing with selected partners will provide input into future releases with Augmented Reality features.

Creating fully immersive user experiences like Augmented Reality is very computationally complex. Purpose-built semiconductors—the graphic processing unit or GPU—are more efficient for delivering rich graphics in real time than general purpose processors but they are also more power hungry and expensive. The leading provider of discreet GPUs, such as those that accelerate the processes necessary for Augmented Reality, is NVIDIA.

In a recent report released by Mercury Research, NVIDIA’s market share continued to climb from 76% of the discrete GPU market in Q4 2014 to 82% in Q2 2015.

In an effort to counteract this trend, AMD announced in a press release that it has put in place a new vertically-integrated graphics organization. Led by graphics industry veteran, Raja Koduri, the Radeon Technologies Group will focus on intellectual property for use in traditional graphics markets as well as projects to demonstrate its capabilities and benefits in new markets such as Augmented Reality.

New offers for designers of semiconductors destined to be built into smart glasses and other devices will be available for licensing but, due to the many phases between design and final release, the products that benefit from next generation AMD semiconductors are unlikely to be available to customers before late 2016 or early 2017.

NASA engineers are exploring ways for astronauts to use AR-assisted smart glasses in space. An article published in MIT Technology Review, confirms that NASA is also certifying Microsoft’s HoloLens for launch into space on December 3, and despite obstacles, sees many use cases.

The article cites use cases that leverage the vast inventory of parts and objects on board the International Space Station. Using the inventory, a system may guide users to a needed object more quickly than alternatives. Returning objects to their designated storage place is another task that AR-assisted procedures could help astronauts perform with fewer errors. These tasks closely resemble use cases developed to support warehouse workers on Earth.

Augmented Reality procedures can also help astronauts perform a wide variety of preventive maintenance tasks. For example, astronauts will be assisted by their smart glasses when checking operation of emergency breathing equipment. Studies may be able to quantify the time savings as well as reduction in errors. Augmented Reality-assisted collaboration between astronauts and remote experts is also expected to help reduce time in pre-flight training and when performing tasks with unfamiliar payloads.

According to a brief announcement on the Naval Technology web site US Marines are testing the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-developed augmented immersive team trainer (AITT) system, as part of live-fire training exercises conducted on a base in Virginia.

The AITT system consists of a laptop, software and battery pack that support the use of a helmet-mounted display. Live, virtual and advanced training scenarios can be delivered to the trainee in real time. Systems like these can complement night vision-assisted devices that are widely available for night missions. Systems for use in bright light have been tested in combat scenarios in the past but deployment was limited due to technology shortcomings, cost, convenience and other factors that could put the user at risk.

A better trained ground force is one possible outcome of these tests. If adopted widely, growth in demand for solutions meeting defense training may bring down costs and increase availability of system component costs for enterprise uses.

When users of hands-free Augmented Reality-assisted systems will want to do data entry, they might want to use familiar input devices such as a keyboard. But today’s keyboards require the use of hands. Alternatives could include voice input with a microphone connected to the smart glasses but in a noisy environment or one where users are expected to be quiet, other inputs could be offered to the AR system user.

The details are scarce but the Japan Times reports that NTT Data Corporation, the systems integration affiliate of the Japanese telecommunications giant, NTT DoCoMo, has developed a “virtual keyboard for use with an eyeglasses-style wearable computer, which can be controlled with various body movements.”

Although not commercially available at the time of this announcement, the short news segment suggests that NTT Data Corp will offer the system for enterprise users such as those working in plants as soon as late 2015.