ODG revealed this week their new Smart Glasses the R-7HL which have been designed for business customers who need a more advanced level of protective eyewear.

The R-7HL which stands for Hazardous Location have been created for workers whose environment are a bit more on the extreme side such as the oil exploration and production, energy, mining, utilities, chemical production and pharmaceuticals.

This new device has been based on the architecture of the current gen R-7 but has been designed to reach the level of ruggedness that ODG’s partners needed. ODG are hopefully launching the enterprise-focused product and their R-9 headsets in Q2 of this year.

In a press release this week, analysis by Big Market Research is revealed on the Global Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Gear Market which is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 37.45% during the period 2017-2021.

The market report covers present and future prospects and has calculated the market size by considering the unit shipment of each device and is multiplied by the average selling price.

Geographical areas covered include America, APAC and AMEA.

The main vendors operating in this market are the following:

• DAQRI
• Microsoft
• Atheer
• Meta
• BAE Systems
• Samsung Electronics
• Oculus
• HTC
• Google
• Sony
• Razer
• VisusVR
• FOVE
• Starbreeze

Some key questions that have been answered in this report are key trends, drivers, strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors, market opportunities, size and growth rate.

A further report this week by Wise Guy Reports, suggested the CAGR would be 58.3% to 2022 and that the major players are: 
Google Inc. Qualcomm Inc., Oculus VR, LLC, Magic Leap, Inc., Osterhout Design Group (ODG), Cyberglove Systems LLC., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Microsoft Corporation, Blippar Inc., Meta Company, Qualcomm Inc., Vuzix Corporation, Infinity Augmented Reality Inc. and Metaio GmbH.

Head mounted Display (HMD) in device type segment is expected to be the largest market among those because of increasing gaming, entertainment and medical applications in vertical segment. North America in geography segment is estimated to be the largest revenue generating market because of main IT & technological base and Asia pacific is estimated to be the fastest emerging market. A sample of that report (by Wise Guys) can be accessed here.

Information about the IoT Solutions World Congress (Barcelona, 03 – 05 October 2017).  Calls for papers closes. on April 15 2017.  This event is the leading international event that links the Internet of Things with industry. Its congress will focus on IoT solutions for industries and use cases in six dedicated areas: Manufacturing, Energy & Utilities, Connected Transport, Healthcare, Buildings & Infrastructure, and Open Industry (Retail, Agriculture, Mining, Hospitality and other industries).

The event will also offer multiple networking opportunities and activities, such as our IoT Solutions Awards Gala, a Hackathon, side events organized by event partners, etc.

Whether you are an enterprise end user, an organization looking for sales leads, a researcher, an association member, or a developer, the IoT Solutions World Congress offers a high return on investment.

The IoTSWC is organized by Fira de Barcelona in partnership with the Industrial Internet Consortium, the Industrial IoT organization founded by AT&T, Cisco, General Electric, IBM, and Intel to bring together organizations and technology with the goal of accelerating the growth, adoption, and widespread use of industrial IoT.

More details about the event can be found at: http://www.iotsworldcongress.com/

Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality Hardware Market Global Analysis by Types, Regions, Applications, Top Players & 2022 Forecast Report

A report this week published by Orbis Research studies the Global Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Hardware Market. This market report is split by product types in Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.

The main vendors in this market report include:

• Oculus Rift
• Sony Playstation
• Microsoft HoloLens
• Avegant Glyph
• Atheer
• Meta
• Leap Motion
• Augementa Ltd

The market report splits global into several key regions, with production, consumption, revenue market share and growth rate of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. The main regions that the report focuses on is North America, Europe, China, Japan, Latin America and India.

The report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of AR and VR Hardware with each application being divided. The report also splits product types with production, revenue price and market share and growth rate.

To request a sample of this report please see the link http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/193857

An article published this week by IT Brief discusses why IT professionals should care about Augmented Reality.  Augmented Reality consumes lots of data but mobile phones, BYOD and shadow IT has prepared IT professionals for an Augmented Reality revolution.

This author believes that the biggest problem IT professionals will face will be data. Although most IT Professionals can deal with data problems at the moment, the article believe that this will soon change due to AR consuming and transmitting large amounts of data. This problem may stop mainstream enterprises from using AR. However even when a few AR applications make it into mainstream enterprise usage, data requirements may be seen to triple or even quadruple which means IT should budget for growth.

Many BYO policies can extend to AR devices with the same application and network platforms tracking how employees use them on the network. And mobile phone security measures such as sandboxing, penetration testing and compartmentalisation can also be equally applicable to any AR device.

The advice for IT professionals is steady provision of bandwidth and data storage ahead of future growth, maintain rigorous monitoring of their organisational endpoints, and keep cyber security threats in the front of their minds.

At first glance, the two-day event promised to be a worthwhile exchange among parties with shared interests. On one side was the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII), which had invested considerable time and effort into creating a detailed set of requirements for enterprise AR with the assistance of American industry heavyweights Lockheed Martin, Procter & Gamble, and Caterpillar. On the other side was the AREA, the organization leading global efforts to drive adoption of AR in the enterprise. The AREA is to take over responsibility for the requirements document and its future.

But when the parties gathered in Chicago, the event proved to be more significant than anyone could have expected. Here’s why:

1. It demonstrated the burgeoning interest in enterprise AR throughout the developing ecosystem. The event attracted 90 attendees from 45 companies – all deeply committed to AR and eager to share their thoughts with one another.
2. It provided an unprecedented opportunity for AR hardware and software providers to engage directly with enterprise AR users. With the detailed requirements to refer to, participants were able to engage with each other substantively and specifically.
3. It signified the beginning of a global effort to make the process of implementing AR projects simpler and more orderly. With a set of requirements that will grow, become more defined and use case-specific over time under the aegis of the AREA, enterprises will have the power to define their AR solution needs clearly and confidently. Our goal at the AREA is to make the requirements accessible and usable to the wider AR ecosystem.
4. It gives AR solutions providers a vital resource for developing their product development roadmaps. The direct feedback of the user community made it clear to hardware and software providers where they need to invest their R&D budgets in the near and medium term.
5. It created the basis for a more open, vibrant, and participatory AR ecosystem. As the AREA makes the requirements a “living document” to which all organizations can contribute, they will become an increasingly useful resource to a wider range of organizations and will accelerate the adoption of successful AR projects in the enterprise.

More information on how to review and participate in activities around the requirements will be announced soon at www.theAREA.org.

PTC and Flatirons Solutions to Help Drive Global Enterprise Augmented Reality Ecosystem and Best Practices

PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCES AREA NEW MEMBERS

WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA – March 28, 2017 — The Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (AREA) announced today that two new members joined the only global membership funded alliance helping to accelerate the adoption of enterprise augmented reality (AR) by creating a comprehensive ecosystem for enterprises, providers, and non-commercial institutes.

PTC, provider of the ThingWorx^® industrial Internet of Things platform (IoT) and Vuforia^® augmented reality platform and Flatirons Solutions, a global provider of technical information management solutions for knowledge-driven industries, joined AREA at the Sponsor Level and accepted Board of Directors seats.

Augmented Reality (AR) is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, AR uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it.

“AR projects in our industry continue to expand as businesses realize the potential of this technology,” said Mike Campbell, executive vice president, ThingWorx Product Management, PTC.  “We joined AREA to help the industry define future enterprise AR best practices and to build relationships with important AR vendors, educational institutions, and other companies that are on the forefront of AR technology.”

The AREA supports innovative companies, aspiring to invest in AR who need a better understanding of the tools available, application possibilities, methods of implementation and return on investment.  It provides a free and open exchange of best practices, lessons learned, and technological insights which can help enterprises effectively implement AR technology, boost operational efficiency and create long term benefit.

“Joining AREA allows Flatirons to contribute to the development of the enterprise AR eco-system,” said JD Sillion, chief solution officer, Flatirons Solutions.  “Enterprise AR solutions are ideal platforms for making content lifecycle management even more impactful for customers. AR allows organizations to better achieve their mission by Turning Content into Knowledge® for strong productivity and asset utilization gains.”

The AREA’s membership benefits include access to high-quality, vendor-neutral content and participation in various programs, a research framework to address key challenges shared by all members, discounts for fee-based events, and more. Sponsor members have a direct role in shaping the rapidly expanding AR industry and demonstrate their companies’ leadership and commitment to improving workplace performance.

About the AREA

The Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (AREA) provides high-quality, vendor-neutral content and programs for companies like Lockheed Martin, Bosch, Boeing, Huawei, Newport News Group and many more. Discover the benefits of joining the AREA by visiting our membership information page.

More information about the AREA is available here on our AREA website or [email protected].

PTC, ThingWorx, and Vuforia are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

An article by Nicholas Rossolillo appeared on Motley Fool this week about one of the AREA’s members, DAQRI.  It starts with a quote by Brian Mullins, Founder and CEO of DAQRI, that will ring true with many readers:

We become so limited by this idea of technology replacing workers, when the better idea is to power-up their senses and extend what they’re capable of doing.

The article looks at the business viewpoint of whether investing in AR makes sense and makes a good case for enterprise solutions tethered to the Internet of Things and geared towards helping workers process data.

DAQRI’s smart helmet is featured, which was on show at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.  The article states that Intel provides the brains with its sixth-generation Core m7 processor, as well as several sensors to help project depth perception to the wearer. The device carries several cameras, including an infrared and thermal imaging camera for relevant applications.

DAQRI also released a version of its helmet in goggle form, called Smart Glasses, which is being marketed for less-hazardous workplaces like distribution centers and for remote experts.

Evidence has been mounting that AR at work is a good idea for businesses: German logistics and shipping company DHL equipped warehouse workers with AR glasses and reported that the glasses-equipped employees worked 25% faster and error-free during the three-week pilot program.

An article this week puts Augmented Reality in the spotlight for the changes it is bringing to manufacturing in Aerospace and Automotives across the world. AR is not only increasingly being used on the factory floor but is revolutionizing it.

One of AREA’s members, Lockheed Martin has been used as an example of streamlining the manufacturing design phase and making operational efficiencies

At Lockheed Martin technicians can wear AR glasses that use cameras, depth and motion sensors to overlay images. This new method means vastly improved accuracy and speed. At their Collaborative Human Immersive Lab in Colorado, this technology is being used on a variety of spacecraft, including detailed virtual reality examination of the next Mars lander.

Augmented Reality technology is being used at many other manufacturing facilities around the world, as manufacturers begin to realise its potential for saving time and costs as well as accuracy and improved safety.

The manager of Lockheed Martin’s Collaborative Human Immersive Lab (CHIL) Darin Bolthouse says:

“I think virtual and Augmented Reality ply into this idea of industry 4.0 and automating and digitising how we do our work. So it’s the ability to more easily present complex sets of information to people. These technologies are tremendous.”

The following is a summary from a press release by RealWear, recent winners for the best enterprise solution at the Wearable Technology Show this year.

RealWear announced they have shipped their first Pioneer units of the HMT-1.  This is the first voice driven, hands-free, head-mounted tablet for connected industrial workers.

Andy Lowery, CEO of RealWear stated “It’s time to free your hands and put the HMT_1 to work. We’re proud to show what the real in RealWear means by delivering the HMT_1 beta units to our Pioneer Program members, just as we promised.”

The press release states that this new technology transcends both enterprise tablets and smart glasses, allowing worker the connectivity and hands-free flexibility they require for safer, faster and smarter productivity. The HMT-1 operates solely through noise robust voice control and head gestures and provides an enterprise-grade, fully rugged and wearable device platform for workers to significantly improve productivity and enhance the safety.

RealWear have a Pioneer Program and these members will now test the applications and use cases that they previously evaluated on a developer kit device. As part of this program customers get early access to the HMT-1 hardware to validate that their applications will run hands-free and to commence user pilots. The feedback from these members influence RealWear’s software and solution roadmap and will enhance the performance of commercial units.

We wish them every success in their ventures and welcome them onboard.