As this market research report published by Deutsche Bank documents, German industrial companies were very early to identify, test and introduce Augmented Reality. The report’s author, analyst Stefan Heng, describes how this competitive advantage, as measured through the strength of Metaio and other companies, has been supported or perhaps fueled by the large body of applied and theoretical academic research that has been conducted and published by German universities over the past decade.

But what does the future hold for German industry with respect to the breakthroughs AR may offer?

The analyst raises questions and expresses concerns about the increasing risk of German companies getting complacent and losing their leading edge in this domain in the near future. He points out that in America and the Far East people are generally more open to trying new user experiences and changing their procedures to get ahead. He concludes that it may not be too late to increase the impacts of AR on the German economy. For example, if the technologies can be embedded into a greater number of specific industrial processes that save resources and accelerate time to market, the high German investment in research could be recouped in coming years.

The Common Information Model (CIM) for utilities is a common vocabulary and basic ontology for managing data about electric power industry assets. It is widely used to describe electricity transmission systems, where related applications include energy management system, SCADA, planning and optimization. This video published by EPRI, an AREA sponsor member, shows how utilities employees can use Augmented Reality to increase safety and reduce errors.

Using Augmented Reality to visualize and interact with data defined by the Common Information Model, EPRI’s PM Basis Database (PMBD) and Fleet-Wide Prognostic and Health Management Suite (FW-PHM) can improve transmission and distribution providers optimize their operations and maintenance.

The hardware used in the video is the Smart Helmet, an industrial grade display embedded in a professional hardhat, designed by DAQRI, also an AREA sponsor member.

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.

Where technologies can reduce risk to human life and increase the likelihood of favorable conflict resolution, the return on investment equation is more likely to tip in favor of more investment, even if the technologies in which governments invest are not mature. That’s the primary reason that the defense sector has long been investing in Virtual Reality and, more recently, in Augmented Reality as well.

One of the people studying use of VR and AR in military use cases is Dr. Bob Stone at the University of Birmingham. Stone heads the Human Interface Technologies Lab.

A number of interesting projects are summarized in this post on Motherboard Blog (Vice.com). One of the concepts that builds upon Augmented Reality is the “Wearable Cockpit,” a user interface that allows soldiers to adapt more quickly to their environment. Based on personal preference and mission objectives, pilots reconfigure displays and controls. Stone’s lab is partnering with commercial companies that serve defense customers such as BAE Systems, a company that has been developing smart glasses for military customers for decades.

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.

Research about driver distraction as a result of Augmented Reality in windshields compiled by the New York Times earlier in 2015 has been fueling a public debate about the benefits of using the technology to present information. The technology package, which has been introduced in the latest models of Lexus, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes and Audi, among others, is proposed to make driving safer by reducing drivers’ need to look down for information. One of the use cases is the appearance of red arrows on the road when the driver departs from their designated lane. Algorithms that include motion detection and infrared vision could also alert drivers to roadside hazards. Jaguar’s heads-up display technology, for example, notifies the driver if a nearby pedestrian could be at risk of being hit.

In the latest feature story on the topic to be published by the media giant, the author points out that despite concerns expressed by opponents of the technology, safety trade organizations and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which could publish guidelines in the future, are only beginning to research the issues.

While these groups and agencies are exploring the possibility of performing studies, Continental AG, which supplies head-up display components for automakers including BMW, Renault and Mercedes, has been conducting extensive research on driver distraction and designing interfaces to optimize benefits while reducing risk. According to spokespeople interviewed for the article, the technology will be included in 2017 models but not widely promoted as a competitive advantage.

Many business leaders are beginning to detect patterns in their operations that can be traced to the introduction of the Internet of Things and IoT-enabled systems, “smart connected products.” But few leaders have gotten as far as Michael E. Porter, faculty member at Harvard Business School, and James E. Heppelmann, president and CEO of PTC, in eloquently conveying their thoughts about the necessary ingredients and the steps that could be taken to accelerate the trends that ultimately can transform a company.

In a follow up to their first article on the topic of smart, connected products published in Harvard Business Review in the fall of 2014, the authors describe how smart connected products can transform processes and people in modern companies, and by extension, their industries and markets.

The analyses shared in the article published in the October 2015 issue of Harvard Business Review provide enormous insights into the opportunities as well as the obstacles found on the new frontier of smart connected products. They also offer value for those who are planning or already introducing Augmented Reality as a complementary technology to IoT and connected products.

The authors conclude that across all industries that could be impacted by smart connected products, manufacturers are on the bleeding edge, leading the charge to change how business is done.

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.