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.

In July we partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the IEEE Standards Association, Sponsor members of the AREA, to conduct the first AR in Leading Edge Utilities event in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A post on the IEEE Standards Association blog summarizes the results of the two-day event. “Safety issues were the dominant theme, consistent with the high priority on safety emphasized by utilities,” reports Rudi Schubert, new technology initiatives director and the author of this post. The utilities industry representatives said they want Augmented Reality solutions to be demonstrated as enhancing worker safety, not introducing distractions that can lead to unsafe situations.

Hardware communications and security were also key issues influencing utility purchasing decisions. A need for compatibility with existing infrastructure and an ability to use existing digital asset information will be drivers in assuring that AR solutions provide an acceptable return on investment.

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.

Despite enthusiastic reports of success stories, there are significant obstacles to introducing any new technology.

On the AREA website the opportunities to change workplace performance is strongly documented. There’s also a commitment to approach challenges with open eyes. We applaud others who take the time to examine both sides of every new technology.

In this post on the NTT Data blog, Shamlan Siddiqi balances a previous post about wearables in energy and oil and gas industries with a careful examination of potential barriers to their adoption. He cites issues with inconsistent and intermittent usage, insufficient security and safety, limited feature sets and lack of maturity.

He concludes that the opportunities need to approached cautiously and introductions, where and when planned correctly will be phased and reuse popular consumer devices where possible.

According to Wikipedia, a coordinate measurement machine is a device for measuring the physical geometrical characteristics of an object. This machine may be manually controlled by an operator or it may be computer controlled. Measurements are defined by a probe attached to the third moving axis of this machine.

KEYENCE, a maker of the XM-Series of instruments for factories, has announced on its web site its first coordinate measurement machine with handheld probe and Augmented Reality support. The new XM-Series model is portable although not mobile and offers rapid results.

The system could be highly useful to accelerate and streamline the creation of 3D models of existing parts for Augmented Reality-assisted procedures.

People are beginning to grasp the value of Augmented Reality to enhance enterprise enterprise performance but it is easy to oversimplify the situation and mislead audiences.

The title of this LinkedIn Pulse post by Jesus Rodriguez sounds ambitious. It asserts that Augmented Reality will redefine the enterprise. The title suggests that the post will explain the impacts of Augmented Reality on all enterprises, but in reality it only briefly suggests possible impacts on five industries. The five on which the author focuses are: Education, Public Safety, Construction, Training and Retail.

There are numerous web pages that will help clarify the use cases for Augmented Reality in these industries. Unfortunately, the brevity of this post barely scratches the surface of the use cases and does not permit the reader to really understand the full impact or potential for change. The AREA and its members are developing content that is highly descriptive towards the goal of reducing the hype that could build up before people actually prove the value of Augmented Reality on enterprise operations.

Private pilots are now able to benefit from some of the same technologies used in heads-up displays of military jet pilots. According to a post on aviation industry blog “Flight club” the Aero Glass’ Augmented Reality-assisted software released in 2014 on Epson Moverio BT-200 will soon be published for Osterhout Design Group’s next-generation glasses.

The video published on the post illustrates how overlays showing air corridors, navigation and runway information appear from a pilot’s perspective during flight. Other use cases that could make flying in unfamiliar aircraft safer include checklists, customized for virtually any model or user.

The author predicts growing Augmented Reality use by pilots due to a new Federal Aviation Administration requirement that some aircraft share “automatic dependent surveillance broadcast” (ADS-B) data about their position “with ground stations and each other by 2020.” Complying with this new regulation will entail mandatory avionic upgrades and possible linkage with instrumentation, including new displays such as AR-enabled smart glasses.

Technology is often at the intersection of life and death. Medical experts use technology to assist them in saving lives while the military has been using technology to shorten them. At the intersection of these two disciplines, military surgeons can also use advanced technology in the battlefield to save the lives of soldiers.

In this post on the Futurity.org blog, the author describes the latest advances. Research results published in the journal the Visual Computer, describe a study conducted in the context of a military medical facility with limited resources. Surgeons performed three life and limb saving procedures frequently necessary on wounded soldiers: cricothyrotomies, in which a tube is inserted into the throat to establish an airway; laparotomies, in which an incision is made in the abdomen to examine internal organs and structures in the abdomen; and fasciotomies, a limb-saving procedure that involves cutting the fascia to relieve pressure.

Researchers concluded that the Augmented Reality-assisted procedures could help inexperienced surgeons more than telementoring systems currently in use which require the attention to be focused on a screen, not the patient. The same results are believed to apply to rural regions where specialists are not available.