Nakazawa strives to illuminate how to drive leading experiences where the human, digital, and physical intersect, and how we can re-invent ways people come together to create, consume, and celebrate the digital experiences that constitute life as we know it, feel it, see it, and immerse in it.

In this interview Nakazawa talks about Atheer, their products, history and news, and goes on to discuss their working partnership with RealWear.

The full interview appears here.  See also the AREA profiles of Atheer and RealWear.

No. 1 – The world’s best-known brands will use enterprise AR to create and deliver their products and service their customers. Delivered via wearables like smart glasses, AR promises new levels of efficiency, service and quality that appears not only on the plant floor, but also throughout the entire supply chain. We are seeing large manufacturers moving beyond the pilot phase and adopting AR as part of a broader digital transformation strategy. In fact, PWC expects that 1 in 3 manufacturers will adopt AR/VR this year.

No. 2 – Service and logistics will driver broader AR adoption. Largely due to the intrinsic repeatability of their AR applications, field service and logistics are helping to move the market forward. This means that manufacturers should explore AR use cases involving their warehousing, material handling and equipment maintenance operations, where even a 10 percent efficiency gain can impact the bottom line or the ability to move production at a higher rate. For instance, workers can use AR on smart glasses to receive remote expert guidance during unplanned downtimes, or to attain step-by-step instructions during the picking process.

No. 3 – AR toolkits will simplify content creation. With the maturation of AR software development toolsets, there is a lower entry barrier for the knowledge required to build AR applications. Current toolkits offer drag-and-drop interfaces and templates, requiring little to no programming prowess. Between AR experiences being driven from Manufacturing Execution Systems and low/no-code authoring tools providing ways for designers and technicians to participate in the adoption and fine tuning of augmented reality, the time and complexity of adoption drops dramatically. With typically “non-technical” people creating new AR experiences, AR adoption will accelerate in the manufacturing realm and beyond.

No. 4 – Voice will be the primary AR interaction paradigm. The paradigm of Voice In, Image Out will be common in the age of AR. Gesture and touch AR interfaces aren’t exactly ideal for applications involving hands-on work, especially on the manufacturing plant floor. To keep workers free and nimble to perform their jobs, voice is emerging as the preferred method of AR interaction. We already see voice-powered smart assistants, like Amazon Alexa, gaining traction in consumer realm, so using voice in the enterprise is a natural trajectory, as many workers are already familiar with carrying out tasks using the technology.

No. 5 – Consumer AR investments will drive increased device options and experiences. There are many more exciting AR developments to come as adoption drives more investment into the tools and technology behind the AR industry. Behemoths like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Facebook are unveiling new AR toolkits and decimation tools that will lead to an explosion of AR, VR and MR content. For manufacturers, the availability and accessibility of this content will raise the bar (and expectation) for how we engage with workers through rich, real-time information that enables them to complete their tasks faster and with greater quality. The sky will be the limit.

Looking back at these five trends, it is important to note the underlying theme: AR in manufacturing is all about the future of work. Despite today’s emphasis on automation and robotics, people will continue to play a pivotal role in hands-on work. AR will bridge the gap between man and machine, equipping workforces with right information, at the right time, and in an actionable manner. Trends such as new toolkits, new use cases, new interaction paradigms and new content will continue to accelerate AR adoption – empowering workers and laying the foundation for digital transformation across entire organizations.

The issues being solved by technology related to visibility of suppliers further down the supply chain than tier one and tier two suppliers.  Some supply chains in food manufacture will have up to 20 tiers of suppliers.

In 2014 Good Glass worn by food business operators on site to screen practices and procedures to auditors remotely.

AR smart glasses could also be used for training purposes within the food industry.  There was a deficit of qualified auditors to meet demand which was a major challenges for food and drink firms, however, Eye Succeed (a provider member of the AREA) was developing technology to meet these needs.

Purpose-built to help gas utilities develop new technicians efficiently and effectively, the Index AR application is the second offering available to industry in its emerging SuperApp™ library.

The gas technician AR and eBook application replaces paper-based materials with a rich and highly visual, complete training platform. It features an interactive multimedia eBook paired with an AR learning experience that is loaded on each apprentice’s work tablet for use in both training and in the field.

In addition to rich text, video and photos, the application includes 3D models, AR overlays, animations, and step-by-step navigations that teach company-approved procedures and best practices that are further enhanced with tribal knowledge from the company’s most experienced gas technicians. Important safety and equipment warnings are also built into the application, presented to the worker at just the right step of a given process or equipment visualization.

MidAmerican Energy Company is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, wholly-owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A; BRK.B). Serving some 751,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska, MidAmerican Energy Company will use the SuperApp to train its Gas Tech Apprentices beginning this year.

The full press release can be read here.

As the future of deploying wearables to the workplace is already becoming a reality, wearables could be integral in everyday working life.

Dr Deirdre O’Shea, a lecturer at the Kemmy School of Business in University of Limerick, stated that wearables could be the key to maintaining a good posture – “[Workplace wearables] can aid in monitoring when employees need to move or change positions, which can help with common musculoskeletal issues as a result of sitting at a desk or computer. It is not a huge leap to think that in the future, wearable technology could be developed to help individuals ensure that they stay within safe levels for lifting or use correct posture.” The requirement for wearable health trackers at work could help keep more people in better health, and could even save lives in the long term. It can also boost staff wellness by addressing issues like fatigue and stress, by encouraging employees to exercise and take regular breaks.

The introduction of wearables will help increase the level of employee productivity, as wearables exponentially increase the ability to monitor their workers. With this level of monetization, employers must be clear with their transparency. They should be ready and willing to be clear about why they want to deploy workplace wearables, particularly if they are mandatory.

As part of the partnership, Rockwell Automation will make a $1 billion equity investment in PTC, and Rockwell Automation’s Chairman and CEO, Blake Moret, will join PTC’s board of directors effective with the closing of the equity transaction.

The partnership leverages both companies’ resources, technologies, industry expertise, and market presence, and will include technical collaboration across the organizations as well as joint global go-to-market initiatives. In particular, PTC and Rockwell Automation have agreed to align their respective smart factory technologies and combine PTC’s award-winning ThingWorx ® IoT, Kepware ® industrial connectivity, and Vuforia ® augmented reality (AR) platforms with Rockwell Automation’s best-in-class FactoryTalk ® MES, FactoryTalk Analytics, and Industrial Automation platforms. The result will be an unmatched integrated information solution that will enable customers to achieve increased productivity, heightened plant efficiency, reduced operational risk, and better system interoperability.

With new augmented reality apps, technology and designs, hospitals have more opportunities to offer patients better and more powerful care in the operating room and beyond.  But while augmented reality systems allow users to see and interact with their surroundings, visual enhancement isn’t the only benefit they can provide.

There then follows a roundup of articles from publications such as The Wall Street Journal, MIT Technology Review, and TechCrunch which are all focused on AR in healthcare giving examples of enterprise usage.

That was a key theme at the Spring 2018 Index AR Retreat for Utilities, an intimate gathering of industry executives and thought leaders who shared success stories about the important role AR is currently playing in their organizations and discussed ways to promote even broader industry adoption.

Featuring hands-on product demonstrations and forums for in-depth dialog, the event was the first of two such retreats now hosted annually by Index AR Solutions, a leading provider of AR applications for enterprise.

Several discussions explored how electrical utilities are facing strong downward pressure on revenues from non-traditional energy generators like solar and wind, along with rising demand for energy efficiency and conservation. Utilities are keen on finding innovative ways to boost operational efficiency to offset any decreases in revenue.

In addition, utilities – like many other industries – are faced with shifting demographics and a large percentage of their workforce approaching retirement. Recruiting, hiring, training, employee retention and knowledge transfer are more important than ever to establishing a quality workforce.

Index AR apps are delivered from a mobile tablet – enabling tribal knowledge and best practices to be shared with younger generations of workers through the modern learning tools they are accustomed to using.

Kevin DeGraw, Vice President of Corporate Operations Oversight at Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), a large U.S. electric and natural gas utility, participated in a discussion during the Index AR retreat about solutions that can help address the pressing human resource challenges utilities face today.

“Index AR, and technologies such as AR/VR, give utilities the opportunity to engage the workforce in a way that they are not otherwise prepared to do, and can help utilities maintain or improve our costs so that we can keep rates affordable for our customers,” said DeGraw.

Together with teaming partner Newport News Shipbuilding (an AREA member), Index AR has developed and deployed more than 90 AR applications to solve enterprise challenges. A number of Index AR applications were demonstrated at the event, including the recently launched LineAssist SuperApp™, which uses AR to improve the safety, capability and productivity of electrical utility linemen in the field.

Index AR Retreats are specifically designed to promote dialog with client and partner attendees – enabling them to share implementation experiences and best practices in a spirit of collaboration. The Index AR Spring Retreat places special focus on utilities, while the Fall Retreat showcases multiple industries.

“Utilities are facing unprecedented top line and bottom line pressure in their core business,” said Scott Sommers, a former energy banker with more than 20 years working with large utilities, now serving as Vice President of Client and Corporate Development at Index AR Solutions. “Our Spring retreat really underscored how Index AR apps are a tangible investment that utilities can make to counter these significant challenges.”

Newport News Shipbuilding’s member profile can be viewed here.

Besides the $600 million that will be spent in 2018, the IDC predicts that spending will balloon to $8 billion by 2022. The corporation sees the consumer, healthcare and retail markets driving spending for virtual reality.

The consumer section looks to be the biggest market with hardware adoption ramping up for gaming. Augmented reality is still in an experimental phase but the IDC sees industrial setting using it the most, particularly in process manufacturing, transportation and discrete manufacturing.

When IDC talks about AR helping in manufacturing, it looks to mostly be used through phones and tablets as opposed to AR glasses. “Augmented reality has more potential to drive higher spending in the longer term than virtual reality, but both ecosystems are evolving very quickly and it is important that Canadian organizations keep both AR and VR in mind,” said Yash Ahuja, measurement and forecasting senior analyst at IDC Canada, in a press statement sent to MobileSyrup.

Article by Brad Bennett May 31 2018. Original source here.

The penetration of wearables enabled enterprises across the world to offer convenience, flexibility, and ease to its employees while performing daily tasks. Healthcare, banking, aerospace, and other industries have capitalized on opportunities that wearable devices provide. These devices can transform workflows and processes. Researchers from Ireland have been developing a wearable device to help caretakers remotely track dementia patients who wander. At Boeing, mechanics and engineers wear a headset, which is the AR-enhanced HoloLens, to build equipment and repair parts by working in collaboration with colleagues from different remote locations. Banking sector is also endeavoring to use wearable payment devices. Dutch Bank ABN Amro will test wearable technology to make payments. Blocks, a tech startup has developed a smartwatch for enterprises to monitor and collect data from their employees. The robust, low cost, and energy efficient wearables can change the way employees do their jobs. In its recent report on the Allied Market Research states that the market would grow at a CAGR of 38.8% from 2017 to 2023. The ongoing research and advancements outline the immense potential lying ahead.