“In our business it’s very important that we get there, get the job done, do the service and do it cheap,” said John DuBay, business development manager for Ingersoll Rand’s Trane division. “If we can get it done quickly, we’re saving everybody money. We’re making more money because they’re going to go to the provider that can deliver service better and more quickly.”

For DuBay, a keynote technology that can help deliver this type of enhanced service is augmented reality (AR). DuBay outlined his views on the impact that AR, digital connectivity and visualization technologies are having on the service business at Smart Industry 2017.

Service is being disrupted through empowerment. With AR, all providers will be able to service all equipment anytime, anywhere, DuBay contended. The combined expertise of an enterprise can be tapped into and integrated into remote devices like smartphones, tablets or something like Google Glass.

At its core, the Internet of Things (IoT) is able to expose more knowledge and data to more people—hopefully lowering costs in the process. IoT applications like AR save time and money because they can drive broader access to expert information and methods by creating a bridge between physical and digital. AR allows quicker and more precise execution of service and enhances end-user knowledge by offering up the information a technician needs at that moment they most need that information.

“Augmented reality is a catchphrase to me,” said DuBay. “To me AR means simply that when you’re there in person you got the reality of the situation and then you augment it with some expertise or knowledge. This is about making that process streamlined and digital.”

Expertise on demand

By streamlining the service process with AR, what once was a job that only an expert service technician could handle, junior employees can now tackle. As industries struggle to find skilled workers, AR is an invaluable tool in training up and creating a larger competent workforce

This is accomplished is through the combination of static and real-time data that AR is known for. Computer-generated 3D and 2D graphics are interwoven with real-time data live from network devices as an intelligent digital overlay on a real-time view of the equipment in question. “What AR does is take the existing knowledge and data one already has and put the most relevant pieces together,” DuBay said.

In the field, DuBay and his team created an AR application that allowed an end-user to take a smartphone or tablet, point the camera at the piece of equipment being serviced and if there was a problem with any of the components, that particular piece would light up on the device view. From there, users could touch the tablet, explode out the view and see the components. From there the pertinent service information would be brought up and help guide the technician with service. This not only saves time by pinpointing problems using existing data, it means that the person servicing the equipment won’t have to disassemble anything more than is necessary to find out where the point of failure is.

“AR should make them experts,” DuBay said. Another less efficient service method DuBay outlined was simply using remote viewing through something like Google Glass or a mobile device and having an off-site expert walk the on-site technician through the process. “If you walked up to service a piece of equipment you’ve never seen before you wouldn’t know what to do. AR doesn’t care. All you need is common sense.”

Best of all, when DuBay and his team at Trane sat down to create the AR application, they found that all the info they needed already existed. “Everything is manufactured per some design spec,” he said. “There’s a blueprint, there’s a drawing that shows its actual architecture. If it’s your product, you already have the design.”

That rendition is then plugged into the platform and then whatever connected real-time data you have is overlaid on top. “That part that surprised me was that we already had all the assets we needed,” DuBay said. “There is some one-time development work in an API. But it’s primarily an integration effort.”

In the future, DuBay sees the company’s AR platform becoming a service tool for which the company can charge a subscription fee. “We can have 20 times the amount of service techs,” he said. “That business model works. That should be what we’re focused on.”

AR is probably closer for your enterprise than you think. You already have what you need.

AREA’s Executive Director Mark Sage was asked to comment for a blog piece about augmented reality finding a home in the enterprise, featured on Mobile World Live.  The article is certainly worth a read in full. Mark’s comments on AR in the enterprise are summarised below, although Mark’s comments are quoted throughout the article including opinion on the technology is not just about wearables.  The mixing of AR and VR is included as well as research from Deloitte and Forrester.

The enterprise opportunity
Technology research company ARtillry Insights (a division of the VR/AR Association) estimated in a report the enterprise AR market will hit $47.7 billion in 2021 from $829 million in 2016. Highlighting a stark contrast, the study estimated a return of $15.8 billion by 2021 in consumer AI, up from $975 million in 2016.

AREA, an organisation which claims to be the only global non-profit alliance dedicated to accelerating the adoption of AR in the enterprise, is equally confident the long-term business benefits will outstrip the consumer case.

“Enterprise AR has clear and long-term RoI benefits based on improvements and efficiency gains,” Mark Sage, executive director of AREA, told Mobile World Live: “While consumer AR will provide benefits and help educate people on its use, the potential scope and benefits available in the enterprise space will bring much greater returns.”

And, if Google’s early success is anything to go by, ARtillry Insight’s lofty projections and AREA’s own agenda could well prove on the money.

Google’s enterprise edition smart glasses, launched in July 2017, are now deployed on numerous factory floors across the world, with the company already boasting some big-name partners in DHL, GE and Volkswagen.

The device is designed to allow factory workers, for example, to “stay hands-on” by removing surrounding distractions, providing access to training videos which include images accompanied by instructions, as well as allowing fellow glasses wearers on the work floor to connect, collaborate and troubleshoot in real time. More importantly, the revamped Google Glass has a very real place in the enterprise space.

An article in Eureka Magazine has many interesting points about AR’s prevalence amongst workforces and enterprise customers.  The main points from the article are:

• AR will enable increased collaboration between AR/VR and IoT developers
• Industry is already one of the strongest adopters of AR, leading to some reconsidering product plans.
• Many businesses are expected to soon place smart glasses at the core of their IoT systems, as they look to make workers more productive and to streamline their backend operations.
• Valerie Riffaud-Cangelosi, new markets development manager at Epson, says: “Deploying AR will enable more efficient processes by enhancing the reality of the user, so they’ll be able, for example, to maintain an engine or a complex electrical board in an intuitive and easy way. They’ll be able to see inside the device and act on the information there and then.”
• AR headsets are expected to evolve from the current type of eyewear to much sleeker devices like contact lenses and, in the distant future, it could be possible to make AR implantable with apps having direct access to the nervous system.
• One key technological challenge, especially for mobile AR, is packaging the components into a compact, sleek and lightweight format that people can wear comfortably all day.
• AR headsets must remain cool, which brings additional power and thermal constraints.
• “For a true mobile AR system, there is still not enough computing power to create stereo 3D augmented reality graphics,” argues Radhika Arora, ON Semiconductor’s IoT product line manager. “Laptops are just about starting to be equipped with the necessary graphics processing units and both sensors and haptics will play a critical role in future adoption.
• “For image sensors, getting the form factor more compact will be key as well as improving their performance in varying light conditions.”
• But while the future may witness fashionable eyewear, AR developers need to focus on a common interface that integrates with wearables in use today, whether that’s a pair of glasses or even a smartphone.
• “AR is still very new, with limited market penetration,” says Adam Kerin, Qualcomm’s senior manager of marketing. “But as the technology advances and the form factor decreases, we can expect to see it evolving into a seamless experience that users will interact with daily.

The full article appears here. Many of the challenges of adopting augmented reality in the enterprise are being addressed directly by AREA funded research such as security challenges and being able to calculate ROI.

If you’re interested in wearable technology for the enterprise, then AREA member BrainXChange’s round up blog post which assesses the most significant developments and use cases in wearable technology for 2017, is a must-read.

Enterprises which were reported on in 2017 for utilising wearable tech mentioned in the blog include:

• Manufacturing: AGCO, GE Aviation, Boeing, and Airbus
• Automotive: Ford, BMW, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Peugeot Citroën
• Aviation: Cincinnati International Airport, San Diego International Airport, Helsinki Airport, and Changi Airport
• Medical: Stryker
• For training: UPS, Farmers Insurance, Walmart, Fidelity Investments, and KFC

Software released or updated in 2017 mentioned in the blog includes:

• AREA member, Upskill acquired Pristine; released next generation Skylight platform
• AREA member, Atheer: acquired SpaceView (MR app maker); released updates to AiR platform

Hardware released or updated in 2017 mentioned in the blog includes:

• Google: Google Glass Enterprise Edition, Daydream VR headset, ARCore (a new SDK), and Poly
• Vuzix: PTC’s Vuforia platform and Blackberry’s UEM software now support Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses; a tethered, custom version of the M300 is now available; the Vuzix Blade AR glasses now have a developer kit pre-order program; and VUZIX Basics was also announced.
• DAQRI’s enterprise AR smart glasses were launched; Trimble’s Mixed Reality app suite was integrated with the DAQRI Smart Helmet
• Microsoft: Mixed Reality Partner Programme; expanded MR headset sales to Europe; acquired AltspaceVR; Windows 10 powers Acer, HP, Samsung, Dell, and Lenovo VR headsets.

BrainXChange’s AREA profile page can be read here.

An article on TechCrunch explains how one of the issues to AR solutions is optics and display. This is the view of Lumus CEO Ari Grobman and the reason why they are highlighting a new form factor at CES 2018 that they hope to have ready for Q2 2018, bringing a complicated display technology smaller than it has ever been before.

As the article states, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook are all look towards getting augmented reality glasses out into the market to push their vision of the world directly into viewers’ eyeballs, however, they’re running into a common challenge in terms of displays.

Lumus builds reflective waveguides. The interesting, rather sleek pieces of display technology rely on microscopic etchings in transparent glass lenses that catch light being projected into their edges.

While these systems are limited in how much of a viewer’s field-of-view they can fill, they are unparalleled in the small form factors they can reach and will likely be what powers your first pair of smart glasses.

For further information see the full TechCrunch article.

The University of Washington is launching a new augmented and virtual reality research center — funded by Facebook, Google, and Huawei — to accelerate innovation in the field and educate the next generation of researchers and practitioners.

The $6 million UW Reality Lab, funded with equal contributions from the three initial sponsors, creates one of the world’s first academic centers dedicated to virtual and augmented reality. The new center in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering and located in Seattle — a national hub of VR activity — will support research and education initiatives with potential to deliver game-changing breakthroughs in the field.

Read more in the full article.

AREA member Nvidia featured multiple times in an article on the AFR.com Financial Review website.  CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is currently on in Las Vegas.  Here’s a look at what analysts say investors will be looking for at the CES related to Nvidia and others:

• Automotive – stocks most likely to respond to CES-related events should be Ambarella and Nvidia, Morgan Stanley analysts led by Joseph Moore and Craig Hettenbach said.
• Nvidia is “at the centre” of many of the key innovations in consumer electronics.
• While Nvidia will probably remain at the top of investors’ minds when thinking about AI, Intel will probably feature recent advances in the field at the event;
• Look for updates from Nvidia regarding progress of Drive PX Pegasus platform, clarity on how the company plans to cut operating temperature and power consumption, and new partnerships and potential end-customers, KeyBanc analysts said.
• Updates on Intel’s long-term approach to the the AR/VR ecosystem are of interest given the company’s recent move to wind down its headset reference design, MKM’s Roy said.
• Nvidia is also expected to highlight its emerging AR/VR technologies.
• Companies will probably showcase mobile-based augmented-reality applications, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Jitendra Waral and Sean Handrahan said.
• AR hardware prototypes are bound to be shown by larger companies and start-ups, but the hardware may still be years away as a supply chain and standards are still missing; until then, mobile AR will be at the forefront and CES may preview some of the ways that companies leverage AR to differentiate their products;

Here’s what Gartner has to say about it:

Augmented Reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality are changing the way that people perceive and interact with the digital world. Combined with conversational platforms, a fundamental shift in the user experience to an invisible and immersive experience will emerge. Application vendors, system software vendors and development platform vendors will all compete to deliver this model.

Over the next five years the focus will be on mixed reality, which is emerging as the immersive experience of choice, where the user interacts with digital and real-world objects while maintaining a presence in the physical world. Mixed reality exists along a spectrum and includes head-mounted displays (HMD) for AR or VR, as well as smartphone- and tablet-based AR. Given the ubiquity of mobile devices, Apple’s release of ARkit and iPhone X, Google’s Tango and ARCore, and the availability of cross-platform AR software development kits such as Wikitude, we expect the battles for smartphone-based AR and MR to heat up in 2018.

Other technologies predicted to be trending in 2018 are: AI foundation, intelligent apps and analytics, intelligent things, digital twins, cloud to the edge, conversational platforms, blockchain, event-driven and continuous adaptive risk and trust.

Their full report can be read here.

Nasdaq First North-listed Crunchfish and Vuzix Corporation enter into collaboration to pre-integrate Crunchfish’s software for gesture control in Vuzix’s smart glasses and thereby make the software available for customers and partners.

Vuzix is a leading supplier of smart glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies and products for the consumer and enterprise markets. Crunchfish’s gesture control in combination with Vuzix’s glasses creates opportunities for efficient and user-friendly interaction, where the user becomes less dependent on touchscreens and buttons.

For industrial use, gesture control can for instance be used to browse through instructions, manage phone calls, check video streaming, and zoom in/out drawings and documents. Nasdaq-listed Vuzix focuses on design, manufacturing and sales of smart glasses and is represented in USA, Great Britain and Japan. Since 2015, Intel is one of the shareholders, who together with Vuzix’s management owns nearly 40 percent of the company.

“As a leading supplier of AR smart glasses for both the consumer and enterprise markets, it is vital for us to secure suppliers with tools that can be easily used by our partners and solution developers on our platform. Crunchfish is an important partner that provides new and effective ways to interact with our devices.” says Paul Travers, CEO of Vuzix. “The market for AR glasses grows and we are very pleased to work with an influential player like Vuzix.

Their market focus is in line with Crunchfish’s and they see an increasing demand for gesture control from customers and partners, which provides a foundation for a successful cooperation, “says Joakim Nydemark, CEO of Crunchfish.

For further information, please contact: Joakim Nydemark, CEO Crunchfish [email protected] +46 706 35 16 09

To read Crunchfish’s AREA member profile please see here.

A balanced and detailed report on use of augmented reality in surgery can be found on ZNet today.

The article draws on the work on Heart Surgeon Dr Maksymilian Opolski of the Waraw Insittue of Cardiology, who first tested glasses for a heart operation in 2015 when he navigated inside the patient’s heart sing pictures projected onto the heads-up display (HUD).

The article describes the operation that was carried out and how Opolski used Google Glass’ augmented reality glasses to guide the catheter through the veins to the heart.

He has now led a 15-patient pilot of the technology that could pave the way for the use of such wearables more widely in future wwhich he referred to as being a “natural consequence” of the procedure in 2015.

The article states that “the difference in preparing for augmented reality and traditional surgery is only a matter of a few minutes of training, thanks to the “simple and intuitive” nature of the app, says Opolski. Cardiologists could navigate through the images of the patient’s heart using voice commands — not just making the software easy to use, but also ideal for maintaining the sterile conditions of the operating theatre

After 15 operations with the Google Glass and accompanying app, Opolski and his team’s research has shown the technology is “not only feasible and safe, but also does not interfere with the routine activities performed in the catheterization laboratory by operators”. The chances of having an ‘adverse event’ — such as a heart attack — was found to be the same for with-Glass operations and without Glass.

While the study was too small to provide a definitive answer to whether the Glass-assisted operations were better for patients than those conducted without the tech, there are hints that AR can bring some benefits. Operations where surgeons wore Glass tended to use less contrast to visualise the course of the vessels, which can be beneficial to patients that react to the dye. It also helped surgeons better choose which types of guidewire to use during the operation.

Positively, the surgeons who used the Glass during the PCI operations reported high levels of satisfaction with the technology, and indicated they would be amenable to using the kit in their regular surgical work, meaning that it may not be too long before we see more use of AR headsets in the operating theatre.

The full article can be read here.