Augmented reality uses various types of sensors and software to augment the users real-world environment with artificial perceptual experience. AR has garnered a lot of attention from the VC world in the last few years, with some significant investments made. With wide application possibilities for enterprise, commercial, and industrial space, AR continues to attract investments.
AR is proving to be an effective tool to help the industrial workforce. With remote augmented communication, and augmented operations, AR can help the industry better address the impending skills gap challenge. With AR, digital media is superimposed over part of the user’s field of view to augment what he or she sees. Typically, the user wears a see-through, head-mounted display that projects AR content onto user’s field-of-view. However, various other digital tools, such as smartphones or tablets can also be used to create AR effects.
AR has also been widely used with rear view cameras in cars to help drivers back up and park. Most backup cameras add visual markers on-to the monitor to help indicate where the car is heading as well as help make it easier for the driver to get into or out of parking spaces.
Industry applications of AR
- Logistics: –
Order fulfilment and warehouse operations require a mix of physical work (handling packages or inventory) and digital tasks (tracking, checking goods in and out, and shipping data). Using AR technologies, workers can tap into a system. It can quickly provides information about an item’s location, history, and where it needs to go. Shipping and freight company DHL is already testing mobile AR systems for this purpose. - Design & Development: –
Using virtual and augmented reality as an extension of CAD systems in product design is a growing trend, helping to speed up the design process, optimize communication between teams, lower development costs, and allow for more in-depth product testing prior to manufacturing. Product developers are finding they can test multiple variations of a product and make tweaks and adjustments in a virtual format instead of having to build physical prototype for each iteration. Detailed visualizations are provided by AR/VR earlier in the design process, and enable virtual prototypes to be tested in the context their real-world environment. - Maintenance, Repairs and Customer Support: –
AR systems can enable field technicians to access equipment schematics and troubleshooting protocols when working on site. These resources can even be offered to customers for remote self-servicing. Similarly AR application and maintenance is a equally important. A 3D AR model is developed that helps in maintenance, technicians follow the inspection order with AR smart glasses, using voice entry for the results. This app significantly reduces the stress of a noisy work environment and improves productivity when building electrical systems or water-treatment plants. - Simplified Assembly Instructions:-
Technical products consist of thousands of components. For assembling a car or a home appliance, factory workers need to keep track of dozens of spreadsheets, moving back and forth between a series of documents and field operation. Augmented reality apps can help by setting up a unified field for visible input, in which assembly instructions are presented in the same space, using voice control without hands. - Lowering Operational Costs:-
Augmented reality apps can provide immersive, real-time, on-the-job training, which is irreplaceable for decreasing training costs in manufacturing industries, famous for the high technician turnover rates. All together these tiny process improvements add up to reduced operational cost, especially when gauged against staff training costs, minimizing assembly errors and defects, and optimizing equipment repairs.
6. Quality Assurance:-
COQ (Cost of Quality) includes keeping an eye on hundreds of small details that accumulate over time and result in more expensive products. With the help of these AR apps, prevention costs, appraisal costs, as well as internal and external failure costs can be brought down to a minimum, simply because augmented reality adds another layer of inspection which the human eye is not capable of. Expanding COQ in the organizational context, manufacturing industries could really communicate an important quality assurance message to customers by showing that they pay attention to detail in an unprecedented way.