We’ve all been hearing about smart eyewear lately. Companies are developing augmented reality (AR) apps and games for smart glasses. But these are all basically just consumer toys, right? Is there actually a business case for smart eyewear?
A few years ago, it may have been a stretch to make the argument, but businesses ranging from aircraft manufacturers to insurance companies have started to adopt smart eyewear technology. These forward-looking companies have already discovered that smart eyewear can streamline communication, maximize the value of assets, and drive powerful business results.
Consumer technology to business tool
Here are just a few of the ways in which smart eyewear is changing how companies do business:
- Augmented reality complements hand-on work
Unlike virtual reality, which immerses users in a computerized experience, AR overlays digital content on a user’s real-world field of view. If you’re into computers at all, you probably saw some of the early augmented reality games — and who could forget Pokémon GO, which made AR a part of just about everyone’s life for a while?
It might surprise you to learn, though, that although AR started out as a consumer technology, smart eyewear for industry has been making major strides lately. AR glasses are a perfect fit for workers who need to use their hands and view information at the same time. For example, Boeing employees now use smart eyewear to help them avoid errors while they assemble complex wiring harnesses for jets.
- Remote collaboration is boosting efficiency for many companies
Your team members already collaborate in real time – or, at least, close to real time. You send emails back and forth; you do phone calls and video conferencing. But none of these tools are quite the same as actually being on the job site, are they? That’s where AR remote collaboration comes in.
Smart eyewear empowers workers in a wide range of industries to collaborate remotely in real time — effectively and efficiently. One company in China uses smart eyewear to enable remote experts to inspect packing machines. Technicians at a mining company can consult with remote experts as they drill. An on-site insurance adjuster can walk her home-office colleagues through a tornado-damaged home as she makes her assessment.
If your line of work involves any long-distance discussions at all, your workers may benefit from this type of remote collaboration.
- Guided training is streamlining the onboarding process
By overlaying 3D models and animations on a trainee’s field of view, smart glasses enable your more experienced staff members to minimize misunderstandings as they teach best practices. For example, your trainee can wear smart glasses while standing in front of a machine, and use the digital overlay to identify the location of a part and view step-by-step instructions for replacing it.
One study by Forrester study predicts that by 2025, more than 14 million U.S. workers will be using smart eyewear on the job. Your competitors will soon start realizing the value of this technology, so this is your chance to stay a step ahead of the game.
Learn more about remote repair and the true uses for Smart Eyewear in business by reading “Reducing Operating Costs With Smart Eyewear”. This whitepaper explains the differences between AR and VR, shows real-world examples of using smart eyewear among industries, and speaks to considerations for setting up a network and proper equipment to support a smart eyewear program.
