Denis Bederov: How engineering can be brought to new heights using AR
Augmented Reality is a rapidly developing area with colossal potential, just like blockchain, AI, robotics, and cybersecurity, which all couple tremendous potential and billion-dollar market size.
According to Statista, even in 2017, which was ages ago, AR’s market value was over $3.4 Billion. The prediction is that by 2025, it will reach $198 Billion. Augmented reality is a large part of the gaming scene now, with spectacular landscapes and exciting new plot developments limited only by developers’ imagination. However, the really interesting part is how AR can be used to enhance engineering.
What’s the difference?
VR, which stands for Virtual Reality, is what you see when you put on a headset and the environment is created around you. AR, Augmented Reality, is what’s actually in front of you but with more important data added.
At the most basic level, it’s you opening a fridge and seeing expiration dates on top of products and how much it will cost to make dinner with products you don’t have (the headset is connected to the Internet, and so is the local grocery shop). You put on the gear, and what’s in front of you is enhanced and expanded using technology. This is immensely useful if you’re thinking about renting a space for your new shop, and you want to look at an empty space you’re about to rent — you’ll be able to see what your new shop will look like!
Is it being used anywhere else?
AR can be a very exciting prospect if you’re after tech support in real time, especially if we’re talking military operations. You can also use AR to train surgeons. Just imagine that! No matter how much training a doctor-to-be may have, the first operation (or 60) means huge, undescribable nerves, which will no doubt influence the outcome а the operation. What if you could operate hundreds of times on a virtual patient before going out into the field? How many lives could be saved?.
How can AR be used in engineering?
In a similar way to surgeon training, AR can enhance engineering and increase the effectiveness of processes by an order of magnitude. In his TED Talk, Brian Mullins, the man who built Daqri, describes using Augmented Reality to train engineers who were presented with a task of assembling a very complex detail that was part of a gas turbine power plant.
It would normally take workers 450 minutes to complete the task, and they would have to go through 8 hours of classroom time in order to make sure they got the process right. With AR, the process was cut down to 45 minutes with no prep! AR can be immensely important, not only thanks to having visuals, but also by creating real-time supports and prompts on the go.
Use cases
- One pretty famous instance of using AR to help speed up engineering and make it more productive and fun is the Notre Dame incident.
As you have no doubt heard, Notre Dame, unfortunately, burned down recently, bringing Paris to the brink of despair. Parisians poured out onto the streets singing and praying and crying for one of the most notorious symbols of French cultural legacy that was consumed by a rogue fire on the 15th of April.
However, all this could have been much, much worse, as it turned out there were no blueprints for the building, because it was built so long ago, and therefore rebuilding it would be an impossible task. Enter Assassin’s Creed Unity, a computer game with staggering dedication to the integrity of its CG — and its 3D artist, who spent unbelievable amounts of time scanning the actual Notre Dame before the fire to create 3D maps so that the building could be recreated using VR inside the game.
It quickly turned out Notre Dame could be rebuilt using 3D maps from the game, once again proving computer games are not completely useless when it comes to making the world a better place (you didn’t really want to know, but we’ll tell you anyway: Studies also show computer games reduce aggression and increase intellect).
2. Index AR solutions reports using AR to solve specific problems in the field:
Index worked closely with the lead electricians, capturing knowledge transfer from the most experienced members, creating a step by step process to put into an app on a tablet. The app was given to a qualified electrician that had never done this before but did the tap change and maintenance in 2 hours and reduced error rates by more than 90% compared to the traditional use of manuals and paper.
How it works
There is so much more in the field of AR that is still (as the case is with blockchain and engineering itself), unexplored. Not even 1% of the potential benefits are clearly understood by the business world of today, but already we are seeing staggering and measurable improvements this tech can provide. Imagine how much safer the world could be if we trained surgeons using AR before they started operating on people! Surgery is also very similar to engineering, at least there are many parallels to be drawn, and the improvements to be seen are tremendously exciting. You see smart glasses in engineering so much these days, and no wonder — they boost confidence massively. Imagine having someone by your side who doesn’t make mistakes, provides clear, logical data in real time, and gives you guidance and assurance. Imagine what it’s like for the military not only to receive data on their surroundings and targets but also support and feedback by an intellect far superior. There are obvious tactical and strategic advantages, but imagine how that would boost morale!
In engineering, not only could the time used to perform tasks be cut down dramatically. The environment would be so much safer if the workers had feedback and guidance there for them all the way, and having visuals of details and processes would make everything so much easier and more effective. There are endless implementations for this tech, and we don’t need to stop there. What’s coming next with AR? Astonishing game experiences, space travel, personal mentoring by the best coaches in the world? I mean, this is dreams literally coming true: if you can think it, the developer can draw it for you. We’ve never seen so many opportunities to create so much quantifiable value across industries ever before.
