The Augmented Reality (AR) space is evolving, both from the hardware standpoint and the way in which enterprises are using the technology. Many industrial companies are already leveraging AR to improve their overall business operations and, according to a recent IDC study, product development and industrial maintenance use cases will attract the largest cumulated investments, reaching as high as $516 million.
AR has gone a long way these last years, one of the newest developments being simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). So far, SLAM has made it possible for AR applications to Instantly Track the world and augment it, with big players like Apple and Wikitude being involved in improving this feature.
Even though Instant Tracking (or World-Tracking as Apple calls it) enables users to track and augment the world without the need of a pre-set visual trigger, it is not able to fully understand what it is tracking. And this is where Object Recognition, the latest breakthrough in SLAM for Augmented Reality, comes in. Object Recognition makes it possible to predetermine which are the real-life objects you want your app to recognize, triggering interactive 360 degrees AR experiences around those 3D objects.
Let us explore some of the existing industrial use cases and dive into the future possibilities Object Recognition may bring to the table. The applications will surely reach a new level, impacting the entire value chain — from an initial customer inquiry through to development, production, and delivery. You could add or change elements of the product in real time and better understand how these changes affect the holistic product.
Design
Using AR, designers and product developers can already project their prototypes onto the real world. The digital 3D model of your product, a car for example, can be superimposed to reality allowing you to move around it, view it from different angles or even experience it as if you were inside the car. Experimenting in this direction and using a VR headset, Canon introduced its mixed reality system (MRX) to the market in order to support design and production processes in the manufacturing and construction industries.
However, with Object Recognition much more could be done. Imagine being able to change or add digital components to a physical industrial machine in real time while interacting with them. This would allow designers to better understand how the planned changes could affect the holistic product and by using AR headsets the visualizations of digital prototypes would be even more realistic.
Production
AR has been helping enterprises streamline their production and maintenance cycles. There are many business out there working on implementation in this area: from tech consultancy companies like Micronet Techno, to small and big industry players, like RUF, respectively Boeing. RUF’s app offers users an inside-out look at how RUF briquetting systems turns waste material into uniform-sized briquettes, with details on specific components alongside their use. Boeing took things a step further by equipping its factory workers with AR glasses which display step-by-step instructions on how to assemble components.
So far, most factories with AR implementation are using text, barcode or 2D image recognition. However, with discrete manufacturing and retail expected to be the only two industries spending more than $1.0 billion on AR/VR solutions this year, there is much innovation to look forward to.
By integrating Object Recognition functionality, an AR industrial app would be able to better track and understand the production line and its intricate components. This could enable supervisors to monitor information from sensors, controllers and various other pieces of hardware, and to check that the job has been done properly. Workers could use self-guided 3D instructions for their repairment, assembly , construction, diagnostics, and maintenance tasks.
Distribution
When operations are happening at a large scale it can be a challenge to find a specific machine, production point or stored goods. AR can easily add value to an indoor navigation system, assisting employees with data on where to go, the fastest route to get there and what to pay attention to on their way.
SAP, a world class enterprise software provider, launched The SAP® AR Warehouse Picker, mobile app that supports pikers in finishing their tasks more quickly and efficiently. Being connected to the organization’s back-end system via smart glasses, the employees receive step by step directions, they move across software options and use voice commands.
The logistics company DHL also trusts that AR can optimize freight transportation, proposing that instead of manually counting and analyzing parcels, workers should be able to digitally scan the load to assess completeness, damages and faults.
3D Object Recognition has the potential to increase efficiency in parcel loading, handling and delivery, as well as to assist transporters in choosing the best route and be more in control of the carried freight.
The optimization of logistics processes with augmented reality affects not only the producer, but the wholesalers, retailers and even the end consumers. For instance, Visual Shelf Monitoring can enable retailers to detect and verify product placement, support restocking, and optimize shelves. Trax and Toshiba’s Object recognition scanner have been implementing similar capabilities and Walmart is one of the major retailers experimenting with AR shelf management.
Remote assistance
In our globalized fast-paced world, there is no wonder why remote assistance became a necessity. AR brings unquestionable advancements to the table, benefiting all three of the main stages in the value chain mentioned above (design, production and distribution).
ThyssenKrupp, a German engineering firm, makes it possible for their service technicians to visualize and identify problems with elevators ahead of a job. When a higher level of expertise is needed, the system allows remote specialists to interact with technicians to provide detailed advice while seeing the same augmented reality.
ScopeAR’s Remote AR puts remote experts in touch with technicians who, when facing issues, can receive real-time audio as well as AR instructions. Users can place annotations and 3D models through shared one-way videos which stay locked onto the real world, giving rich context and eliminating confusion. Fieldbit’s technology is another example of how AR can fill in the skill gap, allowing remote specialists to send precise visual instructions to field technicians using real-time augmented reality, live video, messaging and voice.
Putting AR into UtilitARian
AR has certainly moved beyond being a fun gaming feature and is now playing a major role in the Industry 4.0 progress. Its wide applicability range extends throughout product design and visualization, production line optimization, process monitoring, resource management, logistics and instructions. Moreover, remote support empowers industry players to reduce downtime on machines, to significantly improve maintenance, repair and support operations, as well as to reduce onsite and travel costs for experts.
Adding Object Recognition capabilities to the AR technology makes it possible to cover even more industrial needs and boosts performance levels. On the long run, Object Recognition opens new doors for directly integrating the physical world into computer-based systems, supporting businesses to connect their products to the Internet of Things (IoT).
The good news is that Object Recognition is already available for industry players to start exploring today. A handful of companies offer this new technology, however, at the moment, Wikitude is the only augmented reality technology provider that offers Object Recognition through a cross-platform SDK, meaning it allows to create a single AR experience that can be deployed on multiple platforms (iOS, Android) and devices (including smart glasses).
Augmented Reality has already entered mass market. Industrial companies should catch the wave and not only make the most of the existing AR solutions, but focus on innovation and exploring the new possibilities Object Recognition is enabling.
