How can enterprises use Mixed Reality to their advantage today
While the buzz around Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) has somewhat been contained in the world of gaming and a few consumer applications, a new form of immersive experience is gaining attention from multiple fronts. We are talking about Mixed Reality (MR) here and it is poised to transform visual experiences considerably in the coming years. So what exactly is Mixed Reality? In simple terms, it is an advanced version of AR wherein elements from both the virtual and the real physical world can be put to combined use for scenarios. In short, it creates a layer of operation where the physical and virtual layers are blended seamlessly. MR, for now, is facilitated mostly by headsets like the Microsoft HoloLens series but it will soon find its way into other wearable and portable devices.
However, there are questions about mixed reality that need clarifications before we proceed further into this blog. Is it just another hype like the AR and VR boom? Will it gain adoption worldwide? Will there be enough support from hardware manufacturers to bring MR capable devices into the market? Though in its nascent stage, MR does have the capability to answer a big “YES” to all these questions. Studies have shown that the global MR market would grow to $3.68 billion by 2025. Also, tech titans like Intel have indicated that they intend to manufacture chipsets exclusively for MR devices in the near future. Now that the key questions pertaining to the viability of MR have been answered, it is time to explore the possibilities of MR in the business world.
When smartphones became popular, they brought the power of the internet to our hands and our lives were transformed in more ways than one. For businesses, it opened new avenues to interact and win customer hearts irrespective of where they were located. MR has the potential to transform the environment we interact around us and thus empower businesses to virtually use almost any physical environment to provide their services and offerings. Let’s explore the top 4 possibilities that businesses can realize with mixed reality:
Interactive Marketing
With mixed reality, brands can move from traditional print or display product catalogs to interactive catalogs that can respond to customer actions in real time. For example, dedicated areas within public spaces such as malls, airports, rail and metro stations can be utilized for organizing interactive campaigns and demonstrations of products in real time. While catalogs only give a two-dimensional view on paper or screen, MR ads allow potential customers to interact with a 3D virtual copy of the actual product. Customers can immerse themselves using an MR glass to explore every feature or physical element of the product with live demos, simulations and other visual imagery that can be imposed on their surrounding physical environment. Studies show that 93% of all marketers agree that interactive content can help educate buyers more effectively. Thus, MR can prove to be a game-changer for marketing activities.
Virtual Work Guidance
There are innumerable business scenarios where workers need to physically service or install or configure hardware components at different locations. Also, when we consider the case of industrial units and factories, a lot of technical on-field support and installation services are carried out by dozens of workers on a daily basis. MR has the potential to transform the workload of these folks who are engaged in technical manual labor at worksites and remote field locations. Through an MR headset, live demos of configuration, troubleshooting and other steps by step guides can be shown to the workers to complete their jobs faster and easier. Virtual simulations of the installation or configuration procedures can be demonstrated with assisted voice help from technical experts to help workers cope with complex jobs easier. In short, MR devices help employees (experts and field workers) work together at the office and at field or factory locations simultaneously anywhere and anytime. This can prove to be a fruitful exercise in heavy industrial scenarios like automobile manufacturing where engineers need to manually configure and install thousands of parts in the correct position to make the final product.
Related Reading : Augmented Reality Vs Virtual Reality — The Future Technology
Intelligent Learning and Training Exercises
Any workforce today, needs constant training and skill development coaching on a continuous basis to help them stay competitive and drive more value for your business. With MR integrated learning programs, it becomes possible for businesses to impart more effective demonstrations and training to employees to handle work tasks. For example, real-time simulations of equipment working conditions, configurations and other technical details can be demonstrated without the presence of the actual physical equipment in the training room. It becomes possible for businesses to integrate services of world-class trainers from anywhere in the planet through remote training sessions thereby empowering staff with access to the best possible learning sessions. There are two key advantages of using MR for training sessions. One is the major reduction in training costs as major physical infrastructure need not be purchased for dedicated training purposes since virtual replicas could substitute their role. This is true in the case of periodic upgrades as well. For example, when equipment your workforce uses receives a major upgrade by the manufacturer, you only need to get a virtual copy of the new version to train your workforce with the new features and capabilities and not invest in buying a dedicated physical variant to train them. The second key advantage is the elimination of potential risks and hazards involved in several industrial training programs that may arise when employees come in physical contact with dangerous equipment or environments. Using MR simulated training, it is possible to educate them to efficiently carry out their responsibilities in such adverse working conditions.
Smart Prototyping and Modelling
Businesses, especially consumer brands invest heavily in product development. Rising competition, the quest for innovation and demanding consumer base necessitates speedy time to market and higher quality for new or upgraded products. MR can be a game changer for research and development activities by transforming the way products are modeled and tested before being deployed for mass production and sale. MR powered simulators can be used to iterate UI and internal tweaks to products without having to physically build them. All possible design iterations can be carried out on the virtual product in real time and evaluated by UI experts for instant approval. Virtual test environments can be created using artificial intelligence to subject the prototype to mimicked human interactions from their target buyer audience. The feedback thus observed can be used to improve the virtual product iteratively in real time in a matter of minutes rather than days using gesture controls. This helps in bringing newer products to market faster and with greater quality thus ensuring sustainable innovation and improved profit margins in the long run.
The list of possibilities for MR in your business environment are limitless but we believe these are the 4 ones which are likely to become mainstream soon. Mixed reality holds much more promise than AR/VR and with companies like Microsoft developing enterprise level applications specific for their HoloLens product line-up is an indication of the future prospects of this technology. Every business is unique in their roadmap to compete in the market and this roadmap includes several challenges that could be addressed with revolutionary technology offerings like MR. Get in touch with our consultants to know how MR can transform your businesses unique processes and workflows and help empower your employees to build better products and services for your customers.
Author Bio:
Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.
