AR – It’s time to start thinking about it

There seem to be new technologies and trends emerging every day as the internet of things grows to envelop and shape the way we interact with each other, our jobs, and our hobbies. Today, one of these hot-topic-pieces-of-tech is augmented reality (AR).

With the release of Apple’s ARKit in June 2017, and Android’s ARCore in March 2018, mobile developers now have the tools to natively develop AR apps for smartphones, wearables, and even cars. If you’re a business that isn’t in the industry of user-facing software and products like Google or Snapchat, it might be easy to overlook the value of implementing AR into your daily procedures, or difficult to determine just how AR would work for you and your company.

Before we get into how your company can implement AR into its business model, let’s go over why AR (despite being a relatively new and untested technology) is probably the most exciting field of innovation for consumers and business alike.

In October of 2001, it was difficult to imagine that the iPod would completely revolutionize the technological landscape. We’d seen the evolution from records to cassettes and 8-tracks, to CDs and Walkmans – but all that had changed was the size and mobility of the music player – listeners still interacted with their devices using play, skip, stop, etc. It wasn’t until the iPod came to the market that a device changed the way listeners interacted with their music – suddenly, you didn’t need a backpack to carry your CDs, and track titles were visually displayed in searchable lists. The planning required by an individual to take music on the go was replaced with the ease of picking up a device with all of your favorite songs on it, and simply putting it in your pocket. This led to a drastic shift in the way people thought of their interactions with their music players – you listen to a Walkman, but you use an iPod.

We all know what came next – the largest shake-up the music industry had seen since the switch from analogue to digital recording – and like any significant change to a market, there were growing pains aplenty as artists and producers alike adapted to the changing climate.

It’s a trend that has continued rapidly ever since, as advancements in technology revolutionize every industry imaginable. In 2007, when the iPhone was first introduced, people stopped talking on their phones, and started using them. A year later, Android phones were on the market, and soon enough, smartphones evolved from a trend-setter status-symbol to ubiquitous multi-tools used to enhance almost every aspect of our daily lives. It took only six years to go from a device that holds 1000 songs to smartphones that put Captain Kirk’s communicator to shame.

Well, it’s 2001 all over again; except this time, it’s not music – it’s augmented reality.

Training and quality control

Imagine hiring a new HVAC technician. For that new hire to be successful, they must be trained, which means another technician is either pulled from their current job, or given the extra responsibility of teaching while also working. This is the way skilled trade knowledge has been passed down from expert to apprentice since the dawn of time, but it lacks the efficiency AR provides.

With an AR enhanced training program, that new technician can learn the ins and outs of HVAC systems on their own, without receiving instructions from an experienced employee – greatly increasing productivity and reducing the total cost of the hiring process. New employees are not only trained on their own – they are also trained more effectively, as AR ensures each training session disseminates the correct information and processes every time.

AR allows that new technician to see every layer and part of the HVAC system – from individual screws to the entire ventilation structure – and how each piece fits together. Your trainee can experience every possible type of mechanical failure for the system, and learn the appropriate remedy at their own pace.

Imagine being able to provide real, on-the-job experience without ever risking inefficiency or error at an actual job site; with AR, a technician can become an expert without ever going into the field.

When it comes to manufacturing, AR is the ultimate quality control assistant. Manufacturing jobs such as those on automobile production lines require high levels of accuracy, utilize a staggering number of parts, and rely on step by step processes that can easily be forgotten or implemented in the wrong order – especially during a long shift.

AR can, in real-time, highlight the next step in the assembly process, show where and how the parts are implemented, and check for accuracy after the step has been completed.

To see how this works, check out this amazing AR system by SCS Concept Group, VPG+.

Efficiency

Industries that utilize automated equipment, such as manufacturing or mining operations, can easily be enhanced with AR diagnostic systems. A fun project we did for Luckstone (one of the largest family-owned and operated producers of crushed stone, sand, and gravel in the U.S.) was an AR app that enhanced the productivity of quarry operations by providing the foreman with an interface that allowed on-site remote data analysis in real-time. The user points their mobile device at an operating machine, and a tag is displayed on the device’s screen – that tag can be expanded, providing real-time data on pounds of stone moved, operating efficiency, and any other data point relevant to the operations of the machine.

This saves foremen the wasted time of either walking across the quarry to the specific machine, or leaving the job site to analyze data in their office. This system was adapted to their business development team’s needs, and we developed an app that gave sales representatives the ability to access cloud data on past, current, and prospective clients based on geo location.

The sales representative points their phone towards a business, and in real time, information on past interactions with that customer is displayed on their device, giving them the ability to research potential clients, follow up on leads, and ensure they don’t mistakingly visit the same business twice, all in real time.

AR may be new, but it may just be the next big thing

It was only in 2017 when Apple released ARKit, after all; but AR is already making waves in the mobile industry. In 2018, Snapchat, which heavily invests in AR technology, posted a net worth of $3.2 billion. With leaps in advancement with wearable technology, and the integration of smart technologies in cars, it wouldn’t be surprising for AR to become commonplace in our daily lives in the coming years. It might even come to be expected by users – in 2006, if someone had told Jack Dorsey that Twitter would help decide the 2016 presidential election, he’d probably have laughed – but a social media startup became so integral to the way we communicate our ideas that it did just that.

We’re right at the cusp before the AR industry begins a rapid period of growth, so now is the time to start planning just how to implement AR into your own business’ needs.