i3 - March/April 2020 - 45

By Scott Steinberg

FO RWA R D ST R AT EG I E S

Business

standpoint like improved cost-efficiency
and output will also be considerable.
From providing easier, more cost-effective ways to model and redesign buildings, computers or cars with the flick of
a finger to simpler solutions for helping
medical professionals spot and diagnose
health concerns, the potential applications are endless.

Homegrown Solutions

Many AR and VR vendors are moving
from providing dedicated hardware
devices or software apps to providing
organizations with the tools and ecosystems they need to create their own
custom AR and VR solutions. In effect,
whatever your industry needs, off-theshelf technology will let you build personalized AR and VR solutions
on-demand. One leading aircraft manufacturer is using a cloud-based, hardware-agnostic AR and VR software
platform to help technicians equipped
with computerized visors scan for
maintenance issues and allow remote
experts to communicate with these service pros as they walk through equipment fixes in real-time. Likewise, a
biomedical company is leveraging highew innovations in augmented reality (AR) and virtual
tech goggles equipped with digital popreality (VR) are now being used by over a third of
ups to empower workers to use
Americans at least once per month, and more than
gaze-driven commands to control its
100 million buyers will shop for products within their digitallyhealth care devices without having to
enhanced worlds by year-end.
take off protective gloves or uniforms in
the laboratory.
But with more hardAR superimposes computerized data
expected to top $571.42
ware and software soluover real-world environments, while VR
billion by 2025 according
Global demand
in development
immerses users in fully-simulated 3D
to Allied Market Research,
for AR and VR tions
including mix-and-match
landscapes - both promise to fundamany organizations are
solutions is
AR/VR software creation
mentally reinvent the enterprise environ- now leveraging these tools
expected to top tools that let users with
ment. They also promise to rethink how
to offer one-of-a-kind
men and machines interact in practice.
approaches to customer
$571.42 billion no programming knowledge create original apps
Solutions like motion-powered 3D
experience and real-time
by 2025.
on the fly - the future
modeling tools that enable engineers to
automation.
only gets brighter.
craft mock-ups of products and designs
Many organizations
with the wave of a hand; futuristic gogTransforming the
aren't just using AR/VR solutions to
gles that provide real-time information
Workplace
enhance productivity and performance.
feeding service technicians crucial details Augmented and virtual reality solutions
as they perform diagnostics on equipwill change how we do business. AR and They're also using them to do in one
step what usually takes several. From
ment in the field; and 360-degree videos
VR tools don't just offer solutions for
offering more effective ways to commuand training simulations that workers
crafting improved user interfaces and
nicate and collaborate to more efficient
can capitalize on to fully immerse themenhanced information feeds either, as
methods to perform tasks, the writing is
selves in different workday scenarios. But many consumer-facing solutions do.
on the virtual wall.
with global demand for such solutions
Practical gains from a business

AR and VR Promise to
Boost Productivity

Patrick Schneider/Unsplash

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