Established in 2014, the AREA was born out of recognizing that AR held transformative potential for industries worldwide. With the mission to facilitate dialogue, share best practices, and advocate for AR adoption, the alliance united industry leaders, innovators, and experts to explore the vast possibilities of AR technology. Over the past decade, the AREA has achieved significant milestones:

• Overcoming Barriers to Adoption: Collaboratively, our members have diligently identified, classified, and prioritized AR security, safety, and human factors risks, culminating in developing comprehensive risk reduction recommendations.
• Collaborative Research Initiatives: The AREA has spearheaded groundbreaking research projects, fostering collaboration between industry stakeholders and academia to advance AR technologies and applications.
• Knowledge Sharing and Education: Through workshops, webinars, and conferences, the AREA has served as a knowledge hub, equipping professionals with the insights and skills needed to harness the full potential of AR in their respective fields.
• Strategic Partnerships: The AREA has forged partnerships with leading technology companies, startups, and research institutions, driving innovation and accelerating the adoption of AR across diverse industries.

“We envision a future where AR seamlessly integrates into everyday workflows, unlocking new possibilities for productivity, efficiency, and creativity,” Sage added.

About the AR for Enterprise Alliance (AREA)

The AR for Enterprise Alliance (AREA) is the only global membership-funded alliance helping to accelerate the adoption of enterprise AR by supporting the growth of a comprehensive ecosystem. The AREA accelerates AR adoption by creating a comprehensive ecosystem for enterprises, providers, and research institutions. AREA is a program of Object Management Group® (OMG®). For more information, visit the AREA website.

Object Management Group and OMG are registered trademarks of the Object Management Group. For a listing of all OMG trademarks, visit https://www.omg.org/legal/tm_list.htm. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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The 10th AREA Research Project

3D Mapping Solutions for Enterprise AR

The 3D Mapping Solutions report recommends steps to aid in the accurate and successful capture of objects and environments in the enterprise. A supporting sample project demonstrates a real-world example that leverages 3D scan data for one AR-assisted use case.  The full report is available exclusively to AREA members. The executive summary provides an overview of 3D mapping technologies and principles and defines parameters to consider when choosing a 3D scanner.

Executive Summary

The 9th AREA Research Project

The Role of 5G in AR Enterprise Solutions

This research project and deliverables are designed to answer the following key question: If, how, under which conditions, and when will 5G communications enable the necessary innovation for the widespread adoption of enterprise AR?

The full AREA research report was prepared by Saverio Romeo and his research team, under contract with the AREA. Available exclusively to AREA members, the full report includes the following contents: Status of 5G Adoption | Future of 5G-Enabled AR for Enterprise | Status of 5G Testing in Enterprises

Executive Summary: includes 5G and AR Research Introduction and The Role of 5G for AR Enterprise Solutions

The 8th AREA Research Project

The Find AR Search Engine

Find AR is a searchable database of 5,272 articles pulled from ACM and IEEE databases since 2017. The articles have been categorized into 61 main topic areas. Anyone can search through this database and access relevant URL links to research, abstracts, and graphical information about Augmented Reality enterprise technologies.

Start Using FindAR

The 7th AREA Research Project

3D Asset Usage In Enterprise AR Report

This report was prepared in an effort to understand the obstacles to and solutions for re-using enterprise 3D assets as part of enterprise AR workflow. It describes tools, file types and formats commonly used and a new methodology for evaluating 3D toolchains. It was prepared by Eric Lyman, Director of 3D Technologies at 3XR Inc., under contract with the AREA. Available exclusively to AREA members, the full report includes a White Paper and Glossary.

Executive Summary

The 6th AREA Research Project

Web-Based AR For Enterprise Applications

This research project is designed to inform and empower AR technologists as they explore Web AR as a resource in their AR portfolio. It was written to help our members converse with enterprise stakeholders and Web AR solution providers without confusion or ambiguity. With this knowledge, AREA members can choose if, when, and how to take full advantage of emerging Web AR technology.

The report was prepared by Tony Hodgson, CEO of Brainwaive LLC, under contract with the AREA. Available exclusively to AREA members, the full report includes the following contents: Current & Future Adoption | Prototype | Technical Report | White Paper

Executive Summary

The 5th AREA Research Project

The Convergence of IoT, AI and AR: Opportunities and Challenges for Enterprises

New, highly-sophisticated and low cost tools are beginning to make it possible to mine the data gathered by sensors embedded in IoT devices and exchanged with services. Data acquisition and analysis is making information that is useful to people performing tasks in the physical world more easily available. The convergence of the IoT, AI and AR promises to provide unprecedented levels of support to workers. This report looks at our current status and when the convergence be sufficiently far along to be useful. Available exclusively to AREA members, the full report includes a White Paper and Readiness Assessment Tool.

Executive Summary

The 4th AREA Research Project

Barriers To AR Adoption In Manufacturing

While many companies which make products in controlled environments have conducted proof of concepts and pilots and have demonstrated clear benefits of AR to address challenges in manufacturing, there remain relatively few implementations outside of highly controlled laboratories.

This project of the Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (AREA) was commissioned to crystallize the most important factors that have delayed deployments in live factory/build settings and to recommend steps that can be taken by different stakeholders in a company to reduce the impacts of those barriers. Available exclusively to AREA members, the report includes the following contents: Report | Framework | Interactive Tool

Executive Summary

The 3rd AREA Research Project

AR Safety & Human Factors

One of the barriers to widespread adoption of AR is the limited understanding of the actual and potential safety risks the technologies present for users and assets within any workplace or industrial environment. There is currently no consistent approach or methodology to assess or certify how safe a wearable AR system/platform is (or could be) for a user in an industrial environment. And there are no formal regulations or standards for AR safety globally, regionally, or by industry.

This report reviews the general risk management cycle as a preface to describing a new “Safe AR Design” best practice methodology for enterprise AR. The research was conducted by AREA member MTC (Manufacturing Technology Centre) under the supervision of AREA member PEREY Research & Consulting. The National Safety Council has made the Risk Assessment tool available online.

Executive Summary | Free Online Risk Assessment Tool

The 2nd AREA Research Project

AR ROI Best Practice Report

Significant market forces have made it challenging for organizations to conduct return on investment (ROI) analyses on emerging technologies, such as Augmented Reality. These forces include: the digital transformation of enterprise IT; the increasing use of software-as-a-service (SaaS) business models; and the use of agile development practices. These and other factors have necessitated an adaptation in the fundamentals of performing ROI analyses. In addition to a Best Practice Report and Case Study, our researchers built an online ROI Calculator to provide an informed way to estimate the value of ROI projects.  These are publicly available.

Full Report & Case Study | ROI Calculator

The 1st AREA Research Project

Wearable Enterprise AR Security

AR security is an important issue for both enterprises and providers of AR technology. Available to the public, these insightful and detailed reports can help guide discussions of how to ensure that security concerns are not a barrier to AR enterprise adoption.

Security Risks & Management | Security Framework & Test Protocol

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AR is a technology that superimposes digital information onto the physical world, creating a new and interactive experience. AR revolutionizes the industrial metaverse by allowing users to visualize and control digital models for improved enterprise design, production, and maintenance.

“The metaverse brings the physical and digital worlds together, allowing people and things to collaborate more intuitively with complex systems in person or afar,” explains Steve Dertien, Chief Technology Officer of PTC. “The metaverse, as a 3D interface for IoT, will make the physical and digital indistinguishable and therefore augment our human ability to make better-informed decisions with a minimum of mental energy and training.”

One of the critical benefits of AR in the industrial metaverse is that it reimagines remote collaboration and knowledge transfer. By combining natural and virtual elements, AR can create a shared experience between experts in different locations, allowing them to work together on complex projects and problems in real-time. This can help reduce the time and cost associated with traditional collaboration methods, such as travel, while also improving the quality and accuracy of the results.

Another essential benefit of AR in the industrial metaverse is that it can help to reduce the risk of human error and improve safety in high-risk industrial environments. For example, AR can provide workers with real-time information and guidance, reducing the need for manual processes and minimizing the risk of accidents and errors.

The AREA recognizes that human-centered design is critical to building and deploying successful AR applications, devices, and services. The Human Factors Committee is a forum for members to exchange ideas, resources, and research on best practices. The AREA-funded research on Safety and Human Factors Assessment Framework and Best Practice Report reviews the general risk management cycle as a preface to describing a new ‘Safe AR Design – Best Practice’ methodology for enterprise AR. Check out the case study and report here.

In addition, AR can also help to improve the efficiency and productivity of industrial operations. By providing workers with real-time information and feedback, AR can help to optimize processes and increase the speed and accuracy of decision-making. This can help to reduce downtime, increase output, and improve overall performance.

To fully realize the benefits of AR in the industrial metaverse, it is vital to have the proper infrastructure in place, depending on the use case. By investing in the right technology and tools, companies can create a new and innovative industrial environment optimized for collaboration, production, and efficiency. One example of this is remote assistance. Whether you are working on adopting AR or a provider, the AREA’s member ecosystem works together to help accelerate enterprise adoption across industries.

In conclusion, AR plays a critical role in developing the industrial metaverse, providing companies with a new and powerful tool for collaboration, knowledge transfer, and production. With the right technology and infrastructure in place, AR can help companies revolutionize how they work and compete, creating a new, innovative form of digital collaboration optimized for a safe and productive future.

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All members welcome to join all the sessions. We plan to hold all the AREA Committees (Requirements, Research, Security, Marketing, Human Factors, Safety). View the detailed agenda below.

A special second day on March 23^rd will feature AR and demonstrations open to the public. This day is included in the $199 registration fee. Digital Twin Consortium will be partnering with us to host AR and Digital Twin demonstrations that are open to members and the public. To sponsor a demo please fill out the form below.

View AREA Information Day Agenda Demonstration Sponsorship

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As an evangelist for enterprise Augmented Reality, I know that one of the best ways for people to understand what AR is, what business problems it solves, and how will it benefit their work is to experience the solution in person. That’s what made the recent Immerse Technology Conference on September 28 and 29 such a successful event.

The AREA hosted the conference with partners Innovate UK KTN, Made Smarter Innovation Network, Immerse UK and the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC). It was held in Factory 2050, located in the Advanced Manufacturing Resource Centre (AMRC), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK, a longstanding AREA member.

Many thanks to Gold sponsors Magic Leap, Rockwell Automation, Augmental, and Team Viewer, as well as our Bronze sponsors Assured Cyber Protection, Realwear, ESI Group, and support from Microsoft.

More than 100 attendees were on hand, providing many opportunities for demonstrations and hands-on workshops defining the benefits and challenges of deploying AR technology.

Day 1 started with an introduction from the host companies followed by excellent thought leadership presentations from companies who have successfully deployed AR. Boeing, Siemens, and Rolls Royce highlighted the work and benefits they have gained from the successful and wide deployment of AR.

Magic Leap then presented and launched the Magic Leap 2 in the UK with a presentation on its new features and go-to-market strategy. Rockwell Automation also provided an insightful presentation titled “Extended Reality and its Role in Digital Manufacturing”.

The rest of Day 1 focused on workshops, led by Augmental and Magic Leap, in which attendees learned about the AREA tool “Enterprise AR Use Case Development Framework” to help understand AR/VR Uses Cases and Requirements. This interactive session was enjoyed by all the participants and offered a great opportunity to learn from experts and discuss key use cases.

Finally, there was more time to experience the excellent demos from the sponsors and engage in some informal networking. We’d packed a great deal of content into Day 1 – but there was much more to come.

We began Day 2 with a thought leadership presentation from ESI Group, “Industry 4.0 Drivers for VR Democratization,” followed by one on the key challenges for implementation, building an AR workforce. A panel of experts from Realwear, Boeing, and Rockwell Automation discussed tactics and tools to convince stakeholders in a company to invest in AR solutions and how to overcome end user concerns.

Augmental followed with an excellent presentation on a process to help companies deploy AR and a case study from technology partner holo|one.

Creating a Return on Investment (RoI) model is often a challenge, but in the next session, the AREA showed how to overcome it using the free AREA RoI Calculator. The session covered the background of the calculator, how to use it, and an introduction of AR cases studies that demonstrated a clear RoI. The presentation from Strategy Analytics helped the attendees understand and plan future RoI analysis.

Two more thought leadership presentations from Team Viewer and Realwear led the way before interactive sessions on Human Factors and Related Safety Challenges, and “Security is Key: Overcoming the Challenges of AR Security”. The event concluded with a set of three-minute pitches from immersive tech providers on their solutions and “Understanding Virtual Reality Use Cases, Requirements & Research”.

Feedback from attendees was excellent, with many of them appreciating having the ability to experience, interact with, and learn from the AREA members, giving them a clearer understanding of how to deploy AR.

When it was all over, participants had learned:

• How to overcome barriers to the adoption of AR within an organization
• Use cases and requirements for enterprise AR
• Commonly encountered safety risks and how to manage them
• Security risks associated with AR-enabling technologies
• Techniques for managing change, stakeholders, and staff challenges when introducing AR
• UX design and development for VR and AR apps

Based on that success, we are now in the midst of planning future similar events in Europe (Q1 ’23), the US (Q2), and the UK (Q3). If you have any questions regarding the event – or would like to participate in our future conferences – please contact me (mark@thearea.org).

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Every employee of your organization can take advantage of each of these AREA member benefits.

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But how can organizations pursuing an AR application evaluate a solution’s usability? To answer that question, the AREA Human Factors Committee has undertaken the development of an AR and MR Usability Heuristic Checklist. Driven by Jessyca Derby and Barbara S. Chaparro of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Jon Kies of Qualcomm, the Checklist is intended to be used as a tool for practitioners to evaluate the usability and experience of an AR or MR application.

The AR & MR Usability Heuristic Checklist currently includes the following heuristics:

• Unboxing & Set-Up
• Help & Documentation
• Cognitive Overload
• Integration of Physical and Virtual Worlds
• Consistency & Standards
• Collaboration
• Comfort
• Feedback
• User Interaction
• Recognition Rather than Recall
• Device Maintainability

The team is in the process of validating these heuristics across a range of devices and applications. So far, they have conducted evaluations with head-mounted display devices (such as Magic Leap and HoloLens), mobile phones, educational applications, and AR/MR games; see their recent journal article for more information.

To further ensure that the breadth of the AR and MR Usability Heuristic Checklist remains valuable across domains and devices, they are in the process of conducting further validation that will consider:

• Privacy
• Safety
• Inclusion, Diversity, and Accessibility
• Technical aspects of designing for AR and MR (e.g., standards for 3D rendering)
• Standards for sensory output (e.g., tactile feedback, spatial audio, etc.)
• Applications that involve multiple users to collaborate in a shared space
• A range of devices (e.g., AR and MR glasses such as Lenovo’s Think Reality A3)

In the coming months, the team will move on to identifying and obtaining applications and/or hardware that touch on the areas outlined above. They will then conduct heuristic evaluations and usability testing with the applications and/or hardware to further refine and validate the Checklist. The final step will be to establish an Excel-based toolkit that will house the Checklist. This will enable practitioners to easily complete an evaluation and immediately obtain results.

Upon completion of the project, the AR and MR Usability Heuristic Checklist will become a vital resource for any organization considering the adoption of AR. If you would like to learn more or have an idea for an application that could be included in this validation process, please contact Dr. Barbara Chaparro or Jessyca Derby.

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