1

Transforming the Industrial Metaverse with Augmented Reality Technology

Transforming the Industrial Metaverse with Augmented Reality Technology

You may have heard about the industrial metaverse lately in the news or event at recent events. This immersive and interactive world combines real and virtual elements to create a new, innovative form of collaboration and production along with many other evolving uses. This digital environment is rapidly changing how we work, learn, and play, and augmented reality (AR) plays a crucial role in its development and success.

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.

 

 




AREA Members Meeting

Q1 Member Meeting 2023

Join the AREA members on March 22nd to meet, network, discuss and support the development of the AREA Committee deliverables. 1st session, kick off, the AREA Qualification and Certification working group. We’ll discuss, evaluate, and recommend the next steps for the AREA and potential Qualification and Certification strategy! Registration is priced at $199 to cover the meeting space, lunch, and refreshments.

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 23rd 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.

This meeting will be co-located with our sister consortia,  Object Management GroupDigital Twin ConsortiumBPM+ Health, and Industry IoT Consortium. There will be shared keynotes, industry and working group presentations, and social networking events. See firsthand how these communities are driving technological transformation to improve sustainability, efficiency, and resilience across industries. Members of AR for Enterprise Alliance may attend any public sessions of our sister consortia during the meeting week.

 

View AREA Information Day Agenda Demonstration Sponsorship

 




Reflections on the Immerse Technology Conference

Reflections on the Immerse Technology Conference

As the dust settles on the latest conference season, I wanted to share my reflections and excitement as we resume conducting face-to-face AR events across the world.

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 ([email protected]).




AREA Membership Benefits

 

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

 

Overcome Barriers to Adoption

Our members are working together to break down business and technology challenges, including use case applicability and deployment, IT and security, human factors, content, and enterprise systems integration.

Networking

Collaborate and brainstorm with the industry’s leading Augmented Reality players in our Committees, Initiatives, Liaisons, thought leadership, and networking events.

Research

Become part of the AREA Research Committee responsible for creating the Research Agenda and Research Projects. These are living resources that focuses the attention of enterprise AR stakeholders on gaps in industry knowledge and obstacles to widespread adoption of AR in industry.


Committees

Become eligible to participate in and chair Committees and help drive their focus and direction. Members can suggest new Committees that add to the focus areas of the Alliance.

Cross-Consortium Participation

Participate in activities – and receive membership discounts – with our sister consortia: the Digital Twin Consortium and Object Management Group.

Exclusive Content

Gain access to member-exclusive Use Cases, Presentations, and Research in our member portal.


Thought Leadership

Receive industry recognition as a leader in Augmented Reality through your association with the AREA. Get published in research reports and blogs, and participate in webinars and conference panels.

Marketing & Branding

Participate in global promotional initiatives, events, publications, and social media amplification for your AR and AREA related marketing activities. Receive AREA leadership quotes for your announcements.

Social Amplification

Get featured in LinkedIn and Twitter campaigns for your Augmented Reality and Alliance-related accomplishments, events, and publications. Display the AREA logo on your website and in your marketing materials.




Safety Committee

Charter

The AREA, through the creation and work of this Safety committee, will identify and prioritize the risks and recommend steps that enterprises can take to manage and reduce those risks.

  1. Identify, classify and prioritize safety risks – known and anticipated safety risks (based on the agreed scope) in a framework with clear criteria.
  2. Develop and disseminate risk reduction recommendations – to enterprises, device manufacturers, systems integrators, operators and organizations defining safety strategies and polices for enterprises.
  3. Propose research projects and programs – to document, inform and increase awareness of safety risk and risk reduction measures.

Current Activities

  • The Committee focuses on identifying, updating, and publishing AR safety research and industry developments.
  • The team works with other Committees such as the Requirements Committee, and AREA partners, such as the National Safety Council, to develop sharable summaries of these projects.
  • AREA members, researchers, SDOs, and universities are regularly invited to present at Safety Meetings.
  • The Committee considers safety guidelines for AR certification and training, in areas such as smart glasses, for example.

    JOIN AREA TEAM +