A post on openpr.com has presented the rising demand for AR in Automotive and Architecture industries, which is expected to catapult the growth of the global AR market. This information comes from a 516 page research study named, “Augmented Reality (AR): Market Shares, Strategies, And Forecasts, Worldwide, 2016 To 2022” which puts forward an in-depth analysis into potential opportunities and prospective growth in the AR market.

Retail and tourism industries are offering increasing opportunities for the AR market across the globe, according to the research, however factors such as limited size of mobile phone memory cards, less storage and restricted processing power, could impede the growth of the market.

The research names some of the prominent companies within the AR sector: ODG, Dagri, Seiko Epson, Vuzix, Wikitude, Google, Total Immersion, Atheer, Niantic, Blippar, Sony, Infinity Augmented Reality, Microsoft and PTC. Company profiles, product portfolio, business strategies, financial status and SWOT analysis of such players are outlined in the study.

An article by Martin Rushmore on the Port Strategy website, discusses potential uses of Augmented Reality in the Port Industry and obstacles that may have caused slow acceptance and adoption.

The high degree of risk, safety, the environment and complexity seems to be the main reasons for the slow acceptance among ports. Other factors mentioned in the detailed article, with comments from industry experts, are summarised below:

• Military experimentation and testing, such as the NAVD diving helmet. (See a previous AREA article here for more information). This is currently in the second phase of testing. Once perfected, the system will be used for commercial salvage and repair, providing benefits for ports.
• Cost is still an uncertain factor and companies must still look at the cost vs. revenue balance.
• Cargo movements at ports requires maintaining reliable real-time information, where a glitch in the system can lead to costly and dangerous consequences.
• The industry needs reliable partners who understand both the industry and the technology to provide a useful solution.
• The potential for AR in ports is great and that there is ROI could be within 12 months in some cases, especially when it comes to its use in training applications.
• A combination of technologies might be used to improve performance in the environment for example by bringing together real-time operating data and make it a key stroke or finger swipe away from the user, so the relevant data is where it needs to be when it needs to be there. This improves productivity and safety for the operations.
• Improved visualization is possible e.g. the uses are product visualisation, project and process alignment, and training/education of employees and stakeholders.
• Ports have adopted VR technology for more than a decade in training;, this can be advanced and improved with AR.
• Lack of understanding may impede growth. It is said that Augmented reality technology may not be well understood in the port industry. There is no one application provider focused specifically on applications for ports.
• The article mentions how AR could be used in security, for example emergency personnel could have their vision blocked during a fire; AR overlay will allow the emergency services to get to assets to shut down the equipment.

A recent report by Wise Guy Reports has been released, detailing sales of the global Automotive Smart Glass market. There is a focus on particular geographical areas as well as key players in the industry. The years 2011 to 2016 are covered, and there is also a forecast for 2021.

Key topics covered in the report include:

• Product overview
• Classification and application of Automotive Smart Glass
• Market size
• Sales / revenue and growth rate
• Basic information on companies involved

Key regions analysed in the report are as follows:

•  USA
•  China
•  Europe
•  Japan
•  India
• Southeast Asia

Key companies noted in the report include: 

• Saint-Gobian S.A.
• Webasto SE
• Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
• Inteva Products
• Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.
• Gentex Corporation
• Xinyi Glass Co., Ltd.
• Magna International Inc.

This week, Research and Markets released an additional report named “Immersive Connected Experience (ICE) Computing Market: By Type (Simulating Environments, Augmented Reality) & By Region – Forecast (2014 – 2021)”, which includes the market size of global Immersive Connected Experience (ICE) in 2014 to 2016, and predicts market growth for 2021.

Topics in the report include:

• Market overview
• Market landscape
• Market forces
• Market by type / geography
• Market entropy
• Executive summary
• Company profiles

Opportunities for market growth are also discussed, in addition to drivers and challenges of the market. Despite North America being a key geographical market which is forecast to maintain the highest share, it is predicted that Asia Pacific will have the greatest growth from 2014 to 2021 due to increased population and awareness of ICE.
Companies discussed in detail in the report include:

• Samsung
• Microsoft
• Intel
• Verizon
• Huawei

Summary information on a new report entitled The Global Smart Augmented Reality Glasses Market Research Report can be found at the following link and is summarized below. This is described as a thorough study on the current condition of the AR Smart Glasses industry. The report is said to contain and discuss the following:

•  Development plans and policies
•  Cost structures
•  Manufacturing processes
•  Import/export
•  Supply and consumption figures
•  Cost, price, revenue and gross margin by regions
•  Basic overview of the industry (definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure)
•  Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis
• The Smart AR Glasses Market development trends and marketing channels analysis

The report focuses on Global leading industry names, giving information such as company profiles, product picture, product specification, capacity, price, cost, revenue, production and contact information. Providing major statistics of the AR Smart Glasses industry, the report presents a bounty of guidance and information for those in or interested in the market.

Vuzix Corporation has welcomed four new partners to their Vuzix Industrial Partner (VIP) program, announces a post on prnewswire.com. US based Apprentice Field Suite and Third Eye Health and Germany based ESSERT GmbH and Picavi have evolved from AR partners in Vuzix’s original M100 smart glasses to VIPs.

Supplier of Smart Glasses, AR and VR technologies and products for consumer and enterprise markets, Vuzix has won numerous Electronics and Technology awards, which are named in the article. Founded in 1997, products from the company include personal display and wearable computing devices, offering a portable high quality viewing experience along with mobility solutions, wearable displays and VR and AR.

Early access to Vuzix M300 Smart Glasses is one of the benefits all four companies will have as Vuzix VIPs. The state-of-the-art M300 platform is designed to address customer feedback from more than two years of use of the M100. The advanced ergonomic design and feature set of the M300 allows enterprise users to operate in an increasing number of situations. For more information on how their latest partners will benefit from Vuzix M300, refer to the original article.
“We are thrilled to have these partners join our VIP program,” says President and Chief Executive Officer of Vuzix, Paul Travers.

Earlier this week, an article on Equities.com discussed the role of Vuzix within the smart glasses market. The leading company is soon releasing the M300 Smart Glasses model worldwide, which is predicted to give the market a boost.

Key points in the article include:

•  This year, the wearables market is predicted to generate $15 billion
•  In 2020, the wearables market is anticipated to reach $34 billion
•  Global sales of head-mounted displays are expected to quadruple next year according to Gartner, Inc.
•  The M300 Smart Glasses run on Android but can pair with iOS devices, and have built-in GPS and Bluetooth
•  The M300 Smart Glasses are also voice activated, have a built-in camera, and can scan bar codes
•  Vuzix generated $560,000 revenue in the second quarter of this year

An article recently set out some implications of security surrounding wearables in the workplace. Moving on from BYOD and CYOD, the article suggests that it’s likely we will hear more about Wear Your Own Device (WYOD) and how this will impact data security.

Wearables up until now, have not been part of a company’s risk management strategy, however, as more devices become connected, security implications will grow. Smart watches, glasses and TVs are all potential entry points to an organisation’s infrastructure and could represent a hacker’s dream. The article speaks of finding a balance between the advantages that wearables bring to a business and its employees, and data protection needs.

Organizations can take practical steps to minimise security risks:

•  Putting risks into context
•  Implementing necessary policies (potentially as an extension of BYOD)
•  Enforcing policies with network and access control systems
•  Extending protection to wearable devices (typically connected via Bluetooth or wireless)
•  Analysing logs effectively and efficiently
•  Working with a Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) to monitor the increase in data / traffic
•  Ultimately the security policy must be both robust and flexible

Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate announced ten startup organisations to participate in EMERGE 2016: Wearable Technology, which will connect strategic partners through a common aim for development and research. The link to the program can be found here.

The program is centred around wearable tech used especially by first responders; they require devices such as advance sensors, integrated voice, embedded data communications, and body-worn electronics, and wearables can integrate multiple technologies. The program will also allow the startups access to feed back from first responders, industry partners, and educational resources for business development from mentors.

Dr. Reginald Brothers, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, is quoted to have said that the startup selection is essential for innovating, and that entrepreneurs are major players in inventing solutions for integrating tech into existing equipment.

Listed below are the ten selected startups, the first two of which are AREA members. The AREA would like to wish them all the best in the program:

• Augmate
• Six15 Technologies
• CommandWear Systems
• HAAS Alert
• Human Systems Integration
• Lumenus
• LuminAID
• Pear Sports
• Vault RMS
• Visual Semantics

Enterprise Augmented Reality revenues are set to reach US$5.7 billion by the year 2021, as stated in an article on itwire.com. Analytical specialists Juniper Research have declared that consumer AR apps “will remain below that of the enterprise AR sector” right through until 2021. This research found that improvements in field of vision latency on HMDs has fuelled the growing interest in enterprise AR technologies. Future releases of HMDs, including that of Microsoft HoloLens, are also tipped to push AR revenues in the enterprise sector, with businesses choosing Head Mounted Displays over tablets and smartphones.

Juniper’s new study reports that app prices in the enterprise AR sector will be higher due to the bespoke nature of the content, and the association of names such as Hyperloop and Siemens. The result of higher content pricing and hardware will see slow adoption of the technology over the next two years, with enterprise AR revenues set to remain on smartphone and tablet devices for the time being. Enterprise focus from manufacturers such as Microsoft and Vuzix, however, allows for a massive revenue opportunity for content developers on HMDs from the year 2020.

Juniper also comments that although “the smartphone will give an immediate audience and distribution channel”, a constant focus on innovation will be required in order to keep consumers engaged.