Jack Kilbride, Vice President of Systems and Automation at Zeppelin Systems USA, is quoted to have said that AR and VR will help to bridge the gap between automated systems and the maintenance capabilities of plant personnel. He believes the technologies will become “limitless” as development, deployment, and familiarity increases.

The following use cases for AR and VR in the bakery industry are mentioned:

• Allows for remote training and troubleshooting for companies allowing limited personnel on site (safer during the pandemic)
• Pinpoints real production issues
• Risk-free training for using potentially dangerous machinery
• Speeds up the training process and reduces downtime on production floor
• Customer’s daily production undisturbed by training
• Fast and mobile
• Eliminates language barriers when working with international bakers
• Saves on training costs
• Faster learning where trainees can safely make mistakes without wasting product
• Eliminates distractions

Rademaker USA has greatly benefitted from using AR in its 24/7 service; Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Nick Magistrelli, mentions some of the above advantages in the article. Claire Auffrédou, Marketing and Communications Director at VMI, also expresses how the technology can improve the bakery industry, giving the example of operators using AR to gain spatial awareness and respect safety measures in an automated mixing system during bowl transport.

The business benefits of AR are discussed within the article, in the context of various business procedures. The following AR use cases are included:

• Education: AR applications could be used to bring historical events to life, enabling teachers to cover nuances of the subject that are challenging to explain verbally. In science class, AR could help to visualise complex human anatomy or a 3D galaxy on smartphone screens. This will increase engagement and interest, enhancing the learning experience.
• Business collaboration: AR allows professionals to remotely work together, and avoid hazardous working circumstances. Experts can view the final product and provide guidance to field technicians via remote support, enriching the working environment and even transcending time zones.
• Healthcare: Surgery, diagnosis, training, and practise can all be improved via AR. The technology avoids any patient bias in diagnosis, and allows doctors to locate the correct nerves for injections efficiently. Real-time holographs of human anatomy can be created using AR, increasing visualisation during surgery.
• Real estate: Bypassing disengaging text descriptions of properties, AR allows for a more interactive, 3D style of marketing. This enables potential tenants to view the property in greater detail, and can reduce selection time without compromising any of the features.
• Marketing: Surprising and delighting potential customers, AR gives companies the edge over competitors by providing a unique personalisation and interactive element.

The article concludes by stating that we are experiencing an exponential growth of Augmented Reality in enterprises. Rather than just gaming and entertainment, the technology offers expansive advantages in the sectors mentioned above.

The Head of Commercial Solutions at Design Interactive, Matt Johnston, is quoted to have said that AR and VR enable two technicians to see the same view at the same time. The organisation is developing a virtual classroom program for training technicians, using a combination of AR and point-of-view video training. This creates a procedure involving 3D interactive holograms and other content. Once finished, any trainee or expert in the company can download the content, making the entire process remote.

Other key points throughout the article include:

• AR smartphone apps overlay step-by-step guides onto a technician’s field of vision; they can point their phone at equipment and view AR information such as supplemental icons, updating along with the camera’s movements. Experts can also be involved by logging in and viewing the technician’s screen.
• Adoption of AR during Covid-19 has accelerated due to social distancing, as technicians can work completely remotely using AR.
• Kenneth Calhoun, Fleet Optimisation Manager for Altec Group, has been investigating the current education system and found that few schools have invested in modernising truck equipment for the upcoming generation of technicians. Calhoun has stated that AR and VR can be utilised to educate students on newer truck technology.
• Director of Industry and Customer Engagement at Tradiebot Industries, Beth Rutter, is quoted to have said that kinesthetic / tactile learners tend to be attracted to the repair industry, and AR/VR technologies can provide an environment in which they can learn appropriately.
• According to Marlo Brooke, the CEO and founder of Avatar Partners, Mixed Reality gives technicians the highest memory retention, and allows for less experienced, Level 1 technicians to train at the level of senior technicians. Additionally, the technology allows for a 75% reduction time for troubleshooting vehicle problems, as AR provides “x-ray vision”, allowing them to detect the issue efficiently.
• Experts’ skills are also increased due to AR, as their work is sped up by 25%.

The article includes a section stating the differences between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, and elaborates on specific use cases of the technology in vehicle maintenance. For example, AR is particularly useful for bumper removal; since the sensors in bumpers now compromise other vehicle systems, AR apps can overlay icons on the vehicle representing which areas can be removed, which tools should be used, and the appropriate procedure.

Despite the advantage of remote support, James Kobielus claimed that it tends to lack the immersive capabilities of robotic technology. Detail about the following particular technologies is included in the article:

• RPA (Robotic Process Automation) = this software-centric approach has already arrived in remote work environments; however, it is not the same as having a human assistant nearby.
• EC (Embodied Cognition) = these tools use sensor-driven Artificial Intelligence to power hardware-based robots as digital assistants, bridging the gap via anchoring robotics in physical environments. Facebook researchers are developing this technology to automate physical tasks, which could boost worker productivity. Furthermore, Facebook Research have just open-sourced SoundSpaces, an audio simulation platform that trains robotic agents to navigate 3D environments.
• AR (Augmented Reality) = this technology can support remote work environments where certain aspects of its physicality are unknown to the worker. 3D descriptive captions are displayed over the worker’s camera view, supplementing the information with guidance and labels. This presents employees instantly with the necessary information, eradicating the need for workers to retrieve information via paper manuals or computers. MIT’s Computer Science and AI Laboratory have created a system that can identify and caption people’s behaviours via WiFi and other signals, which can be used to detect when disabled employees require assistance, among other advantages.
• VR (Virtual Reality) = VR is able to simulate key tools, activities, and participants that may be missing from the worker’s physical environment; computer-generated imagery can supplement tasks, projects, or outcomes, while avatars can be used to represent personnel who are not present. Additionally, head-office staff can use VR to visualise the remote worker’s environment.
• MR (Mixed Reality) = a hybrid of AR and VR, MR blends real and simulated work environments. It is appropriate for supporting remote environments where not all participants are within an employee’s field of vision, which would call for ambiguous or missing aspects of the environment to be labelled. The technology is useful for training situations for those in high-risk careers.

The article concludes by claiming that immersive technologies such as AR will become fundamental for remote workers in coming years, enabling enterprises to deliver 24/7 support.

The £147 million invested by the government, and additional funding from industry, is intended to support the integration of new technology to increase productivity in manufacturing. This will further create many new high-skill jobs, attain new customers, reduce consumer prices, and reduce carbon emissions.

Fourteen cutting-edge manufacturing projects will be funded by the first £50 million; these will involve 29 larger businesses, 30 small or medium enterprises, and nine universities. Some of the winning projects include:

• Dialog – based in Flintshire, Dialog integrates human-interacting and automatic robots, allowing machines to make better and faster decisions in an efficient and affordable way.
• Smart Connected Shop Floor – GKN Aerospace, based in Bristol, is leading a multi-sector team testing digital technologies such as AR headsets for engineers. Smart devices will also be used to exchange information between outdated and more modern computer systems.
• The Digital Sandwich (Digitised Food Supply Chain) – based in Chelmsford, leading UK sandwich supplier Raynor Foods Ltd is developing major software that will enable catering businesses to connect online and share data, improving cash flow, boosting food quality, increasing productivity, and reducing waste.
• WeldZero – this West Midlands project will utilise sensors, automation, and robots to weld metal in production, improving accuracy and the general manufacturing process. The machines will hasten production in the automotive and construction industries via collecting and giving valuable data feedback, in addition to making stronger, higher quality parts.

The programme will further support SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) via government and private sector partnerships in which experts will work with businesses to recognise obstacles to growth and how to overcome them. A national network of innovation ‘hubs’ will also be made, allowing businesses to share advice or partner, sparking ideas and growth.

Alok Sharma, Business Secretary, is quoted to have said that the support of these ground-breaking projects will drive economic recovery in the UK via increasing productivity. Secretary of State for Wale, Simon Hart, has further stated that Wales’ existing industry can be vital for the next manufacturing generation, and the aim is to develop a resilient economy in Wales via manufacturing with the UK government’s commitment.

The article concludes by stating that the UK government will spend 2.4% of GDP on R&D throughout the economy by 2027 to earn power and boost productivity.

• 70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy or are working on one, according to ZDNet.
• VP of Engineering for OnLogic, Michael Kleiner, has stated that digital transformation is about how technologies solve issues rather than simply adopting them – he is quoted to have said that digital transformation requires the company to try a new process rather than the right technology.
• Drew Falkman, Director of Strategy at Modus Create (digital transformation consulting company), is quoted to have said that the definition of digital transformation varies depending on the organisation, therefore innovation and adaptability are vital for keeping companies competitive and disruptive.

Tips for starting your digital transformation:

• After coming up with your own definition of digital transformation, start with identifying and aligning on a goal; e.g. looking for places with measurable ROI, with high impact but relatively low effort.
• The starting point will vary across industries, although organisations that acknowledge a requirement for transforming how they conduct business will generally find a reduction in efficiency, leading to an impact on their bottom line.
• Other key starting points include: adopting agile methodology, devops adoption, and cloud transformation, and upgrading to an improved operational software.
• Businesses should ask themselves, ‘how can we improve this, and what data do we need to improve it?’ – for example, the manufacturing industry has benefited greatly from digital transformation as it began identifying how factory floors could become more efficient and smarter by deploying predictive models and downtime monitoring.

The article concludes by reiterating that where you start, and how well you adapt to change matters.

Falkman recommends starting out with a pilot to work out the kinks if you are considering larger transformations. Kleiner also suggests starting out small, such as identifying an obvious efficiency gap and determining an easy solution, before working up to bigger transformations.

This is all great advice. The AREA also guides for getting started if Augmented Reality technology is the way forward for your organization.

Our community of readers interested in AR in the enterprise are likely to be interested in a recent article in Forbes Technology Council from the experience and perspective of Dan Gamota, working at a high-tech lab co-located in a Silicon Valley innovation center.

!Going to work was an opportunity to be fully immersed in a continuous learning environment with cutting-edge technologies and some of the best minds in engineering, science and manufacturing. Until, of course, the day we shifted to a work-from-home model.  Overnight, we were separated from each other as well as our vital lab hardware, software and tools. Yet we still are developing dozens of critical manufacturing processes, many of which have been transferred, deployed and audited in factories and facilities all over the world.”

The team moved on despite the pandemic with seamless collaboration and accelerate innovation, by collectively reaching for thier augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) headsets.

These tools already have proven indispensable for training production-line operators while guiding them through complex manufacturing operations. In Singapore, for instance, a team of engineers working in our additive manufacturing center uses AR to reduce training time by 50% on complex 3D printers. Similarly, AR helps speed maintenance instruction training and facilitates remote support. Topcs covered in the article include Building Cyber-Physical Bridges, Innovation Without Boundaries and Advancing Innovation With Avatars.

Read the full original article here.

November 2019 Barcelona hosted the first gala for the CIO of the year in Europe organized by IDG Communications. CIOs from eight European countries have made the final list of the continent’s best, being recognized in a variety of categories including diversity, innovation and sustainability. They have received their awards at a luxurious gala dinner.

The CIO of the Year is the most relevant award that Europe’s IT transformation leaders can achieve.

In total, more than 113 CIOs from 17 countries and various industries submitted applications. A panel of CIOs and experienced journalists studied and evaluated each of the entries, until the final list of winners was chosen.

The winner of the CIO of the Year Europe – Large Company category is Åshild Hanne Larsen from Norway, CIO of Equinor. This category recognizes excellence for CIOs working in a business with 999 or more employees.

Congratulating Åshild Hanne Larsen, Wendy Pfeiffer, CIO of Nutanix, declared the value of “combining the adoption of modern enterprise-class technologies at the consumer level. That’s what great IT does: tailor technology for every industry. to meet the operations and business needs of the company ”.

Speaking about Larsen, CIO UK editor and jury member Edward Qualtrough noted that “the initiatives that Åshild and his team are driving are not only transforming the organization almost from top to bottom, but are also enriching the entire technology and business landscape. in Norway and beyond ”.

The recognized finalists in this category have been Fernando Lucero from Iberdrola, Spain, and Carlo Bozzoli, CIO of Enel in Italy.

In the category of European CIO of the Year – Small and Medium Business , the winning CIO was Morten Gade Christensen from Denmark, CIO of Bankdata. Tesco CTO Guus Dekkers praised what he described as “simple and innovative solutions from Bankdata that have gained traction with customers” as well as its “governance model to drive innovation that ensures accountability.”

Morten was closely followed by Marabu CIO Stefan Würtemberger, recognized for the initiatives and work he did with his team in his previous role at Renz.

In the Project of the Year Europe category : Innovation in IT and Business, the CIO of the year in Europe was Víctor de Ávila Rueda, CIO of Sacyr. In reference to the winning project, Pfeiffer highlighted “the concept of collective talent and real-time problem solving by bringing together experts in a somewhat gamified environment. The fact that serious problems are solved is very impressive. ”

The finalists for the category were Emiliano Sorrenti, CIO of Italy’s Aeroporti di Roma, and Chris Zissis, CIO of JLL of EMEA, based in the UK.

In the category Project of the Year in Europe – Diversity in IT and Business , the judges awarded the award to Miao Sung, CIO of Mars in Belgium.

Speaking of Sung, Qualtrough stressed that “in a business leadership role it is no longer enough to recognize that diversity is an important issue for your company. As a Global CIO at Mars, Miao Song has gone far beyond the ‘why’ to the ‘how’ with a series of programs that are helping to balance moving the focus on diversity in your IT organization to a higher level, fostering the talent flow from the technology sector with initiatives that extend beyond IT to other areas of the business, helping to build a more innovative culture and improve employee satisfaction. ”

Piotr Slomianny from the Polish company Miejskie Przedsiebiorstwo Wodociagow i Kanalizacji has been chosen as the CIO of the year for the category of Project of the year Europe: sustainability in IT and business.

Qualtrough said: “Piotr Slomianny, the CIO and CFO of the Municipal Water and Wastewater Company in Wroclaw (MPWiK), and his team have implemented new technologies to reduce water losses and pipe failures while increasing organizational efficiency and customer satisfaction ”.

His vision, he continued, focuses on reducing water losses to 0% by 2040. “Working in collaboration with the private sector, the utility’s SmartFlow technology that reduces water losses is marketed in a way that could have enormous benefits beyond Poland ”, he highlighted.

“As water scarcity affects cities globally, Piotr and MPWiK’s focus on sustainable water management for today’s needs and for future generations’ is enormously remarkable,” he concluded.

Link to Original article in Computerworld

About the CIO of the year in Europe

Europe’s CIO of the Year honors IT and Business heroes as role models and incentives for the next generation. They are CIOs who not only have their central IT under control, but also contribute to the success of the company and capitalize on innovation, diversity and digitization.

For more than 15 years, IDG’s CIO brand has recognized CIO excellence in more than 20 key markets around the world, including Spain. 

This event marks the first time that IDG’s CIO brand has recognized CIOs at the pan-European level. The awards are the result of IDG’s collaboration with CIO editors from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Turkey and the Benelux region.

The jury included Fernando Muñoz, Director of the CIO Executive Council in Spain; Mervi Lampinen, IT Director, MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH; UK CIO editor Edward Qualtrough; Monika Plocke, Head of Banking Technology Software Engineering at Nordea; Wendy Pfeiffer, CIO at Nutanix, Board Director at Qualys and Girls in Tech; Michael Loechle, Chief Information Officer at ABB Power Grid; Araceli García, Director, MBA in Computer Science and Business Technology, IE School of Human Sciences and Technology and Head of the IT Business Partners Group at IAG GBS; and Guus Dekkers, CTO of Tesco.

Speaking about the 2019 CIO Awards, Qualtrough celebrated the “privilege” of working with colleagues from across Europe on this initiative “which has brought together some of the continent’s top CIOs and CTOs”.

“At a time when there are changes to be more introspective, the CIO of the year in Europe is clearly European and recognizes organizations and individuals who tackle some of the biggest challenges on the continent, regardless of whether they are related to sustainability, diversity or innovation, and it really celebrates what it means to be a modern business and technology executive, ”he declared on the stage.

“Meeting the CIO of the Year Jury in Europe is a real achievement, which is why we particularly congratulate our five category leaders and indeed all the shortlisted technology leaders, their teams and the IT ecosystem that supports them. “, it is finished.

AR and VR technologies are exploiting the consumers and decreasing privacy to a new level. Concerning both the technologies an theme being in their initial development stage ,consumers have not the slightest idea regarding how the use of AR and VR devices are raising concerns about privacy. There are many aspects to issuing AR and VR. Hackers can gain access to a consumer’s AR and VR devices to record their interactions and behaviour.

These recordings are later layed out or used to blackmail the consumer for certain ransom money. The personalities that need to maintain specific images in the society have to refrain from sensitive situations.

Content producers are under constant pressure for VR and AR devices security. The public will always be impatient and request new games with individuals that are more realistic and improved. At the expense of full testing and security checks, an enterprise can speed up a products.

With constant flooding of the market with new applications and products, there will be undiscovered vulnerabilities which will be targeted by hackers. AR and VR tech manufacturers have an obligation to safeguard their devices from hacking.

Should an app or device be hacked, the cybercriminals may cause catastrophy. Both technologies have already become and integral part of healthcare. E-commerce internet sites have already been hacked, who attempt to steal consumer records, like card details through saved and connected mobile payment solutions. Thus, hackers will access the bank account discretely and deplete it completely.

As there are benefits to understand in AR and VR, there are its down as well that have to be dealt with urgently by the developers of devices and apps. Without the elements of good security practices, both AR and VR industries are doomed and prone to malicious cyber attacks.

The more practical cousin of virtual reality, AR is mainly used to provide remote training and technical support to production sites and R&D centers with the help of smart glasses and 3D imaging similar to Google Street View. It allows viewers to pause videos, draw circles and lines into the image, and even use their own projected hands to point and gesture.

After remote teams helped complete a new beverage factory in Thailand seven weeks ahead of schedule, test new KitKat confectionery molds in absentia and commission new pet-food production lines in the US, Nestle plans to expand the technology across the company.

“Today we understand the full potential of the positive impact of the crisis as well,” Thomas Hauser, Nestle’s head of product and technology development, said in an interview. “We enjoy a higher level of efficiency, speed and a reduced impact on the environment.”

Philips, Electrolux

Joining Nestle are appliance makers Royal Philips NV and Electrolux AB in betting on the use of augmented reality due to the pandemic.

While Electrolux used it to deal with not being able to install equipment it shipped to North America and Latin America, Philips relied on the technology while urgently expanding ventilator capacity to cope with a surge in critically ill Covid-19 patients needing help with breathing.

In a race to set up additional production lines, the Dutch company remotely connected different sites to help train workers and exchange knowledge, bypassing the need for travel. Part of that drive is also focused on artificial intelligence in an attempt to detect how patients are trending on the basis of data analytics. The technology helps to forecast whether they fall into a delirium or into sepsis, and whether they need help.

“You see a rapid integration of virtual reality technologies,” said Philips chief executive officer Frans Van Houten. “The whole world will see an acceleration in the adoption of informatics.” – Bloomberg

Original article appears here.