A press release on BusinessWire reported on the additional release of the “Global Smart Glass and Window Market – By Technology, Application, and Geography” report, by Research and Markets. In 2014, the market was valued at $2.3 billion, and is forecast to be worth over $5.80 billion by 2020. It will increase by a CAGR of 15.7% during this period.

Key topics covered in the report include:

• Market overview
• Market segmentation, forecast, and trends: by technology, application, and geography
• Industry structure
• Future proposals
• Company profiles
• Vendor market share analysis
• Market dynamics
Companies mentioned in the report include:
• Glass Apps
• Research Frontiers, Inc
• Sage Electrochromics
• Scienstry Inc.
• Gentex Corporation
• Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.
The article also states that the market is mainly fuelled by an increased demand for global energy, as smart glasses will reduce costs for heating and lighting, etc. Development of technology and government mandates for energy conservation are the main factors of market growth in North America, which was the leading country in the global smart glass market in 2014.

A report titled “The Smart Wearables in Healthcare 2016-2030” has been highlighted on globenewswire.com as providing a thorough future outlook of wearables in improving the quality of lives from a healthcare and fitness perspective. One of the main purposes of the study was to identify the smart wearables that are presently available or being developed, and to evaluate their potential within the healthcare industry.
Some notable findings within the study are as follows:

• Almost 250 smart wearables are in stages of development by over 150 companies, many of these being activity/fitness trackers in the form of wrist wearables.
• Companies have propelled their efforts towards expanding more complex wearables in monitoring critical parameters, details of which can be found in the original article. There is also more focus on wearables that can provide therapeutic benefit.
• Smart wearables are growing in popularity on social media platforms, with the study capturing over 80,000 mentions of relevant keywords on social media in the last five years. This activity has dramatically heightened in the last couple of years.
• Innovation in smart wearables is evidently backed by venture capitalists according to the study, with findings of more than 180 examples of funding across 70 companies over the last few years. $US 3.1 billion is the ball park figure that has been invested, proving that interest in the area is high when it comes to venture capital firms and other investors.

Overall, it is expected that the market for smart wearables within the healthcare sector will grow at an annualized rate of 13.6% over the next fifteen years.

A press release by ResponseSource reports on a recent Juniper Research Study, which has predicted that enterprise Augmented Reality app revenues will reach $5.7 billion by 2021, compared to approximately $515 million in 2016.
Enterprise interest in AR devices has also increased due to improvements in head mounted displays, future releases of which are said to fuel AR enterprise revenues in the future. However, due to AR content being bespoke, app prices will increase, so that only early adopters of tech will utilise it in coming years.
AR revenues are also forecast to stay on tablet and smartphone devices in the next few years, although head mounted display developers will have the biggest opportunity for revenue from 2020.
To keep users interested, the report also advises continual innovation rather than simply focusing on smartphone development. The novelty of major consumer AR apps such as Pokemon Go wears off after a while, causing a shorter shelf life compared to the wider range of AR apps.
Increased cost of head mounted displays and reluctance of consumers to use them publicly has also been said to reduce smart glass purchases in the short term.

A recent article by Forbes discusses future opportunities for Augmented Reality in the workplace, and mentions how AR will be a key advantage for organisations in term of competition. The technology brings a potential high level of efficiency and creativity that would greatly benefit companies. Uses of AR in the workplace include:

• Thorough training
• Hands-on experience minus the costs and risks of real life experience
• Placing employees in a virtual situation that can’t be created in real life
• Creating hazardous virtual conditions
• Teaching employees correct protocol
• Preparing employees for real life scenarios
Advantages of using AR as part of your business’ strategy include:
• Saving time and money
• Shorter learning curves
• Better trained employees
• More efficient workplace
• Increasing the power of your remote workforce
• Improving productivity
• Making personal connections
• Gaining a competitive edge
The article concludes by recommending that companies allocate a budget for AR technology, as it will soon become widely accessible for enterprises to use.

An article on Futureofbusinessandtech.com provides a neat summary on enterprise Augmented Reality: mainly that AR can boost operational efficiency, reducing time, costs and mistakes, therefore improving effectiveness of employees.

• Organisations adopting AR may expect procedural steps in order to fix machinery, or check the status of industrial equipment. An operator can see such information by pointing a device at an object and viewing the data overlaid on the object; this could be via hand held equipment or worn on the body. Enabling operators to instantly view instructions in this way without having to refer to a manual allows for greater workplace productivity. AR-enabled devices are subsequently expected to speed up tasks and reduce errors.

• Augmented Reality in the workplace allows companies to deliver real-time and up-to-date information to employees. Devices will recognise a physical target object and display appropriate images and text; this may take 2D or 3D form, and can be either stored on the device or carried through a network. AR may also be embedded into existing workflows, with asset and product life-cycle management systems having the ability to incorporate AR information into streamline presentation and delivery of data on products and parts.

• Production and maintenance costs are assured to be reduced with work being done faster and errors being less frequent. Instructions are displayed immediately, banishing the need for operators to search for manuals or call for help. Cognitive load is reduced, consequently so are mistakes, by having the right information in the right place at the right time.

A recent article by TechCo discusses five key technology trends that should be taken notice of, especially as 2016 has seen a drastic increase in advanced tech development.

These trends are:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital health / biotech
• Sports and recreation tech
• Augmented Reality
• The future of transportation

However, the article mainly focuses on Augmented Reality, explaining how its development means it will enable consumers and users to “break out of the confines of our screens.” It goes on to discuss how the increase of AR technology is partially because of our desire to make digital experiences, such as video chats, more human and connected to the real world.
Augmented Reality in comparison Virtual Reality is also briefly mentioned; a range of industries are investing in AR, showing that it has a more promising future than VR. In terms of the healthcare industry, other technologies are being produced, leading to a larger amount of data being collected in order to improve the quality of healthcare.

A report covering the current state and future prospects for the global smart glasses market for the years 2016 to 2020 has been released. It offers an overview of the market as well as opportunities it could bring. Other aspects of smart glasses discussed in the report include:

• Market drivers
• Impact of drivers
• Market challenges
• Market trends
• Vendor landscape analysis
Major vendors of the market are AGC, Corning, DuPont, PPG, and Saint-Gobain. The market is also separated into sections based on geographical location, which are the Americas, APAC, and EMEA.
Important questions addressed in the report include:
• What are the key market trends?
• What are the challenges of the market?
• What are the drivers of the market?
• Who are the key vendors?
• What are the market opportunities?
• What size will the market grow to by 2020?
• What will be the rate of growth?

Readers may be interested in a Whitepaper by Cognizant Reports which offers information on Augmented Reality in the enterprise, and advice on how to navigate its integration.

Important research and key points included in the article are listed below:

• ARVR hardware and software will strengthen connections and interactions between enterprises and employees, as well as enterprises and consumers
• Virtual work areas could be created with real-time access to enterprise data
• Customers could use head-mounted displays to explore products and services in a fully immersive virtual environment
• Companies will need to address important issues such as the high cost of head-mounted displays, a fragmented developer market, the lack of industry standards, etc.
• Since October 2015, the ARVR market saw six consecutive quarters of investment growth
• A recent report by Goldman Sachs predicted that the ARVR hardware market will reach $80 billion by 2025
• Citibank forecasts that the VR hardware, networks, software, and content market will reach $200 billion by 2020
• The alternative reality market involves many players whose efforts bode well, although it is difficult to tell which will emerge as leader
• Virtual Reality enables people and facilities to be remotely monitored and attended to in real time
• Disadvantages of VR include = having to remain in place while using a VR device, nausea and motion sickness being a side effect of using VR devices
• Unlike VR, AR headsets allow a continuous view of the virtual and the real world so the user can move while using an AR device
• ABI Research has predicted that AR headsets will generate $46 billion by 2021, although VR will only generate $15 billion
• A survey by Tech Pro Research from earlier this year showed that 48% of respondents are considering adoption of VR, and 67% are considering adoption of AR
• Research from Iowa State University showed that users instructed via AR found a 90% decrease in errors when assembling a mock airplane wing
• The Ford Motor Company used VR demos and found a 70% reduction in worker injury rates, as well as a 90% decrease in ergonomic faults
• Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research found that the revenue prediction for ARVR in video games is $11.6 billion, as well as $4.7 billion in engineering, and $5.1 billion in healthcare
• Barriers in the way of ARVR growth include price and apps, user experience, and standards

The final advice given to companies expanding in terms of technology includes:

o Create the necessary infrastructure
o Create a supportive ecosystem
o Incorporate the best approach for ARVR
o Manage change
o Address data privacy and security

A recent article by Reportlinker Insight predicted that Augmented Reality will be worth $100 billion, and grow at a compound annual growth rate of 55% in 8 years’ time. It is anticipated that areas of hardware technology to have the most growth will be automotive and head-mounted displays (70% CAGR each). The largest AR market is Asia-Pacific, which is expected to reach a minimum of $44.3 billion by 2024.

An article by PRNewswire, reporting on the findings, claimed that a significant contributor towards the growth of AR is new technologies such as wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Potential uses of AR listed include:

• Increasing brand awareness
• Virtual store maps
• Interactive ads
• Offering customers discounts and coupons
• Bridging the gap between on- and off-line shopping
• Allowing customers to view products in their home before purchasing

In Augmented Reality retail apps, it’s predicted that $30 billion will be invested by 2020. Other statistics listed include:

• From 2014 to 2019, the AR market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 88.5%
• From 2016 to 2020, the healthcare ARVR hardware market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 29.2% (43.7% of the ARVR market)
• From 2016 to 2020, the automotive AR market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 17.9%

In addition, the article states that Snapchat is currently interested in developing a Hololens-type AR wearable, allowing objects to be placed in users’ vision without the use of a mobile device. The Financial Times reported that Snapchat’s headset prototype is in production and that the company recently began hiring AR experts from tech organisations.

A recent article from TheBusinessDeck has reported that the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership will invest £5 million in the University of Nottingham’s Institute of Advanced Manufacturing, UK. It is expected that by the end of 2017, construction on the centre (located near Derby Road) will be completed. This will cost a total of approximately £23 million, including the £5 million investment from the LEP which has been confirmed by the Infrastructure and Investment Board of D2N2.
Advanced facilities for teaching, training, and research in manufacturing will be available, enabling graduates to provide for the local and wider community using skills gained. The new Institute will produce an 8000 square metre training and research area, and is predicted to create many jobs within its initial five years. In addition to this, it will aid manufacturing companies in the LEP and other areas, using expert skills to attend to technical faults and help promote new technology products.
The chief executive of the D2N2 LEP, David Ralph, is quoted to have said that the Institute will be a world-class facility that will help establish a new industrial strategy as the Government desires, especially in manufacturing. He also said that it will allow organisations to grow through creating new products and innovating, as well as attract skilled individuals and keep talented graduates. The D2N2 is also pursuing the same aims as the new Institute via European funding.