How Industrial Augmented Reality Can Benefit Your Business
Industrial augmented reality (IAR) is a technology that complements existing processes and enables companies to increase efficiency. It can be used across a range of applications, including logistics, manufacturing floors, maintenance, upskilling and training.
The best AR solutions can identify minute data points from 3D sensors and machine vision cameras, allowing manufacturers to pinpoint enterprise-level inefficiencies. This leads to real-time actionable data.
Real-time training
Unlike traditional training, industrial augmented reality provides real-time instruction and feedback to improve workforce productivity and efficiency. It also reduces employee errors, time delays and production mistakes.
This type of training is a vital tool for companies looking to boost productivity and reduce costs. In fact, research shows that AR can increase efficiency by 20 percent and improve first-time fix rates by 67 percent.
In addition, it can help workers learn about safety issues and avoid a variety of hazards. This can be especially helpful in industries where employees are exposed to hazardous environments such as construction, oil, gas, and manufacturing.
It also helps workers to better understand the products they are working on. The technology allows employees to see virtual models that have been created using 3D scanners and computer-aided design software. This helps them to identify potential problems and create a more accurate plan for their work.
AR also helps to train employees in new processes and equipment. It can be used to give employees step-by-step instructions for completing tasks and learning about the machinery they are working with.
Another important aspect of AR training is that it can be customized to the specific needs of a company. It can be used in the same way as a regular video or employee-shadowing session, and it can even be combined with traditional training methods.
In fact, many of the major players in the industry are already using augmented reality technology to help train their workers. This includes Walmart, which has deployed 17,000 Oculus Go headsets to its employees for AR training.
The technology can also be used for remote collaboration. It allows workers to interact with a team of experts in an immersive environment. This allows them to better collaborate and work together to solve challenges and get things done.
With the current skills shortage and the aging of SMEs, industrial training is more important than ever before. With the right AR solution, your company can ensure that everyone has access to relevant training and support throughout their careers. This will increase efficiency and productivity while also increasing customer satisfaction and ensuring the safety of your company’s assets.
Prerecorded training
Prerecorded training is a great way to deliver content to your employees and is a popular choice among business leaders. There are industrial augmented reality many advantages of using this method, including the ability to train on demand and reduce the cost associated with live training courses.
Another benefit is the ease of access to the training content, as it is available at your fingertips whenever you want. This is ideal for busy employees who might not have the time to attend an instructor-led training session.
In addition, the training content can be refreshed on a regular basis to keep it fresh and relevant. This helps to avoid outdated information and to ensure that learners remain up to date on the latest techniques and knowledge transfer methods.
However, there are some challenges that can arise from the use of prerecorded training. For starters, it is not as effective as live instruction because there is no interaction between the instructor and the students. This can result in a lack of engagement and motivation on the part of the participants, as well as inability to learn from other students and experts who may have a different take on a topic or a perspective that they might not have considered previously.
Furthermore, the content on prerecorded training often gets outdated as quickly as new developments are introduced. This can leave companies in a bind because they must continually upgrade their training material to stay current with the latest technology and knowledge transfer methods.
While industrial augmented reality may have the potential to bridge the gap between labor market mismatch and future workforce productivity, it is important to recognize that this technology is still in its early stages. As a result, a number of key challenges need to be addressed to realize its full potential in the manufacturing sector. These include:
Immersive training
Immersive training in industrial augmented reality allows learners to practice skills and techniques that are often challenging to master. They can then see the outcome of their actions in real time and get immediate feedback. This helps to build soft skills and operational knowledge, while it also makes it easier for students to recall what they learnt.
In addition to this, immersive training provides a safe environment where learners can practice skills in a realistic industrial augmented reality scenario. This is particularly helpful for people with learning disabilities who may not be able to attend a hands-on workshop.
With industrial augmented reality, learners can use tablets or smartphones to anchor virtual objects in their field of view and complete realistic interactions with them. This means they can practice troubleshooting problems, operating and repairing complex machinery, and completing multi-step tasks.
For example, in a warehouse, AR can help workers locate and order pick times for specific parts. This is a helpful tool for those in the industry because it cuts down on the amount of manual labor and helps to increase productivity.
Another important benefit of this type of training is that it can be used for training large groups of people in a single session. This means that it can save companies money in the long run. In fact, one study found that it was more cost-effective to train intensive care workers using mannequins in virtual simulation than it was to use live training.
In addition, it can be used to improve worker safety on construction sites. A recent study from Skanska showed that immersive training reduced the number of injuries and accidents among onsite workers.
When it comes to determining the best immersive training format for your organization, it’s essential that you identify the specific goals and desired outcomes. This will ensure that the training program is truly effective and meets your objectives.
It’s also vital that you choose the right tools and software to make immersive training an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all involved. The right technology can also offer more detailed learning analytics, enabling teachers and trainers to track the progress of their students. This includes data like the duration of use, repetitions, completion rates, eye contact, body language, and more.
Knowledge transfer
Industrial augmented reality is an effective tool to improve the transfer of knowledge within an organization. Knowledge is a vital resource for businesses, and sharing it in a smart way helps increase innovation, collaboration, and understanding across the team.
It is also a crucial part of maintaining quality and productivity levels. This can be achieved through the use of AR to provide workers with real-time information and guidance as they complete their tasks. This technology can support a number of applications, including increasing the speed at which assembling and repairing complex products such as vehicles and elevators can be completed, assisting in technicians’ training, and facilitating knowledge transfer from industry experts to ordinary employees.
However, there are several challenges that need to be overcome in order to achieve an intuitive human-machine interaction. These include the creation of a realistic and immersive environment, optimizing the design of objects and environments, and creating an appropriate interface for users’ interactions with these elements.
In addition to improving the transfer of information, AR can also be used to enhance collaboration between people in different locations. It can provide a virtual platform for teams to share information and collaborate on projects, reducing the cost and time of travel while improving the quality of the results.
While AR can be used to support the transfer of knowledge, it is important to ensure that the information being shared is accurate and up-to-date. This is especially important when working with a highly technical subject.
One of the most significant benefits of augmented reality is that it can help reduce errors and ensure safety in high-risk environments, such as those found in manufacturing and energy production. For instance, utility companies can utilize Manifest to help capture engineering knowledge and expertise through AR work instructions that enable staff to perform maintenance tasks in a safe manner while meeting service level agreements.
In addition, AR can be used to provide workers with on-the-job guidance as they complete their tasks, enabling them to better understand how to perform these tasks. This can help improve safety, reduce the risk of accidents, and save costs by reducing the need for manual processes.