Technologies like AR, VR and the catch-all term XR tend to be popular with consumers before being adopted at an enterprise level. With Virtual reality being popular with gamers and Augmented catching the world by storm with Pokemon Go, the general public has awareness of the technology but until recently, it did not seem beneficial for business. Now we are seeing both technologies being implemented and creating solid ROI in various fields. The companies that jump on board as early adopters will be ahead of the competition. How could AR and VR improve your industry?
The consumer world may be where the “sexy and flashy” immersive technology is hot, Szymanski said, but enterprises are now starting to realize “where efficiencies can be reached that can save money.” And the use cases are not isolated into one particular industry, Szymanski found. “What we found in talking with a lot of leaders and innovators and practitioners in XR spaces is that these use cases span multiple industries,” she said. “So something that might work for automotive could also work for healthcare and education.”
Let’s examine some of the ways VR and AR are creeping into the enterprise.
Manufacturing firms are using computer-aided design and computer-aided modeling software to mock up products for manufacturing environments or automotive environments before tech hits the shop floor, according to Szymanski. It can help detect collision and safety issues and increase collaboration within organizations. “We see that as the case study that is really taking off the most for the past few years,” Szymanski added.
AR headsets can provide real-time data delivery to service technicians. They in turn can make repairs to products/homes/cable systems more effectively and efficiently, allowing for quality control on the spot. Typically, you’d find these use cases, Szymanski said, in an industrial capacity but there are some interesting case studies emerging in healthcare, she said; i.e. surgeons who need some on-the-spot information.
AR for onboarding can help new employees understand how the company works, what different departments do and encourage the newbie to “really get productive and acclimated quickly,” Gardner said. It goes beyond, Gardner added, just shaking hands and getting the standard, “Welcome to the team, Bill.” Ultimately, it can help collapse the time of a new employee getting comfortable and productive.
