As augmented reality (AR) technology becomes increasingly more available, it is finding new uses in different places. One space where it is becoming widely more popular is in workplaces around the world. Companies are looking for ways of incorporating this new technology to improve internal operations, with positive results. In this article, we discuss the ways that your company can adopt augmented reality in the workplace.
Hands-on Training Tools
Hands-on training is one of the most effective ways of training staff members. While this is easier in office jobs, most workplaces are not well-equipped for hands-on training. AR technology is making it much easier since the new technology can help new hires through self-guided, hands-on training sessions.
The biggest benefit to this is that AR technology takes the old video or reading-based training methods, and adds a level of interactivity. Studies have shown that educational materials are more effective when people are actively engaged. Employers can use these systems to walk staff members through their job responsibilities and how to access systems in ways that are more effective than older training methods.
Work Tools
Having a headset that gives you direct access to the sensors and tools that you need to do your job may be coming to workplaces soon. Companies are looking for ways to enhance worker’s abilities through the use of AR technology. This can be done by delivering information as it is needed so that employees can work more effectively.
There are some ways of working that already use similar AR systems. For example, fighter pilots have AR-enabled helmets that deliver vital information as an overlay of the real world. Some companies are trying to copy this system for other types of operations so that staff members have all of the needed information right away, and they can keep working at a more efficient pace.
Shared Workspaces
Another way that employers can use AR in the workplace is to help employees work on the same project. Creating online workspaces is an effective way to help employees work remotely, but it can be difficult when everyone needs to work on the same project at the same time. AR systems can make this process more intuitive by representing the input from different people in different ways. Being able to visualize what everyone is doing on the project in more natural ways makes it easier to collaborate and understand what everyone is doing.
3D Modeling
When a company is working to create something, it is difficult for everyone to work on the same project when there isn’t a central thing to interact with. You can share plans and diagrams, but it is not the same as being able to hold the thing that you are working on in your hands. 3D modeling using AR systems may be an effective way of addressing this problem.
Many companies spend a lot of time and resources trying to develop prototypes that are ultimately useless since they do not represent the final product. Companies can significantly cut the cost of prototyping by using 3D modeled interactive AR models. That way, you can interact with it in ways that you would a physical prototype, but save the cost of having individual physical prototypes created. Plus, it is easier to update and share your prototypes with the rest of the workgroup. In essence, you could speed up the development process by making it possible for everyone in the group to share and interact with rapidly developing prototypes.
More Natural Communication
Communicating remotely can be difficult, especially since the current method of communicating does not accurately represent how people communicate in real life. In-person communication is a more interactive process where you can look at everyone in the conversation. The ability to read body language and not interact with disembodied voices goes a long way toward improving the quality of communications as well. AR technologies can help with this by representing multiple people in a conversation as they would appear in the real world.
AR technologies are improving at rendering images in a more lifelike fashion. This means that they should be able to represent people in a more natural way. Using augmented reality technology, it could be possible to have an “in-person” meeting without anyone else being present. The AR system can use cameras for each person to overlay their image in a virtual meeting space. That way, you could interact with them in a more natural way. You can see each person as they talk, read body language, and feel like you are in a real meeting.
Develop Your AR Systems with KitelyTech
KitelyTech works with companies to try to develop new technologies and business systems. At KitelyTech, we use the latest technologies to build apps, including AR. Call us at (800) 274 2908 to discuss how we can develop a new augmented reality system for your company.
