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AR Insider: David Nedohin – March 25, 2020
Automated Reality Devices are a way for Enterprises to Scale Knowledge without Travel
What’s the impact of COVID-19 on the adoption of augmented reality devices? Quite a bit, according to David Nedohin in this passionate article on how enterprises can adapt and change to the current, volatile environment.
He begins by pointing out that downtime in an industry such as manufacturing can quickly translate to a loss of millions of dollars. It’s not easy even in the best of times to maintain a great operational cadence without unnecessary waste, and something like the current crisis situation can really shine a light on inefficiencies. As the virus continues to spread, this fact is becoming even more stark and clear. Employees are discouraged from going on flights, and sometimes actually prohibited from doing so. And that means for enterprises that rely on travel for growth and revenue, the crisis is even more intense.
Manufacturing is definitely feeling the brunt of the disruption to normal operating procedure, because it depends upon employees being physically present in order to function. One of ScopeAR’s customers, for example, has a sizable facility in Vietnam — but now they’re using the ScopeAR augmented reality device WorkLink to keep critical functions running and ensuring that the factory stays on track. In this regard, what we see is that augmented reality devices can facilitate a new way of communicating for organizations — enabling them to spread their knowledge without the requirement of knowledge workers actually boarding a plane. The ScopeAR approach to virtual collaboration has made this a reality.
Augmented Reality Devices Keep People Connected During Coronavirus Crisis
How does this work? Augmented reality devices can transmit important data across countries, connecting people worldwide with employees who work in manufacturing. When you put this together with the ability for AR to provide self-guided work instructions, international enterprises can rest assured that their employees will have instructions that are simple and can be followed again again — a key prerequisite for ensuring that factories can continue to stay open even in the face of the global pandemic.
The result? Scope AR customers have reduced their manufacturing downtime by half as a result of the WorkLink platform. That would be an amazing result in any year, but it’s an extraordinary metric to achieve in the midst of the current crisis. That’s especially true when it’s simply not possible to fly knowledge workers directly to manufacturing sites.
Nedohin concludes by pointing out that when times are tough, we rely on technology to keep us in contact with one another. That’s why we’re seeing more and more companies rely on augmented reality devices and other remote work tools in order to ensure that business stays on track. This may be the moment when AR solutions truly rise to the occasion and claim their place in the modern workforce.