One of the biggest stumbling blocks in being able to convince the companies for trying augmented reality is the paucity of historical models and data that conclusively prove that augmented reality actually works. However, a few big companies and universities are beginning to collect the data. Studies have shown that trainees tend to perform better and more efficiently when assigned projects and using augmented reality instructions for reference. The groups using augmented reality have been noted to be about 30 percent more efficient and almost 90 percent more accurate on their first attempts as compared to other groups. If studies continue to prove that augmented reality in fact boosts productivity and efficiency, it could provide a great fillip and convince more enterprises to come on board, especially those who can provide scale, which would help both in terms of better quality and reduced costs. Having said that, there are some real world applications of augmented reality in enterprise already happening, which promises to keep evolving and growing as more people come on board.
1. Connecting workers based in remote locations: We have been witnessing significant benefits in efficient collaborations which are facilitated by communication channels which are hands free. This makes it possible for a remote worker to see exactly the things that their colleagues are seeing. This has been employed by engineers working on an oil rig; medical professionals treating a serious and life threating injury, and the linesmen working on power-poles.
2. Helping with some very complex tasks: Augmented reality can be employed to overlay the instructions for some very complex tasks and this has shown to help in reducing the error rates that occur in manufacturing assembly significantly. For mission critical tasks, augmented reality equipped smart glasses are used to overlay the precise and accurate instructions towards the work area and help in guiding the worker accurately at each step.
3. Making logistics and warehousing more efficient: Logistics and warehousing are a very important part of an economy. Hence, making this sector more efficient is very important. Smart glasses with augmented reality have demonstrated to achieve at least 25% improvement in the efficiency levels for the warehousing operations by efficiently guiding the workers and also helping them to avoid the common mistakes.
4. Improved learning outcomes: Training programs designed with augmented reality are helping to build a significantly more effective and efficient supervision and training outcomes that help us in understanding how some of the more complex equipment work and operate and also the workings in a high-risk environment.
