Augmented reality hardware on the horizon
Headphones and accompanying technologies are already available, but higher-performance models will be available next year.
Lenovo’s ThinkReality A3, designed specifically for business customers, is expected this summer. Smartphones, lighter and designed for greater usability than previous products, work in conjunction with a ThinkPad workstation or specific Motorola smartphones.
“The A3 is more content-focused,” says Mike Lohse, Lenovo’s hardware product manager for commercial AR and VR. “Imagine a person making a sales call with this immersive tool to create a better experience. They can share something smaller than a grain of rice, like a stent, making it pass up to 6 feet in diameter and pointing out the features. Similarly, if they sell an industrial pumping station, they can reduce it and focus on specific functions and functions. ”
Other HMDs and smart glasses include Google’s Enterprise Glass Edition 2 and Microsoft Mesh, which uses the company’s HoloLens technology to transport users virtually to each other’s physical environments.
“Microsoft Mesh is a mixed reality platform that enhances collaborative experiences with a sense of presence, which means users feel like they are physically present with each other, even when they are not,” says Greg Sullivan, director of Microsoft’s mixed reality. “People can interact with 3D content or interact with each other through Mesh-enabled applications on any platform or device, including Microsoft HoloLens, VR headsets, smartphones, tablets, or computers.”
MORE THAN BIZTECH: How AR and VR can revolutionize corporate training.
Although Microsoft Mesh is still in preview, current customers can download the Microsoft Mesh application for HoloLens 2 and request access to a new version of Mesh-enabled AltspaceVR. This will allow companies to hold 3D virtual meetings with enterprise security features.
The future of head-mounted screens
As the development of HMDs accelerates, Abbruzzese sees the market for these devices growing rapidly for business customers.
“Our forecasts show that companies are the dominant buyers of RA headphones for years to come, but from 2023 onwards it will start to pick up greater consumer demand,” he says.
Abbruzzese predicts that automation will be the next big innovation of HMD ARs.
“Most industries already use portable AR for data logging, such as capturing the experience of trained and experienced workers while working,” he says. “What follows is an automated wizard that can remove this content and eject it. You only need to capture it once and direct it to others when they need it. It is timely training. Some of this is happening today, but automated assistance will be more ubiquitous in three to five years. ”