\n\tWhen most people think of augmented reality (AR), they think of Pok\u00e9mon Go, but even then it\u2019s often still a vague concept to them. Simply, AR places digital content \u2014 audio, video, interactive 3D models, webpage links \u2014 onto the real world through a smartphone or tablet.<\/p>\n
\n\tImagine a work environment where employees have instant access to step-by-step instructional guides or videos about a piece of equipment they haven\u2019t used in awhile, a 3D \u201cparts explosion\u201d that shows the specs and history of each individual part in a machine to allow for a quick diagnosis of a problem part, or a warning if medications aren\u2019t supposed to be taken together just by pointing their smartphone\u2019s camera at a device, machine, or label, respectively.<\/p>\n
\n\tGive employees expert knowledge anytime, anywhere by connecting their physical space to the digital world. Primarily through image recognition, an AR enhanced app will associate a marker, such as a sign for a machine, with any digital content or information a company wants to provide its workforce.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cTraining with augmented reality just makes too much sense for it not to be a major focus for us in 2019,\u201d said John Martin, CEO of BUNDLAR, a custom augmented reality solutions company based out of Chicago\u2019s 1871 \u2014 UBI Global\u2019s top rated University-Affiliated Business Incubator in the world. \u201cOur CTO, Matt Wren, is also the VR\/AR Association Chicago Chapter President and runs the VR\/AR Chicago Meetup monthly at 1871, as well, so we are \u2018forced\u2019 to be on top of immersive technologies as they are constantly evolving and improving. The use cases for AR training and education are endless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tSince all the content is chosen by the company, digital, and interactive, the messaging and instructions will be uniform for each employee, potentially saving it future Human Resource issues, while providing immersive AR experiences to employees instead of a boring video or PowerPoint presentation. Further, every interaction with the AR experience is tracked, allowing companies to learn what employees may need further training on and to test and measure their progress with immersive training simulations and quizzes.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cSimply by having easy access to this information on a worksite via AR will reduce inefficiencies and accidents, while increasing compliance,\u201d said Wren, a 20-year veteran of the trade show and event space industry. \u201cWe used AR to create a dynamic 3D stage model that showed a step-by-step process to build and deconstruct the lighting and stage for a show. It removed any questions about our best process and improved workflow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAll of these AR examples save companies time and money. No longer will they need to wake up a manager to retrain third-shift subs on a machine they rarely use or fly in an expert to fix a specific part. At a Baker Hughes petrochemical plant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, a turbine blew out and needed replacement parts. Instead of flying in specialized engineers from America, a 10-day process at a daily loss of $12 million, they used an AR headset on location that connected to the specialized engineers in America. It cut the process in half and saved Baker Hughes an estimated $55 million.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe have access to the most amount of information in human history,\u201d Martin said. \u201cAR can deliver specific, targeted training information to an employee in need without taking up any physical space or other people\u2019s time. We think AR will change how we train people forever.\u201d<\/p>\n