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Augmented reality: How the world will be painted with data

July 29, 2019 in Manufacturing | 4 min. read
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In the recently published book, Convergence: How The World Will Be Painted With Data, author and Forbes columnist Charlie Fink shares how augmented reality (AR) is already seeping into every smartphone and every workplace. Read an excerpt from the book and check out an exclusive offer for our community.

We are deeply committed to helping creators develop AR experiences of all kinds, from music and advertising to games and cars. In fact, the majority of VR/AR content (60 percent) is powered by Unity.

Charlie Fink has been at the forefront of XR, documenting its rise in his popular Forbes column. Charlie recently published a landmark book on AR with the help of more than 40 contributors, including an entire chapter from our own Tony Parisi, Global Head of AR/VR Brand Solutions at Unity. Readers can activate various AR animated characters throughout the book, which were made with Unity and Vuforia. As Charlie put it, “An AR-enabled book about AR is too meta to resist.”

One of the AR animations you can activate within the book is a character from the game Dr. Grordbort's Invaders

We are thrilled that Charlie has kindly shared with us an edited excerpt from a chapter on enterprise use cases for XR. He also created an offer exclusively for us to share with you! Share your email below and you’ll receive a coupon code to get Convergence for 50% off or the eBook version for over 40% off with free priority shipping. Note this is only available on the book’s official website. Happy reading!

Is your company ready for XR?

This excerpt from Convergence was written by Alan Smithson, CEO of MetaVRse. It has been edited for the purposes of this post.

By the end of 2019, there will be over 2 billion AR-enabled smartphones and millions of VR headsets on the market. Unlike the rise of new technology tools like the web and social media, which took 20 years and 10 years respectively to mature, XR is going to come really fast. The world of 3D computing is moving out of the periphery and into the mainstream at a breakneck pace.

As XR evolves, it will impact every vertical across every enterprise, including manufacturing, healthcare, engineering, education, military, entertainment, retail, and advertising. VR, AR, and XR technologies are providing a massive return on investment (ROI)...Businesses report workers utilizing AR work faster and make fewer mistakes.

Here are some real-world examples:

Daimler: Using AR to improve rescue efforts and save lives on roads

Image from Convergence (via RE’FLEKT)

Every second counts in a car accident. In November 2013, Daimler launched the MB Assist app for smartphones and tablets to provide rescuers with immediate digital rescue information about the vehicles involved in a crash. Emergency services and first responders have since been able to scan QR stickers located on the vehicles to digitally view the location of potentially hazardous internal components (such as fuel lines and high voltage connections).

After two years of successful implementation, Daimler improved the visual representation of structural information by using AR to project 3D visualizations of internal components of every Daimler manufactured from 1990 onwards directly onto the crashed vehicle. Learn more on RE’FLEKT’s website, which helps enterprises like Daimler make their own AR apps.

Boeing: Reducing errors when wiring jets with AR

Image from Convergence (via Boeing)

Paul Davies, Research and Technology Director for Boeing, says “wiring is a pain point.” It is extremely complex and time-consuming, both in production and inspection. In Everett, Washington, where Boeing makes KC-46 Tankers and 767 Freighters, the HoloLens is increasing speed and accuracy of wiring, saving the company millions of dollars. Upskill, an industrial AR software platform, helped Boeing workers increase efficiency and decrease errors when wiring jets by using the HoloLens to project wiring diagrams onto the work, keeping hands free to do the job.

They had previously used tablets to guide the installation of wiring harnesses throughout the aircraft. Boeing also utilizes the HoloLens’ locate features, which helps workers find and replace temporary fasteners used in the fabrication of different parts. The resulting efficiencies have helped the company produce more aircraft at a faster rate.

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Get your discounted copy of Convergence

Our thanks to Charlie for sharing this excerpt of Convergence. Don’t forget to get your exclusive coupon code by filling out the form at the top of the post.

With Unity, you can build AR applications once and deploy them across a range of handheld (ARKit & ARCore) and headworn (Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap) AR devices. If you're interested in getting started, we recommend using AR Foundation to quickly create AR applications that run on both iOS & Android devices. More information can be found here, with sample projects available on Github.

For more information on enterprise XR use cases like those shared above, check out our pages for automotive, transportation, and manufacturing and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC). Learn more about Unity’s XR offerings.

July 29, 2019 in Manufacturing | 4 min. read

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