Reality Technologies Gains Traction, The Future of Manufacturing is Already Here!

By CIOReview | Monday, June 17, 2019

The total number of active reality technology users worldwide is forecast to be around 171 million as of 2018. As digitalization progresses, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are among the technologies with the most significant potential, and the highest expectations are placed upon them. That is one reason why reality technologies have found such a foothold in the manufacturing sector. Its ability to simulate everything from the factory floor to the final product is invaluable and makes it a transformative technology for factories. Recently, the manufacturing sector has discovered the potential of AR and VR in reducing costs and increasing safety and productivity. Below listed are the applications of this revolutionary technologies in the factory.

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• Speeding up Production

VR is currently used by manufacturers to improve their approach to predictive analytics. Product design could take days of analyzing data, and interacting with the product allows manufacturers to spot design flaws in just a few minutes digitally. The same process can be applied to the whole production line. By evaluating the production process in a virtual environment, manufacturers can identify bottlenecks and areas for improvements. VR also eliminates the need for creating actual full-scale models where prototyping can be costly.

• Increasing Safety

Safety is another area where reality technologies can be successfully leveraged. By simulating the production processes, it is possible to identify dangers in advance. The same process can be used to enhance consumer safety by simulating the real circumstances such as weather and traffic conditions in which a product will be used.

• Maintenance and Training

AR can facilitate maintenance. The information that technicians need when repairing a machine can be projected directly on the part on which they are working, which can avoid the need to consult charts and instruction manuals, thereby speeding up the process. Even a relatively inexperienced worker can perform the necessary repair task with that. Any employee equipped with AR glasses can be guided remotely by an expert, who assists by simulating the actions that the employee should perform. This technique can also be used to train new employees.

The success of reality technology implementation is not achieved merely through the latest gadgets alone; it also needs the expertise to choose the appropriate use cases and massive imagination to design the experience. Hence, selecting a technology partner also plays a crucial role.