Prometheus
Augmented Reality Game Changer

Augmented Reality or “AR” is a technology that is advancing very rapidly. It is becoming cheaper, the technology is getting better, it is now untethered and the user can move about, and the entire experience is becoming more comfortable and more real. Per Beth Smith, Managing Director & one of the Founders of Prometheus, “I think it is becoming critical for companies to focus on the possibilities of the AR user experience. The form, function and price point of the devices are going to become mainstream and companies need to get ahead of this for the competitive advantage.”

Prometheus was founded in 2013 as a business advisory firm focused on enabling IT and business solutions. One of the key components of their strategy is focus on emerging technologies. The Prometheus team believes AR is going to be huge in the future. In fact, they speculate it will be comparable to the transformation smartphones had on our lives. Just as smartphones changed the way people experience and use technology, the company predicts AR will change a myriad of business processes, outcomes and customer expectations. Prometheus has invested to stay on the cutting edge of these emerging technologies, as early developers for Oculus Rift VR and Microsoft’s HoloLens.

Prometheus offers clients design sessions to help them explore the world of AR–but more importantly–to help them throw off physical constraints and allow themselves to freely ideate and consider the future possibilities of how AR will impact their business. Through this process, many clients experience “Aha!” moments where they can see new user experiences for their users and customers. The ability to “see into the future” means they can consider the planning process, evaluate ideas for proof of concept and consider minimum viable products as they try to innovate and stay ahead of their market. Already, the world of AR is enhancing medical training for doctors and staff, enhancing mega-warehouse management, maintenance processes and creating virtual advertising tied to a potential customer’s physical location.

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Per Smith, “The next generation of buyers are going to be huge adopters of AR; they are already used to it through gaming and they expect new experiences quickly. We believe their buying power and expectations will drive adaptation.”

Per Rich McCarthy, Co-founder, Prometheus, one cybersecurity client’s “Aha!” moment was the transformation of a training program where intrusions were shifted from a computer screen and then visualized in AR. Many security breaches are the result of human errors and the technical jargon can be hard for people to understand; but if training content was delivered through a story and was visually available—creating an immersion experience—it will be better absorbed.

Prometheus’ roadmap is driven by the pace of AR technology which is moving very rapidly. In fact, it is a constant pursuit to stay up to date on new developments, new versions, new enhancements and new applications of the technology. Per Smith, “I think even the most creative ideas out there only scratch the surface of how this is going to be used in the next few years. I don't think people understood how the smartphones would impact our lives and I think AR has the same potential to be a key transformative technology in the next 5 years. We see an advantage to the client from this technology in its ability to reposition them in the market, position them in a different way or gain phenomenal user experience feedback.”