7 Augmented Reality Features You Can Really Use

Augmented Reality may be on your roadmap for "the future," but here are seven powerful features to improve your operations today.

When exploring the possibilities of enterprise augmented reality, prospective customers sometimes don't know where to begin.  VIEW devices offer so many exciting features, with so much potential for operational improvement, choosing the first target can be difficult.

While we can't make any blanket recommendations that apply to all businesses, we can share some guidelines for what makes a good target opportunity.  This post shares our findings to date.

The LogistiVIEW platform brings a number of powerful features and tools to any operation.  When evaluating your own work processes, consider how each of these features will benefit the individual human and the overall goal.

1.  Hands-Free Operation.  Voice recognition technology was the first widespread technology to demonstrate the value of hands-free operations.   System interaction (instruction and data capture) is centralized in head-worn devices, leaving hands productive.  Augmented reality smart glasses build upon that legacy, while dramatically enhancing the sophistication of system interaction.

 2.   Line-of-Sight Instruction.  VIEW devices present instructions directly in the human's natural line-of-sight, eliminating the need to shift visual focus back and forth between a hand-held device (or paper) and the working space.  The instruction persists on screen as long as necessary.  This is useful in dense working spaces (such as high density storage racking or assembly tables), over long travel paths, or long duration task steps.

3.  Icon-based Instruction.  Icons are a very effective way to communicate simple, frequently used instructions.  They eliminate language barriers and literacy challenges.  They are a natural part of life for the tech-savvy generations (read: Millennials).  Our video gallery shows some effective icon instructions in a picking operation.

​Not convinced?  I will pose a challenge for those familiar with US driving laws.  Take a quick look at the images below:
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Now, ask yourself: Did you actually read the words on the signs?  Most of us follow icon instructions every day, without so much a thought, and that is exactly the point.

4.  Audio Interaction.  Audio capabilities are useful when the information content is extremely simple (success confirmations, exception alerts).  A spoken task confirmation is completely internal motion - the human takes no extra time communicating to the system.  More complex audio output may assist the vision impaired.  Let the VIEW device capture visual input, while the system guides the human audibly.
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5.  Complex Data Capture.  As the global IT infrastructure grows more complex, so too does the amount of data transmitted between trading partners.  This may mean multiple barcodes, styles of barcodes, and even human readable information printed on every shipping unit.  Traditional hand-held barcode scanners must read one at a time, oftentimes at different orientations.  Human readable data requires cumbersome, error-prone hand keying.  VIEW devices decode an entire document with a single image, pulling whatever information the workflow demands.
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6.  Video Capture.  Compliance regulations abound.  Human error is costly.  While 100% video capture of the workforce is neither practical nor desirable, targeted use of the video capabilities has certain merits.  Triggering on certain task steps, employees, areas, or even customers, video will either support compliance or pinpoint trouble.

7.  Navigation.  Most of us don't use navigation aids (GPS) in our daily commute - we know the way by heart.  But until a new route becomes routine, we are now reliant on today's navigational technology, with step-by-step instructions and dynamic visual maps.  Similarly, if your workforce experiences high turnover or frequent influxes of temporary labor, the LogistiVIEW's navigation capabilities can be a great help.

As with any technology platform, different features require different levels of effort to implement and integrate.  Ultimately, prioritizing target opportunities should be based on projected ROI, and that will depend on which challenges we are addressing, using which tools.  LogistiVIEW stands ready to help navigate this path.