Identifying the right AR/VR use case in businesses is important, but still remains a challenge

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technologies have brought a great transformation on the business world across industries. During the pandemic AR and VR technologies have been used for training, meetings and to continue and enhance customer engagements. There are clear benefits in healthcare where doctors can potentially overlay scans over an individual’s body thereby augmenting the surgeon’s view. Workers at utility firms globally are increasingly using AR/VR to see concealed infrastructure such as water, gas, electric, and sanitary and storm water sewer networks.

In fact according to IDC, worldwide spending on AR/VR is forecast to accelerate out of the pandemic, growing from just over $12.0 billion this year to $72.8 billion in 2024. The five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for AR/VR spending will be 54.0%. 

Sandeep Bhatia, MD, Capgemini Invent, India said, "AR/VR are not new, but recent advances in computational power, storage, graphics processing, and high-resolution displays have helped overcome some of the constraints that have stood in the way of the widespread use of these immersive technologies."

This has also paved the way for more industries to adopt AR/VR, and develop new applications.

AR/VR transforming industries

"AR/VR has shown itself to have significant applications across learning and knowledge transfer. Across industries, field personnel are greatly benefitted by introduction of AR. It also helps companies rapidly turnaround on service issues, while saving costs. Boeing has used augmented reality to provide technicians with instructions for airplane wiring schematics in their field of view, allowing them to be hands-free. This reduces wiring production time by 25%, increases productivity by 40%, and eliminates error rates," explained Bhatia.

There have been massive investments in the consumer side of AR/VR. We’ve all seen the success that a well-built consumer AR app can have (Pokemon Go). In VR as well, companies like Facebook, through their Oculus acquisition, have been working on creating consumer headsets. However, the bigger, and more immediate, opportunity appears to lie in the enterprise. Which is also the reason why we are seeing some firms pivot to this market. For instance, Magic Leap, one of the most heavily funded AR companies recently moved to focus on AR for the enterprise, added he.

Here are some interesting AR/VR use cases that have been developed so far:

The Gatwick Airport passenger app has been awarded for its creative use of AR technology. With the help of more than 2,000 beacons throughout its two terminals, passengers can use the AR maps from their mobile phones to navigate through the airport.

Automotive heads-up displays on driver’s windshield are now a reality: Audi launched its Q4 e-tron EV with AR capabilities earlier this year and Daimler is expected to launch a new model with these features soon. 

AR is proving very helpful in healthcare as well. Earlier this year, Orthopedic surgeons in Boston performed the first augmented reality total hip replacement.

In Italy, students at Capgemini’s 5G Academy are using AR to create the cultural heritage sites of tomorrow. In Italy, teams of students at the Capgemini 5G Academy, run in collaboration with Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, have gained hands-on experience of how the new technologies can be applied. One of the teams has been working on how 5G can revolutionize media and entertainment experiences at cultural heritage sites such as museums, galleries and places of historic interest. 

At many automotive companies, VR is used to capture human movement during equipment assembly through motion sensors to re-engineer movement to decrease risk of injury and increase productivity.

Companies like BigScreen VR enable one to have a social experience of watching movies and hanging out with friends in virtual reality

Startups like Immersed are using VR to drive employee productivity. It enables distributed teams to have in-person productivity by immersing them into a VR workplace.

Shopify has found that interactions with products having AR content showed a 94% higher conversion rate than products without AR.

BMW engineers and designers use VR to test how various components of a car look when assembled without physical prototyping. This brings down the cost of the engineering process significantly.

At Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), VR and plant data are used to provide a quicker and safer way for workers to inspect equipment, lowering the risk of technicians getting hurt.

There are several companies that have come up with VR-based gaming parlors/cafes. Pending widespread consumer uptake, these cafes serve as a very good introduction to the average consumer on virtual reality and its ability. 

Capgemini’s Andy 3D - Immersive remote collaboration platform

Bhatia also explained how AR/VR how Capgemini’s Immersive remote collaboration platform Andy 3D, and its advanced immersive features can be activated as needed  for powering AR,/VR, 3D use cases.  

"Andy 3D helps organizations to move from remote assistance to the remote and immersive intelligence. This solution enhances collaboration and knowledge sharing, between workers in mobility – in-situ or on customers’ sites – and remote center of excellence, such as Engineering, Maintenance and Customer services. It also makes digital-physical convergence possible throughout all development phases: Prototyping, Industrialization, Validation, Launching, Inspection and Maintenance," said Bhatia.

Here's how Andy 3D remote platform makes a difference:

-Ensures the digital continuity of 3D models

-Simple, intuitive and efficient to use, but also offers advanced immersive features that can be activated as needed (AR, VR, 3D)

-Fully integrated into IT environment or deployable in SaaS mode with a high level of security

-Adaptable to all operational use scenarios in the field, thanks to the broadest ergonomic hardware and OS coverage in the market, hands-free or not, maximizing the user experience

Overcoming the challenges in embracing AR/VR 

There are a plethora of use cases when it comes to AR/VR across industries. "Identifying the right use case that is relevant to the industry/organization is a challenge and many times organizations focus on use cases that might be easy to implement but are not necessarily of the highest value to them. The technology infrastructure to support AR/VR also does not exist in most organizations. For such emerging technologies that hold significant potential, organizations should aim to have a centralized unit driving awareness and exploring use cases and doing Proof of Concepts (PoCs)," advised Bhatia.

There are other challenges as well.

One particular challenge for AR is the concern over consumer privacy. Companies have been experimenting with integrating AR in glasses and that brings with it a whole range of challenges in an era of heightened consumer awareness and regulatory oversight. Companies should ensure that they design AR solutions that respect consumer privacy, said he.

The talent gap in immersive technology is also a big challenge. The nascent stage of the industry is a key factor. In addition, the heightened demand for UX/UI talent, skills which are already in shortfall, exacerbates the situation. In the short-term, organizations should focus on upskilling internal talent, said he.

From a consumer standpoint, one significant challenge is cost. The high costs of VR headset hinder their scalability. An added challenge is lack of enough high-quality content to make owning a VR headset a compelling proposition. While the industry solves the overall cost Vs performance challenge, for consumer-facing companies, partnering with VR cafes or other VR startups can be a good option to test the waters, added he.