Extended Reality is proving to be very successful when applied to multiple strategic sectors of Industry 4.0 such as technology, energy or automotive.
Extended Reality is an umbrella term for Augmented and Mixed Reality, technologies in which virtual elements are superimposed on the real world, as well as Virtual Reality, which fully immerses the user in a virtual environment.
At Innovae, we highlight five reasons why Virtual and Augmented Reality can make a difference in your organisation.
Cost reduction thanks to Extended Reality
The application of Extended Reality technology allows rapid prototyping without the need to create and make changes to costly physical prototypes, which translates into a great cost reduction for organisations in these processes.
In this type of application, an existing piece of equipment or installation is digitised in order to visualise it, interact with it and better understand its operation. This is called the digital twin and its use avoids having to stop production processes for testing and, therefore, paralysing the organisations’ revenue.
Augmented Reality, on the other hand, allows technicians to instantly contact expert personnel using different devices such as a mobile phone, tablet or Augmented Reality glasses, thus minimising travel and the costs associated with it.
Our ATR remote operations support solution is used, for example, by Volkswagen in the workshops of its dealer network in Spain. This tool has led the company to achieve a reduction in incident resolution time, as well as a rapid return on investment.
Using Extended Reality to boost sales
Sales teams can present their company’s products in a more immersive and engaging way and enhance the user experience to boost the organisation’s sales.
On the one hand, Augmented Reality allows customers to view products in 3D and superimpose them on their real environment through their mobile devices or Augmented Reality glasses, providing a much more immersive and detailed experience than static images or videos. Seat, for example, used this technology to display information about the performance of one of its models on the real car.
Virtual Reality, on the other hand, allows companies to showcase their products and services virtually, which is especially useful for products that are difficult to transport to a trade fair or trade visit, such as heavy machinery. It also allows the experience to be personalised and the content to be adapted to the needs and interests of each client.
In short, Extended Reality allows companies to offer their services or products in a very creative way.
More effective training through Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality can simulate a wide range of realistic scenarios, from emergency situations and medical procedures to specific work environments. In this sense, this technology can help corporate trainers to significantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of training, while allowing them to know the level of training of workers at any time.
On the one hand, this technology immerses professionals in highly realistic virtual environments, which facilitates the absorption and retention of information, and allows training to be customised to suit the individual needs of the user.
In addition, Virtual Reality allows professionals to practice situations and tasks in a safe and controlled environment, so they can make mistakes without serious consequences and learn from them, which is fundamental in the acquisition of practical skills.
Nippon Gases, for example, uses our SAVI tool to train truck drivers in liquefied gas unloading procedures, allowing them to determine whether drivers are ready to work in a real-world environment.
Extended Reality for enhanced collaboration
Virtual Reality enables remote collaboration, so design and development teams can work together in shared virtual environments.
This is especially valuable when team members are in different geographic locations.
CYP and MOVVO, for example, rely on our ERAVIS Virtual Reality platform to certify containers remotely, interactively and immersively.
Extended Reality to safeguard knowledge
Technicians no longer need years of training to learn how to operate complex machinery. The digitisation of processes allows difficult or unusual procedures, such as format changes, quality control tasks, assembly or production processes, to be carried out without difficulty by non-experts.
This digitisation of operations generates a digitisation of knowledge, which safeguards the intangible heritage of companies and facilitates the present and future work of technical staff.
In conclusion, Extended Reality is a technology with multiple applications in the industrial sector, and its implementation can bring numerous benefits and advantages. From improving the user experience to reducing development costs, Extended Reality can help companies to be more innovative, efficient and competitive.