Here are some leading industries where augmented reality applications can be used best.
The cost-effectiveness of AR technology is one of the primary reasons businesses are looking at the innovative use of the technology as an opportunity. Augmented Reality is both economical and enticing enough to allure the targeted audience or customers. Again, the stats say that AR is expected to grow at a phenomenal rate, touching $198 billion by 2025.
Top industries that use Augmented Reality to boost their business
Retail
Ikea, the leading furniture retailer, is adopting AR to help its customers choose the right furniture for their homes and offices. One of the primary reasons Ikea was losing customers is that nobody today had the time or the inclination to go on a 3-hour expedition in an Ikea store to find the right piece of furniture. Ikea was slow to adopt digital technologies, a reason which hit its e-commerce sales hard. Ikea then launched an app called Ikea Place, which allows the users to see whether a piece of furniture would look good in their actual place or not.
Michael Valdsgaard, the Ex Senior VP of Digital Transformation at Inter Ikea, says, "Most people postpone a purchase of a new sofa because they're not comfortable deciding if they aren't sure the color is going to match the rest of the room, or it fits the style". "Now, we can give them those answers in their hands, while letting them have fun with home furnishing for free and with no effort," he concluded.
The global consumer goods manufacturer Unilever is using AR to train its workforce. The company estimates that it will lose around 330 years of combined work experience in only one of its European workstations when its workforce retires. The old hands have an expertise level, which they have acquired after years of service. The new hires do not possess the same level of expertise, which can prove costly for the company. Envisioning this scenario, the company decided to train the new hires in the presence of a remote expert. According to Unilever's management, due to AR tools, the company has seen a 50% reduction in downtime.
Airlines
In the modern-day Boeing factory, one can find engineers wiring the plane using the Microsoft Hololens. The apparatus provides digital 3D wiring diagrams directly on the parts that the engineers are wiring. According to initial studies, the AR technology improves the first-time wiring quality by 90% and cuts the time required to wire the plane by 30%. Boeing says that the AR technology helps in saving millions of dollars per aircraft.
Healthcare
Doctors at St. Mary's hospital and the Imperial College in London use Microsoft Hololens AR glasses to perform reconstructive surgery on patients who suffered grave injuries. Another good example is Accuvein, a unique product that helps the nurses to find veins quickly by using AR.
Logistics
Skoda is another company that uses AR Technology to assist its staff in material picking. The technology provides information that empowers the team in removing process errors.
Industrial field services
Using the AR technology, the expert can guide the field engineer by superimposing markings, diagrams which are directly into the field of view of the engineer. The engineer can then perform the fixes as directed by the experts. AR is bringing the idea of a mobile workforce to reality by connecting the experts to workers.
Design and modeling
AR allows the clients as well as the designers to get a much better idea regarding the product's form and function.
DIY repair and maintenance