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2023: AR and MR Technologies Will Be Democratized for Frontline Workers

By Hendrik Witt, CPO TeamViewer

This previous year we saw advancements and increased adoption of Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. In 2023, we expect more companies to leverage these technologies for various use cases, making the value more accessible for businesses and employees.

Employers, manufacturers, and organizations have begun recognizing the vast opportunities available with AR, MR and AI. As a result, they will rapidly deploy these technologies to digitalize their workforce and improve productivity and efficiency within business processes. Below are my predictions for AR, MR, and the Industrial Metaverse in 2023.

AR and MR Will Democratize Expertise Down to Frontline Workers

Workforce digitalization has become widely adopted over the last several decades, although it has only recently begun to reach frontline employees, who represent approximately 80% of the global workforce. The efficiency of business value chains throughout various industries has tremendous potential to be improved, particularly when supplying digital technologies to frontline workers. The Industrial Metaverse, based on augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies, digitalizes business processes by displaying visual objects in a workers' field of vision. These technologies empower frontline workers by democratizing expertise, increasing productivity and overall employee experience. In light of this, we predict that Industrial Metaverse technology implementation will rapidly increase in 2023.

Companies must consider decreasing entry barriers to utilize Industrial Metaverse solutions in the new year successfully. We anticipate that advances in hands-free wearable technology, such as smart glasses and complementing AR and MR software, will enable users to carry out work more efficiently. To democratize innovative technology, we also anticipate a growth in the usage of smartphones to access it.

AR/MR Will Boost Employee Performance

Organizations are striving for optimum use of their employees' time and resources considering the present economy. An increasing number of businesses rely on cutting-edge technology, such as AR and MR wearables, to do this. Results of a study show that companies who leverage AR technology during employee training are 2.5 times more likely to meet their onboarding objectives. The main benefits include compliance, progress monitoring, error reduction, employee satisfaction, and employee memory skills. Other executives are starting to take heed of the variety of opportunities that AR and MR provide to onboard frontline staff. In 2023, 62% of firms intend to boost their technology investments that benefit frontline employees.

Since Gartner removed AR from its hype cycle, it has shifted from merely a "technology to watch" to a technology to deploy. AR enhances a real-world scenario, whereas Virtual Reality (VR) provides an immersive virtual experience. Industrial environments need situational awareness; therefore, they are better suited for AR. In addition, industrial businesses can leverage the Industrial Metaverse by connecting these technologies to data and workflows. By 2023, companies will be using these technologies to dramatically enhance their productivity, onboarding, efficiency, and safety. 80% of onboarding leaders predict that technological advances will boost frontline employees' performances in 2023.

Artificial Intelligence Will Dominate Business Processes

AI has established itself as a viable alternative as organizations attempt to do more with less and improve daily operations to make them more efficient. Integrating self-learning AI algorithms into complex manual processes for digitalization initiatives will be a competitive advantage that immediately increases value for organizations in 2023. Businesses are starting to recognize how AI capabilities can be incorporated into AR processes. For example, AI can complement AR by executing verification checks through visual recognition, decreasing the likelihood of human error, and improving worker performance and agility. In addition, companies are utilizing AI in conjunction with AR for automated safety inspections to prevent typical workplace safety hazards.

Manufacturing and business operations have all undergone a digital transition, creating an abundance of data that is impossible for workers to navigate and interpret. For this reason, we anticipate that manufacturers will increasingly use AI technology in 2023. Specifically, we will see this for predictive and data analysis and everyday functions. Customers will realize immediate time-to-value improvements by incorporating self-learning algorithms into sophisticated manual processes. AI will also be more accessible and valuable to frontline workers through platforms.

As businesses look to increasingly digitalize their workflows, AR, MR and AI will prove to be game-changing solutions in the new year. Those who are early adopters of these technologies to improve their entire value chains will experience a fast return on investment and be paving the way for others to transform their organizations digitally.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Hendrik Witt is the Chief Product Officer at TeamViewer.

Hendrik joined TeamViewer as a result of TeamViewer's acquisition of the AR specialist Ubimax and is responsible for driving product development.

Hendrik is one of the three founders of Ubimax. With more than 15 years of professional experience in the areas of innovation, software technology, and strategy development, Hendrik was responsible for corporate strategy and product development as CEO of Ubimax. His immense contribution transformed Ubimax into the world market leader for industrial augmented reality solutions. Before founding Ubimax, he worked for many years as a strategy consultant for Arthur D. Little and as a technology and innovation consultant for TZI in Bremen.

Hendrik holds a PhD in computer science from the University of Bremen and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, USA.