- What are the primary applications of XR in industrial environments?
- Which use cases present compelling cases for adopting XR wearables?
- What are the pros and cons of each technology?
- What factors are driving adoption of these technologies?
- What challenges must the XR wearables market overcome to drive widespread adoption in industry?
Extended Reality for Industrial Environments
Extended reality (XR) wearables are rapidly maturing from novel entertainment devices to serious operational tools. Innovative hardware improvements and progressive software applications mixed with decreasing costs have accelerated this change, even for jobs performed in harsh environments. XR is an umbrella term that refers to any technology that alters a user’s perception of their environment. These technologies include more widely known subcategories, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), assisted reality (ASR), and mixed reality (MR).
Historically, AR and VR teetered on the edge of practicality, with limited perceived benefits and functionality, prohibitive costs, developmental roadblocks, and disruptive vendor attrition. More recently, however, their effective use in operational applications has contributed to an uptick in industrial interest and the expansion of vendor offerings.
This report discusses the latest market trends in XR for utilities, energy, emergency response, construction, manufacturing, and other industrial environments. It also provides detailed and actionable recommendations for how customers and vendors can address this fast-changing market.
- Manufacturing and warehousing providers
- Utilities and energy providers
- Emergency response and frontline healthcare providers
- XR wearables manufacturers
- XR systems developers
- Government bodies
- Investor community
Spark
Context
Recommendations
Extended Reality Modernizes Work in Industrial Environments
Smart Glasses Are Not XR Wearables
ASR Technology Supports Workers with Task-Relevant Information
AR and MR Technologies Integrate Digital and Real Environments
VR Technology Offers Immersive Training Applications
XR Accelerates Training and Amplifies Capabilities
VR Assists with Asset Inspection, Training, and Walkthroughs
AR Provides Remote Assistance Capabilities and Operational Support
Remote Assistance and Knowledge Capture Preserve Institutional Knowledge
Costs, Usability, and Device Availability Delay Adoption
Costs Influence Device Selection
AR Developers Must Prove the Technology’s Usability
Device Availability Restricts Adoption
Funding and Acceptance Are Key to Accelerating XR Adoption
XR System Vendors Must Leverage Creative Funding Structure
Device Manufacturers Must Continue Innovating and Should Pursue Partnerships
Companies Must Identify Impactful Use Cases and Start Pilot Projects
- The XR Continuum
- Vuzix Blade and Ray-Ban Stories: Similar, but Not the Same
- ASR Wearables
- AR Wearables
- VR Wearables
- AR/MR for Construction and Manufacturing
- First Responders Access Patient Information with AR Wearables
- Spatialized Work Instructions in AR
- Key XR Wearable Devices for Industrial Environments
(Unlimited users)