Hands-free, heads-up computing is making inroads across a range of industries, thanks to the emergence of extended reality (XR) — the catch-all technology category that comprises augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR). Companies are embracing XR for a variety of business purposes, from maintaining and repairing jetliners, to optimizing factory operations and training employees via remote assistance.
Corporate employees use AR and VR to access information using different interfaces. AR solutions include software on smartphones or smartglasses, to overlay digital information, including images and text, atop physical objects in the real world. In VR, users immerse themselves in digital worlds using headsets and software that replace the real world with a virtual environment. MR lies somewhere along the continuum between AR and VR.
Worldwide spending on AR/VR will top $20.4 billion in 2019, a 69 percent increase from $12.1 billion spent in 2018, according to IDC. The research projects personal and consumer services ($1.6 billion), retail ($1.56 billion) and discrete manufacturing sectors ($1.54 billion) to be the top spenders on XR.
Here IT leaders from various businesses shared their AR/VR pilots and projects.