Augmented reality technologies are changing working methods across many industrial sectors. Modern AR solutions can be used in various industries, from manufacturing to the maritime industry, offering countless benefits and applications, from optimising field operations to making the management of remote assistance more effective.

AR allows you to overlay digital content onto real objects and environments to make the experience more interactive and enhance the real world with artificially generated information. All this is possible thanks to the use of fully integrated AR/XR software and hardware technologies, such as AR mobile apps, AR software desktops, and wearable devices, such as AR headsets.

Augmented reality solutions are ideal for Industry 4.0, for rapidly identifying and resolving problems, improving training with remote support, and providing remote assistance to the workforce in the field.

Let’s look at how augmented reality can help businesses by exploring how AR solutions can be used productively and effectively in the industrial sector.

How AR solutions can be used in industry

Augmented reality is a very powerful technology with considerable potential in an industrial setting. Its ability to integrate the virtual and real worlds makes it suitable for every sector, but it is important to know how to implement AR in your company in order to best exploit the many benefits it can offer businesses.

Here are some examples of AR uses and applications in industry.

Support in complex assembly activities

AR solutions help simplify complex assembly activities, making procedures faster, more accurate and safer.

These processes require the assembly of a multitude of components in a very short time, something that needs to be done extremely accurately and without mistakes, ensuring that neither the final result nor profits are compromised.

AR technologies help make these operations more efficient, avoiding delays and making things easier for the workforce, improving the working environment, and maximising productivity.

One example is offered by AR applications in the automotive sector, where assembly line workers can use augmented reality technologies to view assembly information directly at their workstations using AR headsets.

Remote support in the renewable energies field

The renewable energies industry is growing all over the world, but the sector is a particularly complex one in which to operate and requires the support of advanced technologies when it comes to managing field operations.

According to the “Renewable Capacity Statistics 2023” report from IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), the world’s renewable energy capacity increased by 295 GW last year, a record increase in 2022 supported by 192 GW of newly installed photovoltaic power.

AR solutions in the renewable energies industry offer a number of benefits. For example, companies can send only some of their workforce into the field to test and maintain equipment, reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts can also monitor system construction and testing operations remotely, or supervise more critical maintenance processes without being physically present.

Improving skills, efficiency, and supply chains in the manufacturing sector

The manufacturing industry is facing a number of challenges, including a shortage of skills and labour, the need for greater efficiency, and the management of ever more complex supply chains.

Augmented reality solutions also offer concrete responses in this sector by helping companies resolve critical problems in an optimal way.

AR technologies make it possible for companies to use remote training to improve workforce skills, by using wearable AR/XR devices to provide visual instructions in real-time and update the skills of their staff.

In addition, the potential to overlay digital information onto the real world means that activities can be managed more effectively and with fewer errors. AR devices can also be used to collect and transmit data in real-time, optimising supply chain management and avoiding supply issues.

Making operations more efficient and safer in the maritime industry

Shipping companies have to contend with increasingly high operating costs, a shortage of qualified workers, and the need to reduce their environmental impact.

At the same time, the workforce has to operate in complex settings and difficult conditions, often without adequate support on board ship due to the lack of experts or with extremely long timescales waiting for qualified professionals to arrive at the port.

With remote AR/XR wearable technologies, the maritime industry can tackle these challenges effectively. For example, AR technologies can be used to inspect ships, to allow field technicians to receive remote assistance from experts in real-time.

Operators can also access information, technical manuals, and diagrams without having to stop work thanks to wearable devices that leave their hands free and display information in the operator’s visual field.

Improving safety in dangerous working environments

The many advantages of AR technologies include the potential to improve safety in dangerous working environments, or those in which workers are exposed to toxic substances, explosion, or fire risks.

In these sectors, such as Oil & Gas, safety is an absolute priority for companies and brings with it significant costs. Augmented reality allows them to improve safety standards and reduce costs, meeting the needs of companies, workers, and supervisory authorities. 

Thanks to AR devices, workers can access information and directions in real-time, to reduce the risk of mistakes and accidents, obtaining live remote support from engineers for the most complex and risky operations.

Kiber 3: the best industrial augmented reality solutions

Kiber 3 is a versatile AR/XR solution, scalable and with fully integrated software/hardware capable of offering significant benefits across all industrial sectors, cutting-edge technology to optimise field operations, and remote assistance.

It is an all-in-one solution consisting of the Kiber K3S wearable AR/XR device with 5G capability, also available in the ATEX Zone 1 version for industrial operations in dangerous settings, and mobile and desktop software solutions that can be integrated with cloud technologies, Microsoft Teams, and IoT devices.

Kiber 3 makes revolutionising the working world a reality, providing fieldworkers with information and instructions in real time, putting them in contact with remote experts, simplifying working processes, and providing virtual training. In this way, it is possible to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of their work.