A talk from the Main Stage at AWE USA 2019 - the World's #1 XR Conference & Expo in Santa Clara, California May 29-31, 2019.
Scott Montgomerie (Scope AR): AR’s Influence on the Workforce of Tomorrow: Job Eliminator or Creator?
As the speed of technology continues to accelerate automation in the manufacturing world, the inevitable question of whether or not the “human touch” will become obsolete is top of mind for workers. The fear that robots and smart technologies will take everyone's jobs is prevalent, but not necessarily true. AR has the power to be a job creator, not a job eliminator. Its ability to make anyone an instant expert can in fact increase job security by quickly helping workers become more proficient in tasks. Learn about real-world use cases where AR is making people better, and safer, at their jobs, and explore why enterprises who create a workplace that’s augmented, not automated, will be the leaders of tomorrow.
https://awexr.com
3. History
Locations
• San Francisco, CA - HQ
• Edmonton, AB, Canada
• Founded in 2011
• Pioneer in AR space
Industries
• Industrial Manufacturing Focus
• Aerospace, automotive, CPG
and more
People
• 40+ Employees
5. Why? Humans
Increasing Complexity
of Equipment
Expertise is Difficult
to Master
Knowledge Transfer Between
Experts and Workers is
Increasingly Important
10,000 Hours
Aging Workforce
Humans cannot effectively
retain, implement, or communicate
the massive amounts of information required
6. Existing Methods are Ineffective
Words Are
Ambiguous
Diagrams Are Inaccurate
Abstractions
Videos Are 1 Dimensional
Reading Takes Time
TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS:
REAL-TIME COMMUNICATION:
“It’s the blue wire!”
“Which one???”
“On the Left! No the other
Left!”
7. A Single AR
Knowledge Platform
• AR work instructions
• Remote assistance
Worklink Assist
• Easily authoring of
work instructions
•No coding needed
Worklink Create
8. 8
Our AR Journey
● Pioneered AR for Industry (Atlas Copco Project)
● Built service projects for Boeing, Toyota, Philips
2012
9. 9
Our AR Journey
● Predicted 2 main methods of engaging
■ Remote assistance
■ Work instructions
● Began development of original project
(Remote AR / WorkLink)
● Focused on combination of wearables and handhelds
2013
10. 10
Our AR Journey
§ Launched V1 of both products
§ Went through Y Combinator program
§ Focused heavily on wearables progressing quickly
§ Believed industry was ready to “take the leap”
and beat consumer to scale
2015
11. 11
Our AR Journey
When Our Crystal Ball Worked:
● Remote assistance was going to be early leader
● Work instructions would be differentiator
● Apple and Google improved handhelds dramatically directly in
support of AR
● The ROI was going to be very defensible for industry by 2020
12. 12
Our AR Journey
Where Our Crystal Ball was Cracked:
● Wearables did not advance any near as quick
as we thought/hoped
● Computer vision also did not advance as quickly
as predicted and still has not
● Industry was NOT ready to buy - Innovation only
● Industry did NOT lead the way to mass adoption
15. 15
Enterprise AR Today
● Early adopters are seeing success with positive ROI
● Assisted Reality has proven to be successful
● Innovation is being driven by business use cases
● Hardware is just starting to catch up to software
● Finding the right AR use case is critical
● Industry is moving to larger deployments (hardware and software)
16. 16
Future Market Drivers
● Alignment between hardware, software, CV
● Understanding of the strongest use cases
● Retiring workforce
● Cultural shift (younger generation) “wanting” technology
● Early adopters seeing value
17. 17
AR Predictions (1-3 years)
● AR will be an integral part of the next Communication Platform
● Remote Assistance is not enough. (Remote support and
immersive workflow will become one in the same.)
● Very high % of AR will be handheld devices until Gen 3 of
wearables (We are just hitting Gen 2.)
● Wearables WILL scale in smaller volume, but show enormous
return in the RIGHT use cases (Manufacturing, Assisted Reality)
18. 18
AR Predictions (1-3 years)
● Smaller (mid-size) companies that are more agile, and attract
top talent, will challenge for markets
● Early Adopters will be ahead of competitors due to Snowball
Effect
○ experience in using AR
○ recruiting and retaining top talent
○ increased profitability
○ less competitors
19. 19
AR Predictions (1-3 years)
Skills Gap
● Workers that understand AR will have a leg up in the
competitive job market
● AR will empower the workforce with expertise making
them more valuable
○ Downside: could lead to an even wider gap between
so-called digital elites and those without such digital
familiarity
