How AR Smart Glasses are Transforming Field Work
If you’re looking for a way to upgrade the productivity and performance of your field workers, the top AR smart glasses case studies offer an incredible insights into the benefits of immersive technology. Augmented reality is unlocking incredible opportunities in every industry, particularly as smart glasses become more sophisticated, intelligent, and intuitive.
Our proprietary research found that while there are challenges to adopting extended reality tech, companies are achieving incredible results with AR, MR, and VR. Forward-thinking organizations say XR enhances training, collaboration, productivity, customer experience, and team engagement.
- Ready to embrace the future of field service? Find our complete guide to the potential of AR glasses in field services here. Alternatively, discover ways to optimize your return on investment with our guides on choosing the right AR smart glasses, and implementing AR into your workflows.
Ready to be inspired? Here, we’ll introduce you to some of the most impressive success stories from companies across industries, using augmented reality to empower and support their teams.
Inspirational AR Smart Glasses Case Studies
Notably, while there are now dozens of technology vendors creating augmented reality solutions specifically tuned to the needs of field workers and enterprises – they don’t all share success stories. These are just some of the top AR smart glasses case studies we’ve discovered – but it’s worth doing your own research (and checking out our other reports) for additional insights.
Optimizing Audits in Manufacturing: Clorox and Vuzix
Struggling with the repercussions of pandemic-induced travel restrictions, the Clorox company needed an intuitive way to complete mandatory plant audits, train teams, and gather data from numerous locations. The firm turned to Vuzix, one of the world leaders in immersive technology, and purchased a series of Vuzix M400 smart glasses for their team members.
Flexible, durable, and tuned to the needs of industrial workers, these wearables allowed employees to conduct audits with real-time, remote expert guidance. In no time, teams performed audits in one-tenth of the time they previously took, saving Clorox approximately $949 per person.
At the same time, machinery downtime was reduced by a massive 20%, while Clorox minimized the exposure team members had to health and safety risks. AR smart glasses case studies like this demonstrate how immersive technologies can make teams faster, more efficient, and more capable in their roles – even when they’re dealing with complex restrictions.
Streamlining Utilities Maintenance: RealWear and TotalEnergies
One of the most impressive AR smart glasses case studies taken from the energy sector comes from “TotalEnergies” – a global company active in more than 130 countries. The firm was facing significant hurdles in maintaining intricate refinery equipment, with routine maintenance leading to significant downtime and high operational costs.
TotalEnergies invested in RealWear’s HMT-1Z1 headsets, combined with Microsoft Teams, to upgrade their maintenance workflow. These ruggedized devices gave workers hands-free access to schematics, step-by-step instructions, and live communication with experts.
According to the team, embracing augmented reality allowed them to significantly streamline diagnostic processes, enhance team collaboration, and strengthen safety in hazardous environments. Plus, because the headsets reduced the need for travel, TotalEnergies was able to cut its CO2 emissions significantly, adhering to evolving ESG initiatives.
Saving Lives Anywhere: Chi Mei Medical Center and Vuzix
Numerous AR smart glasses case studies have emerged in recent years demonstrating the impact immersive tools can have on field-based employees and paramedics. For instance, Taiwan’s Chi Mei Medical Center leverages M400 smart glasses not just in emergency rooms and intensive care units to transform patient care – but also on the field to give first responders instant access to experts.
In the field, responders can share what they see—from patient conditions to insights into potential injuries—with doctors and surgeons in real time. These professionals can ask questions, view monitors, and even get step-by-step guidance on completing procedures.
The implementation of smart glasses has helped Chi Mei Medical Center to reduce emergency response times and ensure faster diagnoses and interventions for patients in critical conditions. According to the medical team, Vuzix’s glasses were particularly valuable because they were instantly compatible with PPE equipment and existing collaboration tools.
Improving Customer Experiences: BMW and RealWear
As automotive technology advances, AR smart glasses case studies are beginning to emerge, demonstrating how immersive tech can improve maintenance, manufacturing, and even customer experience strategies. Leading automotive brand, BMW, for instance, uses a combination of RealWear HMT-1 devices and TeamViewer to support teams across 347 locations.
The technology allows technicians to access detailed technical documentation hands-free, connect with subject matter experts, and facilitate faster diagnostics and repairs. According to the company, the use of augmented reality has helped them to optimize after-sales service with some repairs now being completed up to 75% faster.
Plus, BMW has been able to significantly reduce costs, minimizing the need for technical experts to travel to on-site locations to perform maintenance. The BMW team said the deployment of RealWear’s technology has been “pivotal in enhancing our service efficiency”.
Enhancing Logistics Operations: Aptus Group and Vuzix
Eager to optimize warehouse operations in the age of ecommerce and online ordering, the Aptus Group equipped their team members with cutting-edge Vuzix smart glasses. The company opted for the Vuzix M400 specs, combining augmented reality, AI, and machine vision, to empower teams to collaborate, access data, and perform tasks more efficiently.
According to the company, introducing AR solutions to their workers led to a 15% performance increase related to receiving products and a 24% “put-away” performance increase. Plus, teams could pick and package products 20% faster – reducing the average order processing time by around 16 minutes across the organization.
The Chief Commercial Officer for the Global Logistics and Shipping group said Vuzix’s technology frees the hands of operators, makes human jobs easier, and helps them to serve customers more effectively, without compromising on accuracy.
Key Takeaways: Learning From AR Smart Glasses Case Studies
The AR smart glasses case studies covered above highlight the increasingly transformative nature of immersive technologies for field workers. Although each company achieved different results, all of these success stories show that AR delivers:
- Efficiency gains: Across sectors, AR smart glasses are helping companies to save time and money, without compromising on accuracy, precision, or customer outcomes.
- Greater accuracy: In construction, logistics, healthcare, and beyond, smart glasses minimize errors by giving workers real-time data, and visual guides.
- Enhanced safety: In complex field environments, AR glasses are making teams safer, helping them to navigate hazardous environments, and reducing risks.
- Improved collaboration: With direct access to real-time expert support, teams work more effectively to troubleshoot and solve problems quickly.
- Stronger outcomes: Businesses investing in AR smart glasses are benefiting from better customer experiences, increased profits, and improved employee engagement.
AR Smart Glasses Case Studies: Inspiring Your AR Journey
We’ve only covered a handful of the top AR smart glasses case studies worth exploring if you’re planning on investing in immersive technology this year. However, these success stories offer a fantastic insight into the potential of augmented reality.
Whether you’re looking for a way to turbocharge productivity and efficiency, reduce costs, minimize risks, or simply align distributed teams, AR glasses are a fantastic resource.
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