Heli Nelimarkka, chair of Stereoscape’s board, was one of the speakers of 3DExpo held in Finland in May. Below is a summary of her speech focusing on the clear benefits and competitive advantage that augmented, mixed and virtual reality bring for business.
“Digitalisation and the state of VR and AR today
We already have massive amounts of IoT data. With artificial intelligence the data can be turned into knowledge. When this knowledge is – with the help of wearable technology like Daqri smart helmet or HoloLens – visualised and made available just at the right time and in the right place it opens up a whole new window of opportunity to companies.
The hype around VR and AR has been going on for some time already. However, as Gartner Hype Cycle and other recent studies indicate, VR and AR are already well on their way of becoming business as usual for companies. The sectors expected to benefit most of this new technology are manufacturing industries, BIM, and healthcare. The ones of you still in doubt, I advice to take a look at a recent PwC survey showing that companies are more and more willing to invest in AR and VR in sales, marketing, training, maintenance, customer service, or development of new business models.
New ways of working bring clear business benefits
A 3D animated digital replica of a product, created using existing CAD models, can be combined with product information and interactivity to allow several new ways of working. A product or a process can be simulated virtually even before it exists physically. A virtual showroom allows product presentations whenever wherever. With the help of collaborative VR teams can work together and be present in the same virtual space although physically located in various parts of the world. So-called digital twins – digital 3D product replicas incorporating real-time IoT data from the physical objects – offer even more exciting prospects.
Examples of VR and AR in corporate use are already numerous and so are the benefits and competitive advantage they bring along. Companies like Boeing in USA or major car manufacturers in Germany are already taking full use of it. The benefits are counted in two-digit numbers. For example, at Boeing a team using AR with a tablet was 30% faster and reached 90% better quality accuracy than the team working with traditional means. And this is just the beginning. Alongside with direct cost savings and productivity improvements the benefits from e.g. faster learning, improved collaboration, and totally new business opportunities are waiting just around the corner.
Get started now!
The AR & VR ecosystem is developing fast. That’s why my advice to you is to get started now. Begin with simple steps and simple solutions, but do begin. You need to start collecting experiences of this new technology. Because it will open a new window to a world where the digital and the real world are merged together. To a world that allows better understanding of products, easier decision-making, faster learning, improved performance, increased work safety, better collaboration, i.e. creates real competitive advantage. Not many companies can afford to have dedicated resources to keep up with the development for building AR and VR solutions. That’s why the best way to get started in this new world is to team up with a reliable partner that has the knowledge and the talent. We at Stereoscape are at your service.“
Heli Nelimarkka, Chair of the Board, Stereoscape
