Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) are not new, but recent advances in computational power, storage, graphics processing, and high-resolution displays have helped overcome some of the constraints that have stood in the way of the widespread use of these immersive technologies. According to IDC, global spending on AR/VR is now expected to reach $17.8 billion in 2018, an increase of nearly 95% over the $9.1 billion estimate for 2017.

AR and VR in today’s enterprise

Given this impetus, we wanted to understand more about the current state of play with AR/VR in the enterprise. We surveyed executives at 700+ companies, including 600 companies who are either experimenting with or implementing AR/VR; spoke with AR/VR-focused leadership at global companies, start-ups, and vendors; and analysed over 35 use cases, with a particular focus on:

The use of AR/VR for internal industrial company operations, including, but not limited to, design, engineering, and field services
The automotive, utility, and discrete manufacturing sectors.

Research focus

This research focuses on organisations that have initiated their AR/VR journey, whether by experimentation or implementation and aims to answer a number of questions:

How is AR/VR being used today?
Where should organisations invest – what are the use cases that generate the most value?
How can companies either begin or evolve their initiatives?

These technologies have already come so far but they continue to evolve at a rapid pace.

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Research highlights

Immersive technology has arrived, with AR the more widely practiced

AR seen as more relevant and widely implemented compared to VR
Companies in the US, China, and France currently lead the implementation race
Immersive technology delivers better efficiency, productivity, and safety

Organisations are finding value with immersive technology in areas such as:

Design and assembly
Immersive training
Inspection and quality assurance
Repair and maintenance

Recommended strategies for expanding AR/VR initiatives include:

Investing in R&D teams / innovation centre
Upskilling employees by in-house specialised trainings
Partnering with academic institutions
Hiring people with AR/VR expertise

Sound bites

Gordon Schembri, principal at Baker Hughes, a GE company

“In our industry, you can extract data from sensors of live turbines, to construct a digital replica, or digital twin. Our customers can then run tests on the digital twin to find the most efficient and effective way to operate their production. Instead of testing on real equipment, which cost millions of dollars to build and operate, you can run the same scenario on the digital twin which then informs how to optimise the workflow.”

Lanny Cohen, Chief Innovation Officer at Capgemini

“Immersive technology has come a long way in a short time and will continue to evolve. Faced with stiff competition from aggressive investors in the US and China, businesses need to streamline investment to seize the long-term growth potential this technology offers. To drive the highest business value from AR and VR, companies need a centralised governance structure, proofs of concept that are aligned with business strategy, and to be able to drive innovation and employee change management.”

Jan Pflueger from Audi’s Center of Competence for AR/VR

“First, focus on your use case and not on the technology itself. After you identify your use case, focus on your information handling and data so you can deliver the right information to the technology.”