Augmented Reality: A New Workforce Mobilization Paradigm - Using advanced forms of AR, diverse teams and disciplines can be brought together to ...
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Augmented Reality: A New Workforce Mobilization Paradigm Using advanced forms of AR, diverse teams and disciplines can be brought together to ensure faster product realization and higher quality at reduced costs.
Executive Summary
Innovation is a constant in the information technology industry,
continuously changing the way services are delivered to the business
and to end users. From the mainframe era on to the Internet stage,
we’re now experiencing the fifth IT wave, an era in which social, mobile,
analytics and cloud (aka the SMAC Stack) are forming a new digital
foundation with which to power business. SMAC is already changing
how IT is being deployed across industries, and as business becomes
increasingly digital this new stack is expected to have a multiplying
effect on operational efficiency and productivity.1
Another constant throughout technology’s swift progression is the
exponential growth in computer processing power and the steady
increase in the number of computing devices and users. Augmented
and virtual-reality-based hardware devices are part of this growing
computing base. They leverage advancements in mobile technology and
big data analytics to offer new communications channels for enterprise
applications. Augmented and virtual reality is converging with SMAC
and, as a result, businesses across multiple sectors are now able to tap
their vast potential to help users visualize data and instructions that
overlay physical assets in real time.
Imagine a worker who is on the factory floor conducting a routine
equipment check for preventive maintenance and inspection activities.
He comes across a piece of equipment and realizes that something has
changed in the way he typically interacts with it. Earlier, the worker used
to carry a heavy manual or rely on his supervisor to instruct and guide
him through the inspection, but now he is empowered with a technology
2 KEEP CHALLENGING October 2015
that helps him to uniquely interact with this piece of industrial
equipment. This technology – augmented reality (AR) – is being deployed
to more effectively mobilize workers across multiple industries.
According to Gartner research,2 AR is poised to become an important
workplace tool. AR technology has matured to a point where
organizations can use it as an internal tool to complement and enhance
key business processes, workflows and employee training. Visualization
of content is among the many important business innovations that AR
can facilitate.
Many companies are increasingly applying AR tools to create effective
training programs that drive employee engagement and success in
the highly competitive global marketplace. Also, some companies
– manufacturing players among them – are not just seeking cost
savings but also trying to gain effective, in-time and quality training
methodologies that do not interfere with company operations or its
technological evolution.
Since AR technology operates in a real environment and provides
computer-generated aids to enhance the real world, the technology is
well positioned to transfer skills across the organization to a far greater
extent than old-style training methodologies, such as paper-based
manuals and DVDs.
This white paper explores different uses of AR in workforce-intensive
business environments and how companies can leverage AR to set up
their workforce for success.
AUGMENTED REALITY: A NEW WORKFORCE MOBILIZATION PARADIGM 3Augmented Technology Revolution
Augmented reality provides information and entertainment that overlays on the
physical world. The potential of augmented reality technology is wide but it remains
in the development stage, with most potential applications bottled up in laboratories
(see Figure 1 for a timeline). This technology has proved to be very comfortable and
user friendly, as the hardware requirements to experience AR can be a smartphone
or a tablet that users are familiar with. AR applications are not complicated to set
3
up and, once installed, require minimal guidance.
Augmented Reality Timeline
Commercial
aviation First car HUD:
Cutlass Supreme
Rear-view
mirrors Dedicated tools begin;
ARToolkit
UW HITLab Useful smart-
Nokia’s phone AR Efficient
Sailboat MARA power
tell-tales U.S. DoD usage
First jet fighter air-combat testing
heads-up
display
“Augmented
Environments,”
sensor nets
Prehistory, ~1900 1958 1970s 1974-8 1988 1992+ 1999 2006 Now 20??
soon after Horse “UbiComp;” Tom Context-aware
invention carriages Sutherland/ Mark Weiser Caudell & software that
of the sail. Sprouil, ‘68: David Mizell “learns you”
1st HMDs
Commercial helmet- Hands-up displays
mounted displays
Figure 1
Progress of Augmented Reality
Augmented reality uses are diverse. Key workflows and applications that numerous
companies have built on various platforms include:
• Field service: Using AR technology, field service agents can access checklists and
work manuals. With the help of wearable technology, they can interact hands-free.
AR technology allows field service agents to interact with the system via voice
and gesture commands, and with video and sharing support they can interact
with other users to provide remote support.
• Energy and utilities: Energy and utility companies are exploring novel ways AR
can be used to transform their businesses. The areas include asset inspection,
reading meters, monitoring tasks remotely, and health and safety. The goal is to
ensure that the workforce is endowed with tools that provide appropriate situ-
ational acumen and facilitate timely task completion.
• Healthcare: AR technology helps users access medical records and important
patient vitals. Nurses and clinicians can use AR technology to learn about
upcoming surgeries, for modeling of organs and to explain medical procedures.
4 KEEP CHALLENGING October 2015AR technology also can be used to conduct training sessions on body parts and
functionalities for medical students. The personalization of healthcare is among
AR’s key value propositions.
• Automotive: This industry has used AR technology for over 10 years to visualize
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technical information. Progressive manufacturers are now exploring various
established use cases for AR such as factory planning, product visualization,
worker support and customer support. Players such as Metaio (which has been
acquired by Apple) are leaders in this field.
• Industrial design: AR can help industrial designers experience a product’s
design and operation before completion. Volkswagen, for example, uses AR for
5
comparing calculated and actual crash test imagery. AR can be used to visualize
a car body structure and engine layout. It can also be used to compare digital
mock-ups with physical mock-ups for finding discrepancies between them.
In addition to the applications listed above, AR trials are multiplying in retail,
education, tourism and gaming, (see Figure 2).
Augmented Reality for Workforce Training
AR is considered a new experience for workforce training and development.
Companies are increasingly deploying AR-based solutions and creating impactful
training programs that improve employee engagement and productivity.
According to the American Society for Training and Development, investment in
employee training enhances a company’s financial performance. An increase of
$680 in training expenditures per employee generates, on average, a 6% improve-
6
ment in total shareholder return.
A Louis Harris and Associates poll reports that among employees with poor training
opportunities, 41% planned to leave within a year. Only 12% planned to leave among
those who considered their company’s training opportunities to be excellent,
7
resulting in a retention rate more than two-thirds higher than average companies.
AR Possibilities: Limited Only by Imagination
Field Service Industrial
Healthcare Design Energy & Automotive
Utilities
Tourism
Retail
Figure 2
AUGMENTED REALITY: A NEW WORKFORCE MOBILIZATION PARADIGM 5Current Training Methodologies
Take an example of a classroom with 20 newly recruited manufacturing workforce
members who are learning how to operate a machine. The trainer holds a 100-odd-
page user manual that contains guidance on how to install, repair and uninstall a
specific set of machine(s). Each machine part has umpteen procedures that must be
followed; these instructions are verbally provided, with follow-up on-the-job training
later on. The learning session is spread across multiple days, with a set of pages
covered each day.
How many members of this team of 20 will understand what is being delivered and
be able to apply it? Will the learning be uniform across the group? Will this learning
instill confidence among the new workforce members as well as company managers
responsible for their activities?
Today’s workforce is a cross-generational blend, including older workers, baby
boomers, gen X-ers and millennials, with differing workforce expectations and
learning styles. For instance, research by Casey Carlson and Deloitte & Touche
showed that, as a group, baby boomers are more motivated by salary and do not
handle negative feedback well, compared with millennials, who generally are more
8
motivated by job security and do not believe performance feedback is necessary.
Businesses have adapted to changing workforce dynamics, with the understanding
that delivering on employee learning and development expectations is complicated
and requires a variety of permutations to address workers’ wide array of needs.
Training methods include face-to-face sessions, one-on-one tutorials, lectures, dem-
onstrations, facilitated e-learning, self-paced e-learning and blended approaches.
High-performing companies are employing a formula of 20% formal learning and
80% informal learning, with the gap continuing to widen.9
How Augmented Reality Can Enhance Training
If implemented effectively, AR improves speed and quality of training. A research
study by Columbia University concluded, after a battery of testing, that users
guided by AR complete the same task in 53% of the time and more accurately than
10
previous forms of instruction. They also found it to be a more natural and intuitive
way of learning.
The delivery mechanism of AR-based trainings can be handhelds such as phones
and tablets. It is easy to implement hands-free AR learning as solutions can also be
developed on custom-built head-mounted devices (HMDs) such as Meta or on AR
goggles such as zSpace and Optivent, etc. Custom-built AR wearables have their
own development kits that can be used to build AR solutions.
Delivering Training via AR
Let us take the same case of the classroom filled with 20 newly recruited workers.
Now instead of the 100-page manual, a prototype of the machine that workers need to
be trained on is kept in the classroom. Each member of the workforce is equipped with
a handheld device such as an iPad or a wearable such as Google Glass. The machine
on the table acts as a marker, and each device is loaded with an application that
can read this machine. When the employees (learners) direct their hardware on this
machine, a realistic, 3-D, life-sized model of the machine is rendered into the physical
world with information on each part of the machine and its role. Using gestures and
touch, employees can see how each part of the machine works as if they are training
on a real machine. Employees can turn on/off different elements on the screen so that
all the parts of the machine and their locations can be clearly identified.
6 KEEP CHALLENGING October 2015Augmented Reality Training
Figure 3
What if we can replicate this training across industries with equipment and
machinery programmed to support AR?
Many say that instructor-led learning or learning via videos with the same animations
can be unified into the course. The advantage of using AR-based training is that
it retains the established training experience and also delivers improved under-
standing of concepts with its interactivity. In the aforementioned case, for example,
employees bring the same AR materials onto the production floor and continue to
learn on the job. They carry the AR application for better comprehension.
Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Inspection
With AR, custom-designed training and maintenance solutions allow complex
procedures to be animated directly on the equipment. With these animation-based
instructions and reference materials overlayed directly on the physical equipment,
workers can learn procedures more effectively and perform them more accurately.
Figure 4 (see next page) illustrates how AR technology can be leveraged to train
service mechanics to work with a car engine system.
Content, hardware and software are the three elements that drive successful
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enterprise AR systems. Context-aware and transformational hardware offers
augmentation to the workforce’s senses. Sophisticated software prepares the
data and captures the interaction of the workforce with the assets. However,
it is the spectrum of data that allows enterprises to extract the benefits of AR
technology. What this means is it’s not just about introducing and equipping the
workforce with technology but it is also about making machines more intelligent
by using their metadata to communicate with the workforce. Gartner predicts
that “by 2018, the total cost of ownership for business operations will be reduced
12
by 30% through the use of smart machines and industrialized services.”
AUGMENTED REALITY: A NEW WORKFORCE MOBILIZATION PARADIGM 7AR Training for Car Service Mechanics
Figure 4
Research is already ongoing in this area on devices such as smart helmets, 3-D
goggles, intelligent gloves, etc. – all of which have been prototyped and showcased
at multiple AR industry conferences. These smart machines are not a futuristic
sci-fi vision but rather they are systems that are available today for demo and can
be adopted by businesses for trial runs.
Leveraging AR Solutions
Service engineers come across numerous machine-related issues on the shop floor,
and typically depend on user manuals or their supervisor to assist and resolve
them. This problem is exacerbated when engineers and supervisors are remotely
located, which extends resolution time and limits productivity.
The typical workflow is as follows (see Figure 5):
• User has a guideline book or a manual.
• User studies the information in the manual and tries to fix the faulty machine.
• When the user is unable to fix it, he refers the issue to his supervisor who goes
through the manual again or uses his experience to fix an issue.
Typical Repair-Instruction Workflow
Engineers use the help manual Engineers refers to help manuals or
for each piece of equipment. ask for assistance from supervisors
to rectify issues.
Engineers Help Manual Help Manual Machinery
User Medium Target
Figure 5
8 KEEP CHALLENGING October 2015With an AR-based solution, this dependency on hard copy instructions or user
manuals is eliminated and the understanding of how to fix issues is increased as
the solution is visually communicated to the engineer. A step-by-step, 3-D overlaid
instruction manual guides engineers to fix critical machine-related issues – while
keeping in mind issues of risk and safety (see Figure 6).
The new process flow does not just allow the engineer to understand the fix to
the problem but also helps him to remember the steps, as visual communication is
retained for a far longer period than any textual communication.
AR-Enabled Instructional Workflow
Engineers use the handheld/ Handhelds/wearables are projected on the Engineer uses AR technology and experiences
wearable devices. user manual or machinery. the following actions.
Help 3D model of the equipment comes alive on screen
Engineers Wearable Wearable Manual Machinery which allows user to experience the following:
Processing
Handheld Handheld
✓ Select Procedures Voice Control
Overlay Instructions Gesture Control
Engineer Medium Medium Target Animated Instructions Repeat Procedures
Figure 6
AR opens multiple doors through which users can interact with the equipment.
Users can see various work procedures; using gestures or voice, they can maneuver
the guide. The instructions are overlaid on the equipment, thus making trouble-
shooting very intuitive.
A Workforce Mobilization Platform
User Experience Lab is an interdisciplinary group of researchers and dedicated
technologists that incubates disruptive technologies in disparate fields, including
virtual presence, wearable computing, tangible interfaces and affective computing.
In one such incubation process, the team built a workforce mobilization platform,
called NeoSight.
NeoSight is a custom-designed training and maintenance platform that facili-
tates interactive learning by animating procedural rules directly over the target
equipment. Currently, NeoSight provides training using AR technology to overlay
interactive visual instructions on real-world equipment. Interactive direct demon-
stration simplifies learning. NeoSight facilitates the “do-and-learn” model that does
not require any special skills as a prerequisite.
NeoSight Features
NeoSight allows users to consume computer-aided design (CAD) drawings and then
prepare a step-by-step learning model. This platform is scalable and can accommo-
date additional procedures over time or business requirements using a dedicated
server or cloud computing space. The platform has a help screen through which the
users can familiarize themselves with the solution’s interface. The users can also
replay the entire procedure, or just a single step, to gain a thorough understanding.
AUGMENTED REALITY: A NEW WORKFORCE MOBILIZATION PARADIGM 9Looking Forward: The Future of AR-Based Training
AR has been around for decades but was seen more as “eye candy” rather than
anything truly useful. However, AR is now viewed as a potential game changer,
because it can produce experiences that can actually reduce hardware and people
dependencies by delivering real-time information to inform user movements.
13
The global AR market is poised to grow at a CAGR of 96.52% by 2019. In parallel,
businesses are responding by investing in workforce development, with training
budgets increasing 15% on average, to identify capability gaps and cultivate “into
14
the future” skills. Interactive learning is among the encouraging areas where AR is
expected to succeed. Voice and gestures are the strategic elements in learning and
AR enables this interactivity, thus facilitating newer understanding. Since AR can be
developed to align with situation-based learning, enterprises investing in workforce
training should find this appealing.
The Future of AR
Save Significant Amount of Time
Labels, circuit diagrams, document link, machine
Diagnostics history, error tracking, virtual laser points.
Inspection & Maintenance Remote Support
Overlay of data, machine history, hands-free Safety Support Send images, voice call with onsite support
troubleshooting, guided maintenance support. team, spoken instructions, video sequences.
NeoSight
Marketing and Sales Cost Step-by-Step Instructions
Hands on training, situation oriented
Reduction Disassembly Accurate, diagrams, video guides.
scenario create catalogs.
Appealing and Fun Training
Better visualization, accurate, superimposed.
Figure 7
10 KEEP CHALLENGING October 2015Footnotes
1 http://www.cognizant.com/latest-thinking/digital-business
2 “Gartner Says Augmented Reality Will Become an Important Workplace Tool.”
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2649315
3 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/augmented-reality-market.asp
4 “Will Augmented Reality enter to the automotive industry?” https://www.quora.com/Will-
Augmented-Reality-enter-to-the-automotive-industry
5 “What’s Augmented Reality and how does it work?” http://www.appfutura.com/blog/whats-
augmented-reality-and-how-does-it-work/
6 “Training and Education: Increase your ROI.” http://datacondental.com/sites/default/files/
Datacon/NewsletterPDFs/2011/Aug11.pdf
7 Training/Continuing Education Critical to Potential Hires. http://www.marketwired.com/press-
release/training-continuing-education-critical-to-potential-hires-1259823.htm
8 http://www.pm360online.com/augmented-reality-as-an-effective-training-strategy/
9 Ibid
10 “Augmented Reality: Ready for Training or in Its Infancy?” http://hwd3d.com/blog/augment-
ed-reality-for-training/
11 “Three Key Elements of an Enterprise AR System.” http://thearea.org/three-key-elements-
enterprise-ar-system/
12 “Gartner Reveals Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users for 2015 and Beyond.”
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2866617
13 Global Mobile Augmented Reality Market 2015-2019. http://globenewswire.com/news-
release/2015/06/30/748468/0/en/Global-Mobile-Augmented-Reality-Market-2015-2019.
html?utm_campaign=Contact+SNS+For+More+Referrer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_
source=snsanalytics
14 The Corporate Learning Factbook 2014: Benchmarks, Trends, and Analysis of the U.S. Training
Market. http://www.bersin.com/uploadedFiles/012714WWBCLF.pdf
References
• http://blog.commlabindia.com/mlearning/will-augmented-training-fit-ilt-training
• http://augmera.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/on-the-run.jpg
• http://augmera.com/?p=214
• http://venturebeat.com/2014/05/29/augmented-reality-wheres-the-venture-capital/
• http://zugara.com/augmented-reality-finally-gaining-traction-wsj
• http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579417612087615766
AUGMENTED REALITY: A NEW WORKFORCE MOBILIZATION PARADIGM 11Acknowledgement
Special thanks to Ramesh Yechangunja, Principal Architect, User Experience Lab,
for his invaluable feedback during the course of writing this paper.
About the Authors
Mahesh Venkatasubramanian is a Senior Business Analyst in the Cognizant
Technology Lab. His core responsibilities include working in consulting
projects in the immersive space across industries. Mahesh has 10+ years of
progressive experience in business development and account management.
He earned an M.B.A. with specialization in marketing from XIME, Bangalore.
Mahesh can be reached at Mahesh.Venkatasubramanian@cognizant.com |
https://twitter.com/maheshvs | https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshvs.
Shipra Gupta is an Enterprise-Level Software Architect in the Cognizant Technology
Lab with 15-plus years of IT industry experience in software architecture definition,
design and development. She has earned her M.C.A. from IGNOU, Delhi. Shipra can
be reached at Shipra.Gupta3@cognizant.com | https://www.linkedin.com/pub/ship-
ra-gupta/9/aa7/a09.
Gyanendu Shekhar is a Technology Specialist in the Cognizant Technology
Lab. He works with different immersive technologies and the .NET framework.
Gyanendu earned his M.Tech. from IIT Mumbai. He can be reached at
Gyanendu.Shekhar@cognizant.com | https://www.linkedin.com/pub/gyanendu-
shekhar/48/643/b0.
12 KEEP CHALLENGING October 2015About Cognizant World Headquarters
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