Industrial TRANSFORMATION begins with the DIGITALIZATION of factories, turning them into intelligent and hyper-connected production centers. Thanks to the introduction of new technologies, it is possible to access and modify in real time the elements that make up the production processes of the industrial system.

Therefore, Augmented Reality is one of the necessary technologies for the transformation of factories.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

In the 4th INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, technology is put at the service of the sector to improve the efficiency, productivity, quality and safety of industrial processes. There are 4 areas of action of Augmented Reality in manufacturing processes:

Design optimization
Plant maintenance and control
Monitoring of operations and training of operators
Assistance and resolution of incidents

In this article we will discuss two popular AR tools and find out why AR technology is so needed in Industry 4.0:

Vuzix Blade

With an ARM four-core processor, the Vuzix Blade is equipped with an eight megapixel resolution camera. This device can also record video at 1080p resolution. Devices powered the Android operating system can also be controlled voice. There is also a touchpad, user head motion tracker, vibrating alarm, and Android-based application support. This product also features USB-based earphones with a noise-canceling microphone. In addition, this product is equipped with support for connection via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

• With the Vuzix Blade, operators can easily monitor and manage proceedings during inspections, maintenance, and repairing jobs. There are several main advantages offered:Practical: This tool is very light (90 grams) so easy to use.
• More affordable: When compared to similar equipment such as RealWear HMT-1 and Vuzix M400.
• High-quality images and videos: The quality of the images and videos produced is comparable to that of most modern smartphones.
• Easy to control: Thanks to its touchpad and voice commands feature.

The Vuzix Blade can be purchased online. This tool is sold VR Expert, an vuzix blade , at an affordable price.

RealWear HMT-1 

This is an advanced AR headset with the ability to work in noise levels up to 95 Db. This tool is recommended for jobs in extreme industrial environments, such as inspection and maintenance. It is dust, moisture and impact resistant (to some degree). Equipped with a built-in camera, this headset is able to record the user’s environment and share it with others. For information, RealWear HMT-1 is the only AR headset that has received certification from Atex zone 1 certification. One thing that is interesting about this device is that the 7-inch microdisplay looks like a tablet screen that fits perfectly under the user’s viewing area. RealWear HMT-1 headsets are sold in the market with varying prices, depending on the embedded accessories. The warranty provided is 2 years. It’s recommended to buy from only reputable providers. For example from this Agency in VR

The advantages of the implementation of Augmented Reality tools like Vuzix Blade and RealWear HMT-1 in industrial environments are: the improvement of production processes, the reduction of time in all production phases, cost savings and greater security (cybersecurity).

In the case of Augmented Reality, we refer to the technology that allows digital information to be superimposed on a real image of the environment in which the user is. If we transfer this innovation to the industry, we find several utilities such as the improvement and facilitation of maintenance tasks from tutorials with Augmented Reality.