Smart glasses: use cases and practical solutions

“When it comes to the future, our task is not to predict it, but rather to allow it to happen.”

Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Smart glasses are wearable assistive reality devices (wearables), and their diffusion around the world continues to grow.

Smart glasses: the size of the global market

In 98-page report Global Smart Glasses Market [2023-2030] | Visionary Latest Report we read that the size of the global smart glasses market has reached 26483.36 million in 2021-2022 and will reach $5569.24 million by the end of the 2030 with an annual growth of 13,15%.

Consider, for example, the RealWear® assisted reality devices, among the world’s most popular smart glasses and chosen by customers such as Cisco, Shell, Goodyear, Mars, Colgate-Palmolive, and BMW, to name only the best known.

Why are they called “smart glasses”?

They are called smart glasses because they can help humans in multiple professional activities-from education to construction, case studies and reviews indicate high levels of satisfaction.

In fact, we report a 50% reduction in training time, damage assessment resolved in half the time, and data accuracy increased by 50% in the cases studied.*

Not to be confused with VR gaming devices

Smart glasses are not to be confused with gaming devices, such as some virtual reality viewers.

Instead, they are invaluable in different areas of the business world and now indispensable for so many companies that would never ton back to the old paradigm: everything takes place in real time without interruption.

Easily worn like ordinary “enhanced” glasses, they are equipped with a high-definition camera to capture photos and videos in hard-to-reach places such as tunnels, towers or behind large machinery and equipment.

Frontline operators can take advantage of RealWear® devices for hands-free verification and data capture and visual documentation.

Maintenance, productivity, training, cost reduction, safety, efficiency-these are the main keywords related to smart glasses.

Their added value? They enable operations designed to improve work in so many fields.

Today they are increasingly easy to use and perfected: no longer the future but a concrete reality that on a daily basis helps workers, trainers, professionals and managers in every sector to improve work performance by reducing time, costs and increasing efficiency, safety and accuracy.

Fastbrain and Technological Innovation: the challenges we face

Every day we are faced with new challenges, with areas such as Assisted Reality and Augmented Reality, Wearable Device, Worker Safety, and we are dealing with many devices designed to speed up the transition to Industry 4.0 for all industries:

From Energy and Utilities, to Petroleum, Gas, Chemical, Food and Beverage, Construction, Mining, Transportation and Logistics, Automotive, Aerospace, Telecommunications, and Manufacturing. There is no limit tothe
technological innovation
.

Just think, for example, of tools capable of communicating with technical support through real-time video sharing, thus obtaining remote support on failed or defective machinery.

Or to Virtual Tours, useful for real estate agencies, architects, engineers and the entire Industry 4.0 sector. Assisted reality can help even small companies increase efficiency and profitability.

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What can you do with smart glasses?

Whatever industry requires assistance, smart glasses offer:

-Enhanced remote guidance. With RealWear® technology, you can ask team members and key stakeholders to work together despite different locations and time zones. Collaborate, inspect, monitor and approve remotely.

– Time saving. Remote collaboration hardware and software can help teams work in real time and resolve disruptions in minutes instead of days and hours.

– Hardware and software specifically designed for industries. HW and SW solutions specifically designed for industries avoid more fragmentation and inefficiencies. Collaboration technology that seamlessly integrates with your existing technology provides an efficient and productive way to work.

– Quality of installation and inspection. Through real-time collaboration, the installation and inspection of your systems will be of high quality. The result will be reduced downtime and disruptions, while audits and approvals will be performed quickly and efficiently.

-Digital Transformation. The digital transformation of your business through IoT, artificial intelligence and a remote connected workforce will enable you to work in agreement, reducing errors and increasing production.

– Overhead cost savings. Investing in enterprise-grade collaboration hardware and software solutions helps you save on overhead costs. Using different solutions or trying to create your own solution could significantly increase costs.

REALWEAR NAVIGATOR 500

It is made for productivity and designed for safety.

Specifications

It is a state-of-the-art wearable device in both hardware and software (Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor, 4gb/64gb, Android 11), with a 48MP camera-it records at 1920*1080, 60 FPS-removable.

With Realwear Navigator 500 you will have the ability to operate in extremely noisy environments (up to 94dB), in comfort.

RealWear has IP66 certification for dust and liquids and has drop resistance up to 2 meters.

It is provided with:

• Camera: 48 MP, 1080p 60fps video
• Display type: LCD
• Resolution: 854×480 pixels
• FOV: 20 degrees
• Memory: 64GB
• RAM: 4GB
• Noise cancellation: 100 dB
• Weight: 270 grams

Some problems that Smart Glasses solve

• Problem: Frontline workers. From workers on construction sites to electricians, this category of workers risks serious injury when they are carrying heavy cameras during inspections. Busy hands can affect balance by impairing response to changes in their environment.
• Solution: thanks to wearable devices such as glasses, workers can take photos easily, even with voice commands and loud volume during inspections or during ordinary work.
• Problem: inspections of various kinds. Often during visual inspections at construction sites, no photographs are used but only a few notes in a logbook as proof of inspection.
• Solution: both engineers and inspectors can quickly take photographs of any part of a work inspection while performing the task at hand and always keeping their hands free to take notes or notify information.
• Issue: support in training. It is not always a given that workers possess the appropriate expertise or experience to handle every situation, thus may need support in interpreting what they observe. Failure to detect problems early can result in increased costs and downtime.
• Solution: employees have the ability to take photos, capture and share videos to allow experienced colleagues at headquarters to quickly provide interpretation. In this way, workers can get the help they need to identify any problems in a very short time, thus avoiding potentially financially costly trial and error.

How do smart glasses work? Here are the Steps:

“Reality first” is the payoff of RealWear®, meaning “Reality first.”

In fact, all of the technology used is based on the expanded use of real data; the wearable device such as goggles or viewers, allows for expanded operational possibilities related to real-world work or training.

Technically, the operation is as follows:

1. Capture

The first step is image acquisition. Smart glasses capture hands-free photos and videos with simple voice commands: “shoot hole,” “preview hole,” “zoom level.”

2. Preview

In the second step, you review the acquired files quickly and easily.

3. Options

The third stage involves complete control of camera settings, including resolution, field of view, aspect ratio, and more.

4. Exposure

The camera adjusts to work in a wide range of lighting conditions.

Customer feedback on the implementation of remote expert guidance solutions

Customer reviews and feedback report the following conclusions*:

• “Reduce training time by up to 50 percent.”
• “The damage assessment time has been reduced from 3 to 6 hours.”
• “Improves data accuracy by 50%.”

• “Improves data accuracy by 50%.”

Reviews on smart glasses and assisted reality

Fastbrain is now the official distributor of RealWear® in Italy and shares some enthusiastic reviews of them, to give a practical understanding of the usefulness of these devices:

“After evaluating other wearable devices, RealWear and Microsoft Teams emerged as the best option to support our ongoing commitment to autonomous maintenance and keep our frontline teams safe and productive.” – Mars Petcare

“Using RealWear wearable tablet devices, we can cut our travel costs in half and, at the same time, gain efficiency as our employees no longer have to wait all day for a specific task.” – Honeywell

“Thanks to our remote service, we are able to let our customers see through the eyes of our experts, so we are close to them, even if they are far away.”

Jennifer Richardt, Product Manager Remote Service, Service – Technology department at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, Cement Technologies

Fastbrain provides all necessary support for the use of RealWear smart glasses with customer assistance through remote consulting and when possible on-site.

Experience now the potential and functionality of assisted reality for your work.

Book a demo now

Assisted reality and new plant business models more sustainable

Assisted reality through enhanced visual assistance can concretely help establish new digital business models characterized by:

• +15% increase in machine availability
• -30% reduction in travel time and costs
• Increased sustainability with less CO2 emissions
• New value streams in service

Hands-free Visual Assist |Visual Assist

RealWear assisted reality devices are equipped with a high-definition camera to capture photos and videos in hard-to-reach places.

With Visual Assist, visual assistance becomes hands-free, enabling workers to get real-time support and information without having to use their hands to hold the device.

Industrial use cases of Visual Assist

• Compliance with government and corporate mandates
• Safety inspections
• Quality assurance
• Validation for proper procedures
• Verification of work done
• Training on demand
• Insurance Claims

With this innovative technology, maintenance, repair and inspection activities become more efficient and safer, reducing the risk of accidents and increasing productivity.

Resources:

• https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/global-smart-glasses-market-2023-2030-visionary-latest-report-2023-05-02/
• https://www.realwear.com/solutions/visual-assist/
• https://www.realwear.com/solutions/remote-expert-guidance/