Imagining the future: it will be an augmented reality - at work as well as at home

A lot is written about AR/VR application, and that's no surprise at all: it's exciting, it fires the imagination, and the possibilities are tangible - but also tantalising. We can see the possibilities, if only we knew how to grab them.

For enterprises, the opportunities around AR/VR are complex, made difficult due to lack of standardisation, highly-fragmented markets and bespoke solution build.

However, AR/VR options can now be added to enterprises' strategic plans, because 5G will act as the catalyst that will bring these opportunities into sharper focus.

The sector is segmented, and can appear confusing, but it also requires careful study, because the application of AR, VR, MR and XR will likely be widespread, and will undoubtedly expand as 5G networks roll out across cities, in buildings, and as private 5G networks over the next 5-10 years.

According to market research firm Valuates Reports, the overall market size will approach US$571 billion by 2025, with particular growth in automotive, healthcare, gaming and other mixed reality segments. And Australia is steadily growing its AR/VR market share, worth about $90 billion this year.

Before going into some of the vertical market use cases in more detail, let me clarify those definitions.

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated experience that allows users to explore virtual worlds and interact with them.

Augmented reality (AR) uses digitally-generated visual overlays to the real world. Common examples include architecture and engineering applications and solutions, in which specialists can interact with complex real-world objects, systems, or buildings.

Mixed reality (MR) takes both AR and VR one step further, using a technique called occlusion, which means that the computer-generated virtual objects can be hidden by real objects in the real-world part of the overall image being viewed by the user - which AR does not do.

Finally, XR means extended reality - a catch-all phrase that lets you replace the 'X' with any of the other letters.

With the letters out of the way, let's look at enterprise use cases and how 5G will play its part.

Repair, maintenance and engineering - making expertise available globally

Remote monitoring, in particular of very high-value engineering systems such as jet engines, high-speed trains, or other complex machinery, becomes enhanced when cloud AR/VR solutions are added.

Already in use on prototypes with a number of companies around the world, such as Airbus, Zeiss, Bosch, Balfour Beatty and Deutsche Telekom, this will expand as private and public edge cloud connectivity using 5G expands.

Engineers in remote sites will have access to experts, in repair or manufacturing, back at the factories where the systems or components were originally made and be able to see these systems in virtual or augmented views alongside actual equipment in the field.

5G will play its part here with its low-latency, high-speed data characteristics, both required for the high-resolution graphics and real-time interaction that will be needed.

To touch is to be human - even in a virtual world

Augmented Reality gets more-interesting still when tactile experiences become part of the solution. Being able to transfer tactile feedback or experiences from one location to another using haptic styluses takes AR to another level, for applications as diverse as retail, resources and mining, healthcare, and education.

Again, 5G and edge cloud infrastructure, across private and public cloud networks, will be needed to deliver the bandwidth and low-latency needed, and network slicing will be required for specialist applications such as remote surgery. And while public 5G networks will likely suffice for retail application, in-building networks will still be part of the thinking.

AR, VR and MR will become viable options for multiple enterprises across a large number of vertical markets as 5G connectivity, supported by Edge Cloud and network slicing, becomes increasingly widespread.

In all of these examples, details change between applications and industries. That will be possible because the foundations of 5G connectivity, edge cloud, and networking slicing will allow enterprises, and governments to consider new ways to deliver services and value.

Planning for XR solutions requires long-term strategies, perhaps with 10-year horizons. VR applications continue to reach the market, perhaps still-grounded in the entertainment and gaming sectors, but with new devices being developed that have application in businesses.

Mass-market adoption of effortless AR in this sector is perhaps 2-3 years away. The adoption of early haptic solutions in business application is perhaps 5 years away.

5G networks that will form the backbones of private and public edge clouds will take up to 10 years to complete around the world - and it's important to remember that true XR requires high-speed, low-latency connectivity at both ends to the chain, and across the networks that connect both ends.

Australian companies across vertical market segments are, though, already delivering AR value. In the financial services sector for example, Westpac New Zealand rolled out an AR option in its banking app for account management as long ago as 2014, with 3D images that supported account balances and spending patterns.

The University of New South Wales School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering developed ViMINE2, an educational tool for the UNSW School of Mines engineering students.

And the CSIRO is doing research, and collaborating with a number of companies and other organisations, on AR/VR applications as varied as mining, remote vehicle control systems as an alternative to fly-in-fly-out operations, training and space exploration.

As enterprise 5G becomes available, the commercial opportunities for XR will increase. Commercial organisations able to take advantage of these new opportunities - better-still, influence them - will likely gain a market advantage.

Making decisions about committing resources to what, for many enterprises, will be a long-term plan will need courage and flexibility. As 5G networks continue to roll out, enterprises can start to imagine the near-future - and their roles in that future.

Learn more on Optus Enterprise 5G here.

A version of this article is also published on the Optus website at https://www.optus.com.au/enterprise/accelerate/communications/imagining-the-future-it-will-be-an-augmented-reality-at-work-as-well-as-at-home.