Connected Workers: Hands Free Solutions for Front Line Jobs
As digital transformation continues to shape the future of enterprise corporations, the accompanying technology is being integrated at all levels of the business. Beyond a screen, accelerated uses of virtual and assisted reality are being used to raise standards for forward-thinking design, onboarding and training, customer service expectations, and employee safety. The technology leading the way in industrial applications? Assisted reality.
What is assisted reality?
Assisted Reality (AR) is a form of digital technology that allows a user to view relevant information through a hands-free display, usually mounted on a helmet or glasses for convenience. Due to the work environments of front job line jobs and industrial workers, assisted reality is the go-to solution for an immersive digital experience.
Safety for Front Line Workers
Nothing is more important than protecting your front line. The ability to ensure the safety of frontline workers is one of the core reasons that assisted reality devices are being implemented and proving their tremendous return on investment. Overcoming this financial and budgetary obligation combined with the numerous, now available, studies on safety within various industrial environments, makes assisted reality adoption quicker and less likely to encounter obstacles and concerns with management and executive buy-ins.
Assisted reality devices have gone through rigorous testing and safety assessments. While they assist workers in the day-to-day functions of their current task loads by ensuring they are hands-free and that information is accessible, they are also setup with individual characteristics based on the environment they will be used in to ensure exceptional and safe usage. These types of situational opportunities or concerns may include questions like:
1. Do you work outdoors or indoors?
2. How large should the digital display be based on the surrounding environment?
3. How much digital content should be shown to the connected worker?
4. What is the maximum amount of data that can be shown?
5. How bright should the display be?
6. Does it need to be compatible with PPE?
And most importantly, how can the product ensure connected workers are able to perform their tasks efficiently and safely?
Hands-Free Access to Information
The workforce of the future is being looked at holistically in terms of both the individual as well as the hardware and software that will be required to engage in their positions. Devices need to address the problem being solved, especially those which are mission-critical, often immediately. With hands-free access to this critical information, the worker can stay engaged and aware on the job site while still having documentation and remote tech support at their fingertips.
Assisted Reality Devices Available Now
In 2019, US workforce laborers suffered nearly 3 million job-related injuries. These rates are significantly higher in manufacturing positions and equipment maintenance. Assisted reality devices, when implemented correctly, help increase visibility, sensory processing, and ensure relevant and timely information is available to assist workers in their tasks. Interested in how AR may help improve the performance and safety of your workers in an industrial or manufacturing environment? Reach out to the team at Concannon XR today for more information on our AR packages and ready-to-implement programs.
