ISMR June 2022 | Page 45

The insights can help companies to tailor augmented reality applications to their needs and to balance productivity and process optimisation analogue guidance and so continue to work on better production processes .”
The scientists want to continue researching how these approaches actually work in production . Wuttke emphasized : “ Augmented Reality can help companies enormously , if you know what you can do with the technology .” n
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References

Publications : David Wuttke ; Ankit Upadhyay ; Enno Siemsen ; Alexandra Wuttke-Linnemann : “ Seeing the Bigger Picture ? Ramping up Production with the Use of Augmented Reality .” Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 2022 .
“ Employees who mastered the difficult task with AR glasses needed almost 44 percent less time , compared to the control group . For the simple task , the time difference was still a good 15 per cent . However , it was also shown that subjects in the AR group had evidently mastered the task less [ ably ] than their colleagues who were instructed in the same way . When repeating the complex task unaided , they were slower and took 23 percent more time than the other group ,” added the research partners .
“ Anyone who relies too much on the technology does not process the information as profoundly and achieves fewer learning effects ,” said study leader David Wuttke , Professor of Supply Chain Management , TUM . “ This is very similar for Augmented Reality devices as it is for navigation devices in cars . If you drive through a foreign city with a sat nav , you will not necessarily find your way around without this device the next time .”
In the final analysis
The second part of the analysis showed that the use of Augmented Reality glasses has a correspondingly negative effect on innovation potential . Employees who produced from paper instructions made significantly more helpful suggestions for improvement than the AR group .
“ The results suggest that the augmented reality device served as a crutch but did not lead to a deeper understanding of the task in [ users ] and , consequently , they could contribute little to process optimisation ,” explained Wuttke .
The researchers concluded that the greatest benefit from augmented reality technology is currently in sectors with a high cycle frequency in production , in which process optimisation has been completed or does not play a major role . On the other hand , companies that rely on continuous further development of their products benefit less from AR .
“ For these industries , a hybrid form or an intelligent design of augmented reality could be the solution ,” said David Wuttke . “ For example , the applications could be programmed to ask specific questions or the instructions might even be intentionally imperfect to make people think . Another possibility could be that some of the employees with AR glasses ensure high productivity , while others produce with
( Hutzschenreuter , Thomas ; Burger-Ringer , Christian : “ Impact of Virtual , Mixed , and Augmented Reality on Industries , 2018 ”)
Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies could be used in countless economic sectors if they become even more powerful . A study in 2018 by economists at the Technical University of Munich ( TUM ) showed that seven sectors , including the manufacturing industry , retail trade and the real estate industry , would have to adjust to a particularly strong displacement of previous products , business models and production processes .
“ If new technologies not only produce individual products , but are integrated into large numbers of applications , they can profoundly change entire industries . Virtual and Augmented Reality have this potential . AR shows users virtual objects in their natural surroundings . For example , glasses show information about an object that the person sees ,” explained TUM .
The economists predict that this technological development will lead to radical changes between 2020 and 2040 in seven of the 41 sectors examined .
“ In the manufacturing industry , companies using VR and AR will be able to reduce costs and increase productivity .
ŠKODA AUTO has tested Hololens augmented reality glasses for production line maintenance and technical training .

Radical change is possible

Working with virtual models will greatly change product development . In production , instructions , assistance or other information are displayed in the workers ’ field of vision for all work steps . Teams from different locations will work together in virtual environments ,” they explained .
“ Not just in factories , but also in vehicle workshops , the new technologies will make work easier , [ as ] automotive technology has become more complex and differentiated . Augmented Manuals will show the necessary steps for the respective vehicle for repairs ,” they added .
“ Virtual and Augmented Reality are disruptive technologies : they will replace previous products , business models and production processes on a large scale and at great speed ,” explained TUM . The companies in the sectors we have identified must therefore now develop new strategies if they want to assert themselves in the market . Most of them must find partners because they don ’ t have sufficient expertise in Virtual and Augmented Reality themselves . If they can do that , they have a great chance of increasing their success because they can use the technologies to increase productivity and reduce costs in many areas ,” they concluded .
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