By Technology
Get Creative for Easy AR Implementation: Interview with Six15’s CEO Rich Ryan
The HD4000 is not your average pair of smart glasses. Learn about the device, the brainchild of Six15 and Zebra Technologies by reading our interview with Six15’s CEO Rich Ryan. Emily: How did the collaboration with Zebra Technologies come about? Rich: Four years ago, we started working with Zebra Technologies as they were investigating how to enter the Enterprise Augmented Reality market given the growing demand from customers. When they were looking for potential partners, they were attracted to our strengths in terms of building rugged, reliable head-worn displays in addition to our innovative optics. Those leading optics were developed over many years for our defense customers. Zebra saw the development of our product, the ST1™ head-mounted display, and chose to partner with us to advance the product to meet the demanding requirements of their customer base. Emily: Zebra’s head-mounted display, built off Six15’s ST1™ platform, is called the HD4000. What are the unique or key features of the HD4000 that make it enterprise-ready, and is it mainly for warehousing applications? Rich: The Zebra HD4000 is a rugged, monocular head-mounted display that seamlessly integrates with Zebra’s mobile computers. By tethering to a host device via USB, it leverages both […]
8 min read
Turn Down the Noise: 3D Audio
I was recently gifted a pair of Apple AirPods. I’ve had noise cancelling headphones before, but the AirPods Pro offer something new: Active noise cancelling and a transparency mode that uses built-in microphones to allow outside sounds in when I want them. I’m not an audiophile and this isn’t an Apple ad, but I am very sensitive to sound at work. I’m at my most productive with music in my ears, but as soon as a coworker answers a phone call, my concentration breaks. (Hell is other people, am I right?) Source: Apple The AirPods got me thinking about noise in the workplace and the role of sound in immersive experiences. As extended reality headsets improve and new tools make it easier to create 3D content, the absence of our other senses in XR is becoming more noticeable. Big, bad noise Most people today use headphones for attention management. According to Bitkom, nearly 50% of people wear headphones to mute their surroundings while 20% do so to focus on work. Millennials are especially concerned about rising decibels. The government caps safe noise levels around 90 decibels, but Cornell University reports that office workers are most comfortable between 48 and 52 […]
5 min read
Building the Future of Exoskeletons: Meet Dr. William G. Billotte
He’s working with BMW, Boeing and others to introduce standards and raising the bar in the exoskeleton market: Meet Dr. William G. Billotte, Physical Scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Vice Chairman of the ASTM F48 Exoskeleton and Exosuit committee. I got to interview Dr. Billotte on the importance of standards and fundamental work of NIST. Read our conversation: (Full bio at the end) Emily: To begin, could you provide a little background on yourself and NIST? When did you first start working on exoskeleton tech? W: My background is I’m an engineer and a biologist with a bachelors and masters degree in engineering and a PhD in biology, and I’ve been working in the biology/engineering area for probably 17 or so years, providing scientific and technical guidance to different federal agencies, first responders and other organizations. I’ve worked in a number of different areas: biological detection, first responder equipment, critical infrastructure protection, etc. I’ve been in the exoskeleton area since around 2014. I work for a federal organization, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), part of the Department of Commerce (see here for some history). I’ve been here since 2009 as a […]
10 min read
Workplace implantables–Yes, we’re going there.
Are workplace implantables a future reality? Implantables are sometimes mentioned as a category of wearable technology, but is a future in which technology becomes more integrated with our biology, in which we voluntarily have technology embedded beneath our skin at work, possible? Some think widespread human microchipping is inevitable; others believe it would mark the end of personal freedom, and still others refer to it as “the eugenics of our time.” If it does happen, Europe will already be ahead of the game. Today, more than 4,000 people in Sweden have consented to having microchips injected under their skin, and millions more are expected to follow suit as the country trends towards going cashless. In addition to enabling Swedes to pay for things with the swipe of a hand, the technology can be used to ride the train (Sweden’s national railways are entirely biochip-friendly), unlock doors, monitor one’s health, and even enter many Nordic Wellness gyms. At the forefront of the microchip movement are two European firms: BioTeq in the United Kingdom and the Swedish Biohax International founded in 2013. Both firms make a pretty basic chip that’s inserted into the flesh between the thumb and forefinger. The chips don’t […]
7 min read
Alternative Enterprise Wearables: Vests, Visors and Hearables
What is the most successful piece of wearable technology in human history? Arguably, it’s the hearing aid. In fact, hearing aids might be considered the original hearables. Yes, I said hearables. Wearables are a broad category of devices – broader than you might think – encompassing not only smartwatches and smart eyewear but also embeddables, hearables and ingestables—any connected device that can be worn somewhere on or inside the body. We can extrapolate this to define an enterprise wearable as any electronic device that a worker wears (or ingests) to improve his or her performance and safety in some way. Then, there are items of clothing and gear equipped with today’s advanced sensors. In many industries, these wearables are a worker’s last line of defense against injury in the workplace. Read on for some alternative enterprise wearables – non-watch and non-eyeglass form factors – under development or currently available for enterprise: Smart Suspenders and Other Accessories Amazon has over 100,000 robots in its warehouses. Funnily enough, as efficient as these robots are at moving containers of items to help human pickers fulfill millions of online orders, they (or rather their on-board sensors) aren’t all that great at recognizing their human […]
7 min read
VR: Getting People to Take Safety Training Seriously, Retail Merchandising, and More
Virtual reality is making inroads in the retail industry, at the same time as more and more companies are realizing the powerful potential of VR for training. Here are some of the most recent use cases of VR in enterprise, all of which, when it comes down to it, are customer-facing applications of the technology. The following is evidence of digital disruption ramping up beyond work instructions and collaborative design, to directly impact the products and services that consumers experience everyday: ADT In a recent mailer campaign to convey the importance of professional alarm monitoring services, ADT sent out Google Cardboard-like VR headsets that put recipients into a simulated life-threatening situation. Noting a lack of awareness among homeowners around what actually happens during a fire, ADT worked with Harte Hanks to create a VR experience accessible on YouTube that would drive home the potential side effects of carbon monoxide, the physical obstacles that can prevent you from escaping, and other elements of a house fire. Placing a phone in the viewer sent by ADT, you find yourself in a bedroom filled with smoke. You’re immersed in a mother’s fear and disorientation as she’s awoken by a call from ADT and […]
4 min read
Excited about HoloLens 2? Looking back at groundbreaking use cases of HoloLens
The big news this week has been the unveiling of the much-anticipated, $3,500 HoloLens 2. The new HoloLens boasts a larger field of view (twice that of the original), higher resolution, faster and more natural interaction, and is reportedly more comfortable to wear than its predecessor. HoloLens 2 has eye-tracking and retina-scanning features, doesn’t require any fitting (making for a more streamlined experience) and even takes hygiene into account in its design. Thus far, reviewers have largely praised the device, with most writers deeming it a great leap forward for Mixed Reality. Behind the scenes at Microsoft is a team of designers and engineers who clearly listened to feedback from early enterprise users, including major companies like Boeing and Ford that have been using HoloLens for a few years now. Other big names like Chevron, Kiewit, Bridgestone, ExxonMobil, Pfizer, Merck, and BT have likewise been testing and using HoloLens. Besides the use of HoloLens, what do all of these companies have in common? They speak at EWTS every year. Indeed, over the last five Enterprise Wearable Technology Summits, we’ve followed Boeing’s and the rest’s stories from proof of concept through rollout. Read on for three use cases of HoloLens that […]
5 min read
9 to 5G: Prime Time for Next Gen Connectivity in Enterprise
Enterprises are looking to 5G in order to adopt more sophisticated AR/VR and wearable technology solutions for a greater variety of use cases. What is 5G? A network revolution that’s currently in its early stages, 5G (the new mobile standard that will succeed 4G) is an evolving constellation of technologies expected to unlock the ability to use wearable technologies (and other emerging tech) for a much wider range of applications in the workplace. Providers are beginning to deploy 5G around the world to support the expanded mobile connectivity and capacity requirements of the Internet of Things, including immersive experiences, machine learning, Big Data, etc. Enterprise decision makers tasked with identifying, testing and implementing wearable solutions can now begin to consider the capabilities that will be at their disposal once the speed, flexibility, and reliability of 5G becomes available. The speed of deployment of 5G-based mobile networks depends on the timing of the massive investments needed to build out the infrastructure. Nevertheless, now is the time to consider the future applications of immersive and wearable technologies and how 5G will enable the transformation of your enterprise. 5G promises a solution to the many network and performance challenges holding back Industry […]
6 min read
Practical Fantasy: Real Companies Exploring Exoskeletons
One cannot begin a blog post talking about workplace safety without sharing some statistics: According to OSHA, there are more than 4,700 worker fatalities in the U.S. each year, and nearly three million work-related injuries and illnesses. U.S. employers spend $95 billion annually on workers’ compensation insurance, and shell out over $20 billion in workers’ comp fees. It’s not just about the money—injuries and illnesses hurt productivity, with employees having to miss work, restrict their activities, or even transfer jobs. Those three million workers aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong. The work performed on construction sites and in factories is physically demanding. Over time, manual labor takes a toll on the human body, no matter one’s form while doing a task. So, it’s understandable that enterprises would be willing to spend a lot of money to augment human abilities with wearable robotics. Exoskeletons are mechanical frames worn on the body to alleviate individuals’ physical burdens and enhance their abilities. There are full-body suits as well as partial exoskeletons like bionic arms and motor-assisted gloves. Exoskeletons can be powered (motorized) or not, but the idea is to make it physically easier for workers to do their jobs. (Exoskeleton technology originated in the […]
6 min read
How Wearables are Contributing to the IoT
The Internet of Things is a network of (Internet-) connected objects that have been made “smart” with embedded sensors. These devices collect data about the physical world around us, about processes and the health of both people and machinery—data which is then interpreted and shared with other machines and people via cloud-based software platforms. Accenture calls it “a universe of linked devices, services and people.” Cloud computing, edge processing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence—these are the technologies that meaningfully connect all our billions of things, forming a complete IoT solution. An IoT solution is a system of connected devices and technologies used to do something like predictive maintenance, where the failure of a piece of equipment can be predicted and the right person automatically sent to repair it before a break down occurs. In enterprise, IoT solutions can boost productivity, streamline business operations, cut operating costs, generate new revenue streams, and deliver better customer experiences. How? Here is Microsoft’s action plan for transforming an organization with IoT: Build things: IoT begins with your things, with strategically adding sensors to devices Control things: Deploy IoT solutions that automatically control, monitor and manage your things (your assets,) allowing you to capture real-time […]
6 min read
Smart Glasses, AR, VR and MR: Head-Worn Devices in the Enterprise
Picavi’s Johanna Bellenberg talks about head-worn devices with the very people implementing the technology at Walmart, GE Transportation, Gensler, USPS, and FM Global.
3 min read
Below the Neck: Body- and Wrist-Worn Wearables in the Workplace
Watch this panel of thought leaders and practitioners from different enterprises share use cases of body- and wrist-worn wearables they’ve deployed in their organizations. You’ll see that below-the-neck wearable devices are being applied to both collect data from and push immediate feedback to workers: Applications and Lessons: In healthcare, wearable data is used to learn more about patients and improve care. With new possibilities of collecting data on human behavior, chronic conditions, etc. come new, never-before-seen challenges for those in medicine. How can wearable data be used – and more significantly, how should it be used – to change patient care, make better care decisions, coordinate care more effectively, and empower patients to care for themselves? In other workplaces, wearable data helps identify hazards and keep employees safe. A small wearable radiation detector can ensure that astronauts stay below established exposure safety levels on space missions. Leidos is developing such a device for NASA, taking a commercial, off-the-shelf device and extending its capabilities to fit the user’s needs and limitations in space. The EHS team at General Electric is focusing on highly hazardous processes across the company’s portfolio, exploring wearables from two angles: Body-worn wearables that can make hidden hazards […]
2 min read
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