Augmented reality gets to work

It is time for the hyperbole surrounding augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to end. The technology is no longer the stuff of dystopian sci-fi movies such as Minority Report. It’s a modern-day reality for many businesses that have been early adopters. A report published by Capgemini Research late last year, which surveyed more than 700 executives in the automotive, manufacturing and utilities sectors, underscored the extent to which these technologies have already made significant inroads – and how huge their growth trajectory is anticipated to be in the coming years.

Capgemini found that 50 per cent of the businesses surveyed that were not already using AR/VR intend to start exploring immersive technologies for business operations in the next three years. Furthermore, 46 per cent of respondents said the technology would become mainstream in their organisation within the next three years – an additional 38 per cent think the use of AR/VR within their business will become mainstream in the next three to five years.