Q FUTURE TECHNOLOGY


Augmented reality


Shipping is on the threshold of some extraordinary new opportunities,


thanks to recent developments in AR technology, explains Alexander Buchmann, managing director of software solutions specialist Hanseaticsoft


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Augmented reality (AR) started within the gaming industry, but its potential is now starting to be harnessed by the commercial world. And it won’t be long before companies in the shipping sector are using it to revolutionise their business processes and improve employee performance. While virtual reality (VR)


immerses users in a computer- generated world, AR simply overlays computer-generated images onto the real world. New AR software from Apple


and Google is about to take the technology into the mainstream. Both corporations have developed software to “take apps beyond the screen” and create user AR experiences for iPhone, iPad and Android platforms.


The potential of AR became


apparent to the general public last year with the launch of Pokémon Go, an AR game where users search for – and catch – pocket monsters in the real world. Pokémon Go is now the most downloaded game of all time, and analysts predict that this kind of AR will have a similarly drastic impact on businesses as well. The technology is already


finding its way into everyday experiences. For example, three UK airports are now using AR technology. The latest is Heathrow


which is using characters from the Mr Men and Little Miss books to improve the travelling experience for very young children. Gatwick, meanwhile, is using AR to help passengers navigate


the airport, while London City Airport uses it to help air traffic controllers keep the skies safe. Over the next few years, it’s


expected that many more companies will start to look at innovative ways in which AR can enhance their businesses.


New possibilities PwC’s 2017 Global Digital IQ survey suggested that almost a quarter of companies will make a significant investment in AR in the next three years. They believe the benefits will be the real-time delivery of relevant information to employees regardless of their location, along with the fact that it will enable greater flexibility, increased operational mobility and improved efficiencies. Data from the International


The latest software is about to bring AR into everyday use


Data Corporation estimates that augmented and virtual-reality headset device shipments will reach more than 100 million units in 2021, up 10-fold from the 10 million units shipped in 2016. And fuelling this demand are increasingly sophisticated devices – being launched at regular intervals with lower and lower price points – and the ever- expanding and diverse content now available for consumers and business users.


AR has multiple uses for any


industry, such as its ability to connect employees wherever they are based, deliver training and education, and help with product repairs and demonstrations. There is little doubt that AR is about to have a revolutionary impact on shipping – and that it will be the next great step on the industry’s exciting digitalization journey.


Maritime benefits Shipping companies have been slow adopters of new technology, but many are now embracing it to optimise fleet management, automate their processes and improve communication between staff on ships and on shore. Augmented reality, like any


other cutting-edge technology, can help shipping companies accelerate and simplify their processes. It is comparable to switching from pen and paper to a computer, and will provide new tools to execute tasks faster and more intelligently. It will also improve employee performance. For example, in the offshore renewables sector it has been reported that the use of an AR headset to help a technician wire a wind turbine’s control box improved the worker’s performance by 34% on first use.


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