A Technical Revolution for Engineers and Other Professionals: Mixed Reality

With the advent of mixed reality so fresh in the minds of developers, and yet to fully impact the whole of the professional world, much has yet to be discovered in the way this technology will change the work we do in so many sectors.

One area Mixed Reality is most certain to impact is the world of engineering. With the Microsoft HoloLens leading the way, companies are scrambling to on-board mixed reality processes that improve time on task, empower employees with easier to understand information available in their line of sight, and improve cognitive involvement and retention rates in learning.

Here’s a few of the ways mixed reality is already impacting the world of work:

Shared Experience

Meetings and team communications will never again be the same after mixed reality has its day. Reduce the need to fly your dispersed team members and clients in for an impactful face to face group meeting. Now thanks to companies like Object Theory, you can connect in mixed reality together in one location or from different sites to share and collaborate in a holographic 3D space that’s at least as engaging, if not more so, than reality itself.

Image source: Object Theory

Operational Oversight

For companies that need to oversee their operations in real time or review a day’s work, there’s solutions being built for that too. With Trimble’s Connected Mine, engineers and company managers using HoloLens can oversee mining operations with mixed reality. When paired with IoT sensors, this can be done with real time data inputs, with the holographic visualization making for easier comprehension of the big data that’s being produced.

Image source: Trimble

Remote Support

Imagine being able to bring expert engineer guidance with you to any job site or location so you can have a second pair of eyes remotely guiding you through a task. With mixed reality, and systems like Kognitiv Spark’s RemoteSpark, that’s now becoming possible.

The HoloLens provides a hands-free, un-tethered device that is voice and gesture responsive and capable of real time video sharing, image capturing and annotation, and visualization of high definition 3D holograms (which can be anchored in your physical environment, or can move with you). All of this is available right in the operator’s field of view, so they don’t have to carry a tablet/phone/work book with them to see the same thing, not to mention the more powerful representation that 3D holograms provide over these other methods.

Image sources: Microsoft Media Center

What could Mixed Reality do for you?

There’s limitless possibilities yet to be explored using mixed reality. One thing though is for sure, HoloLens and other similar devices are going to have a profound impact on the creativity and innovation capacity of professionals worldwide.

Interfacing with models, maps, sensory inputs, and team members in mixed reality already is opening doors for companies and organization that many would never have even dreamed of. It’s up to all of us to keep dreaming up the next great uses for mixed reality, and pushing its boundaries with every passing day.