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Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

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Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#31

Post by isk517 »

isk517 wrote: post #30

Yes, the company I work for has started using Hololens 2. We have a program that can overlay the 3D models from our CAD program onto the physical steel assemblies for QC. When it works, it works well and enables our quality checkers to perform checks faster and more accurately than using tape measures while going back and forth looking at a 2D drawing printed on 11 x 17 paper. The biggest hurdles is that none of the…

The biggest issue comes from area mapping. In order to keep the hologram steady and anchored you need to perform a mapping process so that the helmet recognizes both the physical steel assembly and a bit of the surrounding area to keep it steady when moving around. The 8GB of RAM puts a limit on the amount of mapping data that can be stored putting a limit of the size of assembly you can work with, and since the mapping process relies on using the helmets own software that has not been work on in years it is extremely sensitive to any sort of background movement, which means it works best in as controlled of a environment as possible.

Right now we are just using it for special projects that are complex and have little margin for error. We'd like to be able to use it for everything but that isn't feasible with where the tech is currently stuck at.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#32

Post by geocrasher »

jona777than wrote: post #28
rightbyte wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think alt-tabbing or virtual desktops has less mental overhead and physical strain than using VR though.

This is a good point. I thought about it, too. I could see a frequent traveler using an AVP as a "full setup" on the go. In my experience, I can get away with most with a MacBook. Some projects really benefit from the extra screen real estate (and a mechanical keyboard.)

For me, the problem is that if I don't see it, it doesn't exist. Slack, server monitoring, other communications channels, they all take up real estate. My daily driver is a 43" 4K monitor. Basically 4x 24" 1080p monitors in one. It's the exact opposite of portable.

I can get any task done with my laptop. But not a full day's work. And if I want to travel while I work (which I would like to do) then I need a better solution. This is why I'm looking into VR and also a 4K projector, but a projector would have to be able to be seen in a bright environment, and I don't know what the current state of projectors is.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#33

Post by softfalcon »

isk517 wrote: post #30

Yes, the company I work for has started using Hololens 2. We have a program that can overlay the 3D models from our CAD program onto the physical steel assemblies for QC. When it works, it works well and enables our quality checkers to perform checks faster and more accurately than using tape measures while going back and forth looking at a 2D drawing printed on 11 x 17 paper. The biggest hurdles is that none of the…

Very interesting, and I agree with your assessment of the difficulties using the aging HoloLens.

I am curious, what size of clients are you working with and how many contracts has it realistically turned into?

I also believe proper AR hardware/software can revolutionize the QA and inspections industry.

What I am noticing is a chicken/egg problem where companies want proof it works, while also reluctant to put their money where their mouth is and invest in the R&D. Which then leads to Microsoft and similar refusing to fully invest in new AR tech.

As such, it all stays mostly in experimental and drawing board land, never quite fully reaching the market.

Thoughts?

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#34

Post by momocowcow »

curiouscavalier wrote: post #16

The adoption of it in various industries for training is larger than most people might suspect. First responders and retailers have some of the largest internal deployments out there, but they aren’t massively publicized (most people would never guess who’s fielding the largest fleet of headsets right now). That said, it’s still not mass adoption. At the end of the day, you are asking someone to put something on thei…

This. I’ve seen businesses where sending a crew to a very remote location in the wilderness (natural resources, oil, mining, etc) is very cost prohibitive. The less time spent over there figuring out what’s up, the better. They’ll have software devs model the remote site in Unity or whatever then have the crew rehearse the task at hand in VR.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#35

Post by j-wags »

I just got a pair of TCL Rayneo air 2 display glasses since I'm farsighted and my eyes become fatigued after a day of working on a conventional monitor. The increased focal distance seems to help, but the nose piece is weirdly designed and the pressure under the pads becomes a little painful after an hour or two. Also the field of view is too wide and so the edges are blurry (hard to see clock, corner buttons in fullscreen windows, health bar in video games, etc).

Worked great to avoid eye fatigue/posture issues on airplanes though. I'm happy I have them, but in hindsight I'd have gotten a Viture or something with a better nose bridge and a narrower field of view.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#36

Post by doctorpangloss »

The problem for VR isn’t lack of applications, it’s that Paul Graham doesn’t invest in games.

He wouldn’t invest in Palantir either.

Convince the best seed fund in the world that it has a blind spot, maybe some risks will yield something great.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#38

Post by rhcom2 »

spookie wrote: post #21
rhcom2 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked in a firm for ~6 years and there was very little design work done in VR. It was all client presentations and some clients were very adverse to wearing the headset themselves. They wanted to watch on a monitor as a team member explored the virtual building.

Well, someone near to my heart works in architecture and a LOT of clients want the VR experience and full control. So ymmv

Totally, to me it definitely seemed generational

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#39

Post by crooked-v »

cheesecompiler wrote: post #37

Wow no one at all with a Vision Pro?

They seem to be popular among a certain subset of surgeons as a better alternative to the screens they already use for robotic instruments, but I've never seen many surgeons on HN.

Re: Ask HN: Anyone using augmented reality, VR, glasses, helmets etc. in industry?

#40

Post by gavinray »

mentos wrote: post #17
gavinray wrote: post #11

I own two AR devices: - Viture Pro XR glasses - Vuzix Z100 glasses (through Mentra) The Viture's I use as a lightweight alternative to VR headsets like the Meta Quest. I lay down on the couch/in bed and watch videos while wearing them. The Vuzix are meant to be daily-wear glasses with a HUD, have yet to break them in. Later this year, Google/Samsung are due big AR releases, so is Meta I think as well. It'll be the de…

My bet is that having a physical monitor will always be the luxury option and that XR will never be able to get away from the annoyance of having something on your face. Curious if you agree or if maybe you prefer Vitures over a physical monitor?

I think that _eventually_ VR/AR will be a superior screen-viewing experience, but from what I've tried it's not there yet.

It's good enough for watching videos, but for working and reading text, I personally haven't used a device with high enough text quality to prevent eye strain.

I'm very bullish on AR though, and I'm willing to bet that consumer grade devices which are genuinely comfortable to work in will become available within the next 2-3 years.

To me, AR is the next step in Human-Computer Interaction while we wait for full BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) devices.

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