Blog
September 30, 2022
It’s Time to Prove the True Potential of Augmented Reality
Peggy Johnson
You’re not imagining it – talk of an Augmented Reality (AR) future is everywhere these days. For those of us who live and breathe this industry, it’s no surprise. We’ve done a lot of work to get to what we know is a transformational moment in the way humans interact with technology.
For many years, Magic Leap pushed the AR industry forward in terms of investing the time and resources to advance the technology. This commitment has resulted in more than 3,000 product and platform innovations and a lot of learning into what works and what doesn’t. We understand better than anyone the remaining hurdles that hold back widespread AR adoption, and we’ve worked tirelessly to solve those challenges.
While it’s energizing to see AR leap into headlines and the surging conversation around topics like the metaverse, it’s time for the utility of the technology to be demonstrated, not just discussed. That’s where my focus has been since joining Magic Leap just over two years ago. As we approach general availability for Magic Leap 2 – a major milestone for the company – I wanted to share an update on where we are as an industry and why I’m excited about the role Magic Leap is positioned to play in enabling people and businesses to begin realizing the true value of AR.
Purpose built for the enterprise
Despite everything we hear about the metaverse and consumer applications, there is real progress being made in the enterprise. In the last several years, we’ve seen AR begin providing utility across industries like healthcare, manufacturing and the public sector, and we’re seeing that interest increase as the technology continues to advance, user experience improves, and more applications are developed.
It’s for this reason that we’ve focused the company’s efforts on the enterprise, including tailoring our next generation device, Magic Leap 2, specifically for our enterprise customers. In fact, Magic Leap 2 was purpose-built to begin breaking down the barriers that have held back the adoption of AR technology – hot, heavy, clunky headsets, low-quality visuals, an inability to work well in bright/daylight environments, and overall discomfort in the user experience.
As a result, Magic Leap 2 is the industry’s smallest and lightest device built for the enterprise. It is the only device with innovative breakthroughs like our exclusive Dynamic DimmingTM technology, along with double the field of view, and unparalleled image quality, color fidelity, and text legibility. All of these innovations are critical to making AR a viable technology that can be used daily for training, communication, remote assistance, and 3D visualization in clinical, industrial environments, defense, and retail environments.
The customer reception from our Early Access Program has been invigorating and we have a strong developer community that has been excited to work on new applications. Now we are taking the next step in our journey as Magic Leap 2 becomes available to enterprise customers today - and we can’t wait to see and support the development of new use cases and applications.
New use cases, new opportunities
With a device that is powerful enough for true enterprise productivity and light enough for everyday use, we’re already seeing new use cases and opportunities with a range of customers.
We’ve seen strong adoption in manufacturing where AR is making an impact on the factory floor and in warehouses. PBC Linear, a manufacturing company based in the US Midwest, turned to AR technology to implement new workforce training, realizing a more than 80 percent reduction in training time for new hires and a 20 percent reduction in scrap and rework in the production process. In healthcare, the innovations we have built into Magic Leap 2 are especially relevant for both training purposes and live in the operating room.
And earlier this month, Lowe’s, NVIDIA, and Magic Leap announced a new digital twin application to be implemented in Lowe's retail locations. Using NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise and supported by Magic Leap 2, Lowe’s retail associates are able to view digital content in the store to help reconfigure layouts, provide restocking support, and enable real-time collaboration. Using the technology, the associate can access more detailed information right in front of them, while saving time by not having to climb ladders or track down physical labels.
Already, we are seeing how Magic Leap 2 is improving hybrid work environments, simplifying new hire training, and revolutionizing the way healthcare professionals learn and better serve their patients. Magic Leap 2 is having a real impact and delivering meaningful value for enterprises.
Accelerating our momentum
While the adoption of transformative technologies always takes time, we are seeing tangible effects of our progress. Our outlook is for the long-term and our strategy is allowing us to bring our industry-leading capabilities to new customers and industries.
In the many conversations that I’ve had with business leaders, I have heard firsthand how AR is being heralded as the next technological disruption, but the immense promise and list of benefits it has to offer still feels just out of reach.
We believe that Magic Leap 2 is an important step in bridging this gap between promise and reality. It’s why we are so focused on demonstrating the real utility and value that this technology can deliver - today.
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