Index AR Solutions Vice President Scott Sommers recently presented at LiveWorx 18, a respected digital transformation conference, showcasing how the company is helping enterprise organizations launch augmented reality (AR) projects that deliver tremendous business benefit.

At the event held in Boston June 17-20 for some 6,000 attendees, Sommers joined other technology thought leaders who shared their vision for solutions engineered for a smart, connected world.

Sommers’ session, entitled “Three Takeaways to Deploy AR Projects on Time and Under Budget,” demonstrated how Index AR Solutions is helping customers realize quality improvements from their AR deployments while keeping efforts within scope.

First, Sommers encouraged attendees to think about their challenges and find a pain point, noting that for most any operation, whether it’s in energy, manufacturing or other industries, there is something difficult for workers to do.

For example, Index AR Solutions’ LineAssist SuperApp® transforms how electrical utility linemen are trained in the classroom and do work in the field. LineAssist uses AR visualization to address a pain point for utilities that struggle with teaching workers how to service multiple types of pole-mounted voltage regulators and control panels.

Second, Sommers offered to those considering Index AR, was to focus initial efforts on a small pilot project with results that can be easily measured.

“We can showcase the results of our other clients’ AR deployments, but by investing in a small pilot project, you can test out the results on your own company, which is even more impactful,” explained Sommers. “Project managers can then showcase those results to their leadership and their team to prove the value, which is likely to ease their broader AR rollout and investment.”

Sommers pointed to Index AR Solutions’ partnership with MidAmerican Energy Company to launch a combined AR and eBook training application for its gas apprentice students that boosts engagement, knowledge retention and worker safety. The initial effort focused on a single training session before being rolled out to the rest of the modules within the company’s gas technician apprentice program.

Speaking of results, Sommers’ third takeaway was to have a third party measure the AR project results. Index AR Solutions’ clients frequently engage an independent firm to collect data, measure results and help manage any control or experimental groups involved in testing. This helps eliminate any biases that could be introduced by AR project managers.

“At Index AR, many of our industrial clients have seen so such improvement in efficiencies and reduced error rates – as measured by third parties – that they are recouping their investment in AR within months of rolling out a project,” said Sommers.

Reinforcing the true power of AR, Sommers explained that Index AR is not technology for technology’s sake, but rather, it’s all about the human element.

“At Index AR, we focus on workers and making them safer and more efficient, because by investing in people you create an enormous amount of value,” Sommers said. “We don’t augment reality, we augment people – and the real value is captured when you look at the performance created for a client.”