HxGN 2019 where AR/VR meets Metrology; Epson Releases Augmented Reality Remote Assist

Hexagon Hosts HxGN 2019

Hexagon, a company with roots in metrology and precision measurement technologies, recently hosted the annual user conference, HxGN Live (June 15-18, Las Vegas, Nevada). Over the last decade, the company has steadily expanded through growth and acquisitions into simulation, autonomous vehicles, location-based intelligence, and manufacturing, among others.

One of the most popular demos on the show floor is the Birdly, a VR flight simulator. It lets you strap on to a set of artificial wings and fly through a virtual 3D city. The faster you flap your wings, the faster you fly. You can perform deep dives and sharp turns for dramatic effect. If you're not careful, you might also crash into a high rise, bringing your flight to a premature end.

In his keynote, Norbert Hanke, President and CEO of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, discussed finding intelligence hidden in plain sight -- identifying trends and patterns in manufacturing data. Such analysis usually requires AI and machine learning, pushing manufacturing into a new territory.

Epson Launches Remote Assist Bundle

Epson launches software and hardware bundle for AR-powered remote expert calls, dubbed Moverio Assist. Photo courtesy of Epson.

Epson recently launched Moverio Assist, a AR-and-software bundle for targeting those who want to establish remote expert services. The product is delivered via subscription ($29.99 per glasses per month), beginning September 2019.

Moverio Assist AR glasses and Epson's SaaS software provides the basic infrastructure for remote expert calls. But users will need to dedicate their own experts to serve the targeted domain.

Earlier, Lenovo also released its first enterprise-targeted ThinkReality AR hardware, along with a developer kit that includes remote assistance application templates.

Some AR developers see remote assistance as a low-barrier entry to AR, an easy way to transfer the already familiar Skype or FaceTime video call into AR. Once users have crossed this initial threshold, they may be open to more sophisticated AR-powered collaboration.