http://www.umsl.edu/~lacity/umsllogo.gif Augmented Reality

Businesses are increasingly using augmented reality, the technology that powered the computer game Pokémon Go.  AR applications overlay the physical environment with data-generated text, videos, images, etc. Your group will investigate the business uses of augmented reality.

For example, this worker is using googles that overlays information on the unit he is maintaining:

Image result for Augmented Reality

Source: https://blogs.cisco.com/energy/augmented-reality-a-new-reality-for-utilities

This is an example of an AR app that helps customers navigate stores:

Image result for Augmented Reality

Source: https://www.lsretail.com/blog/retailers-benefit-augmented-reality/

The cool business use cases are limitless!

According to The Harvard Business Review Article, “Why Every Organization Needs an Augmented Reality Strategy” by Michael E. Porter and James E. Heppelmann, “Augmented Reality is a set of technologies that superimposes digital data and images on the physical world, promises to close this gap and release untapped and uniquely human capabilities. Though still in its infancy, AR is poised to enter the mainstream; according to one estimate, spending on AR technology will hit $60 billion in 2020. AR will affect companies in every industry and many other types of organizations, from universities to social enterprises. In the coming months and years, it will transform how we learn, make decisions, and interact with the physical world. It will also change how enterprises serve customers, train employees, design and create products, and manage their value chains, and, ultimately, how they compete.”

The entire November-December Issue (2017) of the Harvard Business Review will be a good place to start your investigation. Download the HBR AR App (it’s worth the effort)! Listen to the recorded webinars hosted by MIT; See https://sloanreview.mit.edu/tag/webinar/  The one by Michael Porter and James Heppelmann is particularly insightful because it focuses on business strategy and use cases. See also this paper by Cognizant:

 (https://www.cognizant.com/whitepapers/augmenting-the-reality-of-everything-codex3050.pdf )

Your group presentation should cover:

*      Brief description of the technology and what it enables

*      Why the topic is important to managers,

*      The size of the market in terms of dollars

*      The promised benefits and the potential pitfalls of AR

*      Present many short examples of augmented reality applications used in businesses—this will be the longest segment of your presentation

*      Include a series of several short videos (no more than 3-4 minutes in total)

*      A strategic framework for thinking through how AR can increase competitive advantage

*      A few take aways or best practices

 

Each group is responsible for interviewing at least three people on this topic.  You might try approaching consulting firms who advise on AR for business uses, software providers who sell AR tools, or people within businesses using AR applications.

If you have other creative ideas, please feel free to discuss them with me.