An accessible and versatile Augmented Reality content creation tool for SMEs and large companies

Project Information

VISCOPIC Pins

Grant agreement ID: 878239

DOI

10.3030/878239

Project closed

EC signature date 25 July 2019

Start date 1 August 2019

End date 31 January 2020

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

VISCOPIC GMBH
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - VISCOPIC Pins (An accessible and versatile Augmented Reality content creation tool for SMEs and large companies)

Reporting period: 2019-08-01 to 2020-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The ongoing digitalization is presenting companies with the new challenge to effectively work with the arising data masses and to provide the right information at the right spot. Augmented Reality (AR) has the highest potential to fill the gap. But for most companies approaching the technology or ordering a custom solution is too expensive. This prevents them from getting familiar with AR or implementing AR as a major tool. With VISCOPIC Pins, VISCOPIC is providing a simple and versatile AR solution for small and large companies likewise. With the dedicated AR editor, the creation of AR content is easily learnable within an hour – no previous knowledge required.
The aim of the project was to find an answer to the key question: For which use cases outside the currently targeted industries can VISCOPIC generate significant added value for customers with the software VISCOPIC Pins? The initial goal of the approach was to come from a broad perspective, including all possible markets and use-cases for analysis. An initial, unrestricted long-list of possible AR applications considering PINS was created through ideation and desk research. This was followed by expert discussions, from which the most promising areas of application were then further developed. As a result, concrete new fields of application were finally found.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

On the one hand, further experience was gained in the market already addressed - industry, automotive and mechanical engineering. For this purpose, 6 different use cases within this market were successfully tested with different customers using content created via VISCOPIC Pins.

On the other hand, new use cases were searched for in markets where VISCOPIC had no contact points so far. The use cases were bundled according to markets and initially arranged in ranking order. Expert and user interviews were conducted in the relevant areas of the eight most important markets to gain insight into the problems from the inside. After the first round of interviews, the references and insights gained were used to specify the second round of interviews with people closer to the identified problem area. in order to accurately evaluate the results of the interviews, further use cases were developed. The previously investigated markets were then ranked according to their potential for AR applications, with the most relevant use cases determining the main results.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In the already active market - industry, automotive and production - it was found that especially the use of augmented reality and computer vision in production generates a clearly measurable customer benefit. By means of clearly visualized and easily understandable Augmented Reality step-by-step instructions, the training time of new employees can be minimized. In addition, computer vision can help to check the correctness of the execution of the work steps of the employees, thus minimizing errors and reducing rework costs. This also leads to a clearly measurable customer benefit. Finally, the VISCOPIC Pins software was successfully implemented in production at the first customers. In the next step, further customers will be acquired and the software for this application will be further expanded.

Further use cases that qualify for AR applications with VISCOPIC Pins are part of the car-sharing and construction market. These industries should be targeted by VISCOPIC to broaden the perspective of the PINS usage. For the car-sharing industry, VISCOPIC can create an intuitive AR reporting workflow to report damages. A digital solution for the construction industry can simplify the quality assurance processes on construction sites, allowing continuous quality control.
PINS was created primarily for the creation of AR content in the manufacturing industry, so the software is focused on use cases in this market. To use PINS for the newly identified use cases, changes are necessary. The next step is planned to analyze these necessary changes with customers and implement them with pilot customers.

VISCOPIC Pins Editor

VISCOPIC Pins Viewer

VISCOPIC Pins Viewer