New York-based Vuzix, a developer of “smart glasses” hardware and accompanying apps, has partnered with augmented reality (AR) SaaS company TechSight to offer an AR tech-support service for warehouse technicians.
The hands-free AR service, which is beginning to be used in some e-commerce warehouses and distribution centers, enables tech teams to view exactly what warehouse crews are seeing in real time, “eliminating both the communication limitations of a standard telephone call and the safety concerns with handheld devices.”
Outside of the tech support angle, the interface also allows users to capture data, enabling logistics companies to analyze trends and procedural warehouse inefficiencies.
One pair of these sci-fi shades will run you about US$2,000. However, Vuzix said that customers can make the investment back five times over in a single use, “if key equipment failures can be remedied faster or avoided” with use of the product, which is important in a time-critical warehouse environment, where every hour the supply chain is set back could cost thousands of dollars.