AR, IoT and AI – How HoloLens 2 is driving the future of industrial AR applications

About Webinar

Augmented reality (AR) is pushing the boundaries of the digital world beyond screens and into the multisensory 3D world. AR tools like HoloLens 2 (HL2) leverage holograms to boost overall infrastructure and 3D graphics that eliminate the barrier of distance in access to information, experiences and people. Developing an HL2 app with IoT-enabled sensors, cross-platform tools, edge cloud processing, HL2 hardware and data capabilities can solve real-time challenges across a multitude of industries.

"The market for AR technology is growing, with projections for 2023 valuing it at over 18 billion U.S. dollars." – Statista

In this webinar, our experts will talk about the potential of the upgraded HoloLens 2 device and its combination with the Azure stack. They will also discuss on how Avnet's SmartEdge Industrial IoT Gateway, powered by Raspberry Pi, when combined with HL2 can carry out an end-to-end AR solution, which can yield significant value, while improving numerous business processes, operations and ROI.

We also have Eric Kamont, Director of MR Strategic Partnerships, Microsoft, joining us where he will talk about the HoloLens 2 and its ground-breaking capabilities.

Webinar agenda

• Industrial augmented reality applications and its importance
• Advancements in AR apps with Microsoft technologies
• Adding intelligence to industrial AR apps
• Integrating AR app with SmartEdge Industrial IoT Gateway
• Industrial AR app use cases
• Q & A

Questions & Answers

The following are the answers to the questions that were asked during the live webinar.

Question 1: How can HoloLens application help with the predictive maintenance of a machine?

Answer 1: The HoloLens 2 application leverages the predictive maintenance capabilities of Azure IoT Suite and field technicians can easily identify problems in advance via HoloLens, which enables them to save time and improve first-time-fix rates before it turns out to be a critical issue that can hamper business productivity.

Question 2: Will HL2 support mobile devices such as phones, tablets, and web browsers?

Answer 2: Yes, Microsoft HoloLens 2 device is compatible with iOS and Android phone/tablet devices and Mozilla's Firefox Reality web browser to offer a more immersive, intuitive and comfortable user experience.

Question 3: How HoloLens 2 can help aerospace engineers undergo training from different locations?

Answer 3: The HL2 solution is supporting the global aerospace industry with various processes such as airplane manufacturing, airline maintenance and staff training. Particularly about aerospace engineers training, this application creates a 3D holographic environment and teaches the trainees how to access virtual instructions when performing a maintenance job without having to refer to paper-based instruction manuals. Mixed reality applications are best suited to field maintenance, employee training and remote collaboration.

Question 4: Does the HoloLens still have an emulator for development?

Answer 4: Yes, the HoloLens 2 Emulator was made available to developers on April 17, 2019. This emulator allows developers to run applications on a HoloLens virtual machine image without a physical HoloLens and create applications for the HoloLens 2 before the device ships.

Question 5: How powerful is the HoloLens as a standalone unit to a high-end computer system?

Answer 5: HoloLens 2 is a Windows 10 device that uses use Windows Holographic for Business. Microsoft HoloLens 2 has improved immersiveness, ergonomics and business friendliness.

Other specifications that make HoloLens 2 powered over high-end computer system are–

• PCIe 2.0 x1 at 100 MB/s bandwidth to Snapdragon 850
• 125Mb SRAM
• 7x SIMD Fixed Point (SFP) for 2D processing
• TSMC 16FF+ process
• >1 TOP of programmable compute
• 6x Floating Vector Processor (FVP) for 3D processing
• 79mm2 die size and 2 Billion transistors
• Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) 2.0
• 2x effective DRAM bandwidth
• 1.7x compute
• Enhanced Hologram stability
• New hardware features such as eye-tracking, semantic labeling, fully articulated hand tracking, JBL filter and spatial audio

Question 6: How the end to end connectivity with industrial PLCs can happen which translates to HoloLens with graphical information

Answer 6: Considering an industrial IoT setup, there will be an IoT platform, cloud, gateways and various protocols which would transmit data from the machines. With Azure services, the HoloLens application is integrated with this setup and makes HoloLens an ideal device for industrial AR applications. The data from the PLCs can be provisioned into the HoloLens application according to the machine / equipment and expected outcomes.

You can watch the demo video once again, which shows real-time information of the equipment. This would require designing holograms, CAD models and 3D assets for user interaction and manipulation.

Question 7: How do I get a partnership with Microsoft?

Answer 7: Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Partner Program (MRPP) enables solution providers, digital agencies and systems integrators to develop and implement innovative industry solutions by providing them readiness, sales, and marketing enablement—as well as incentives for delivering business results.

For further details please refer - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/mrpp