Google Glass Overtaken By Rivals in Enterprise Adoption of Augmented Reality

Smart glasses are seeing adoption in use for workers in factories, distribution centers, oilfields, and other workplace applications, but products by Osterhout Design Group, Epson, and Sony boast top design features and generally are becoming more widely adopted than Google Glass for these solutions, said Lux Research Analyst Tony Sun in the report, “Better Than Google Glass: Finding the Right Smart Glasses for Enterprise.”

As augmented reality solutions in manufacturing and other sectors begin to take hold, Google Glass -- the pioneer in technology in the field -- is being pushed aside in favor of rival technology from Sony, Epson and others.
(Source: Google)

It’s the form factor of the glasses and their wearability that differentiates them from technology that has similar features like transparent displays, voice control, and touchpad interfaces, Sun told Design News.

“Compared with other form factors like PCs, tablets, and smartphones, the two major benefits of smart glasses are hands-free control and information display in field of view,” he said. “The combination of the two allows workers to do tasks more efficiently, such as receiving instructions from a remote expert without interrupting the hands-on work.”

Indeed, the report identifies at least 70 enterprise deployments for smart glasses that fit into three categories -- accessing information, real-time communication, and documentation.

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For example, in the area of accessing information, Lockheed Martin is in a pilot program to deploy Epson Moverio BT-200s for technicians working on building F-35s. The smart glasses can overlay instruction images and part numbers onto the technician's field of view with software developed by NGRAIN, allowing engineers to work 30% faster, and with improved accuracy up to 96%, according to the report.

Among the three types of applications, Google Glass is used only in real-time communication applications, such as online sales support. But even there it faces competition from Vuzix, which offer smart glasses that are light enough for users to wear all day and also include a live video streaming function that Google Glass does not have, according to Sun.

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Both were used together in another pilot application evaluated by Lux in the report. DHL is using Google Glass and Vuzix M100 smart glasses to run applications developed by Ubimax that read bar codes and tell workers the fastest route to find requested products. DHL said the solution is reducing the time it takes workers to retrieve an item and pack it for shipping by 25%.

Another competitive product, Sony’s SmartEyeglass, is making its mark in customer-service and quality-control applications, Sun said in the report. Its lightweight, small form factor, and competitive price makes it a good fit for these apps, he said. It also is well-suited to warehousing, assembly, and installation applications behind Meta-1 from Meta, which is not on the commercial market yet, he added.

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While some smart glasses have their niche application, the report found that the best overall is the ODG R-7 from Osterhout, which meets minimum performance requirements across all three key enterprise applications of the devices. It’s the only one on the market that does not need a wired controller and meets industrial standards for hazardous environments, according to Sun.

Elizabeth Montalbano is a freelance writer who has written about technology and culture for more than 15 years. She has lived and worked as a professional journalist in Phoenix, San Francisco, and New York City. In her free time she enjoys surfing, traveling, music, yoga, and cooking. She currently resides in a village on the southwest coast of Portugal.

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