Augmented Reality Goes From Gaming to Facilities Management

Facility managers are responsible for keeping their buildings clean and safe for facility occupants and visitors. An increasing number of managers are turning to augmented reality (AR), a technology which first became popular in gaming and entertainment, to help them accomplish this task during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

A new report from Resonai, an AI and computer software developer, found 20%—one in five—of facility mangers are currently using AR and nearly three-quarters—73%—are expected to implement this technology in the next two years.

The report is based on a digital survey conducted by Resonai from November 2020 to January 2021 to better understand the current trends and uses of AR. Respondents included senior facility management directors and executives from the United States and Europe in various industries including corporate offices, manufacturing, retail, residential, health care, education, entertainment, and grocery.

The survey found:

• Hospitals and medical facilities have embraced AR more than other industries, with 30% of health care facilities surveyed implementing AR technology followed by manufacturing facilities ( 26%), educational facilities (25%), and corporate offices ( 23%).
• Marketing applications, such as tours and demos, are the most common uses of AR at 20%, followed by industrial manufacturing applications at 18%, smart maintenance and repairs (12%), tenant and visitor services (10%), and training/tutorials (10%).
• Facility managers listed the greatest benefit of AR as the automation of maintenance processes at 49%, prevention of maintenance issues (45%), training and tutorials (38%), property sales and leasing (32%), reduction of physical contact during the COVID-19 pandemic (27%), creation of new revenue opportunities (27%), and insights derived from AR-based analytics (22%).
• Survey respondents named cost as the most commonly perceived barrier to AR adoption at 40%. Another barrier was that some companies (38%) have no internal position equipped to manage AR solutions.

According to the report, AR technology is expected to undergo “explosive growth” in the next few years, with Goldman Sachs Research projecting this industry to represent a US$80 billion market by 2025.

“AR has come a long way since its first implementations in gaming and entertainment,” said Emil Alon, CEO and founder of Resonai. “As buildings become smarter and the digital and physical worlds become one, building owners and facilities managers are turning to AR and AI for everything from improved maintenance to indoor navigation.”

Learn how facility mangers and service providers are relying on data from augmented reality, artificial intelligence (AI), and internet of things technology to help their buildings and businesses run more efficiently.