Augmented & Virtual Reality: an opportunity for the Industrial world

Augmented Reality (AR) is an experience that allows perceiving the extended version of the surrounding world, it is a technology that helps visualise the reality supported by computer-generated augments creating an integrated vision. Virtual Reality (VR) is an experience that immerses a user into the virtual world, isolating him from the real one and providing a completely new vision. A user can feel a completely different experience and try a series of different scenarios of the same situation, thick and fast. Moreover, ample space for improvements in the applications of AR/VR technologies lies in exploiting the synergies with other digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence.
The report is aimed at presenting industrial applications of augmented and virtual reality. In the first chapter, augmented and virtual reality technologies are introduced together with other combinations of the real and the virtual worlds that have been lastly emerging: mixed reality, augmented virtuality, extended reality. Then, the key elements to realise industrial applications are illustrated: hardware (AR/VR devices), software (AR/VR platforms), and the role of users (i.e.workers). Industry 4.0 observatory has identified seven main areas of applications of AR/VR technologies based on a database of 170 AR/VR projects gathered during the last five years of research. So, the report provides examples of such applications, highlighting the general benefits obtained from the AR/VR projects.