The State of Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) technology is transforming the way companies design, manufacture, operate, and service products—and fast. PTC’s State of Industrial Innovation research series provides actionable insights for industrial enterprises deploying AR. Explore research findings and discover how augmented reality is used by forward-thinking organizations driving digital transformation.
Augmented Reality Adoption by Industry
Which industries are moving quickly to capitalize on the AR opportunity?
Augmented Reality Use Case Distribution by Role
How is AR being applied to produce business results?
Digital Design Review - 5%
Using AR to inspect and test 3D digital prototypes, complimenting traditional prototyping
Collaborative Design Review - 3%
Engineers and designers use a shared view in AR to collaboratively review and develop products
Augmented Design Review - 2%
Superimposing changes or design enhancements on top of a physical product or prototype
Operator & Assembly Work Instructions - 6%
Overlay in-context detailed assembly and manufacturing instructions on how to perform processes, operate machinery, or assemble parts.
Maintenance Work Instructions - 6%
Overlay in-context detailed maintenance instructions on how to repair and perform upkeep on complex machinery
Quality Assurance - 3%
Validate production quality by comparing overlaid 3D digital CAD models to physical productions. AR also enables workers to add photos and videos to a quality assurance report
Virtual Layout Planning - 3%
Production facility planning using AR to overlay, change, and validate floor layout designs
Performance Dashboards & Alerts - 3%
View overlaid real-time equipment KPIs in context
Safety & Security Alerts - 2%
AR provides real-time access to safety alerts and instructions during emergencies and for hazardous situations
Virtual Product Companions - 7%
Augments users experience and makes the product more engaging
Augmented Brand Experience - 4%
Leverage AR-enabled advertisements to create more engaging & dynamic experiences
Retail Space Optimization - 2%
Visualization of floor plan layouts, changes and end cap design
Service Manual & Instructions - 7%
Augmented training materials enable a faster response, decision making and increased first-time fix rate as service technicians can rapidly access information hands-free
Service Inspection & Verification - 6%
Service training is more efficient, situational and realistic than traditional training through paper manuals
Remote Expertise - 5%
Remote expertise (i.e. AR collaboration) bridge gap between technical experts and a lesser skilled workforce
Customer Self-Service - 4%
Overlaying in-context detailed product instructions to help improve the end customer self-service experience
Guided Work Instructions - 2%
Overlaying floating arrows, simple text checklist etc. to instruct means to solve a problem.
Augmented Operator Manual - 5%
Displays product operation information and instructions for product usage and simple repairs overlaid in context of the product
Head-Up Display - 3%
Provides real-time access to safety alerts, maps, and other dynamic content overlaid on the user’s dashboard or line of sight
Augmented Interface - 3%
Extend the product’s means to be controlled through an augmented user interface. The augmented interface can enable the removal of physical interfaces (i.e. button)
Digital Product Extension - 3%
Overlay digital graphics and information on physical product to enhance overall customer experience
Job-Specific Training - 6%
Interactive and situational training that overlays 3D instructions for job tasks and assignments enabling hands-on and traditional training to be simultaneous
Safety & Security Training - 3%
Overlaying of 3D instructions on security and safety procedures to prepare employees to handle potentially life-threatening or dangerous situations
Expert Coaching - 3%
Remote expert collaboration enables employees to access insights in real-time on specific job processes or tasks
Knowledge Transfer - 2%
Enabling employees with remote expert collaboration to access insights in real-time on specific job processes or tasks.
AR Hardware Usage
What devices are AR experiences being delivered through?
Smartphone
Tablet
Transform your business with Vuforia AR
Want to learn about how augmented reality technology can drive digital transformation for your business? Explore the Vuforia AR platform and read industrial AR use cases and market research.