A Virtual Assistant to Find AR Solutions in Manufacturing
In the manufacturing industry, decision-makers and professionals see enormous potential in Augmented Reality (AR). However, finding information about AR software or the challenges they can assist with in their company is potentially a time-consuming and costly endeavour. Many professionals resort to extensive Google searches to find solutions to their specific needs. This process can be frustrating, often leading to inadequate solutions and it can also be difficult to identify an appropriate provider. Even when solutions are found, fully understanding the technology's potential and how it is being used by competitors, is not always clear.
In response to the challenge of identifying what AR solution to opt for, we collaborated with manufacturing industry professionals to design a virtual assistant. The assistant is in the form of a chatbot with the purpose being to help industry professionals find AR solutions to assist with their manufacturing. The chatbot also assists in providing valuable insights about how these technologies can be used in manufacturing companies. This blog post summarises what we learnt, highlighting the potential benefits and features of the assistant.
Addressing Industry Pain Points
The assistant directly addresses the challenges faced by industry professionals when seeking AR solutions:
Reduce time spent on research: The assistant eliminates the need for lengthy Google searches and browsing through numerous websites by providing a centralised platform for exploring AR solutions.
Increase understanding of AR technology: The assistant offers detailed information about various AR technologies, their applications, and their potential benefits, enabling users to make more informed decisions.
Improve knowledge of AR usage: The assistant showcases real-world examples of AR implementations, highlighting the situation before and after the intervention, and emphasising the benefits achieved.
Facilitate selection of expert advisors: By providing a deeper understanding of AR, users can formulate detailed and precise questions, leading to the most efficient use of consultants’/providers’ time, as well as facilitating the selection of more qualified experts.
Support for digital champions and consultants: The assistant becomes a valuable resource for technology adoption consultants by helping them identify challenges, potential solutions, and relevant providers.
Tailoring the Experience to User Needs
The industry experts also pointed out ways to improve the assistant to maximise its effectiveness:
Hierarchy-based vocabulary: The assistant should adapt the language and terminology used to the user's role in the organisation, ensuring clear communication and understanding.
AR experience level consideration: The assistant should recognise the user's familiarity with AR, adjust the vocabulary, providing tailored information and guidance based on whether they are experts, have some but limited understanding, or are completely new to the technology.
Beyond a Simple Tool
All the industry experts acknowledged that the virtual assistant is a collaborative partner in the AR solution-finding process rather than a replacement for human expertise. By providing valuable insights into the world of AR, this virtual assistant facilitates communication, knowledge sharing, and informed decision-making. These are all people-led benefits that can increase the adoption of AR in the manufacturing industry.
If you are interested in using the P-LD virtual assistant, click here. Please do assist us in improving our chatbot and provide your feedback here or send us your thoughts in an email to p-ld@bath.ac.uk.
Author’s profile
Dr Rafael Roberto is a Research Associate in Digital Innovation at the Made Smarter Innovation: Centre for People-Led Digitalisation. His research focuses on people-led approaches to identify real-world needs that can be solved using emerging and deep technologies.
If you would like further information on this research please email: p-ld@bath.ac.uk
