Category: ABI Research

Posted on

ABI Research Announces Latest Transformative Technologies Webinar

Immersive technology such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is changing aspects of many industries. In some cases this involves employee training, or better remote support. ABI Research is devoting its latest Transformative Technologies web seminar to exploring how new technology, including VR and AR can change the maritime supply chain.

The maritime freight industry is an area undergoing significant growth, with reports indicating the industry is expected to grow from $166 billion (USD) in 2017 to over $205 billion in 2023. The webinar by ABI Research aims to explore how new technologies can transform this industry.

ABIResearch_Company_Logo

The maritime freight industry is particularly interested in searching out solutions to address problems in security, overcapacity, safety and cost modelling. The webinar plans to look at how emerging technologies can offer game-changing opportunities to the maritime shipping industry.

ABI Research believes that revenues and profits will be driven by technologies which can best take advantage of technologies such as analytics, blockchain, electrification, assisted and automated operations, drones and robotics, and AR/VR.

The webinar will specifically address the following areas:

  • Why is this an important market to consider?
  • Who are some of the most interesting industry leaders?
  • What are some of the key technologies developing in the industry?
  • Who are the current technology influencers?
  • How is the market evolving during the next five years?

The webinar will be presented by ABI Research’s Principal Analyst, Susan Beardslee and will be shown on 6th November, 2018 at 2pm Eastern Time. The session will last approximately 30 minutes, followed by a question and answer session.

Further information and registration for the webinar can be found on the ABI Research website, along with a list of ABI Research’s future webinars.

For future coverage of new events related to VR and AR, keep checking back with VRFocus.

Posted on

ABI Research Provides New Report On Eight Technologies That Will Transform Manufacturing

ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm that provides strategic guidance on compelling transformative technologies have released a recent report that outlines how technologies fit together with each other in Smart Manufacturing and identifies vendor challenges and solutions within the sector. The eight areas the report covers include additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), augmented reality (AR), blockchain, digital twins, edge intelligence, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platforms, and Robotics.

ABIResearch_Company_Logo

Within the manufacturing sector there has already been an increased adoption of IIot platforms and edge intelligence. Over the next ten years, it is expected that manufactures will start piecing together the other new technologies to eventually lead to a more dynamic factories less dependent on fixed assembly lines and immobile assets.

“Manufacturers want technologies they can implement now without disrupting their operations,” says Pierce Owen, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “They will change the way their employees perform jobs with technology if it will make them more productive, but they have no desire to rip out their entire infrastructure to try something new. This means technologies that can leverage existing equipment and infrastructure, such as edge intelligence, have the most immediate opportunity.”

With a transition towards a lights-out factory already in motion, the major disruption will require an overhaul of workforce, IT architecture, physical facilities and equipment and full integration of a number of new technologies including connectivity, additive manufacturing, drones, mobiles collaborative robotics, IIoT platforms and AI, according to the report.

The report also notes that the above technologies have already started to converge and that robotics provide a physical representation of this convergence. Their use of AI and computer vision and connect to IIoT platforms where their digital twins are located. This connectivity, along with AI, will increase in importance as more robots and technology join the assembly line and work alongside humans and each other.

ABI Research’s full report, titled Smart Manufacturing Transformative Horizon, is available to be read in full and is part of the company’s Smart Manufacturing research service. Back in May ABI Research released a report that predicts AR will struggle in the brick and mortar retail environment.

For more on ABI Research in the future, keep reading VRFocus. 

Posted on

New Report Says AR Is Creating Market Value For Automotive Industry

Augmented reality (AR) has started to attract attention is industry and enterprise, with a rising number of firms turning to AR or mixed reality (MR) to improve productivity in various ways. A report by ABI Research indicates that this trend will continue, and that AR will be vital in creating future market value for the automotive industry.

Automotive manufacturers are already experimenting with AR and MR technologies, with Ford equipping its designers with the Microsoft HoloLens, and other companies such as Hyundai and Volvo utilising the technology for virtual test drives.

ABI Research estimates that global smart glasses shipments for use in the automotive industry will hit 1.7 million in 2022, and the total automotive AR market is expected to grow at CAGR of 177% to reach $5.5 billion (USD) by 2022.

“Augmented Reality benefits automotive manufacturers at many stages of a product cycle, including design, prototyping, manufacturing, and marketing,” says Marina Lu, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. “In design, digital 3D visualization and analysis of body structure and components can save time and resources. Collaboration is streamlined and improved, evaluating the same content in real time, which ultimately speeds up decision-making. AR technology supplements traditional tools, such as clay modeling, with virtual components on top of an existing physical object, to show design variants or to support design reviews, again shortening cycles and saving on design and prototyping costs.”

“While it is still early for automotive AR use, the applications at play have already shown proven ROI,” adds Eric Abbruzzese, Principal Analyst. “ROI is always the first question to answer for any new technology, and this is especially true for AR. Collaboration, step by step instruction, remote expertise, 3D spatial visualization, and more have all been tried across industries, with positive and predictable results. The importance of design and prototyping combined with the slim margins of the automotive industry make it a prime candidate for wide AR adoption. From 3D visualization with designers to enhancing employee efficiency and safety on the plant floor to enticing buyers with digital experiences, the symbiotic relationship between augmented reality and the end-to-end automotive market is strong, and will continue to strengthen and grow.”

Ford_MoSCar_Visualise

The full report, titled AR in Automotive, Design, Prototyping and Marketing is part of ABI Research’s AR & Mixed Reality research service. Further information can be found on the company’s website. Further news on developments in the VR and Ar industry will be here on VRFocus.

Posted on

Report Shows Continuing Application Growth In AR

Augmented reality (AR) has been receiving much attention in recent months, thanks to the development of high-profile AR apps such as Pokemon Go and toolkits such as ARKit and ARCore. A report released by ABI Research shows that the AR market is still undergoing significant expansion into new areas in consumer and enterprise sectors.

ABI Research is predicting that binocular device types such as smartglasses will undergo continued increases in demand, especially with regards to manufacturing and enterprise applications from companies such as Vuzix and Avegant.

Vuzix Blade 3000

The report forecasts that there will be 32.7 million total smart glasses shipments in 2022, growing from 225 thousand in 2017. The development of the technology to provide smaller and more lightweight form-factor smartglasses, with higher resolution displays will drive continued demand.

“The past few years have allowed augmented reality to take root in the enterprise with compelling and unique use cases, including remote expertise and hands-free instruction,” says Eric Abbruzzese, Principal Analyst for ABI Research. “As the market matures, there will be a need for greater capability in these AR devices, with displays powering much of the change. Given the growing consumer market interest, the similarities and differences between display types in AR will be increasingly important.”

“As the AR demand grows in enterprise and begins in the consumer market, the requirements for smart glasses shift,” continues Abbruzzese. “Generally, an increased desire for higher-performing devices will push the market toward better displays in every category, with some use cases targeting specific needs. Consumer fitness devices will require small form factors and high brightness suitable for outdoor usage. AR media and entertainment growth with necessitate binocular, 3D capable devices with high resolution. Devices used in environments with high safety requirements will favor safety certified devices with highly transparent displays. Across the board, as knowledge and comfort with the potential of AR grow, so does the expectation for the devices, and with that expectation the requirements for devices grow too.”

The full finding from the report, titled Display Technologies in Augmented and Mixed Reality, can be found on the ABI Research website. Further reports from the immersive technology industry will be covered here on VRFocus.

Posted on

Report Shows Chinese VR Shipments Will Surpass 20m

The rapid growth of China into an economic powerhouse has changed the landscape for many businesses over the past few years, particularly in the entertainment and technology sectors. The importance of the Chinese market for virtual reality (VR) and associated products and technologies has only grown, and ABI Research forecasts that trend will continue.

The report by ABI Research indicates that the Chinese VR market will reach over 20.5 million VR head-mounted display (HMD) units sold by 2022, a growth driven by entertainment, retail and the ready availability of low-cost VR hardware.

HTC Vive Focus headset

With an increasing number of Chinese firms entering the technology and internet sector, areas such as streaming video have become increasingly competitive. Companies such as iQIY, Tencent and Youku are using their VR-based services to keep one step ahead of the competition, such as iQIY’s videogaming and VR video service, Tencent’s 360-degree concert live streams and Youku’s VR content library.

Also influencing the development of the VR consumer market in China is the development of VR-based online shopping apps that allow users to more carefully try out items such as clothing or furniture before making a purchase. In addition, a number of Chinese schools are considering implementing VR technologies for both academic and extracurricular use.

“China’s huge e-commerce market also creates a large opportunity for VR in the Retail & Marketing segment. Online shopping is a preferred way of shopping for Chinese tech savvy millennials,” says Khin Sandi Lynn, Industry Analyst at ABI Research.

“The Chinese VR market is mainly driven by consumer applications at present with limited applications available for segments such as healthcare, manufacturing or utilities & energy. Development of high quality hardware and software is required for the high-accuracy and content-specific needs of these markets,” Lynn concludes.

The full report from ABI Research is titled VR in China: Platforms and Content. Further information can be found on the ABI Research official website.

For other news on industry trends and new reports on in immersive technology sector, keep watching VRFocus.

Posted on

VR Headsets to see Mass Adoption of WiGig for Wireless Solution

Virtual reality (VR) has been steadily growing over the past few years, with the consumer head-mounted displays (HMDs) becoming available and new technologies pushing the boundaries of the experiences coming to the medium. However, one of the major hurdles to mainstream adoption remains the cables high-end devices have connected to either a PC or PlayStation 4 console. This may well change soon thanks to the likes of TPCast and DisplayLink, and a new report suggests that future HMDs will likely adopt WiGig technology for wireless narrowcast.

HTC Vive TPCAST

Wireless connectivity is increasingly important for VR users to have better experience, and ABI Research forecasts that almost 84% of tethered VR HMDs will have wireless connectivity using WiGig in 2022. A wired connection between the HMD and PC’s or consoles can restrict the freedom of movement for users, and while mobile and standalone devices run without the need of a cable connection, processing power is limited compared to tethered VR devices. In addition to TPCast and DisplayLink, chipset developers such as Intel, Qualcomm and Peraso are working together with hardware manufacturers to add wireless connectivity using WiGig in tethered VR devices.

Development of Cloud VR applications are expected to be another driver of wireless connectivity in VR HMDs, with the recent announcement of HTC partnering with Dalian Television and Beijing Cyber Cloud to test cloud VR service highlighting a potential future. Much like Cloudgine’s physics engine technology, rendering is done in cloud servers which allows users to access VR applications from anywhere without the requirement of a high-end PC.

“A high data rate and low latency connectivity are required for Cloud VR applications. WiGig which can provide up to 7 Gbps connectivity will play important role to support high bandwidth applications for indoor use,” stated Khin Sandi Lynn, industry analyst at ABI Research. “High capacity, low latency 5G networks will be essential for deployment of Cloud VR applications for mobile and standalone VR devices.”

ABI Research forecasts that 5G connectivity will be available in VR HMD starting from 2020 and over 2.6 million VR HMDs will support 5G connectivity in 2022. These findings are from ABI Research’s Connectivity in VR report.

Of course, the standalone HMDs in question are Oculus VR’s Santa Cruz, expected to launch late in 2018, and Google & Vive’s forthcoming device currently believed to be known as ‘HTC Vive Focus’. This collaboration was originally stated to be releasing in 2017 at Google I/O back in May of this year, however there has been little information concerning the HMD since. VRFocus will of course keep you updated with any further details on Santa Cruz, the HTC Vive Focus and other wireless VR HMD technologies.

Posted on

Report Predicts Medical VR Market Will Be Worth $285m by 2022

Virtual reality (VR) has already begun to see use in a variety of medical areas, including addiction treatment, training, stress relief and surgical assistance. While still not mainstream it is still a large growth are for VR. A new report by ABI Research suggests this growth will continue.

The report indicates that the rise in interest in medical VR is being driven by a variety of interests, including medical professionals, hospitals, colleges and medical technology companies. ABI Research forecasts that the medical VR sector will generate $8.9 million (USD), rising to $285million by 2022.

The report identified four main areas of activity for medical and healthcare VR: therapy, training, surgery related applications and medical research. The report noted that therapy applications are currently the are where VR is most frequently used, covering uses where supervision by a therapist is not always needed, such as for sleep management or smoking cessation programs.

Many organisations have begun trialing or deploying VR as it moves into the mainstream and its benefits becomes better known. The report cites several examples such as MindMaze VR rehabilitation platform, or the Kortex sleep and stress management application.

“Non-medical therapeutic applications which usually don’t require strict regulations compared to medical therapies are growing in the consumer segment too. VR applications such as smoke cessation, sleep management, stress management, and memory improvement for the elderly are increasingly used by consumers for their general health,” notes Khin Sandi Lynn, industry analyst at ABI Research.

The research does note that for areas such as surgical preparation, VR is largely not seen as precise or responsive enough to create scenarios that can accurately provide for complex surgical scenarios. This will no doubt change as technology advances.

VRFocus will continue to report on developments in the VR industry.

Posted on

ABI Research Predicts Mobile VR’s 6DoF Future

When the HTC Standalone headset was announced at Google I/O earlier this year, some criticism was directed its way with regards to the decision to bundle the device with a 3DoF controller. It seems that criticism may have been on point, since a new report predicts the rise of 6DoF controls.

The 3DoF controllers for the HTC Standalone is very similar to the one offered with the Google Daydream, which makes sense since they rely on the same platform software, but as untethered and mobile virtual reality (VR) advances, audiences may not be keen to accept the limitations of a 3DoF controller.

HTC Vive Standalone including Controller

The report compiled by ABI Research indicates that consumer expectations for untethered and mobile VR are increasing. Current mobile VR is affected by what is termed the ‘screen door effect’ created by the relatively low resolution displays offered by smartphone-powered VR headsets such as the Google Daydream and Samsung Gear VR. Most devices in that category can only offer 1080p/2K resolution, which the report indicates will not be sufficient to meet consumer expectations and drive the market forward.

Accuracy is also becoming an increasing desire for consumers. The report indicates that VR devices utilising 6DoF controls will represent over 40% of the mobile VR and standalone combined market by 2022.

“A 6 DOF is the ideal goal and mobile and standalone VR devices are moving towards 6 DOF tracking to provide a total immersive experience. Mindmaze and uSens have announced 6 DOF position tracking solution for mobile VR devices, and Google announced Worldsense, a standalone VR device with 6 DOF,” notes Khin Sandi Lynn, industry analyst at ABI Research.

VRFocus will continue to report on developments within the VR industry.

Posted on

US Business Has A Strong Interest In VR Technology

It has been previously demonstrated that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology has a multitude of potential business and enterprise applications. A Report by ABI Research has that a majority of US-based businesses are interested in VR technology.

ABI Research took a survey of 455 US-based companies across nine markets, and found that while only 4% of those surveyed had VR systems currently deployed, 85% were in at least early stages of investigation. VR was also ahead of technologies such as AI in terms of business interest in the technology.

“Despite VR being a new technology, with some setbacks already evident, the survey yielded some surprisingly positive results for VR in enterprise and commercials spaces,” says Michael Inouye, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “The B2B market will take longer to develop than the consumer space, but its expansion, at least in the U.S., could occur at a faster rate than we had previously estimated.”

The areas with the most interest in VR technology included healthcare, retail, automotive/transportation and consumer packaged goods. Training, testing and marketing were all indicated to be popular potential areas for VR application.

Sam Rosen, Managing Director and VP at ABI Research, concluded “For any application that benefits from deeply immersive experiences, VR is often a natural fit. We’re starting to see some early experimentation where VR will expand its horizons. The combination of a VR headset with a

camera pass-through for merged reality experience in particular, will open it up to a much wider range of applications. We still expect the consumer segment of the VR market to hold the largest revenue share over the next five years, but eventually we anticipate the B2B opportunity will overtake the consumer space, especially if VR and related technologies do become the next compute platform.”

VRFocus will continue to report on new developments in VR for business and enterprise use.

Posted on

The Next Step for VR Headsets: Display Technology to Improve Before Wireless Solutions Arrive

The growing adoption of virtual reality (VR) devices worldwide is a fantastic achievement, but at the same time is accelerating the need for improved hardware. While many argue that wireless head-mounted displays (HMDs) are the next barrier, ABI Research suggests that the display technology will improve before high-end untethered VR becomes the norm.

VR Headset Price WarsHigher resolution displays are required to solve the ‘screen door effect’ caused by short distances between the user’s eyes and the display. Although the majority of VR HMDs available today support resolution of 2K or less, HMDs with higher resolutions are starting to enter the market.

According to recent forecasts from ABI Research, almost two-thirds (66%) of VR HMDs are expected to support 4K (Ultra HD) resolution in 2022. Displays with higher pixel density, wider field of view (FOV), and higher refresh rates are being developed to provide consumers with a more immersive experience. These displays, along with HMDs with reduced power consumption, size and weight will likely be the major considerations for the second generation of high-end HMDs.

“Tethered VR devices which are usually targeted at gaming applications, support higher resolutions displays compared to mobile or standalone segments. A number of tethered VR devices provide 2K resolution and some with 4K resolution displays have already hit the market,” commented Khin Sandi Lynn, industry analyst from ABI Research.

VR prototypes with even higher resolution have already been developed. In early 2017, Panasonic demonstrated a VR HMD of 6400×1440 resolution, 200-degree FOV, by using 4 LCD display with 1600×1440 resolution each. Another VR HMD maker which has showcased high resolution display is Pimax, with a prototype that supports 8K resolution with 200-degree FOV.

Fove image headshotWhile improving the VR display resolution, headset makers are also working towards development of foveated rendering, which computes the highest quality image only at the centre of the human visual field. NVIDIA has already developed a proof of concept for this technology, as showcased at SIGGRAPH, Anaheim, last year, while FOVE is a HMD based entirely on the progression of foveated rendering.

“While our eyes can see full resolution only at the center of vision, foveated rendering tracks eye movement and enables the processor to render full resolution on display any area where the eyes are focusing,” Lynn explains. “With efficient eye-tracking technology, foveated rendering sharpens the image at the focus point of the eyes, and reduce the resolution outside the focus point saving the graphic processing loads.”

Foveated rendering and eye tracking are likely to become important technologies in future VR HMDs for rendering high resolution images.

You can check out ABI Research’s report at https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/product/1028886-display-technologies-in-virtual-reality/, and VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest display technologies, rendering techniques and more for the future of VR hardware.