Lenovo, one of the world’s largest providers of computer and virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) devices and services, has teamed up with Xerox-owned CareAR to develop a novel 3D extended reality (XR) solution to incorporate live remote assistance, real-time 3D instructions, and analytics and insights to tackle problems for teams, it was announced on Tuesday.
CareAR has provided its SXM platform for the Lenovo ThinkReality A3 smart glasses, which allow users to view multiple screens, stream video and audio, and object recognition using simultaneous, localisation, and mapping (SLAM) techniques to superimpose digital assets.
CareAR’s ServiceNow platform also backs field technicians using Lenovo’s flagship smart glass devices to work with remote guidance experts for live instructions, visuals, and digital twins, among others.
Bulent Cinarkaya, General Manager of Field Service Management at ServiceNow, said that AR and VR had become “imperative” to safe, efficient field service management experiences and to quickly resolve issues and minimise “expensive on-site visits.”
Speaking on the partnership, he added,
“[It] will allow enterprise customers and service technicians to expand the use of AR to “hands-free” use cases and optimize the ways enterprises train technicians, share knowledge, troubleshoot issues, and offer support”
Vishal Shah, General Manager of XR and Metaverse for Lenovo, explained that to date, the rapid-paced nature of enterprises and posed significant challenges to field technicians to “instantly gain access to customer sites,” namely as the latter expected and required vendors to “resolve issues quickly.”
He added,
“Our A3 smart glasses and ThinkReality platform pairs well with CareAR’s platform to modernize the service experience by empowering field technicians and enterprise customers to access the insight needed to identify and repair issues quickly, reducing truck rolls and costly downtime”
Sam Waicberg, CareAR President and Co-Founder, concluded the partnership will transform service experiences, adding,
“Providing the power for a technician to put on a pair of Lenovo smart glasses and instantly be empowered with relevant knowledge and guidance served from CareAR to perform tasks beyond their skills or experience levels is nothing short of game changing”
Lenovo, CareAR Build Bridges to the Metaverse
The news comes after Shah explained to XR Today in an interview how the ThinkReality A3 would serve as a bespoke device for building metaverse solutions and infrastructure for the enterprise.
The device, which features cloud-agnostic hardware and software ecosystems, provided enterprises with multi-screen views, remote guidance even in poorly-connected sites, and robust device management systems across all tiers of business operations, among many others.
Lenovo also struck a massive partnership with the Philippines’ FELTA programme to deploy EdVision immersive devices for learners while leveraging the former’s ongoing partnership with Qualcomm Technologies and its Snapdragon Spaces XR ecosystem.
Conversely, CareAR launched a strategic alliance in June with ServiceNow and Infosys to leverage the latter’s Metaverse Foundry Service and CareAR’s clients, securing innovative immersive technologies for field services, healthcare, telecommunications, and other novel applications.
