Augmented and virtual reality are considered technologies with great potential in terms of industrial production processes. Austria intends to boost this potential with the Mixed Reality Based Collaboration 4 Industry project. Industry partners come up with concrete use cases and develop them together with researchers and scientists. The project focuses on four topics: supporting production at the machine, remote plant service support, education and training in modern training courses and presenting products in virtual showrooms.

Each mixed reality example will be paired with a prototypical implementation for internal use and evaluation, explains Thomas Moser from the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences . Their acceptance and their potential impact on the world of work will also be analyzed. Last but not least, the project will also examine existing mixed reality hardware for its suitability for industrial use, for example in terms of noise levels, safety requirements or lighting conditions.

For example, a video clip by the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) shows how mixed reality can be used in maintenance. Among other things, the institute is developing predictive maintenance algorithms and process analysis sensors.