Bridging the Human/Machine Gap with Augmented Reality

The Industrial Internet of Things has paved the way for machine automation of simple and routine tasks for smart, connected products (SCP). In parallel, augmented reality is empowering workers and yielding incredible gains in worker productivity. In the future, work will be a mix of tasks conducted by humans and machines working collaboratively together. Augmented reality is the next-generation human-machine interface (HMI) to bridge the workflow gaps in tasks and maximize efficiencies of human and machine interactions. This emergence of a task ecosystem where workers and machines work synchronously is replacing dated automation utopian mindsets like lights-out systems, where even technology pioneers like Elon Musk are citing the importance of human workers and the pitfalls of excessive automation and its detrimental impact on Tesla production.