Over the last two decades, the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionised industry by allowing a greater number of machines to communicate instantly and without human interaction. Now business is looking to the next logical step; and this means that the age of the connected worker is upon us. Wearable devices provide a way of merging human and machine by connecting employees with hands-free computing; which makes wearable tech is the perfect first step in your business’ Digital Transformation.
Read on for our three reasons why you should consider implementing Wearable Technology into your business now.
1. Supercharged efficiency
Wearable Technology is relevant for any job that can benefit from hands-free computing to improve efficiency in company processes; whether that be for training on the job or visual identification and reporting on the field. Built for endurance with industrial workers in mind, the RealWear HMT-1 increases both safety and productivity for workers. You’ll find everything you’d expect from a handheld tablet: an 8-core Snapdragon 625 chipset, an Android operating system, 16-megapixel camera, with sensors that respond to the movement of the eye. HMT-1 can be used to play video, look at work instructions, or augment the worker’s environment in real-time.
Taking full advantage of this computing power means integrating WorkfloPlus from Intoware. Workfloplus provides digitisation of existing paper-based and human processes. Digital instructions are deployed through a wearable device to allow the capturing of data in real-time; ensuring the connected worker increases productivity, efficiency and industry compliance. With this much computing power, workers can complete admin tasks on the job to save precious working time and streamline process for optimal efficiency.
2. Enhanced collaboration potential
Having access to company data while leaving hands free to perform tasks means that cohesion in the workplace can become more efficient and widespread than ever imagined before.
RealWear headsets can even integrate with Microsoft Teams by connecting a worker instantly to the rest of the company on one shared platform. In situations where a quarter of first-line workers feel they don’t have the right technology to do their job, hands-free collaboration with Teams allows you to re-imagine task management, quickly train employees and effectively manage shift schedules.
Other wearable tech products, such as Magic Leap 1, bring together physical and digital worlds with augmented reality. This is collaboration which pushes the boundaries of reality, by making it possible to meet with anyone, from anywhere in the world, and it will feel like you are all in the same room. Think Princess Leia transmitting messages through the technology of hologram but imagine the potential of this for real-time collaboration with your team. Skirting the precipice between reality and virtual life, Magic Leap 1 allows remote working that facilitates co-presence and enables seamless file sharing.
3. It’s just history
Throughout history, people have relied on innovative technology to better their lives. Mechanisation and the steam engine arrived in the first Industrial Revolution of 1765, and the internal combustion engine, planes and automobiles emerged in the second (1870). The third Industrial Revolution, starting in 1969, saw us make great strides in Information Technology, communication and electronics. It can’t be that we have reached the pinnacle of all that humans are capable of doing, and many believe that we are currently living through a fourth Industrial Revolution: termed by some as Industry 4.0.
Driven by a need to boost efficiency, become more agile to respond to market unpredictability, improve quality, and to enable new business models, Wearable Technology provides a perfect first step in the world of Industry 4.0. It can only benefit your business to be an early adopter of a technology that is evolving to replace many of the processes that we take for granted. No one wants to be left behind.
To find out more about Wearable Technology, call us on 0333 240 1824 or email sales@soconnect.co.uk