Augmented Reality Gets Pandemic Boost – The Wall Street Journal

The jump in demand for augmented-reality technology is forecast to continue over the next five years, buoyed in part by increased adoption by some industries during the pandemic.

Augmented reality, which superimposes digital content onto a user’s view of the real world, became more valuable for some companies such as Mercedes-Benz USA and

L’Oréal SA

last year amid social distancing requirements and lockdowns. The companies are using the technology to provide assistance for employees and consumers in real-time, without needing to be physically present.

“We saw the appetite, it grew and it’s our responsibility now to continue to innovate,” said

Lubomira Rochet,

chief digital officer at L’Oréal, whose brands include Lancôme, Kiehl’s and Maybelline New York.

The French cosmetics company has launched several new augmented-reality projects in recent months, for both consumers and employees. One connects customers with beauty advisers using AR technology from ModiFace, a company L’Oréal bought in 2018. The beauty expert can meet for a tele-consultation via mobile app and apply makeup virtually to a customer’s face in real-time.

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Last summer, L’Oréal also began using

Microsoft Corp.’s

HoloLens 2 headset to help employees install and troubleshoot manufacturing equipment with assistance from experts in different parts of the world.

While wearing the HoloLens 2 headset, users can see data, instructions and 3-D visual images in their real-world view. They can manipulate digital objects by using their fingers to grab the corners of the object and drag it over to one side, among other gestures. With remote-assistance software, a user wearing a headset can share their real-time view with others who are using a desktop or mobile device.

The world-wide total market value for augmented reality is expected to grow to $140 billion by 2025, up from about $10 billion last year, according to a report this month from tech market advisory firm Allied Business Intelligence Inc. Those figures include hardware, software and content, AR advertising, platforms and licensing, connectivity and much more.

The hardware includes headsets such as Microsoft’s HoloLens, and Glass, made by

Alphabet Inc.’s

Google. For smart glasses alone, ABI said world-wide shipments last year totalled around 1.8 million units; it forecasts that will rise to 27 million in 2025.

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Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/augmented-reality-gets-pandemic-boost-11611866795