From the sold-out LiveWorx 19 digital transformation event, PTC announced new initiatives to fuel its AR business and strengthen the award-winning Vuforia Augmented Reality (AR) platform. These initiatives include enhanced 3D AR model targets, leveraging Azure Spatial Anchor Services, a strategic collaboration with Matterport to further the PTC enterprise reach into factories and other spaces, and the acquisition of a world-class AR services agency, TWNKLS.
“AR redefines how the enterprise works. Across all industrial use cases including manufacturing, engineering, service and training, AR is improving productivity, reducing waste, and increasing worker safety and compliance. AR empowers organisations to digitally transform their products, processes, and people,” said Jim Heppelmann, president and CEO, PTC. “Our strategic alliances, acquisitions, and groundbreaking technology highlight PTC’s commitment to helping industrial companies succeed with their digital transformation initiatives.”
With the theme “The Augmented Workforce,” AR has been centre stage at LiveWorx, the definitive digital transformation event taking place this week in Boston. Powerful keynotes and sessions featured customers, partners, developers, and industry analysts discussing real-world use cases and benefits derived from their adoption of the Vuforia platform and its solutions. LiveWorx attendees will explore how a new set of technological capabilities can integrate with human skills and expertise to complement, rather than replace, people’s unique qualities and strengths.
PTC continues to push the boundaries with new initiatives around its Vuforia AR business. With these announcements and commitment to the industry, the company continues to be a market leader and provide customers with compelling solutions for accelerating their digital transformation efforts.
Create step-by-step AR instructions to improve worker productivity with Vuforia Expert Capture
Industrial customers can now use PTC’s Vuforia Expert Capture to quickly and easily create step-by-step instructions when and where they do their work, leveraging Microsoft HoloLens’ location-aware capabilities enabled by Azure Spatial Anchor Services. Front-line workers can then be safely and effectively guided through procedures by digital content presented at relevant locations in the physical environment. This functionality can not only improve the accuracy and speed at which workers successfully complete new or unfamiliar tasks, but also reduce training costs and time to productivity.
PTC introduces Vuforia Engine 8.3, the industry’s first model-based AR enhanced with AI
With the introduction of Vuforia Engine 8.3, PTC is enhancing 3D AR model targets with artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to providing intuitive AR user interactions, Vuforia Engine 8.3 offers more robust AR experiences by harnessing the power of deep learning to provide advanced target recognition capabilities based on the customer’s 3D CAD model. AI-powered, model-based recognition enables a product or machine to be recognised from difficult angles, even in poor lighting environments – enabling easier, faster, and more accurate user experiences.
PTC Invests in Matterport to visualise factories
PTC has invested in and partnered with Matterport, a company that offers immersive 3D technology and spatial capture solutions. By partnering with Matterport, PTC is offering the first AR solution with a focus on factories, plants, and other spaces – and the people who operate them. PTC’s enhanced Vuforia offerings will provide customers the ability to unify their factory data and allow them to visualise and interact with a digital twin (a high-fidelity, up-to-date digital equivalent or proxy of an object, space, or process). The collaborative solution provides customers an easy way to scan their facility and convert it into a usable 3D mesh using a Matterport compatible camera.
PTC acquires TWNKLS to help customers deploy and adopt Augmented Reality
PTC recently acquired Netherlands-based TWNKLS, a specialised AR company that develops tailor-made AR applications and experiences and provides AR services to solve the specific challenges faced by enterprise companies. The acquisition of TWNKLS will accelerate PTC’s AR strategy as well as enable customers to realise faster time-to-value. With expertise in Vuforia, a world-class creative staff, and experience implementing enterprise AR solutions, the award-winning TWNKLS will help strengthen and expand PTC’s industrial AR offerings to more effectively meet the needs of its customer base.
Industry recognition and momentum continues
PTC’s Vuforia Experience Platform has been adopted by hundreds of companies worldwide, including Aggreko, Fujitsu, Global Foundries, Howden, and Volvo; Representative from each of these companies will be participating on an AR Customer Panel at LiveWorx, attended by 200 industry analysts and members of the media.
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