Smart glasses for industry | The top 3 by compa­rison

A central machine needs main­ten­ance or breaks down, the problem cannot be solved right away. This means: produc­tion stop, high costs and time-consuming trave­ling of an expert to the plant on site.

With the help of smart service solu­tions such as bitnamic CONNECT, down­times can be shor­tened and travel costs saved – espe­ci­ally in combi­na­tion with augmented reality, or AR. In contrast to VR (virtual reality), real sensory stimu­la­tion remains present in AR. This means that reality is not replaced by a virtual world, but merely extended by virtual elements.

Augmented reality can be used with the aid of AR glasses, for example. Special smart glasses for industry are ideal for service and main­ten­ance processes.

Based on our expe­ri­ence, we recom­mend the follo­wing three smart glasses for industry: Micro­soft Holo­Lens 2, Real­Wear Navi­gator 520 and Vuzix M400.

In the follo­wing article, you will learn about the advan­tages of using smart glasses in industry, the diffe­rences between the mentioned indi­vi­dual models, and which smart glasses are suitable for which areas of appli­ca­tion.

 

Smart glasses in industry – Advan­tages of Remote Main­ten­ance

Execu­ting main­ten­ance and service processes effi­ci­ently regard­less of loca­tion – digi­tiza­tion in the form of remote main­ten­ance makes it possible. Soft­ware solu­tions like Remote Main­ten­ance, the main compo­nent of bitnamic CONNECT, connect a service tech­ni­cian on site with a remote expert in an inter­ac­tive video confe­rence.

Simply started via app, solu­tions can be commu­ni­cated quickly and easily. Useful func­tions such as data exch­ange, laser pointer or the inte­grated white­board, which can be used to create screen­shots and make anno­ta­tions, addi­tio­nally acce­le­rate trouble-shoo­ting.

Even better tracea­bi­lity and easier working on machines ensures the combi­na­tion of Remote Main­ten­ance and smart glasses: Smart glasses display context-rele­vant infor­ma­tion directly in the user’s field of vision via an inte­grated camera – the expert sees what the tech­ni­cian sees. Smart­phone, tablet or laptop are no longer needed. Thus, the tech­ni­cian on site has both hands free and can follow the instruc­tions of the expert step by step.

The best smart glasses for industry

Augmented reality offers new oppor­tu­ni­ties regar­ding main­ten­ance and servicing processes in industry. Prac­tical use is effi­cient and intui­tive – with the right smart glasses.

In our bitnamic CONNECT smart glasses guide for augmented reality main­ten­ance you will find more infor­ma­tion about AR and the models described below. All three smart glasses are compa­tible with Remote Main­ten­ance. For a live demons­tra­tion, please make an appoint­ment with our sales team.

Test: Micro­soft Holo­Lens 2

The Micro­soft Holo­Lens 2 are mixed reality smart glasses that augment reality with virtual three-dimen­sional elements by inte­gra­ting them into the wearer’s field of vision. The objects can be placed anywhere and always remain in their original posi­tion thanks to spatial ancho­ring, even if the user changes his posi­tion.

The camera of the head-mounted display (HMD) is located directly in the center, so the expert’s view is almost iden­tical to that of the Holo­Lens wearer. The smart glasses are controlled by voice command, so that both hands are always free to work on the machine. The smart glasses can also be controlled with gestures.

 

Test: Real­Wear Navi­gator 520

In contrast to the AR glasses by Micro­soft, the Android-based Real­Wear Navi­gator 520 do not have a direct reality overlay – it is more like “AR light“. The model has a camera atta­ched to the side of the head and a 2D assistant screen located in the peri­pheral field of vision. The smart glasses are controlled by voice, with the addi­tion of an action, forward and back button. However, these are hardly needed due to the excel­lently func­tio­ning voice control.

Infor­ma­tion can be exch­anged via the screen of the Real­Wear Navi­gator 520 using Remote Main­ten­ance. This allows the service tech­ni­cian to transmit his field of vision to the expert. In parallel, data such as videos, 3D models, docu­ments, appli­ca­tion windows, etc. can be received from the help­desk via screen sharing. The inte­grated micro­phone also enables verbal commu­ni­ca­tion.

 

Test: Vuzix M400

The Android-based Vuzix M400 also does not have a direct reality overlay. The smart glasses have a 2D display in front of the left or right eye, too, but the camera is located directly in front of the display in this model.

The M400 can be operated via touchpad, head move­ment or speech. Just like the Holo­Lens 2 and the HMT‑1, videos, pictures, docu­ments, 3D models, etc. can be exch­anged between the expert and the wearer of the smart glasses via Remote Main­ten­ance. 

 

Smart glasses for industry by compa­rison

Basi­cally, the HMT‑1 and the M400 have more in common, while the smart glasses by Micro­soft clearly diffe­ren­tiate them­selves visually, tech­ni­cally and in terms of price. 

 

The display

The display of the Holo­Lens 2 is equipped with trans­pa­rent holo­gra­phic lenses and is located in front of the wearer’s eyes in the form of a visor. The centrally located camera directly above it ensures that the perspec­tive of tech­ni­cian and expert is almost congruent.

The camera as well as the display of the Navi­gator 520 and M400 are mounted on the side, but the viewing angle can be easily adjusted. In terms of camera quality, the Navi­gator 520 is well equipped: The Hyper­Dis­play has an HD reso­lu­tion of 1,280 x 720 pixels, has high-contrast color repro­duc­tion and a 24° field of view.

 

Ergo­no­mics

The weight of the Holo­Lens 2 is 566 grams and turns out to be the highest compared to the other two smart glasses. Due to the ergo­nomic design and the option to flip up the display, it still excels in wearing comfort.

The Navi­gator 520 is slightly lighter at 274 grams, while the M400 weighs just 190 grams, making it one of the ligh­test smart glasses on the market.

 

Battery life

There are signi­fi­cant diffe­rences in terms of battery life: the Holo­Lens 2 can be actively used for about two to three hours. The runtime of the Navi­gator 520, on the other hand, is six to eight hours.

The M400 is roughly in between: Depen­ding on the choice of external battery, its battery lasts for two to twelve hours.

 

Possible use of smart glasses in industry

In terms of robust­ness, the Navi­gator 520 ranks first: it is insen­si­tive to dust, dirt and falls from a height of up to two meters on concrete. Fully func­tional in extreme cold or heat (from ‑20°C to +50 °C) and jet-water proof with an IP of 66, the smart glasses are espe­ci­ally suited for outdoor use.

Foto: realwear.at

 

The M400 is also drop-proof, dust-proof, and protected from tempo­rary submer­sion in water with an IP of 67. It is slightly more fragile than the HMT‑1, but also desi­gned for wet, dusty envi­ron­ments.

 

Both smart glasses just mentioned are commonly used on cons­truc­tion sites, in produc­tion, the oil industry, gas industry as well as the auto­mo­tive industry due to their (struc­tural) proper­ties.

The Micro­soft Holo­Lens 2, espe­ci­ally its display, is more sensi­tive and ther­e­fore ideal for indoor use. It is mostly being used in health­care and in the manu­fac­ture of complex products.

 

Smart glasses for industry – The most important data at a glance

 

	Micro­soft Holo­Lens 2	Real­Wear Navi­gator 520	VUZIX M400
Display	Head-mounted display, mixed reality	2D assis­tance screen placed on the side	2D assis­tance screen placed on the side
Control	Voice, gesture	Voice	Touch pad, voice, head move­ment
Weight	566 g	274 g	190 g
Battery	2–3 hours	6–8 hours	2–12 hours
Price	3.849,00 EUR	2.999,00 EUR	On request
Field of appli­ca­tion	Inte­rior	Exte­rior, inte­rior	Exte­rior, inte­rior

 

Smart glasses that are not suitable for industry

With the rapid expan­sion of digi­tiza­tion in the indus­trial sector, the range of smart tech­no­logy is growing at the same time. This also applies to smart glasses, but many models are not suitable as smart glasses for industry.

Google’s smart glasses like the Google Glass Enter­prise Edition 2 weigh only 80 grams, which makes them parti­cu­larly light and ther­e­fore comfor­table to wear for longer periods of time. However, it is not desi­gned for more extreme weather condi­tions, contact with water, dust or dirt – in other words, for outdoor use or “rough” indoor use. Google stopped selling the Google Glass Enter­prise in March 2023. However, the company seems to already be working on the proto­type of a new smart glasses model.

The Magic Leap 2 is also small and light, but less suitable for use in (heavy) industry than in the fields of medi­cine or trai­ning.

Among the better-known smart glasses are models from Oculus, such as the Meta Quest 2. These are clas­si­fied as VR glasses, i.e., they provide complete immersion in a virtual world. In the context of main­ten­ance, repair and service, an exten­sion of reality and thus the use of augmented reality or mixed reality is recom­mended. VR glasses such as the Oculus Quest 2 or the HTC Vive are ther­e­fore prima­rily found in the gaming sector.

 

Smart glasses for industry and Remote Main­ten­ance for more effi­cient work­flows

Remote main­ten­ance in combi­na­tion with smart glasses is the next step towards Industry 4.0. It ensures shorter produc­tion down­times, lower costs and a better CO2 balance, as time-consuming travel can be avoided. Espe­ci­ally in these chal­len­ging times, more and more compa­nies attend to the digi­tiza­tion of their work­flows.

Bitnamic GmbH specia­lizes in making compa­nies fit for this digital trans­for­ma­tion. Make your main­ten­ance and service processes simpler and more effi­cient, and streng­then customer loyalty by solving problems quickly.

Arrange a non-binding demo appoint­ment in which our Sales Manager Chris­to­pher Poelker will intro­duce bitnamic CONNECT to you.

If you are inte­rested, we can also advise you on the topic of smart glasses and augmented reality – toge­ther, we deter­mine which model is the most suitable solu­tion for your company.