In a report titled, “2021 State of Augmented Reality in Facilities Management,” Resonai, an AI and computer vision company, shares insights into the current and expected use of augmented reality (AR) within corporate, retail, healthcare and other types of professional facilities. Released today, the report found that one out of five facility management professionals (20%) use AR for at least one function, while nearly three out of four facility managers (73%) who don’t currently use AR expect to implement the technology within the next 24 months.
Based on a survey of senior facility managers, the report offers a look into the ways that properties are using AR to streamline their operations, offer greater tenant experiences, create new revenue streams, and drive other benefits.
“Augmented reality has come a long way since its first implementations in gaming and entertainment. As buildings become smarter and the digital and physical worlds become one, building owners and facilities managers are turning to AR and AI for everything from improved maintenance to indoor navigation,” said Emil Alon, CEO and Founder of Resonai. “We published our state of the industry report to help facilities management professionals navigate the complex world of digital transformation and understand how their peers are leveraging the exciting innovations taking place.”
Other key insights from Resonai’s report are listed below. The survey gathered responses from 76 respondents across 11 industries.
- At 30% adoption, hospitals and medical facilities have embraced AR more than other types of properties; they are followed by manufacturing facilities (26%), educational facilities (25%), and corporate offices (23%)
- The most common uses of AR among facility managers are marketing applications such as tours and virtual demonstrations (20%), followed by industrial manufacturing applications (18%), smart maintenance and repairs (12%), tenant and visitor services (10%), and training/tutorials (10%)
- Facility managers cited a broad range of benefits to using AR, including the automation of maintenance processes (49%), prevention of maintenance issues (45%), reduction of physical contact during the COVID-19 pandemic (27%), creation of new revenue opportunities (27%), and insights derived from AR-based analytics (22%).
- Cited by 40% of facility managers, cost is the most commonly perceived barrier to AR adoption, although this concern is offset by the technology’s ability to bring in new revenue opportunities, which was cited as the greatest potential benefit by 30% of those facililty managers already using AR or expecting to do so within 24 months
- Seventy-five percent of facility managers currently have Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled devices in their buildings, such as environment sensors (44%), HVAC systems (42%), security systems (33%), doors (25%), and lights (25%); AR can help manage the complexity that comes with these emerging technologies.
The report is based on a digital survey delivered to a curated audience of senior facility management directors and executives throughout the United States and Europe. Participants represented a cross-section of building types, including corporate offices, manufacturing facilities, retail/apparel, residential, hospitals and medical, shopping centers, education, entertainment, and food and grocery. Data was gathered from November 2020 to January 2021. Click here to access the form to download Resonai’s “2021 State of Augmented Reality in Facilities Management” report.
Resonai is an AI company that is digitizing physical spaces and delivering real-time intelligence for smarter operations of all software & machines, and innovative, new experiences that improve our lives. Vera® is the company’s computer vision platform that creates an intelligent digital twin of any commercial building, enabling mobile applications that address critical business issues.
