Introducing augmented reality into the corporate world has proven to be a more difficult task than many AR space startups expected. However, as the hardware and software that underpins this technology becomes more and more commoditized, customers are beginning to find use cases that adapt to changing remote workflows.
Since its founding in 2010, Scope AR has touted its vision of using 3D models to help scale up manufacturing training and collaboration. The company is now revamping its flagship product, WorkLink, for the web to create a more scalable future, Scope AR CEO Scott Montgomerie told TechCrunch.
A new platform called “Work Link Create” allows customers to avoid complex tasks and create 3D content on top of CAD models without using Unity, for non-technical users and integration. It’s an effort to make the product more familiar to customers who may not have access to Unity developers to roll out.
“Unity is great, but you have to write code to do something,” Montgomery told TechCrunch, and WorkLink Create is a “more user-friendly and extensible” option compared to competitors’ software. Said.
The browser-based platform allows users to upload 3D files and edit them using comments, detailed instructions, and animations via a drag-and-drop interface. The platform automatically scales down to the device’s ability to render the level of detail of the CAD model. Once released, customer users will be able to access models and documentation from WorkLink’s mobile and HoloLens apps.
Image credit: Scope AR
Scope AR’s products focused on commercial education, on-the-job training, and troubleshooting are gaining new interest as the guidelines of the new Corona era allow more meetings to take place in virtual space.
While AR isn’t fully benefiting from the digital transformation of the new corona era, the remote work boom in response to the new coronavirus epidemic is also boosting the business of Scope AR products, Montgomery said. talk. The company is expanding its customer list by supporting front-line manufacturing operations aimed at the rapid construction and repair of medical devices required for testing and treatment of the new coronavirus.
Although he always expected AR to take some time, Montgomery said the slow pace of adoption of AR headsets was faster than expected, which has led the company to carry mobile-based AR for many years. It is said that it has supported the direction of incorporating it into phones and tablets. Scope AR is a certified reseller for HoloLens 2, but HoloLens also offers its own remote collaboration software for enterprise users called Remote Assist.
Scope AR closed the $ 9.7 million Series A in 2019, which is just under $ 12 million that the company has raised from investors so far. It occupies the majority.