What happens when you bring together five proven professionals for new technologies around digitization and Industry 4.0? Answer: A top-class panel of experts, exciting discussions and interesting insights. The logistics magazine Dispo and BARCOTEC jointly invited to such a setting.
Do headsets, smart glasses or, to use a more general term, “wearables” bring a new paradigm into the world of work? This question began a 90-minute discussion, which came quickly to the point. The benefits of the new technologies were welcomed in principle, but also with caution. Technology for its own sake does not lead to the desired results, so the restriction.
The most promising applications for wearables, such as the HMT-1, are currently in industrial maintenance. Employees can work with their hands on the spot and access relevant information via the head-mounted tablet at any time and even consult with external experts in real time – including video transmission.
Wearables can also show their strengths in teaching and training. For example, by recording correct work processes and later processing them as teaching materials – possibly enriched by the possibilities of modern e-learning environments.
The participants in the discussion agreed that the concrete hardware should always be subordinate to a consideration of the actual requirements and the existing processes. There was also a warning to transfer half knowledge about wireless communication from the private life to business applications. Above all, SMEs who want to take the first steps with the new technologies are well advised to take advantage of professional support.
And where are we going in the future? Wearables will be smaller in the future and include more features, so the general assessment of the five experts. Increased integration, for example in ERP systems, is to be expected. The phase of acceptance is largely completed, now it goes into the widespread distribution. Nonetheless, humans will continue to play a central role in the future. With this hopeful assessment, the circle closed to the initial question.
Here the whole article to the Round Table Talk (with registration available, in German) https://dispo.cc/a/technologie-am-koerper