December 16, 2020 – Vuzix Corporation, a supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) technology and products, has recently announced that Plug Power, a provider of hydrogen engines and fueling solutions for enabling e-mobility, has developed and successfully deployed an AR smart glasses-based remote training and onboarding program utilizing the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses powered by Ubimax’ Frontline productivity solution platform.
According to the company, the arrival of COVID-19 presented new challenges for Plug Power operations to train and support its field technicians and growing customer footprint. Vuzix stated that in a matter of weeks, Plug Power was able to adapt its in-person training and onboarding programs into AR virtual smart glasses-based training programs.
The AR support program provides Plug Power technicians with a kit consisting of Vuzix Smart Glasses preloaded with Ubimax Frontline software, which not only enabled technicians to capture and review on-the-job processes hands-free with a trainer remotely, but also replaced the need for more expensive in-person training events and gatherings.
“We turned to Vuzix and Ubimax soon after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived to help solve operational challenges related to onboarding and training our technicians,” commented Chris Suriano, Plug Power Vice President of Service. “We look forward to expanding the use of AR smart glasses for the long-term to support more extensive use cases.”
“Plug Power is another great example of how companies are turning to Vuzix Smart Glasses to deliver cost effective solutions and alternatives to in-person gatherings to deliver ongoing training and remote support for field technicians,” said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix.
In addition to the announcement regarding Plug Power, Vuzix also announced that it has completed the development and delivery of a customized waveguide solution to fulfill the terms of the first phase of a multi-stage agreement that was previously announced in September with a “major international defense contractor”. According to Vuzix, the delivery is now being reviewed by the customer and the company anticipates that subsequent project phases will commence in the near future. This could generate additional non-recurring engineering revenues, and if successful ultimately result in an accepted final product design that could lead to a volume production order.
“We are pleased with the progress we continue to make with this major international defense contractor as we pursue further development work that can lead to a significant production opportunity,” added Travers. “OEM customized waveguide-based projects such as this should represent a profitable vehicle for leveraging our extensive optical expertise and IP and we look forward to announcing further developments with this firm, as well as several others, going forward.”
For more information on Vuzix and its augmented reality smart glasses solutions, please visit the company’s website.
Image credit: Vuzix Corporation
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.