Remote assistance firm TeamViewer AG said today that it has struck a strategic partnership with Almer Technologies AG, a startup that makes augmented reality headsets for industrial and remote workers.

TeamViewer offers support for workers in the field by providing a way for remote assistance agents to view what they are working on through cameras held by technicians. Experts and on-site workers can then easily communicate via a real-time video call and have their vision “augmented” with 3D visual markers, chat and more.

Using TeamViewer’s solution, on-site technicians can use smartphones for this collaboration and their screens become the “window” between the worker and the remote expert. However, using smartphones or tablets poses limitations because it keeps workers’ hands occupied and blocks the line of sight, which makes it more difficult to work.

“Approximately 80 percent of the global workforce does not work at a desk but at a company’s frontline, and most of them currently benefit very little from digital transformation,” said Mei Dent, chief product and technology officer at TeamViewer. “There is immense potential for efficiency and productivity gains by enhancing the frontline work with digital tools and connecting this huge part of the global workforce to their companies’ backend system.”

Almer’s Arc headset mounts on a user’s head, which makes it ideal for keeping hands free, following the worker’s line of sight and staying out of the way. The AR headset maker is also announcing the launch of Arc 2, a new device that features a 25-megapixel camera with beamforming microphones and built-in speakers so that workers can hear and be heard even in loud industrial environments. The company said that it will last up to eight hours.

“Our headset is much like a jet fighter visor, mounted directly in front of your eyes, featuring a transparent, see-through screen,” said co-founder and Chief Executive Sebastian Beetschen. “The Almer Arc is a lightweight, compact and easy-to-use AR headset. When a problem arises, the frontline worker takes the Almer Arc and contacts a remote expert, who can see and hear what the worker experiences. The expert identifies the issue, highlights objects and displays documentation in the worker’s view, simulating a collaborative, in-person experience.”

The lightweight visor design of the Arc differentiates it from other AR devices on the market, such as Microsoft Inc.’s Hololens 2, which has a much more bulky design. To help support industrial workers in hazardous environments, the Arc headset is designed to be fully compatible with protective gear such as helmets and safety glasses.

Almer says it currently has 21 customers, which includes Switzerland’s largest defense contractor that uses the device to remotely service fighter jets in the United States.

Image: Almer