Can AR Glasses Make Remote Work More Productive?

Imagine you are working at your desk—only it isn’t your desk. It’s a bean bag chair. You have three full-sized computer monitors in front of you. And when you leave your workstation to grab some food from the refrigerator, the monitors come with you into the kitchen.

All of this is possible because, as The Matrix taught us long ago, there is no desk. Your entire workplace is virtually projected in front of you by way of AR glasses.

In this new post-pandemic WFH reality, one in every three employees has lost interest in working anywhere that requires full-time onsite employment. Companies are scrambling to entice employees to stay, and AR glasses be a way to combine an office-like work experience in a WFH context.

For example, H & R Block’s call center uses Mursion simulations as part of its onboarding strategy. So far, this experience has been confined to on-premises VR, it is not a far reach for it to be a tactic well-suited for remote workers with access to AR glasses.

The AR work experience provides on-the-go access to a complete workstation with big multi-screens in any environment. Remote desktops and large-scale virtual presentations through AR glasses allow employees to work in a distraction-free, deep-focus environment of their choosing. 

To bring this new paradigm to offices around the globe, one China-based tech firm is already selling the hardware. Nreal produced Light, the world’s first consumer AR glasses, in 2019. And its sophomore effort Air may change the way we work forever.

Image: Nreal

Nreal Air glasses run on Nebula, the company’s interactive augmented reality portal. Nebula lets users cast smartphone content as an AR projection inside the lenses.

In terms of user experience, wearing AR lenses is the equivalent to viewing a 201-inch screen in 1080p definition. That means companies embracing AR glasses can offer their employees the ability to work on spreadsheets while walking through the park if they so choose. With a price tag around $380, Nreal AR glasses retail at the same price point as a high-end computer monitor.   

Nebula also flaunts a 3D spatial positioning software called AR Space that delivers a multiple-screen experience where viewers can arrange documents, work screens, and job apps to the outer limits of their field of vision. A smartphone connection enables a laser pointer for highlighting and swiping through screens. Tapping your phone screen clicks your documents as a mouse in a conventional desk setup.

AR glasses aren’t just for companies staving off the great work-from-home migration. They can also provide a relieving experience for the employee looking to increase efficiency and decrease chronic burnout. For the office worker, productivity grinds to a halt when the boss stops by to talk or an insignificant meeting is called. Work gets backed up. Overtime looms around the corner. We grow to hate our jobs.  

Now imagine a work environment where you are simultaneously completing work forms, attending a Zoom training, and text chatting with co-workers all while relaxing out on your back porch. That can happen and it will happen by embracing augmented reality and AR glasses.

And as an added bonus, you know that working from home means your boss is never going to pop in unannounced again.