To the extent manufacturing is not divorced from human input entirely, I think AR can help technicians and artisans with what they do. Many people already wear safety glasses or a hood. I think being able to look up information using that equipment, when it's sufficiently light and cheap, will be popular.
To the other point, I think decentralization depends on how future manufacturing techniques compare to the ones today, including the existing market in additive manufacturing. The factory paradigm, requiring a great deal of space to produce even tiny things, comes about because the prevailing manufacturing technology. Parts that are machined, for instance, have an economy more friendly to craft manufacture than cast parts. There is a market for parts machined to order that can be served by a relatively small shop compared to a factory optimized for casting as quickly as possible. And each part can be as unique as desired.
A better example is the welding mask Steve Mann came up with that let welders see the arc and surroundings at normal brightness as well as giving a real time readout of arc length.
The future of AR isn't an overglorified clipboard, it's adding meaningful information to our vision in real time. Motion enhancement to spot loose parts, variable polarization to see stresses in materials, precise measurements without needing to stop and get equipment, clear vision despite lighting conditions, and even translating parts of the spectrum to visible.
To the extent manufacturing is not divorced from human input entirely, I think AR can help technicians and artisans with what they do. Many people already wear safety glasses or a hood. I think being able to look up information using that equipment, when it's sufficiently light and cheap, will be popular.
To the other point, I think decentralization depends on how future manufacturing techniques compare to the ones today, including the existing market in additive manufacturing. The factory paradigm, requiring a great deal of space to produce even tiny things, comes about because the prevailing manufacturing technology. Parts that are machined, for instance, have an economy more friendly to craft manufacture than cast parts. There is a market for parts machined to order that can be served by a relatively small shop compared to a factory optimized for casting as quickly as possible. And each part can be as unique as desired.
A better example is the welding mask Steve Mann came up with that let welders see the arc and surroundings at normal brightness as well as giving a real time readout of arc length.
The future of AR isn't an overglorified clipboard, it's adding meaningful information to our vision in real time. Motion enhancement to spot loose parts, variable polarization to see stresses in materials, precise measurements without needing to stop and get equipment, clear vision despite lighting conditions, and even translating parts of the spectrum to visible.