ETSI launches AR framework for a multi-vendor ecosystem

12th May 2020

ETSI

Alex Lynn

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The ETSI Industry Specification Group on the AR Framework (ISG ARF) has launched ETSI GS ARF 003, a key specification towards the interoperability of AR components. Today industrial and end users tend to frequently depend on a single provider to deploy AR applications and services.

Compliance with the ETSI framework will allow components from different providers to interoperate via the defined interfaces, allowing broader and quicker adoption of AR technology. It will also take account of a growing and dynamic AR market.

The ETSI GS ARF 003 introduces the characteristics of an AR system and describes the functional building blocks of a generic AR reference architecture and their mutual relationships. The global architecture gives an overview of an AR system which is based on a set of hardware and software components as well as data describing the real world and virtual content.

The functional architecture applies to both fully embedded AR systems and implementations spread over IP networks in a scalable manner with subfunctions. These subfunctions can either be deployed on the AR device or be provided via cloud technology.

“In the context of the work undertaken by the group, Augmented Reality is the ability to mix in real-time spatially-registered digital content into the real world, thus augmenting the user’s reality with accurate contextual information,” said Muriel Deschanel, Chair of the ETSI ISG ARF. “AR can be a real asset for many use cases in Industry 4.0 or in the medical sector. With the significant improvement to network performance brought by 5G, in particular in terms of bandwidth and latency, cloud services will become essential to a larger number of AR use cases.”

One of the applications of Augmented Reality for Industry 4.0 is to help face the unexpected peak of activity of a factory, in case of confinement or staff shortage. When a manufacturing plant needs to significantly increase its production, the Operation Director will hire temporary workers or shift operators from another line.

This new staff may not have the expertise and/or the time to learn his job. Augmented Reality will therefore enable an experienced operator located in another area to train, guide and give precise instructions to the new operator while limiting physical contacts.