Augmented reality technology in the manufacturing industry: A review of the last decade

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze and review the scientific literature relating to the application of Augmented Reality (AR) technology in industry. AR technology is becoming increasingly diffuse, due to the ease of application development and the widespread use of hardware devices (mainly smartphones and tablets) able to support its adoption. Today, a growing number of applications based on AR solutions are being developed for industrial purposes. Although these applications are often little more than experimental prototypes, AR technology is proving highly flexible and is showing great potential in numerous areas (e.g., maintenance, training/learning, assembly or product design) and in industrial sectors (e.g., the automotive, aircraft or manufacturing industries). It is expected that AR systems will become even more widespread in the near future. The purpose of this review is to classify the literature on AR published from 2006 to early 2017, to identify the main areas and sectors where AR is currently deployed, describe the technological solutions adopted, as well as the main benefits achievable with this kind of technology.