Fugro Selects RealWear Assisted Reality (AR) Headsets to Increase Operational Safety, Capacity and Efficiency

Fugro, the world’s largest geo-data specialist collecting advanced information about subsurface and structures, conducts the majority of its operations across remote and often harsh environments, both on land and at sea. The innovative global company wanted to see if a wearable solution for its onsite workers could significantly reduce the number of site visits while maintaining, or even improving, communication and collaboration amongst the entire fleet. Fugro also desired to support its larger sustainability and carbon reduction goals.

Following consultation with RealWear’s partner VR Expert, Fugro selected RealWear’s purpose-built wearable technology over other wearable options, including AR smart glasses. Fugro specifically chose RealWear to support its connectivity, ruggedness and safety requirements.

In 2019, Fugro began with a single HMT-1, and gradually increased the number in the field after testing connectivity, durability, user feedback, and potential scale. For connectivity it had to test the video and audio in low bandwidth and extreme weather conditions. To resolve this issue, VR Expert adapted their software to automatically determine and optimize settings based on the users current latency and bandwidth scenario. The software was also integrated into Fugro’s IT infrastructure as an on-premise solution. After successfully validating the use case, VR Expert created special kits for Fugro including the headset, accessories and manuals which can now be found on almost every Fugro vessel.