April 16, 2020 – Vuzix Corporation, a supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality technology and products, has announced this week that the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses are now supported by Help Lightning, a software platform for remote workers.
Help Lightning is a remote collaboration solution that uses what it refers to as ‘merged reality’ to provide virtual interactive support. The company states that it has over 50,000 users in 88 countries who use its patented technologies and processes.
Help Lightning’s ‘merged reality’ system works by subject matter experts to remote technicians in the field. Experts use an iOS or Android device or web browser to provide “hands-on” assistance to a technician wearing the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses. This is done by merging two real-time video streams together – that of the expert and the technician.
As a result, this virtual interactive presence allows an expert to virtually reach out and touch what their service tech or customer is looking at and working on. The company states that the combined solution helps to reduce frustrations and inadequacies of a phone or simple video chat, as well as reduce travel needs and in-person interactions.
“Existing and new customer activity increased our overall usage by 417% in March alone due to the shelter in place orders and travel bans,” said Gary York, CEO at Help Lightning. “We’re excited to be able to offer the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses, a truly hands-free smart glasses solution to our customer base.”
Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix, commented: “We are pleased to partner with Help Lightning to bring this hands-free remote expert experience to companies facing immediate operational challenges. The combined solution of Help Lightning with the Vuzix M400 Smart Glasses is a robust merged reality application that has been optimized for enterprise customers.”
Video credit: Help Lightning/Vimeo
About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix, where he has spent years immersed in the XR ecosystem, tracking its evolution from early prototypes to the technologies shaping the future of human experience. While primarily covering the latest AR and VR news, his interests extend to the wider world of human augmentation, from AI and robotics to haptics, wearables, and brain–computer interfaces.