Employee Upskilling Training Using VR and the Metaverse

India-based startup AjnaLens is one of the Indian companies in the Extended Reality (XR) space joining the Metaverse revolution. Founded in 2014, the co-founders have a background in IIT and engineering. Designed and manufactured in India, AjnaLens offers AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality) and Mixed Reality solutions in applications across a range of sectors from skills training to enterprises to the Indian Defense Sector. I’m here.

We recently spent some time at the AjnaLens office in Mumbai to speak with the co-founders, understand what the product is, and experience the solution in action.

Company mission and service

AjnaLens’ main mission is to focus on upskilling employees and bridging the digital divide. The company has teamed up with Tata Technologies to upgrade 150 of his ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) in Karnataka, India. Using VR-based simulators, he has helped over 9,000 students upskill.

AjnaLens also leverages technologies such as artificial intelligence and mixed reality to upgrade defense weapon systems and tanks to make combat missions more effective. Mixed reality glasses can be attached to soldiers’ helmets, enabling efficient surveillance and security.

Defense was just a by-product, but now that’s most of their job. This military grade Mixed Reality helmet also includes features such as his GPS for navigation, night vision, LIDAR, sonar and thermal scanner.

There are three core product applications.
• Enterprise AR glasses
• military mixed reality glasses
• XR station for VR training

AjnaLens also has its own app marketplace, where apps can be customized based on specific client needs. The Marketplace also allows third-party app developers to submit and publish their apps. Based on Android OS, AjnaLens has applied for more than 15 national and international patents on augmented reality, and its algorithms are the secret sauce to power and integrate the whole system.

Industry upskilling challenges

One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is training employees with new skills and capabilities. Post-COVID-19 hybrid and remote work makes training even more challenging. But with VR and the Metaverse, we can more easily overcome these challenges.

VR training, such as that provided by AjnaLens, instantly teleports workers to the site (or workshop). It’s one of the most effective ways to develop new skills and train your workforce. Scientific studies have proven that VR training is more completely and easily absorbed by the brain than traditional classroom training.

VR training has several advantages, but two key aspects are providing realistic simulation and the ability to teach difficult skills. And is there a better example than a flight he simulator that can reproduce difficult emergency scenarios for pilot training?

Watch: AjnaLens VR Training – Teleporting Trainees to the Field

AjnaLens VR for Training Institutions: An Immersive and Interactive Way to Learn

• The AjnaLens team provided a demo of their VR solution for training institutions.
• The AjnaLite 2 VR headset is tethered to a dedicated VR workstation called the Ajna XR Station, and the software is scalable across different use cases. Institutions only need to load the training modules.
• Currently, we handle various jobs such as welding, painting, firefighting, and safety education.
• In this 360-degree immersive environment, students and workers can learn skills such as painting cars and aircraft.
• After completing a task, students get instant grades and unlimited practice until they perfect the process.
• Organizations can significantly reduce overall training costs by not having to have actual paint or car doors to learn how to paint.
• For spec wearers, the VR glasses have an adjustable dial that allows you to adjust the power of the lenses.
• The display is bright and crisp, and with limited use, I didn’t have any issues with eye strain.
• Devices such as VR glasses and spray guns and welding guns have trackers that track the user’s movements.

I was impressed with the demonstration of the painting job and the accuracy of the spray angle and distance details.

AjnaLens AR Glasses for Enterprise

• AjnaLens also has tethered AR glasses and ambient aware (see-through) type features.
• These are lightweight glasses with 2K displays, speakers, and cameras.
• It has a field of view of 50 degrees and can be used to create virtual spaces from connected devices.
• These glasses are powered by tethering to a smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC or better, or a laptop or tablet using a Type-C cable.
• The glasses have no processing, just MCUs for cameras, tracking, sensors, and audio.
• This virtual space can contain holograms and avatars, digital twins, web browsers, CAD designs, and Office apps.
• Users can also make virtual team calls through platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
• I tried it and found it very comfortable to wear.
• The display was bright enough and had good color reproduction.

Overall, we were impressed with the demos we saw at the AjnaLens office. With this hybrid work culture and remote assistance use cases, there is room to grow and expand beyond India. AjnaLens is one of the companies to watch in the XR space.

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