Konica Minolta AIRe Lens

2019: Integration with mobile services Deutsche Telekom

On October 21, 2019 it became known that Konica Minolta started the affiliate program of Alliance Program for the leading technology developers worldwide. Integration of smart AIRe Lens Konica Minolta glasses with mobile services of Deutsche Telekom company became the first project within cooperation.

Konica Minolta developed Alliance Program for search of business opportunities and also creation of products and services with higher consumer value. Now clients will be able to use solutions on the basis of technologies and experience of the companies consisting in alliance.

Cooperation started with the project of integration of smart AIRe Lens glasses for service and production with mobile services Deutsche Telekom. As a result of integration the next generations of AIRe Lens will receive the built-in module of mobile communication of a 5G which will provide a considerable gain in data transfer rates and integration of the device with mobile services.

Konica Minolta and Deutsche Telekom highly appreciate further perspectives of the solution and are going to continue joint work in this direction.

During Alliance Program creation we set to ourselves the object – to find the best marketing strategies, solutions and services which will be estimated by clients. We began work in this direction, having concluded partnership with Deutsche Telekom. Thanks to consolidation of experience and sales channels we will be able to enter other markets with solutions on the basis of a combination of augmented reality and technology 5G, notes Ikuo Nakagawa, the senior chief executive of the direction of creation of digital jobs of Konica Minolta, Inc.

Cooperation with the leading technology developers allows us to create and propose to clients really universal solutions. Participation in Alliance Program Konica Minolta gave us an opportunity to integrate technologies into our solutions Campus Networks. It will help to meet demand for demanded solutions on the basis of technologies of augmented reality in the industry, comments Antzhi Williams, the senior vice president of direction 5G of Campus Networks Deutsche Telekom

Close cooperation of Konica Minolta and Deutsche Telekom and contribution of both companies create a basis for partnership in the long term. We aim at that partnership extended also to other spheres of business – in particular, to the market of augmented reality, notes Christian Link, the head of strategic cooperation of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe

2018: Start of sales of smart AIRe Lens glasses

On November 1, 2018 the Konica Minolta company announced the beginning of sales of AIRe Lens – smart points for industrial application. Wearable devices with technology of augmented reality will save productions from need of use of paper documents (for example, assembly instructions and to repair), will increase efficiency and will make work on the pipeline safer, the developer claims. For November, 2018 devices are available to the order in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

Konica Minolta noted that AIRe Lens is own development of the company, which problem – to help operators to execute assembly operations, to preventive maintenance and quality control in real time. Points use technology of augmented reality: the device is equipped with the transparent display which can be managed using simple gestures or clicking of the button.

"Digitalization creates and improves a set of processes in the industrial sector, but on the assembly conveyor paper documents, schemes and instructions for operators often are still used. Stationary devices or devices which need to be held in hand are inapplicable here as workers should have free hands, especially at assembly of difficult and large-size machines. Therefore smart AIRe Lens glasses from Konica Minolta are an optimal solution". Zdenek Vrbka, the Smart Glasses project manager in the European center of business innovations Konica Minolta

According to the statement of the developer, AIRe Lens are designed so that construction was strong, at the same time easy and convenient for a constant socks. The device is powered from the accumulator which charge lasts for 7 hours – a complete working shift on production. It is possible to change the accumulator, without switching off AIRe Lens. Use of the solution will allow to increase performance of transactions, to reduce training costs, to improve quality of work due to reduction of number of errors and to reduce the number of incidents in workplaces. Smart points can also be used at complex maintenance procedures.

The software of smart points considers specifics and requirements of industrial enterprises. Konica Minolta reported that the company held software testing directly on production together with partners – in particular, with Siemens in Brno in the Czech Republic where according to test results of AIRe Lens reduced time expenditure by 42%, and need of permanent monitoring of work – for 89%. AIRe Lens passed test and on the German production of Siemens: the plant of the company in Mülheim used points for assembly quality control.

"Responses from operators were positive – they liked not only mobility and small weight of the device, but also the wide overview, – due to high transparency and arrangement of lenses. In addition, the device can be included in structure of individual protective equipment for workers". Yulian Melsbakh, Smart Glasses project manager

AIRe Lens is a joint development of the Japanese company Industrial Optical System Business Headquarters (IOH) which is a part of Konica Minolta holding which was engaged optical in solution elements, and the European center of business innovations Konica Minolta (BIC).