Latest / Future of Work Tech with Fexingo: Remote Tools, AI Productivity, and Workplace Software / How Augmented Reality Is Transforming Deskless Worker Training
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, you know how we talk a lot about AI tools for knowledge workers — people sitting at desks, staring at screens, taking meetings. But there is a much bigger workforce that doesn't sit at a desk, and they're starting to get their own tech revolution: augmented reality for training. Luna: You mean like warehouse workers, retail associates, factory floor crews — the people who do the physical work? Lucas: Exactly. There are about 2.7 billion deskless workers globally — that is roughly 80 percent of the global workforce. And historically, their training has been paper manuals, shadowing a senior colleague, or watching a video in a break room. None of that scales well, and retention is terrible. Luna: So AR is the fix? I've seen some demos — people wearing those bulky glasses, seeing instructions overlaid on real equipment. But does it actually work? Lucas: It's moving fast. Let me give you a concrete example: UPS. They started rolling out AR training for package handlers a couple years ago. New hires used to spend about a week in classroom training before going onto the sort floor. With AR — using smart glasses from a company called RealWear — trainees see digital arrows and labels overlaid on actual packages and conveyor belts. They learn the scanning, sorting, and loading procedures in under three days. Luna: Half the training time? That's a huge cost savings when you're onboarding tens of thousands of seasonal workers. Lucas: Right, and UPS is not alone. Walmart has been using AR for in-store training since 2020 — through smartphone-based AR, not glasses. An associate learning how to stock a shelf or handle a returns transaction can just point their phone at a display and see step-by-step instructions appear in the camera view. Walmart says it's reduced training time by 30 to 40 percent for certain tasks. Luna: I remember reading that they also saw higher test scores and better retention. The hands-on aspect, even if it's augmented, seems to stick better than a lecture. Lucas: That is exactly what the data shows. A study by the International Data Corporation found that AR training can improve knowledge retention by up to 70 percent compared to traditional methods. The reasoning is pretty intuitive: you're learning by doing, with real-time guidance. You're not memorizing a manual, you're actually performing the task. Luna: And I bet safety training is a huge use case too. For jobs where a mistake can get you hurt. Lucas: Absolutely. Boeing has been using AR for wiring harness assembly in its aircraft. New technicians used to spend weeks studying complex wiring diagrams — now they wear HoloLens headsets and see the exact path for each wire projected onto the fuselage. Boeing reported a 30 percent reduction in assembly time and a near-zero error rate in the early trials. For an industry where a single miswired connection can cost millions or even lives, that's massive. Luna: That's a pretty strong ROI. But what about the cost of the hardware? Those HoloLens headsets are like three thousand dollars each. That's not cheap at scale. Lucas: Yeah, there are two paths here. One is the high-end headset route — HoloLens, RealWear, Apple Vision Pro — for complex tasks where hands-free is critical. The other is smartphone-based AR, which is obviously much cheaper because most employees already carry a phone. Walmart went that route for a reason. You don't need a headset for a quick reference guide on shelf-stacking. Luna: And the smartphone approach also solves the adoption problem. People are used to looking at their phones. Wearing glasses in front of coworkers can feel awkward or isolating. Lucas: Exactly. And the software platform behind both approaches is getting more sophisticated. Companies like Scope AR, Atheer, and Taqtile specialize in authoring tools that let a training manager create an AR session without any coding. You just record the task on video, tag the steps, and the platform generates an interactive AR guide. Luna: So it's not just consuming training — it's creating it. That could be huge for capturing institutional knowledge before experienced workers retire. Lucas: That is arguably the biggest long-term play. The construction industry, for example, is losing a huge number of skilled tradespeople to retirement every year. AR lets a veteran electrician record a complex wiring task once, and then every new hire can practice that same task with the veteran's guidance embedded as digital annotations. The knowledge doesn't walk out the door. Luna: So the technology is really about capturing expertise and scaling it. That feels different from just replacing traditional training — it's something you couldn't do before. Lucas: Right. And I think that's why we're seeing AR training adoption accelerate. As of mid-2026, we're past the early adopter phase. A report from PwC earlier this year estimated that AR training in the industrial sector will grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 45 percent through 2030. The pandemic pushed a lot of companies to rethink how they onboard remote or socially distanced workers, and AR turned out to be a practical solution. Luna: And I imagine the data from these systems is pretty valuable too. Managers can see exactly where trainees struggle — which steps they repeat or where they hesitate — and adjust the training accordingly. Lucas: Yes, that's the analytics layer. The AR platform tracks gaze, hand movements, and completion times. So you can identify that 60 percent of new hires mess up step four on the assembly line, and you realize the instruction is ambiguous. You update the AR overlay, and the problem disappears. That kind of continuous improvement is hard to do with paper checklists or even videos. Luna: I wonder about the psychological side though. Does wearing a headset or following arrows on a screen make people feel less autonomous? Or more confident? Lucas: The early studies suggest more confident, especially for new hires. They feel supported, not micromanaged. One survey from a construction tech firm found that 85 percent of trainees said AR made them feel more competent faster. But there is a risk of over-reliance — if the AR system goes down, can the worker still do the task? That's why most companies use AR as a training tool, not a permanent crutch. You fade the support as the worker gains proficiency. Luna: That makes sense. Like training wheels. Eventually you take them off. Lucas: Exactly. And the best AR training platforms have a progression model. Step one: full overlay with arrows and timers. Step two: only show a hint when the worker pauses for more than 10 seconds. Step three: no overlay, just data collection for assessment. That's where you want to get — to a worker who can do the job independently, but you have evidence that they mastered it. Luna: So if today's conversation gave you something useful — maybe you're in HR or operations and thinking about AR for your team — these conversations stay ad-free because of listener support. You can help keep that going at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small way to ensure we keep digging into topics like this without any sponsor influence. Appreciate anyone who does. Luna: Alright, back to the training. Lucas, what about the industries where AR hasn't taken off yet? Healthcare, hospitality — are they lagging? Lucas: Healthcare is actually an interesting case. There's a lot of AR for surgical training — companies like Surgical Theatre and Proximie let surgeons rehearse complex procedures on 3D models of actual patient anatomy. That's high-end, specialized stuff. But for general hospital staff — nurses, technicians, orderlies — adoption is slower. Partly because of HIPAA and privacy concerns around cameras in patient areas. Hospitality is similar: some hotels use AR for housekeeping training, but it's not widespread yet. Luna: What about the gig economy? Like delivery drivers or ride-share drivers? Could AR help them navigate or handle packages more efficiently? Lucas: Delivery is a natural fit. Amazon has been experimenting with AR for warehouse pickers — using a headset that projects a green arrow to the next item location. They report a 15 percent improvement in picking speed. For last-mile delivery, some startups are developing AR navigation that highlights the specific apartment door or drop-off spot, not just the street address. But the cost of distributing headsets to every driver is a barrier. Most delivery companies are sticking with smartphone-based AR for now. Luna: And I guess the key metric is always the time to competence. How quickly can someone become productive? That's where the ROI lives. Lucas: Yes, and that's why the biggest adopters are industries with high turnover — retail, warehousing, food service. If you're constantly onboarding new people, shaving a few days off training saves millions. Plus, better-trained workers stay longer, which reduces turnover costs even further. Luna: What's the biggest obstacle you see right now for broader adoption? Lucas: Content creation. Even with no-code tools, someone has to record and annotate every training module. For a large company with hundreds of distinct tasks, that's a big upfront investment. And the content needs to be updated when processes change. The second obstacle is IT infrastructure — AR streaming requires low latency and reliable Wi-Fi, which isn't a given on a factory floor or in a warehouse. Some companies are using edge computing to process AR locally, but that adds complexity. Luna: So it's not just buying glasses and turning them on. The real work is in the preparation and the change management. Lucas: Exactly. But the companies that do that work are seeing genuine returns. And as the hardware gets cheaper and the software gets smarter, I think AR training will become as standard for deskless workers as learning management systems are for office workers today. We're just at the beginning of that shift. Luna: Seems like a space worth watching. Thanks, Lucas.