Page 58 - Packaging News Magazine Mar-Apr 2021

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY
To find out more about growth in UI technologies and the AR/VR market, head to ww2frost.com.
Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis finds that UI technologies have moved beyond the concept of simply representing machines to their users, to enabling sophisticated and personalised interaction. It’s a shift that will undoubtedly impact the packaging and processing machinery sector.
AR and VR market to reach $661.4 billion by 2025
The recent global pandemic has accelerated user interface (UI) use in healthcare, manufacturing, education, retail and banking as a means to simplify interactivity and improve engagement with the public.
In light of this, the global AR/VR market is expected to reach $661.4 billion by 2025, at a compound annual rate of 86.3 per cent from 2019 to 2025, driven by contactless commerce, according to Frost & Sullivan’s latest report: Future of User Interfaces (UI) Shaping New Consumer Experiences.
The report also states that beyond 2030, AR and VR will merge, allowing users “access to the total reality-virtuality continuum”.
Meanwhile, the global biometrics market revenue is forecast to reach $54.97 billion in 2025, with next-gen identification, palm vein and behavioural biometrics experiencing significant demand.
“The need for adoption of new UI technologies to alleviate challenges posed by the global pandemic is immediate, but constrained by infrastructure issues such as a lack of 5G networks and capable devices,” explains Murali Krishnan, Visionary Innovation Group senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan.
“For futuristic UIs to become ubiquitous, security and privacy will be critical. Organisations must prioritise cybersecurity, business continuity plans, and risk assessments.
“Furthermore, the transition to the 5th generation of wireless technology will be critical to
6 MARCH-APRIL 2021 MACHINERY MATTERS
the success of UI devices. Its ability to connect one million devices for every square kilometre will make 5G the backbone for UI devices and overall connected ecosystems.”
The report highlights several new technologies that will drive growth opportunities in the short- term, as the adoption rate for user interfaces rises and organisations realise the productivity gains created by UI technologies.
Firstly, with vendors integrating biometric technologies with AI and machine learning, there is a strong market for high-end biometric interfaces in the public and commercial sectors.
A combination of iris, vein, fingerprint, facial recognition, and voiceprint interfaces for verification will offer additional security without compromising the user experience.
Next up, it estimates that four out of five IoT platforms will employ digital twins over the next five years, propelling the global market to expand at a strong CAGR of 47 per cent between 2019 and 2025.
Retail, automotive, healthcare, manufacturing, energy and smart cities are expected to benefit, but successful implementations will require high-speed communications networks with no service disruptions.
Then, the report looks at brain-machine/neural interfaces as having a significant impact on the restoration of vision and hearing, treatment of mental health disorders, and alleviating pain through electrical stimuli by focusing on the
appropriate areas of the brain.
In addition, the gaming community is
pioneering new gaming control mechanisms based on brain signals utilising electro- encephalography (EEG) headsets.
Finally, the report expects that by 2025, China will lead the VR market, with investments pouring into patents, standards and products.
AR, VR and robotics will merge to develop VR robots, which will have a huge impact on manufacturing, retail, security, healthcare and defence. In particular, the AR/VR market revenue for manufacturing, robotics and the engineering supply chain is expected to reach $161.29 billion by 2025.
“UI technologies will be an important component in the shift from the office to a virtual workplace that is mobile and more flexible, while interactive interfaces have expanded the scope of businesses to engage with their customers and build deep relationships,” says Krishnan.
“Technological advances in mixed reality, holographic displays, computer vision and wearables will create new application opportunities.”
The Future of UI Shaping New Consumer Experiences report is the latest addition to the Visionary Innovation Group research and analyses, which are available through Frost & Sullivan’s Leadership Council. It aims to help organisations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to success in an unpredictable future. ■