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A S H R A E J O U R N A L a s h r a e . o r g M A Y 2 0 2 1 2 8 there is an ability to leverage game engine platforms and other tools to develop custom applications," he said. Messner notes that the technology is not without its challenges. For instance, he said extended reality gog- gles can make a virtual model feel real, but sometimes it is hard to communicate when immersed in the tech- nology. The technology can "extract you from the real world" and makes it challenging to communicate with other team members, he said. "The challenge of geospatially positioning two eyes in the world can still be technologically challenging, so locating the AR headset in the real-world is not always perfect, but the technology is rapidly maturing. Application can leverage image markers to improve their positioning or have the user manually align the model," said Messner. Getting used to AR technology is just part of the learn- ing curve users experience with any new technology, said Lawver. He said typical challenges include logging into their accounts using a virtual keyboard and getting used to aligning a model with an object or on the con- struction site. Common questions about the technology include how the technology works and how it can fit into their exist- ing workflows, said Lawver. "The only thing that we're disrupting is the way in which the user is interacting with the data, and not the actual workflow or the data itself," he said. How Will AR Technology Affect the Built Industry? AR is still an evolving technology. "I think AR is going to be a real game changer in the future. But it's still in its infancy," said Messner. "I think there are some really good examples [of how to use AR], but not a whole lot of them coming from our industry." Messner predicts it could become a valuable tool, with a merging of immersive technologies, such as virtual reality and mixed reality. "We are still waiting for the lower-cost, high-quality AR devices to appear. I guess the best that we currently have is a phone," he said. "But when low-cost, high-quality glasses-based AR is readily available, there will be many emerging uses, such as easy model visualization anywhere on- site, readily collaborating with experts while in the field and easily seeing future work while walking a job site." Lawver said extended reality, which includes aug- mented and virtual reality, is a rapidly moving industry and is the direction computing is heading. "There's a ton of investment going into AR and MR from all of the tech companies. They're all dumping billions of dollars into this," he said. Next Steps for HVAC&R Professionals If AR is the way of the future, Lawver suggests people learn the basics of AR and then grow with its evolution as opposed to waiting until the technology develops and then work through a higher learning curve. "My vision is that it doesn't matter what authoring software you're using; it doesn't matter what kind of BIM model you have; it doesn't matter if you're a plumber or HVAC [technician] or electrician; or if you're tech savvy or not. I want anyone on that site regardless of what their workflow is to be able to don this headset and load their data from their existing workflows and get more value out of it," Lawver said. "Ultimately what we're trying to do is remove the paper plan and remove the iPhone and remove the iPad and remove the laptop on the site and just move that com- puting to be hands-free." AR is part of the HVAC&R industry's digital trans- formation, as the technology leverages the power of dynamic information embedded in a digital model, said Gulledge. "The HVAC world is evolving from geometry and paper to smart objects and connected knowledge," he said. "Applied physical-digital-physical realities rely on this connection." Access Augmented Reality With Your Phone A phone app lets you visualize 3D models through AR for free and without sharing your email. Download the "Augment—3D Augmented Reality" app to your mobile device (iPhone or Android). Explore the app's public galleries to visualize the extended reality. Under the "Architecture" section, take a virtual tour of the Guggenheim Museum's lobby, which demonstrates how AR models can transport users to places at scale. INDUSTRY 4.0

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