Waikato Business News July/August 2019

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS July/August 2019
7
Company-X becomes New Zealand
partner for RealWear head-mounted tablet
Company-X is the first and only New Zealand and Australia
reseller for head-mounted tablets from established global
innovation leader, RealWear.
The agreement adds
additional capability to
Company-X, which also
recently purchased Augmented
and Virtual Reality (AR/VR)
business Pepper Creative.
RealWear is a leading manufacturer
of head-mounted tablets,
or HMT-1s, as well as the
intrinsically safe HMT-1Z1 for
areas where explosive gasses
are present. The lightweight
headset has a narrow “boom
arm” with a “micro-display”
that appears as though the
worker is viewing a 7” tablet
screen. The screen can be positioned
just below line of sight,
so the user can easily see glance
on the screen like a dashboard.
To keep the experience completely
hands-free all inputs are
entirely voice-activated.
“Essentially, it’s a ruggedized
tablet computer completely
optimised for handsfree
use that clips on a hard hat”
Company-X’s AR/VR specialist
Lance Bauerfeind explains.
“It runs off the Android operating
system and apps, so we can
write customised apps for our
clients, exactly like you can
for a tablet. The core functions
that are built into the headsets
are the voice command functionality
that has been enabled
for all existing apps and navigation.”
Lance and his team first
came across RealWear’s HMT
hands-free wearables when
looking for a device for a client’s
onsite inspections and
audits. They had already tried a
competitor’s device but found
the first option blocked the
user from seeing people, which
was a barrier. The HMT-1 or
HMT-1Z1 is designed specifically
to maintain situational
awareness while improving
productivity.
“We’d heard of RealWear,”
Lance explains, “but were initially
sceptical of the smaller
screen. Our concerns were
unfounded as it is very user
friendly as the screen is mostly
a reference check for the voice
commands.”
“We are pleased to find a
partner that adds a powerful
sales channel in the Australian
and New Zealand market,
with real experience in
the application and use-cases
of wearable technology,” said
Rocky Scales, Executive Vice
President, RealWear. “This
channel will help accelerate
RealWear’s market growth and
expand our userbase and ecosystem
in a country that is well
recognised as an innovation
leader.” Scales continued: “We
carefully select our resellers
who add additional value and
have proven relationships with
their regions and reach. We
have found such a reseller in
Company-X.”
“Being part of Company-X
strengthens our ability
to develop apps for use with
the HMT headsets, including
back-end connectivity and
databases,” explains Lance.
“We can build the apps to
incorporate functions clients
need in one place, rather than
having to step out of the app
and use other tools, such as
taking photos or transcribing
observations that the user can
narrate into the device.
Company-X
developers can
reformat existing
apps, add voice
functionality and
take existing apps
to redesign the User
Interface for the
small screen.
One project using RealWear
HMT is a proof of concept with
off-site monitoring requirements,
as Lance outlines.
“The challenge was to help
technicians onsite at remote
distribution hubs. The technicians
carry out repair and
maintenance on site so using
the HMT needs no computer
or laptop. You can’t take a
laptop into an explosive area,
which was needed here, but
you can the head-mounted
tablet, and the HMT-1Z1
Photo courtesy RealWear.
model is certified as intrinsically
safe.”
Because it’s handsfree,
users can carry on working, so
for testing, inspecting, repairing
functions, troubleshooting
is going to be more efficient.
The device can also be
used just like a smartphone
for remote voice calls. Users
can also share camera feed for
picture-in-picture video calling.
This means a technician
can discuss an issue, record it
and save it. Information stored
in the device is synced back to
their corporate systems.
Anything you can do with
an app on your phone, you can
do through this headset but just
using voice commands instead
of tapping the screen.
The opportunities for companies
like Company-X in the
wearable devices space are significant.
As a result of their initial
projects with RealWear,
Pepper Creative has built up
a good relationship with the
HMT team. When RealWear
was looking for resellers in the
Australasian market, Company-X
jumped at the opportunity.
“They’ve spent over seven
years perfecting the product,
so the usability is excellent,”
says Lance. “We believe in the
product and are excited about
the opportunities.”
“You only have to see
the rise of tools like Siri and
Alexa,” says Lance. “Pepper
Creative’s integration into
Company-X has meant that
there’s now the resources to be
a full reseller here. Being able
to provide the hardware as well
as the software means we can
offer a fully integrated service,
as well as opening up further
business opportunities in Australia.”
Smartphones have sped up
the development of these technologies
by miniaturising components
and developing new
technologies. Now hardware is
catching up to make big ideas
possible, accessible and more
affordable.
“What’s exciting for us,
is that these technologies are
now within reach for local
businesses here,” Lance adds.
TACKLING YOUR
PROBLEMS HANDS-ON
AND HANDS-FREE
Company-X is now a reseller for RealWear
headmounted tablets, using creative software
expertise to bring your ideas to life.
500
Technology
Fast 500
2018 APAC