Swisscom augmented reality application

Setting up and configuring a router without technical support on site can be complicated. How can you support someone without sending a technician round?

The digital, three-dimensional set of instructions is projected onto the router through the smartphone camera using an augmented reality application. The application explains the router set-up step by step.

Setting up a new Wi-Fi router can be complicated when the technical know-how is missing or the instructions are too hard to follow. If problems arise with the router, that can lead to frustration or dissatisfaction with the product. Sending technical staff round to help costs time and money and creates extra effort. Swisscom therefore set out to simplify the set-up of its routers using the newest technology and looked for a solution to support customers. Together with VRtual X we developed an augmented reality application that shows the most important steps of router set-up visually and guides users through all of them. The result is a set of instructions in the Swisscom app that simply uses the smartphone camera to display the router and the individual steps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClXo5Ek0Bhc The augmented reality application can not only show parts of the instructions, it also recognises the individual components needed for set-up. That makes sure all the cables and plugs required are present, and names those components for better understanding. The individual steps and parts are shown in such detail that using it is extremely clear and straightforward. Working with VRtual X, FUTURE CANDY was able to demonstrate perfectly how augmented reality applications can simplify our lives in future. Complicated instruction manuals can be dispensed with, which alongside better usability also means considerably less paper is needed to print them. Augmented reality has the potential to make our everyday lives and our work significantly easier. Applications like Swisscom's already show that potential and those possible uses today. We are glad that the end product of this collaboration lets us make clear to people how augmented reality can be used, and we look forward to working on more and more augmented reality projects in future.