8 Pharmaceutical Technology LABORATORY BEST PRACTICES 2018 P h a r mTe c h . c o m
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Augmented Reality
F
or years, virtual reality (VR) has been developing more of
a presence in training applications. but its use in pharma
R&D and manufacturing has been limited by the fact that
it operates in its own world, separating the user from ev-
eryday reality in the lab or on the facility f loor. When Google Glass
appeared, companies began to see the possibilities of moving beyond
virtual to augmented or mixed reality, which juxtaposes the real and
the virtual, allowing users to refer to documentation, demonstra-
tions, or other data to perform their jobs. As the hardware required
has improved, the technology is being used by growing number of
pharmaceutical companies.
Merck, for example, is using Microsoft's augmented reality headset,
HoloLens, at several of its facilities. In 2017, the company evaluated
the impact that the technology had on a mock analytical method
transfer at three of its R&D sites, and reported a 10-fold gain in
efficiency based on time savings, cost reduction, and the ability to
examine and discuss data in real time (1).
Apprentice ios is focusing on pharma and biopharma applications
for augmented reality. Founded in 2014, the company is capitalizing
on the technology's ability to retrieve and validate data in real-time,
and to establish a clear audit trail. The company, which already of-
fers out-of-the-box integration to OSI's PI platform, is now adding
interfaces that will extend its platform directly into batch record-
keeping and manufacturing execution systems (MES) software on
the facilities side, and to electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) and
laboratory information systems (LIMS) in the lab. It plans to intro-
duce products using the new Magic Leap headset (photo) in 2019.
Apprentice is now working with more than half of the top 25
pharma companies at locations throughout the world, and has raised
Mixed Reality Gains
a Foothold in the Lab
Rather than isolating the user
in a virtual world, mixed
reality allows contextualized
data to be shared in real time,
improving assays, standard
operating procedures,
workflows, and overall tech
transfer.
Agnes Shanley