Technology Market: EU Funds Austrian AR Glasses for Industrial Assistance

Two Austrian companies are participating in a new EU research project called MANUFACTOR, which aims to upgrade factory floors with sensors and AI agents. The Vienna-based deep tech company Viewpointsystem will supply AR glasses with eye tracking, while the Upper Austrian machinery and plant manufacturer Fill will provide the industrial test environment. The project runs for three years and is funded under the EU's Horizon Europe innovation program with a total budget of 6 million euros, involving 14 partners from eight European countries. The system will combine wearable sensors, XR glasses, eye tracking, 3D image sensors, AI agents, and a Human Digital Twin to provide adaptive real-time assistance to workers. The consortium aims to reduce onboarding times by over 35% and manufacturing errors by 20%, while increasing workers' confidence by more than 20%. The technology will be tested at Fill's Next World Factory, with additional pilot sites at Volkswagen Autoeuropa in Portugal and Hitachi Energy in Sweden.