PASADENA, Calif. (PRWEB)
March 23, 2020

A global healthcare leader with more than 10,000 employees worldwide was facing a challenge in demonstrating its benchtop lab equipment, as several models were too large and heavy for sales reps to bring to customers’ offices and trade shows. This was no minor business challenge, as many customers are often unwilling to make substantial purchases sight unseen.

The S&P 500 constituent company turned to award-winning mobile app design and development firm CitrusBits (https://citrusbits.com/) to create three augmented reality (AR) experiences that would allow potential customers to virtually demo three diagnostic machines — as if the products were physically right in front of them.

For the AR experiences to be effective, the healthcare company needed the experiences to be (1) very compelling with hyper-realistic, 3D models that one could interact with and inspect from different angles, and (2) to be completely accurate in their depiction of how the machines handled lab procedures.

How CitrusBits Created the AR App

CitrusBits harnessed 3D cameras and precision measuring tools to ensure its 3D assets were designed with maximal accuracy. Once the initial CAD models were built, CitrusBits designers went a step further and implemented custom shaders to ensure that the products’ distinctive textures and high degree of polish would come through.

CitrusBits breathed life into the hyper-realistic 3D models by adding intricate 2D and 3D animations, such as a centrifuge rotating as it processes a blood sample — to show customers exactly what it’s like to use each product.

No client’s office or healthcare facility has the same layout, so the end users — sales reps — would need the flexibility to perform the AR-based demo in any setting. CitrusBits thus designed the app to allow users to activate the AR experiences using either plane recognition – allowing any flat surface to be seen with computer vision and used to place the machines convincingly – or image-based markers to activate the experience at true scale.

“Working with an enterprise leader of this stature was a pleasure, as we all shared a common drive to create something truly innovative and impactful for their sales efforts,” said Douglas Liang, AR Director for CitrusBits. “This desire to innovate led us to produce a custom computer vision solution, making these AR experiences extremely versatile in the field.”

“Engaging, Interactive, and Memorable”

The new AR experiences just made their debut at the client’s largest trade show of the year and generated significant buzz around the products they’ve helped bring to life and the innovative delivery mechanism.

This cutting-edge AR app is now rolling out to all of its sales reps nationwide.

“Our sales colleagues were very receptive to the new technology and excited to put it into practice out in the field,” said the head of marketing for the client’s medical diagnosis group.

“CitrusBits’ AR app is helping us address two major pain points for our sales organization: How to bring larger diagnostic analyzers into the clinic setting for demonstrations, and how to provide a more engaging, interactive, and memorable experience with our instruments for our prospects. AR enables us to bring brochures to life in a way that compels the prospect to engage and learn, while instilling confidence in our products’ features and benefits.”

About CitrusBits

CitrusBits is an award-winning mobile app agency that has built more than 300 critical mobile apps for such well-known clients as DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, Burger King, and Quiksilver. Firmly planted at the intersection of user-focused design, mobile app development, and emerging technologies like augmented reality, CitrusBits leverages deep expertise across these disciplines to help businesses reach their loftiest goals and thrive.

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