Product Q&A: software for innovators

Bjorn Sjodin, VP of Product Management at COMSOL

Paul Haimes, VP Europe Technical Sales at PTC

Andy Harris, Senior Principal Research Engineer, Autodesk Research

BS: One of the biggest trends driving the development of modelling and simulation software right now is the need for democratisation. Modelling and simulation of physics-based problems is an extremely powerful predictive tool in product and process development. The technology is so valuable to organisations that many consider it urgent to make these tools available to a wider audience than just simulation experts. COMSOL provides leading technology in this area for app building, app compilation and enterprise deployment of apps to serve this need.

PH: 2019 saw forward-thinking companies making it a breakout year for Augmented Reality (AR). Now, as COVID-19 forces companies to look at new ways of providing assistance to workers and customers in other regions, more and more companies are seeing the true value of AR.  Companies are now seeing the gains in worker efficiency and quality, whilst reducing the cost of training by more effectively transferring knowledge to new workers via AR. The issues presented by Covid-19 go way beyond the everyday business concerns of productivity or cost - this is about the health and safety of workers and thus demands a far more urgent and targeted response, and AR can provide this.