Bosch to acquire stake in the AR specialist Reflekt GmbH

Bosch now plans to extend this cooperation by taking a minority stake in the AR specialist. Contracts to that effect were signed on December 16, 2015, the transaction is subject to the approval of the cartel authorities. Investing in an important future technology “In the future, Augmented Reality applications will be used in many areas of our lives. In the industrial sector and the automotive aftermarket, AR applications will save time and reduce costs,” says Dr. Eng. Hans-Peter Meyen, Member of the Divisional Board of the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket division. Reflekt CEO Wolfgang Stelzle adds: “We are convinced our long-term partnership with Bosch will be strengthened by this investment. The reputation and market position of Bosch will accelerate our international expansion and product development.” Augmented Reality applications enhance the perception of reality by combining reality with augmented information. Once the user points his smart-phone or tablet camera onto a specific area, additional digital information such as explanations, 3D objects or videos are shown on the display of the device. In automotive workshops, for instance, Augmented Reality allows technicians to see components true to scale and in their correct location, even though they may not be visible on the product without disassembly. Work instructions, error codes and the required tools are displayed as well. “Together with Reflekt, we will continue to advance our worldwide position in this important pioneering field,” Meyen says. Besides applications for the automotive sector, Bosch also sees a variety of useful possibilities to apply Augmented Reality in other industrial sectors. As part of the total solution, Bosch offers licensing of the CAP system combined with consulting, engineering and complete authoring services.