From AR to AI: Future Tech Every Product Team Should Be Using

by Patrick Leadingham

If your product development process looks the same as it did ten years ago, you’re already behind. The pace of innovation isn’t slowing down—it’s accelerating at a relentless speed, and the teams who adopt new tools early gain a massive advantage in speed, cost, and design quality.

Relying on legacy workflows is a recipe for being overtaken by more agile competitors. Staying competitive today requires strategically embracing technologies—from artificial intelligence in the front end to virtual reality in the back—that boost creativity, ensure certainty, and integrate predictive validation into every stage of the design cycle.

Here are four essential technologies every engineering leader should be paying attention to:

Four Technologies Driving Product Innovation

1. AI-Assisted Design

AI isn't replacing engineers—at least not yet—but it is amplifying them. Whether it’s performing background research, organizing seemingly random ideas from a brainstorming session, or helping analyze large datasets, AI-driven design accelerates the process by taking over repetitive, time-consuming, and mundane tasks. This frees human engineers to focus their creative energy on the more meaningful and complex aspects of the design. In the hands of an experienced engineer or designer, AI is a powerful accelerator for product innovation.

2. Simulation

The power of cloud simulation is transforming validation. With the right combination of high-performance hardware and software, you can run increasingly complex simulations in less and less time. The levels of understanding and design optimization that can be achieved using modern simulation are mind-blowing, providing certainty about performance long before any physical build.

3. 3D Printing

You wouldn’t think that 40+ years into the commercial 3D printing era that the technology would be improving so rapidly, but it is. The latest 3D printers across several different printing technologies are faster, more accurate, and more affordable than ever. Our latest SLA printers can produce in two hours what would have taken ten hours just a couple of years ago. Modern rapid prototyping allows for immediate tactile feedback.

4. AR/VR

The ability to walk around a design before it physically exists changes the conversation entirely. Using AR/VR simulation enables faster design reviews, immediate evaluation of ergonomics, and leads to smarter decisions in early stages. While this requires additional hardware and software, the capability to immerse your team and stakeholders in the virtual design is invaluable.

The future of engineering belongs to teams who can see further, iterate faster, and validate earlier. These tools make that possible.

Ready to Accelerate Your Design?

Which future tech is already reshaping the way you work? Contact Design Department today to integrate cutting-edge AI and simulation tools into your development process.