When machinery goes wrong at a factory, it can potentially mean thousands in lost revenue, sometimes requiring visits from specialist engineers. Making the repair process as fast as possible is crucial, but on-site technicians can’t be experts on everything, and specialist engineers can’t be everywhere. So Electrolux have turned to augmented reality (AR) to solve this problem.
The tech manufacturer has begun a roll-out of AR smart glasses and accompanying software at sixteen factories in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in order to speed up the maintenance process and keep factory production lines moving.
The mobile application is called Tempestive Reamplia, and works in conjunction with AR smat glasses to let an on-site technician collaborate with an expert engineer at a remote location. This set up allows to remote engineer to see what the technician is seeing, a vital part of troubleshooting, as well as provide instructions, which can appear as graphical images on the AR display, allowing the technician on site to quickly find and rectify the problem without needing to ask the engineer for an expensive and time-consuming site visit. The engineer can also use the system to pass along updated instructions, annotated images and technical documentation.
“Digitization is changing fast our working environment in operations and is starting to add value and competitive advantages for the company. Using this technology means the onsite technician can work hands-free and the problem can be identified quickly and easily, without misunderstanding. It cuts costs and traveling, saves time and reduces the failure rate and gets equipment faster back to work,” says Carsten Franke, SVP Industrial Operations, Major Appliances EMEA.
AR is beginning to have a substantial impact on the world of industry and enterprise, with companies such as Vuzix aiming its products at that sector of the market, and many brands and companies discovering the advantages of using AR technology in areas such as construction, retail, design and automotive. The relaunch of Google Glass has also been focussed on this area.
VRFocus will continue to report on new developments in the AR sector.
via Mint VR