Augmented reality in industrial and maintenance processes
Mercedes Benz recently implemented an Augmented Reality Remote Support and maintenance system in pits for its Formula 1 races. Thanks to it, technicians in the factory can see from their desks what the technician sees on the car during the competition, when it stops in the pits. In this way, the design and manufacturing tools in the factory, the designers in their offices, the elements in the wind tunnels and the technicians who are showing with their visors what is happening on the track, all simultaneously. This joint work makes it possible to solve in an instant the issues that happen on the track, adding knowledge, experience and all the technology of the brand without moving more people than necessary and simulating the situation in the factory, online.
Direct benefits in the operation
Effectiveness: According to the experience gained in our developments, we know that the time required to complete tasks can be reduced by 25%.
Error costs: By having a tool that guides the operator step by step, deviations from the procedure are reduced by 30%.
Maintenance efficiency: By working in an immersive environment, the operator is less distracted, his concentration can be increased by 32% thanks to the directed processes and the graphic-sound interface makes the person remain attentive to the instructions and possible changes.
Indirect benefits of the process or maintenance
Optimize the operation by improving processes with live images.
Safeguard expert operator experience in repeatable media for trainees.
Train operators in less time and ready to work immediately.
Reduce accidents and inefficiency in the early days.
Correctlydetermine workloads by getting metrics out of the system.
How to determine ROI?
Profit: Extra labor expenses that cover inefficiency due to distractions, plus the hours it costs to have the machinery stopped, plus damages and waste that could have been avoided, plus the expense related to labor accidents, plus retraining.
Investment: Cost of the simulator (hardware, software, support, maintenance).
If (Profit-Investment)/Investment is less than zero, the return is negative and you do not need to develop one of these systems.
If (Profit-Investment)/Investment is greater than zero, the return is negative and you do not need to develop one of these systems. If (Profit-Investment)/Investment is greater than zero, the return is negative.
Characteristics of an augmented reality system
Delivers instructions and guided workflow.
Makes real-time job assignments.
Captures and shares photos and videos.
Enables “You see what I see” video calls.
Detects and displays live machine data.
Enables voice and Touch commands.
Mixes content from Cloud, Client and both.
Works on multiple devices (VR Glasses, Tablets, Cellphones, AR Viewers).
Advantages of augmented reality applications
Add modules as the development of each maintenance is completed.
Redo any module when the procedure changes.
Install on existing hardware models or retrofit to future ones.
Resources invested are maintained over time.
Helps reduce the total cost of ownership because the operating cost is almost zero; you only spend on retrofitting when the process changes.
Other uses of augmented reality applications
Prototypes:
In these applications it is also possible to make virtual prototypes that allow us to “transport” materials: In distant exhibitions where large or very delicate and expensive items must be taken, it is possible to project the product in the exhibition space thanks to mobile devices. The product or machine can be duplicated exactly, moved in all directions, positioned in different places and zoomed in to see the details, delivering an immersive experience to the viewer.
Industrial space simulator:
Thanks to current developments in hardware and software, we can create 3D industry spaces, which look practically the same as those in real life. We include interaction so that the user can move in the space, simply look around in 360°, operate the objects and perform actions on elements or even operate the machinery. Thanks to this, the participant can see in all directions while standing in place (3 DoF Degrees of Freedom) or can move and traverse the space freely (in 6 DoF). This will depend on the type of glasses defined for the simulation. We perform simulations of industrial environments such as quarries under construction, refineries, petrochemical facilities, power plants and hazardous or risky locations. These developments are not only oriented to meet the needs of machine manufacturers and those who build manufacturing sites, but also to companies that do safety consulting, best practices or develop services.
TwoReality virtual and augmented reality agency
New technologies are helping us to grow, reactivate businesses, improve knowledge adherence, attract more customers.
Although the new sometimes seems strange to us according to our previous day-to-day life, they are tools that have come to help us.
As the benefits of these tools spread, more virtual reality companies are created, focusing on commercial and industry developments, in addition to entertainment.
We have been working on these technologies for more than ten years with brands such as United Nations, CSC, Novartis, Santander, RedBull, Janssen and many more.
From TwoReality we continue to create the best content and applications for different devices. Tell us about your project.
