Virtual and augmented reality as enablers for improving the service on distributed assets

The evolution of Augment and Virtual Reality is enabling new solutions. This paper addresses creation of applications to support service and maintenance of distributed systems. Indeed this approach could be applied to devices provided as service for industrial and individual use and could introduce new capabilities in terms of training for operators, control and remote service support. The paper presents a case study devoted to lead the introduction of these innovative solutions in industrial and health care system

An Innovative Process to Select Augmented Reality (AR) Technology for Maintenance

Augmented Reality (AR) technology for maintenance aims to improve human performances by providing relevant information regarding both corrective and preventive maintenance. The development of an AR system involves the choice of a hardware, a development software and a visualisation method. These selections are challenging due to the wide choice of services and options available which result in fragmentation: different development processes and different user experiences. In order to ease the selection of an AR system for supporting maintenance operations, this paper proposes an innovative process. It guides the reader to identify the requirements and the constraints for any specific application through a number of questions developed in this study to help with the selection. This results in suggestions for the selection of the hardware, the development software and the visualisation method. The process is built based on a literature study, grey documents and experts interviews. Future works includes the validation of the selection process proposed in this project. It could be done by comparing the choices made using the proposed process with the choices made by experts for the same case study. Moreover, the decisional process could be extended to face the economical and ergonomics aspects related with the selection of an AR system. It could be done expanding the literature research including studies which investigate into the economical and ergonomics consequences of the application or AR for maintenance

Applying the Technology Acceptance Model to Understand Aviation Students’ Perceptions toward Augmented Reality Maintenance Training Instruction

Augmented Reality (AR) Technology, since its inception, has been enhanced significantly by software and hardware developers, and has been widely utilized in various fields such as manufacturing, entertainment, architecture, commerce and education. In recent years, maintenance instructions developed on the basis of AR technology have demonstrated their potential to positively impact maintenance training and technical tasks in aviation. Features of AR maintenance instructions include interactive content, user-friendly operation interface, enhanced visualization and real-time data feeds. The researchers conducted a case study of forty-one aviation maintenance students at a Midwestern university. The purpose of this study was twofold: to evaluate the Technology Acceptance Model as a valid framework for assessing AR implementation in aviation maintenance training; and to evaluate students’ acceptance of AR instructions in aviation maintenance training. On one hand, The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) can help identify and prove the relationships among variables affecting aviation students’ perceptions and future use of AR instructions, including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using, and intention to use. On the other hand, the results may help establish an initial benchmark for aviation students’ acceptance of AR instructions in a maintenance training setting

The Development of an Advanced Maintenance training programme utilizing Augmented Reality

Maintenance engineering represents an area of great opportunity to reduce cost, improve productivity, and increase profitability for manufacturing companies. There are examples of best practice that can be classed as World Class Maintenance which deliver great benefits. Unfortunately very few companies, and especially small and medium sized companies, remotely approach this level. Research has shown that savings of around 10% are achievable by improving asset management techniques through adopting modern maintenance practices, tools, and techniques. One area that is often overlooked is the development of an appropriate training programme in which the skills and knowledge are retained and used to develop the skills of young apprentices or new staff using specific technologies. Augmented Reality (AR) has been identified as a technology offering a promising approach to training which combines a number of disciplines including engineering, computing, and psychology. Augmented Reality (AR) enables users to view, through the use of see-through displays, virtual objects superimposed dynamically, and merged seamlessly, with real world objects in a real environment via a range of devices such as Ipad or Tablet, so that the virtual objects and real world images appear to exist at the same time in the same place providing real-time interaction. Therefore, this approach expands the surrounding real world environment by superimposing computer-generated information. It presents the information more intuitively than legacy interfaces such as paper-based instruction manuals enabling the users to interact directly with the information and use their natural spatial processing ability. This paper will identify augmented reality tools and techniques with the potential to support efficient training systems for maintenance and assembly skills that accelerate the technicians’ acquisition of new maintenance procedures. A platform for multimodal Augmented Reality based training will be proposed which could allow small to medium sized companies to develop and implement appropriate maintenance tasks based upon cost effective and efficient training systems. Such systems would give technicians’ the opportunity for practical training, that is, the possibility to “learn by doing” in the workplace; provide information when and where needed, thus reducing the technicians’ information search time; and potentially reduce errors due to violations in procedure, misinterpretation of facts, or insufficient training. A detailed bibliography on these topics is also provided

Augmented Reality Environments in Learning, Communicational and Professional Contexts in Higher Education

This paper explores educational and professional uses of augmented learning environment concerned with issues of training and entertainment.We analyze the state-of-art research of some scenarios based on augmented reality. Some examples for the purpose of education and simulation are described. These applications show that augmented reality can be means of enhancing, motivating and stimulating learners’ understanding of certain events, especially those for which the traditional notion of instructional learning have proven inappropriate or difficult. Furthermore, the students can learn in a quick mode by interacting on the augmented environments

Application of augmented reality in aviation: improving engagement of cabin crew during emergency procedures training

The main duty of the cabin crew is to ensure the safety of all passengers onboard and are crucial during emergency situations. It is mandatory for cabin crew to attend the annual Emergency Procedures Training (EPT) to be able to operate as cabin crew regardless of the seniority. Despite the high importance, this training can be long and bulky leading to boredom and lack of engagement, hence jeopardizing the importance of in-flight safety procedures. Although Augmented Reality (AR) can potentially address this issue while enhancing engagement and learning retention, limited work has been undertaken to apply this technology to EPT. As such, this paper investigates whether augmented reality can effectively improve user engagement during emergency procedures training in the context of aviation. In this endeavor, an AR-based application was developed and is presented in this paper. The Positive Engagement Evaluation Method (PEEM) was then used to assess engagement among the 45 cabin-crew of the national carrier. From the PEEM matrix, the positive engagement score obtained was 10.58 and mean scores from the questionnaire ranged from 3 to 4.7. This highlights that Augmented Reality has the potential to enhance the motivation and engagement of users during the emergency procedures training, although a few limitations were identified

A new synthetic training environment system based on an ICT-approach for manual ultrasonic testing

Training to qualify as a manual ultrasonic inspector takes a long time and costs a considerable amount of money. We developed a virtual training environment using an innovative dead-reckoning optical sensor that yields translational position which offers additional information to operators and examiners alike. The training environment contains a library of test scenarios, shows surface coverage, measures the time of inspection, indicates detected defects and provides a performance score. Our test-bed trial results using a pool of Ultrasonic Test (UT) qualified and unqualified participants on two virtual training blocks that contain 2 flaws each reveal 100% detection and an accuracy of 5mm in locating defects in more than 50% of the measured defect locations

An evaluation of the Microsoft HoloLens for a manufacturing-guided assembly task

Many studies have confirmed the benefits of using Augmented Reality (AR) work instructions over traditional digital or paper instructions, but few have compared the effects of different AR hardware for complex assembly tasks. For this research, previously published data using Desktop Model Based Instructions (MBI), Tablet MBI, and Tablet AR instructions were compared to new assembly data collected using AR instructions on the Microsoft HoloLens Head Mounted Display (HMD). Participants completed a mock wing assembly task, and measures like completion time, error count, Net Promoter Score, and qualitative feedback were recorded. The HoloLens condition yielded faster completion times than all other conditions. HoloLens users also had lower error rates than those who used the non-AR conditions. Despite the performance benefits of the HoloLens AR instructions, users of this condition reported lower net promoter scores than users of the Tablet AR instructions. The qualitative data showed that some users thought the HoloLens device was uncomfortable and that the tracking was not always exact. Although the user feedback favored the Tablet AR condition, the HoloLens condition resulted in significantly faster assembly times. As a result, it is recommended to use the HoloLens for complex guided assembly instructions with minor changes, such as allowing the user to toggle the AR instructions on and off at will. The results of this paper can help manufacturing stakeholders better understand the benefits of different AR technology for manual assembly tasks

Towards the use of augmented reality techniques for assisted acceptance sampling

Acceptance sampling is a statistical procedure for accepting or rejecting production lots according to the result of a sample inspection. Formalizing the concept of assisted acceptance sampling, this article suggests the use of consolidated tools for reducing the risk of human errors in acceptance sampling activities. To this purpose, the application of augmented reality techniques may represent a profitable and sustainable solution. An augmented reality–based prototype system is described in detail and tested by an experimental plan. The major original contributions of this work are (a) introducing the new paradigm of assisted acceptance sampling and (b) developing a preliminary application in an industrial-like environment. This application is a first step towards the realization of a complete assisted acceptance sampling system