Continuous maintenance and the future – Foundations and technological challenges

High value and long life products require continuous maintenance throughout their life cycle to achieve required performance with optimum through-life cost. This paper presents foundations and technologies required to offer the maintenance service. Component and system level degradation science, assessment and modelling along with life cycle ‘big data’ analytics are the two most important knowledge and skill base required for the continuous maintenance. Advanced computing and visualisation technologies will improve efficiency of the maintenance and reduce through-life cost of the product. Future of continuous maintenance within the Industry 4.0 context also identifies the role of IoT, standards and cyber security

Context-Aware Mobile Augmented Reality Visualization in Construction Engineering Education

Recent studies suggest that the number of students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees has been generally decreasing. An extensive body of research cites the lack of motivation and engagement in the learning process as a major underlying reason of this decline. It has been discussed that if properly implemented, instructional technology can enhance student engagement and the quality of learning. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to implement and assess effectiveness of augmented reality (AR)-based pedagogical tools on student learning. For this purpose, two sets of experiments were designed and implemented in two different construction and civil engineering undergraduate level courses at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The first experiment was designed to systematically assess the effectiveness of a context-aware mobile AR tool (CAM-ART) in real classroom-scale environment. This tool was used to enhance traditional lecture-based instruction and information delivery by augmenting the contents of an ordinary textbook using computer-generated three-dimensional (3D) objects and other virtual multimedia (e.g. sound, video, graphs). The experiment conducted on two separate control and test groups and pre- and post- performance data as well as student perception of using CAM-ART was collected through several feedback questionnaires. In the second experiment, a building design and assembly task competition was designed and conducted using a mobile AR platform. The pedagogical value of mobile AR-based instruction and information delivery to student learning in a large-scale classroom setting was also assessed and investigated. Similar to the first experiment, students in this experiment were divided into two control and test groups. Students\u27 performance data as well as their feedback, suggestions, and workload were systematically collected and analyzed. Data analysis showed that the mobile AR framework had a measurable and positive impact on students\u27 learning. In particular, it was found that students in the test group (who used the AR tool) performed slightly better with respect to certain measures and spent more time on collaboration, communication, and exchanging ideas in both experiments. Overall, students ranked the effectiveness of the AR tool very high and stated that it has a good potential to reform traditional teaching methods

Study of Augmented Reality based manufacturing for further integration of quality control 4.0: a systematic literature review

Augmented Reality (AR) has gradually become a mainstream technology enabling Industry 4.0 and its maturity has also grown over time. AR has been applied to support different processes on the shop-floor level, such as assembly, maintenance, etc. As various processes in manufacturing require high quality and near-zero error rates to ensure the demands and safety of end-users, AR can also equip operators with immersive interfaces to enhance productivity, accuracy and autonomy in the quality sector. However, there is currently no systematic review paper about AR technology enhancing the quality sector. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to conclude about the emerging interest in using AR as an assisting technology for the quality sector in an industry 4.0 context. Five research questions (RQs), with a set of selection criteria, are predefined to support the objectives of this SLR. In addition, different research databases are used for the paper identification phase following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) methodology to find the answers for the predefined RQs. It is found that, in spite of staying behind the assembly and maintenance sector in terms of AR-based solutions, there is a tendency towards interest in developing and implementing AR-assisted quality applications. There are three main categories of current AR-based solutions for quality sector, which are AR-based apps as a virtual Lean tool, AR-assisted metrology and AR-based solutions for in-line quality control. In this SLR, an AR architecture layer framework has been improved to classify articles into different layers which are finally integrated into a systematic design and development methodology for the development of long-term AR-based solutions for the quality sector in the future

A Reference Architecture for a Workflow Management System Front End Designed for Augmented Reality Headsets

A well-known approach to managing and controlling workflows in organizations is the workflow management system (WFMS). Recently, approaches utilizing augmented reality headsets as WFMS front ends have been discussed, promising higher efficiency, effectiveness, and usability for certain application scenarios. However, existing design-oriented approaches lack actionable guidance for implementation. A well-known approach to address such knowledge gaps is a reference architecture, which inter alia reduces development times and risks and facilitates collaboration between developers. Based on an existing tentative design theory for an augmented reality-based WFMS front end, we contribute a reference architecture containing an extended design theory, user interface design, and models for use cases, components, classes, and sequence flows in the unified modeling language. The reference architecture was successfully operationalized in a prototype and positively evaluated via a survey of potential users

Overcoming the limitations of commodity augmented reality head mounted displays for use in product assembly

Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) to deliver work instructions for complex assemblies. Traditionally, this research has been performed using hand-held displays, such as smartphones and tablets, or custom-built Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). AR HMDs have been shown to be especially effective for assembly tasks as they allow the user to remain hands-free while receiving work instructions. Furthermore, in recent years a wave of commodity AR HMDs have come to market including the Microsoft HoloLens, Magic Leap One, Meta 2, and DAQRI Smart Glasses. These devices present a unique opportunity for delivering assembly instructions due to their relatively low cost and accessibility compared to custom built AR HMD solutions of the past. Despite these benefits, the technology behind these HMDs still contains many limitations including input, user interface, spatial registration, navigation and occlusion. To accurately deliver work instructions for complex assemblies, the hardware limitations of these commodity AR HMDs must be overcome. For this research, an AR assembly application was developed for the Microsoft HoloLens using methods specifically designed to address the aforementioned issues. Input and user interface methods were implemented and analyzed to maximize the usability of the application. An intuitive navigation system was developed to guide users through a large training environment, leading them to the current point of interest. The native tracking system of the HoloLens was augmented with image target tracking capabilities to stabilize virtual content, enhance accuracy, and account for spatial drift. This fusion of marker-based and marker-less tracking techniques provides a novel approach to display robust AR assembly instructions on a commodity AR HMD. Furthermore, utilizing this novel spatial registration approach, the position of real-world objects was accurately registered to properly occlude virtual work instructions. To render the desired effect, specialized computer graphics methods and custom shaders were developed and implemented for an AR assembly application. After developing novel methods to display work instructions on a commodity AR HMD, it was necessary to validate that these work instructions were being accurately delivered. Utilizing the sensors on the HoloLens, data was collected during the assembly process regarding head position, orientation, assembly step times, and an estimation of spatial drift. With the addition of wearable physiological sensor data, this data was fused together in a visualization application to validate instructions were properly delivered and provide an opportunity for an analysist to examine trends within an assembly session. Additionally, the spatial drift data was then analyzed to gain a better understanding of how spatial drift accumulates over time and ensure that the spatial registration mitigation techniques was effective. Academic research has shown that AR may substantial reduce cost for assembly operations through a reduction in errors, time, and cognitive workload. This research provides novel solutions to overcome the limitations of commodity AR HMDs and validate their use for product assembly. Furthermore, the research provided in this thesis demonstrates the potential of commodity AR HMDs and how their limitations can be mitigated for use in product assembly tasks

Astronomical Data Management

We present a summary of the major contributions to the Special Session on Data Management held at the IAU General Assembly in Prague in 2006. While recent years have seen enormous improvements in access to astronomical data, and the Virtual Observatory aims to provide astronomers with seamless access to on-line resources, more attention needs to be paid to ensuring the quality and completeness of those resources. For example, data produced by telescopes are not always made available to the astronomical community, and new instruments are sometimes designed and built with insufficient planning for data management, while older but valuable legacy data often remain undigitised. Data and results published in journals do not always appear in the data centres, and astronomers in developing countries sometimes have inadequate access to on-line resources. To address these issues, an 'Astronomers Data Manifesto' has been formulated with the aim of initiating a discussion that will lead to the development of a 'code of best practice' in astronomical data management.Comment: Proceedings of Special Session SPS6 (Astronomical Data Management) at the IAU GA 2006. To appear in Highlights of Astronomy, Volume 14, ed. K.A. van der Huch

Remote maintenance assistance using real-time augmented reality authoring

Maintenance operations and lifecycle engineering have largely been considered one of the most expensive and time-consuming components for industrial equipment. Numerous organizations continually devote large quantities of resources towards maintaining equipment. As such, any optimizations that would reduce maintenance errors and expenses could lead to substantial time and cost savings. Unfortunately, there are often not enough specialists to meet the demand, forcing localized technicians to perform on-site maintenance on equipment outside their area of expertise. Augmented reality (AR) is one technology that has already been shown to improve the maintenance process. While powerful, AR has its own set of challenges, from content authoring to spatial perception. This work details a system that puts both the power of AR and the knowledge of a specialist directly into the hands of an on-site technician. An application was developed that enables a specialist to deliver AR instructions in real-time to assist a technician performing on-site maintenance. Using a novel and simplified authoring interface, specialists can create AR content in real-time, with little to no prior knowledge of augmented reality or the system itself. There has been ample research on different AR-supported processes, such as real-time authoring, video monitoring, and off-site assistance. However, much less work has been done to integrate them and leverage existing personnel knowledge to both author and deliver real-time AR instructions. This work details the development and implementation of such a system. A technical evaluation was also performed to ensure real-time connectivity in geographically distributed environments. Three network configurations were evaluated. A high-latency high-bandwidth network was used to represent a typical modern maintenance facility. A low-bandwidth network was evaluated to mimic older or more isolated maintenance environments. Lastly, a 4G LTE network was tested, showing the potential for the system to be used across global locations. Under all network configurations, the system effectively facilitated the complete disassembly of a hydraulic pump assembly