AR Maintenance Project: Virtuanance
Abstract
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Technologies are being integrated into our lives each day. Especially in industrial fields, these technologies are proven to be useful for improving efficiency in almost every aspect. They are being used to lower human errors during delicate operations, increase time efficiency, lower costs, and decrease the number of personnel required to complete tasks. A popular field for VR/AR-based solutions is Remote Maintenance operations where a professional is required to aid untrained technicians to fix faulty machinery. We are proposing a solution for integrating VR/AR technologies in remote maintenance operations.
Introduction
VR/AR is being used more and more in industrial fields with each day. A variety of solutions were developed for different fields involving Assembly/Disassembly, Training, and Maintenance. This project focuses on Maintenance operations because of the existing potential for improvement in this field. In a typical situation, a piece of faulty machinery is needed to be fixed for continuing operations, an untrained technician is present in the field but requires support from trained professionals. These professionals are rare and accessing their services is limited because these professionals are not present in a company or the operational site. This creates logistic problems because they are needed to be relocated from their current location to the operation sites, sometimes from different countries even. This relocation creates unnecessary liabilities on both sides. The professional may need to schedule a long period of time (weeks, maybe months) to accomplish a single task, this wastes a considerable amount of time for both parties involved. The business requiring the assistance will have to compensate for the expenses while being stalled by the faulty machinery, generating expenses in multiple fronts.
Remote Maintenance
Remote maintenance is a specific area in maintenance operations which eliminates the above-mentioned problems by creating a platform for the professional and the technician. This platform allows them to communicate and handle the problem over long distances, without needing the professional to be present in the field. We propose a solution that integrates VR/AR technologies in remote maintenance operations. Remote maintenance-related approaches usually use HHD’s (Handheld device i.e. tablets, phones, etc.) these devices create a usability problem due to requiring personnel to hold them. Putting HHD’s on a fixed position may solve that issue but then it reduces the accessibility and creates potential hazards. Our solution offers a more suitable way by using HMD’s (head-mounted display, i.e. VR and AR goggles). This way the user will have full access to both the platform and the physical world. The technician, while required to use an HMD, the professional can use multiple devices such as HHD’s, HMD’s, or just a PC.
Our Solution
Our proposal consists of 3 main components, chat, digital model, and tracking. Voice and text chat functionalities for establishing communication between users. Using this, necessary information can be transferred to the technician. To aid this process we propose to put a digital copy of the machinery being worked on, to the displays of both sides. This way users can inspect the machinery in detail and interact with the pieces of a model to have a better understanding of the job being done. The other side can see the interaction is done, this way everyone would know what is being done. The professional can place visual cues to a model for explaining, step by step, what to do. Using tracking algorithms, these cues can be replicated and placed on top of the physical machine for aiding the technician even further.
With our proposal, we aim to create a VR/AR-based software that will connect two groups of people (professionals and technicians) to fix faulty machinery. By having voice and text chat features, efficient communication will be established. Creating a digital copy of the machinery being worked on, users can interact with the separate pieces for getting in-depth knowledge. Also, by having visual aids on both digital models and physical machines using tracking algorithms, we aim to increase efficiency during operations.
Sketches
