When industrial automation machinery becomes faulty, getting a technical specialist onsite is the safest response to avoid further compromising the production line, but recent circumstances prove that sending people onsite is no longer as safe and as straightforward as it once was. If driving or flying people from one location to another in order to fix technical issues was not already a concern from an environmental perspective, the ‘new normal’ is one where remote working and social distancing are also key preventative measures for our health as well.
AGL Automation Ltd, a specialist organisation that provides process automation solutions, has partnered with Epson to introduce augmented reality into their portfolio using Epson’s Moverio BT-350 smart glasses.
UtilityAR, the integrated software solution, enables up to 10 specialists to fix onsite technical issues without having to actually go onsite and leave the comfort of their own home or workplace. This is made possible with the Epson’s Moverio see-through smart glasses, which allows offsite specialists to see up-and-close issues that the onsite personnel are looking at, whilst being able to communicate with them and walk them through finding a solution.
The wireless connectivity and HD front-facing camera of the Moverio can empower onsite personnel with the technical expertise from someone in another country, and its high-quality OLED digital display and microphone means they can receive visual as well as verbal guidance on how to fix issues.
Angus McCarter, Director at AGL Automation, said: “When things break, we want it fixed quickly and the longer a production line or indeed any company waits for a technical specialist to arrive onsite, the more your workflow suffers and the more money you risk losing. You can try and point your phone at a machine to video call an offsite expert, but it’s only when you give the offsite specialist a high definition FPV (first person view) direct from your lightweight pair of glasses that you have the simplicity of using your hands to fix the issue as well as just looking at it.
The AR display gives the offsite specialist another layer of control in helping the onsite personnel to understand and fix the issue.
A business may have manufacturing sites across the globe and the concept of flying technical support across each site poses not only an immediate health risk given the current climate, but it presents an unnecessary burden on time, costs and on the environment.
Remote assistance using Augmented Reality has a sustainable role in the future of technical service and support as well as technical training. The solution we’re providing is built on years of expertise from AGL Automation, Epson and UtilityAR, and presents forward-thinking manufacturers with a safer, quicker, cheaper and more sustainable resolution around technical service.”
The augmented reality smart glasses solution is available now. For more information, please visit: aglautomation.com/solutio…d-reality/
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