may2023 - 22

The many meanings of AR
Augmented reality can be delivered
via different forms on devices.
By Fleet Maintenance staff
» During the pandemic, Ford dealership techs used the RealWear
HMT-1 to virtually collaborate with remote experts on service.
Ford Motor Co.
Augmented reality enhances the
user's environment by overlaying
digital information on what a camera
sees. It gained popularity via
video games such as Pokémon Go,
where players could capture digital
Pikachus in the park. But there's
more to AR than fun and games,
with the technology being used
across several industries to provide
more context to jobsites, from hospitals
to factories and even vehicle
repair shops.
And there's more than one way to
augment the job. Peterbilt technicians
use the traditional mode
of AR, using tablets enabled with
ARTech software to determine how
wires run through a truck, giving
them artificial X-ray vision.
» Peterbilt's ARTech tablets give their techs 'x-ray vision'.
John Hitch | Fleet Maintenance
" The idea has always been around
trying to help service technicians
locate harnesses without having to
read a book describing where it is, "
explained David Yin, ARTech product
manager at Peterbilt. " Instead,
[AR is] showing them where it is.
And now we have the technology
and the hardware to be able to give
it to them on an iPad. "
» The industrialized HoloLens 2 employs what Microsoft calls " mixed
reality, " laying 3D images and text on top of a user's field of vision.
Microsoft
Assisted Reality, meanwhile, is a
simpler form that requires a wearable
computer headset, such as
RealWear's Navigator 500. The user
sees the world as normal, but can
access information to aid their work
through a small monocular display.
According to RealWear, this design
choice was inspired by Star Wars
bounty hunter Boba Fett's rangefinder.
The ruggedized wearable can
be operated completely handsfree
by voice commands. A technician
can pull up work instructions or
make a call to remote expert, who
can see what they see through a
camera, to talk them through a process,
using virtual communication
software such as Microsoft Teams,
Zoom, or TeamViewer.
The Microsoft HoloLens 2
represents the most immersive
form: mixed reality. This wearable
headset can place 3D images
(holograms) within a user's full field
of view. Simple hand gestures such
as tapping or pinching motions
operate the digital interface.
»With AR, Penske techs can copy an instructor's work at their own shop.
Penske
Through various software applications,
these high-tech tools aid
in enhancing productivity, while
decreasing the likelihood for mistakes.
During the pandemic, when
safe distancing was the " new normal, "
Daimler Truck North America
used the HoloLens 2, paired with
Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and
Teams, to connect service technicians
with DTNA's experts.
" This is one of the many solutions
we are exploring to address the
growing concerns of technician
training and availability, with the
added benefit of allowing for better
social distancing, " said Stefan
Kürschner, SVP of Aftermarket at
DTNA when the technology was
being piloted in 2021. " The HoloLens
technology could be a game-changer
for driving 24-hour or less repair
turnaround, reducing the training
time for technicians, as well as time
spent in the service bay focused on
vehicle repair and throughput. "
The remote expert aspect is key to
improving uptime.
" From the moment the technician
puts their headset on, at a minimum,
they have a call center on the
other line guiding their repair and
leveraging augmented reality to be
able to parlay into the discussion
service bulletins, service manuals,
anything necessary for that particular
issue that they're facing, and
fault codes that they see that they
want to show the technician documentation
of on the fly, " explained
Daoud Chaaya, director of field
service, DTNA to Fleet Maintenance
in 2021. " This also allows for subject
matter experts to be a part of that
call. If we're talking about an HVAC
issue, and I want to rope in my
HVAC engineer, they can also be
virtually part of that call - this way,
you get to bring in expertise, as
needed, into a particular repair. "
Training also greatly benefits from
all forms of AR. With RealWear's
device, a technician can simply say
" Record " while completing a preventive
maintenance task and the
shop now has a quick training video
saved to the cloud.
With Design Interactive's XRMentor
software running on a HoloLens 2,
trainers can livestream first-person
lessons full of virtual elements like
diagrams to several other technicians
who can see on a smart device
or laptop. As the HoloLens 2 costs
$3,500, this is more economical than
providing each employee with one.
22 Fleet Maintenance | May 2023
may2023

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