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FEATURE
MIXED REALITY
BUILDING MIXED
CONNECTIONS
Yan Simard, CEO at Kognitiv Spark,
of abandoned cars in its wake. From office workers to teachers, and mechanics to doctors, no one was spared as the appalling conditions closed roads across the country. These acute circumstances, already part of
A
a steady trend influenced by global warming, present a particular problem to highly trained engineers with specialised skill sets. When things go wrong, these professionals are expected to be present on site to undertake emergency maintenance and repairs of critical electrical and mechanical equipment. Downtime means a loss of revenue. To keep
complex systems up and running, engineers require more advanced equipment that enables them to utilise their expertise to get the work done, without needing to be on site in person.
MIXED REALITY One solution is simply to send the closest engineer to the site, regardless of their ability, and set up a communications link with a more experienced engineer to talk through the problem and rectify the issue. This is a great concept in principle, although without the right type of supporting equipment, there are basic limitations on the type and quality of insights that can be delivered to provide solutions to electric
s storm Larissa battered the UK in March, heavy blizzards and 60mph winds brought transport to a standstill and left a convoy
motors, generators, transformers, servers or other complex equipment. Mixed Reality (MR) solutions deliver a new kind of collaborative experience, bringing digital interactive content into the real world. MR introduces the concept of a remote worker who establishes a hands-free and heads-up connection with an expert, utilising video and audio, to receive the benefit of their experience to manage a task.
COLLABORATION By digitally mapping the local environment, MR enables the transfer, accurate placement and use of 2D and 3D holographic assets from one location to another. Guided by the remote engineer, and using audio and video, the engineer onsite now has a complete repository of information to complete the
task.This is a different approach to Virtual Reality (VR), which is much more immersive, and where the real world is blocked out in favour of the virtual one. MR blends the digital and real worlds into a single view, so that while the engineer can see, for example, a working model of a complex mechanical system, they can see it in parallel with the real system that they are working on.
HOW TO CLOSE THE SKILLS GAP? Allowing experienced engineers to assist less- skilled remote engineers is only scratching the surface in terms of the benefits that MR is capable of delivering. With skilled engineers in short supply, and travel times continually increasing due to deteriorating conditions on local travel networks, it makes a lot of sense to keep engineers focused on their work, rather than wasting time navigating snow covered back roads. Many companies are forced to hire
expensive senior engineers as internal training programmes do not produce qualified staff at the rate required. In addition, when senior engineers retire, they often do so without transferring their skills to the next generation. According to the Institution of Engineering and Technology, there is an estimated shortfall of over 173,000 workers in STEM sectors.
12 DESIGN SOLUTIONS MAY 2023
examines the use of Mixed Reality (MR) for undertaking maintenance and
repairs, and explains why the use of MR could help to close the engineering skills gap
In this sense, MR is a fascinating tool for enabling on-site junior engineers to pick up the skills from senior team members. MR can be used as a training tool, external to the sterile confines of the classroom. It is a real- world way of ensuring vital workplace skills are transferred within the company, building resilience, agility and reducing the expense of hiring workers who trained elsewhere.
FROM EDGE CASES TO PERSISTENT PRACTICE Originally MR was used for edge cases, where a solution absolutely had to be found and nothing else worked. But firms that have adopted MR are continually finding new avenues to explore. At its core, MR allows companies to maximise their engineering resource, keeping skilled engineers off the road, and ensuring their skills are best exploited on complex jobs. The technology, however, has benefits
beyond this, with one example being to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, and mitigate unnecessary travel expenses. And, in the area of delivering a solution to the skills crisis, MR facilitates the transfer of skills within teams, departments and companies, adding value to the entire organisation along the way.
Kognitiv Spark
www.kognitivspark.com
REALITY
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