AUGMENTED REALITY FEATURE AR ENABLES ACCESS TO EXPERTISE
between locations takes up much of an engineer’s time. Today, however, programmers at SKF’s software development center in Gothenburg, Sweden, are working hand- in-hand with application engineers and product specialists to develop augmented reality solutions that make SKF’s engineering competence more accessible and efficient. Fredrik Magnusson, Head of SKF’s software development center, explains the team’s ambitions: “Imagine having access to an SKF application engineer or service technician on-demand, in real-time. “With augmented reality, the
With augmented reality, the environment you see before you is combined with a digital model that overlays technical data, instructions and real-time machine performance
SKF is using augmented reality technology to give customers virtual access to real human engineering expertise. Here, the company explains how AR will act as an enabler for industry
P
okémon Go was the mobile gaming sensation of summer 2016. In just a
few weeks, the game became a world- wide phenomenon, sending legions out into the streets, eyes glued to their phones, attempting to capture a menagerie of virtual creatures that would appear superimposed on the ground before them. In its first year, the game was downloaded over 500 million times. Pokémon Go is probably the most successful application to date of Augmented Reality (AR). AR systems provide information to users by overlaying images from the real world with digital data. They use technologies that have only recently become low cost and ubiquitous: high quality digital cameras, motion sensors and geo-location equipment, and fast 3D rendering. The information can be presented on a handheld device, like a tablet or smartphone, or using a new generation of wearable technologies, such as Microsoft’s HoloLens headset. Industry watchers expect big things from
AR in the next few years. According to a report by Woodside Capital Partners, the total market for AR software will reach $80 billion by 20221
. A third of that
market will be video games, but the technology is also expected to have an impact in other areas, with healthcare and engineering topping the list. Manufacturers such as VW2
, Bosch3 Caterpillar4 and , are already experimenting
with industrial AR applications, using the technology to train technicians or support manufacturing and maintenance staff. The process industries are prime candidates for
industrial AR applications. Equipment is large, complex and widely distributed. Operators face intense pressure to complete installation, maintenance and upgrade activities quickly and to the highest standards of quality and safety.
SPECIAL CHALLENGES But the support of complex process plant presents some special challenges. Equipment may be unique to the application, or highly customised to suit end-user requirements. Overall performance and reliability can be affected by the interactions between different assets at a site. That makes it hard to package maintenance and troubleshooting information in a stand-alone automated system. Irrespective of the proactive maintenance steps they take, industrial end-users still have the need for access to skilled application engineers – either on a planned or more urgent basis. Providing the man-power for this is a growing challenge, not least because travelling
http://www.woodsidecap .com/wpcontent/uploads/ 2016/06/Augmented- Reality-Report-FINAL.pdf 2
1
https://www.volkswagen ag.com/en/group/ research/virtual-
technologies.html 3
http://www.bosch-
presse.de/pressportal/de/ en/bosch-banks-on- augmented-reality- applications-for-workshop s-trainings-and-sales-
42966.html 4
US/articles/customer- stories/built-for- it/
augmented-reality.html
Augmented reality can help make SKF’s
engineering competence more accessible and efficient
http://www.cat.com/en_
environment you see before you is combined with a digital model that overlays technical data, instructions and real-time machine performance. When your head moves to the left, to look at a different part of the machine, so the digital overlay also adjusts – showing you the data you need to take informed decisions and corrective action. At the same time, it also shares what you see with SKF’s engineer, based at a remote location. Together, they can take decisions that will help avoid unplanned and costly failures,” explained Magnusson. “Imagine the possibilities that this creates – for customers and for us. Instead of spending time travelling between sites, an engineer can be accessible and share their knowledge and expertise with exponentially more customers than before, without leaving the office. All that’s needed are a few pieces of relatively standardised hardware, internally developed software and a solid Wi-Fi connection on-site.” Simply using augmented reality solutions on their own will not be enough to create significant value – either for customers or for service providers. The real value lies in combining the possibilities of hardware such as Microsoft’s HoloLens with other machine health solutions, condition monitoring, automated lubrication systems, sensorised bearings and cloud- based analytics solutions such as SKF’s recently launched Enlight Center. “In many ways, augmented reality tools are an enabler. For our customers, they enable access to large amounts of data, in an aggregated form, that allows for smarter and quicker decision making. For SKF, they enable a closer, more efficient working relationship with our customers, as well as an ability to do more with the data generated by our bearings,” Magnusson concluded.
SKF
www.skf.co.uk PROCESS & CONTROL | SEPTEMBER 2017 27
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