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Though it may seem widely out of reach at the moment, many are already brainstorming new ways to integrate augmented reality into the shop floor. When it comes to AR, many descriptive and colorful images can be presented right in front of your very own eyes. What that looks like can come in the form of text, describing how to operate a machine or demo a product. It can also show up in blinking lights as numbers and statistics to help back up a claim, show climbing temperatures, performance outputs, and more.
Working on the Shop Floor
Let’s take a minute to look over an example: A very important piece of equipment breaks on the job… What to do? When utilizing a headset that supports AR, technicians can access the problem lying ahead of them, and even perhaps an overarching solution to save the day. Helpful texts, graphics, and instructions can pop up on the screens to help speed up the process.
Guiding the operator chronologically in a step-by-step process. AR can be used to deliver expert directions and support remotely from OEMs, to provide the most elevated level of ‘How-To’ and Troubleshooting educational pieces for the user at work. This is huge, as well, when it comes to training new employees, considering the shortage in engineers on the clock.
On-boarding Challenges
Ensuring that an employee is aware of the correct protocols and procedures is so important. Uncertainties can lead to safety concerns within more dangerous industries with shops where they track “this many days Accident-Free,” so it’s wise to have the best back-up in place. Augmented Reality technologies could automatically provide machine data that works to complete task safely and accurately.
A Surge in Productivity on the Clock
Often times big manufacturers suffer from production downtime due to machine failure and malfunction that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair. With AR-enabled devices and services, however, can assist team members with to identify the flaw before the break and essentially cut out the downtime before it would take place.
