{"id":26489,"date":"2024-07-04T04:28:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-04T11:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/how-vr-and-ar-will-help-in-remote-expert-assistance\/"},"modified":"2024-07-04T04:28:05","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T11:28:05","slug":"how-vr-and-ar-will-help-in-remote-expert-assistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/how-vr-and-ar-will-help-in-remote-expert-assistance\/","title":{"rendered":"How VR and AR Will Help in Remote Expert Assistance"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The speed and quality of maintenance and repair are critical in the modern, technology-packed built environment. Consequently, these were considered in an experimental project that tested how remote expert assistance using VR and AR technologies could help improve the productivity of field service.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I\u2019m in a hall overlooking white mountain tops. It\u2019s snowing. In front of me stands an avatar that explains to me what we can do together in this virtual space. He jumps away but I can still hear his voice from behind me. He fetches a chair and hands it to me. I grab it and inspect it. The next moment, a video starts playing on the wall. Later, my host shows me how to draw in three dimensions, how to make sticky notes, how to share a PC desktop, and how to use other collaboration tools.<\/em><\/p>\n

This
\nexperience took place at FAKE Production, a Helsinki-based digital image,
\nanimation, and VR\/AR studio. With VR glasses and hand-held controllers, I had
\ntried out Glue<\/a>, their universal collaboration platform. This
\nis a soon-to-be-released service that you can use with VR\/AR gear and on mobile
\nand desktop devices.<\/p>\n

Glue is also one of the solutions tested in an experimental project called Expert assistance using VR and AR glasses<\/em>. In this project, Sovelto<\/a>, a Finnish educational company, wanted to explore the possibilities of using VR and AR solutions for field service. Over ten organizations took part in the project, which received funding from KIRA-digi, the national built environment digitalization program.<\/p>\n

Maintenance and Repair
\nNeed to Improve<\/h2>\n

In Finland
\nalone, maintenance and repair work costs society about 24 billion euros
\nannually. Sovelto\u2019s project was focused on field service, which often involve critical
\noperations that take place at a customer\u2019s premises.<\/p>\n

According
\nto the report, typically the first field service visit fails in one out of four
\ncases, and on average, it takes 1.5 visits for the service worker to fix the
\nproblem. This inefficiency stems mostly from poor preparation, not having the
\nright spare parts, and a lack of expertise.<\/p>\n

Delayed
\nmaintenance and repair can cause substantial financial losses for the customer.
\nFurthermore, incorrect fixes may lead to damage and can even make machines
\nhazardous to use. Also, as technical systems become ever more complicated and
\nglobally distributed, it\u2019s becoming harder to have a suitably skilled person
\nquickly available wherever they are needed.<\/p>\n

Some companies
\nhave started to address this problem through mobile and VR\/AR technologies. For
\ninstance, in 2016, thyssenkrupp announced the use of Microsoft HoloLens in their
\nworldwide elevator service operations. Using this system, their service
\ntechnicians can visualize and identify problems ahead of a job and can also have
\nremote access to technical and expert information on site.<\/p>\n

\"Hololens
Remote expert assistance scenario<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Helping the Field Workers Virtually<\/h2>\n
\n
\"-\"\"-\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

One way to
\nimprove the productivity of field workers is to offer them assistance remotely. Matti Pouhakka<\/strong>, the Sales Director
\nof FAKE Production, explains: \u201cI see two specific situations where remote
\nassistance can come to the rescue. First, there\u2019s the maintenance worker who
\nunderstands how to fix something, but needs an expert to tell them what to fix.
\nAnd then there\u2019s a person\u2014a technical cleaner, for example\u2014who sees a problem
\nand could likely fix it themselves quickly if they could be guided by a professional
\non what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Glue
\nexample demonstrated, VR is a powerful tool for simulation, training, and
\ncollaboration. In a maintenance scenario, an expert could show and train a
\nfield worker or even several workers in a VR environment. A worker could then practice
\ntheir skills with a digital counterpart of the actual machine. The sessions could
\neven be recorded for further use.<\/p>\n

Also, digital
\ntwins of whole buildings and technical installations open up new uses for VR.
\nReal-time IoT data combined with accurate models could help planning changes
\nand identify problems and allow them to be fixed remotely. Pouhakka emphasizes
\nthat digital twins are assets that grow in value over the years. Clients and
\ndesigners should understand this and see the creation of comprehensive digital
\nmodels as an investment rather than a cost.<\/p>\n

Augmented or Mixed Reality
\nApplications<\/h2>\n
\n
\"-\"\"-\"
Kim Nyberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Kim Nyberg<\/strong>, Technology Director at Trimble<\/a>, gave presentations, showed demos,
\nand carried out tests with prototypes and existing Trimble mixed reality
\nproducts at Sovelto\u2019s workshops. Kim is an expert in BIM and mixed reality
\nsolutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemote
\nexpert assistance is already feasible with the commercial solutions that we currently
\nhave,\u201d says Nyberg. \u201cFor example, I showcased Trimble Connect HoloLens,<\/em> which lets you collaborate with several people
\nsimultaneously and see them as avatars. The attendees can study the same
\nvirtual model of a machine or a building with HoloLens glasses and discuss it. You
\ncan either be physically in the same room or can attend remotely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nyberg also
\ndemonstrated a mobile AR app, Trimble
\nSiteVision<\/em>. With the app, a person inspecting a machine or a structure can place
\na digital 3D model into its real environment. The user can then take a snapshot
\nof the combination, add notes, and upload the image to Trimble Connect. From
\nthere, a field worker can carry out the necessary work.<\/p>\n

Simplicity and Usability
\nAre the Keys to Success<\/h2>\n

Sovelto\u2019s
\nproject report and my interviews with Pouhakka and Nyberg point to a future
\nwhere remote expert assistance is as easy as calling on a phone today. Existing
\nsolutions already make this possible, and at a reasonable price. However, for
\nremote expert assistance to really take off, both hardware and software
\ndevelopers must provide solutions that work flawlessly in demanding field
\nservice situations.<\/p>\n

Nyberg
\nbelieves that in the next one or two years we\u2019ll see lightweight MR glasses
\nthat will be feasible even for consumer use. He also envisions systems that you
\ncan control with eye movements and thoughts rather than needing to use the hands
\nor voice.<\/p>\n

Simplicity
\nand usability are and will be the critical success factors. \u201cThe best test is
\nto be able to do something useful with a system when you use it for the first
\n30 to 60 seconds,\u201d Nyberg stated, summing up.<\/p>\n

The title image is courtesy of Trimble.<\/em><\/p>\n

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