Inside DAQRI’s Invite-Only 4D Augmented Reality Expo
[Philip Lelyveld comment: this article describes how AR will be used by Facilities Managers.]
Several years ago Raytheon had a big problem with one of their satellites in production, of which only one is manufactured a year. A line worker had inadvertently used the wrong torque wrench, and the resulting trouble only became clear down the line when the insulation was damaged. Production was halted for three months to locate the source, then another month to be certain there weren’t additional problems. After a meeting with Brian Mullins of DAQRI, chief engineer Andy Lowery saw that augmented reality could prevent costly errors like this. And from his experience in the Navy aboard a nuclear aircraft carrier, he also understood the value AR could have for preventative maintenance and safety.
At the DAQRI 4D Expo held in Los Angeles on February 19-20, demonstrations of their newest smart helmet prototype were provided, including one with thermal sensing. I found it didn’t take long to get the hang of using the helmet. For one demonstration the goal was to replace a canister, which first required rotating a series of valves in front of you. First step: rotate left valve counter-clockwise 180 degrees. The valve is shown with a red arrow around it, identifying the valve and direction of turn. When the task is accomplished you step back and focus your eyes on a virtual target to your right. It recognizes your focus and then moves on to the next step, until as final step you are instructed to remove the canister and replace with a new one.
See the full story here: http://www.sparpointgroup.com/news/vol13no9-inside-daqris-invite-only-4d-expo