Text by: Javier Melús, Head of the VR / AR and simulation department at ITCL Technology Centre
As part of the WorkingAge project, ITCL Technology Centre performs research on how augmented reality could improve the well-being of workers, although it has not been included in the system because of the low TRL level, an application has been developed as a test of how the mental overload of the worker could be reduced by guiding him in tasks that involve many steps.
This application has been developed for Hololens 2, a mixed reality headset that allows workers to have their hands free to perform any manual operation. With this device, hand tracking can be used, so we can create holographic interfaces that the user can handle naturally.
With Hololens 2 we have the power to connect AR experiences to specific images and objects in the environment. We can use Model tracking allowing applications to recognize physical objects like machinery or product and track them based on a CAD or digital 3D model and then overlay guided step-by-step instructions on top of them. For industrial uses, this feature can provide assembly workers and service technicians with AR work instructions and procedural guidance while in the factory or out in the field.
Since we collaborate with Grupo Antolin in the WorkingAge project, we looked for a possible application in their factory that would use these technologies and that could relieve the operator of some mental workload. We chose a part verification station where the operator must check that there are no imperfections in the manufactured part by following 14 steps verifying that the part is valid. The application recognizes the part and tracks it, being able to manipulate it while showing holographic indications of what the operator should check and how to do it. The operator validates the step when he has finished checking the specific section of the part by pressing a holographic button. This process is repeated for all 14 steps with the appropriate indications in each of them. In this way, the operator does not have to memorize or remember these steps and there is no risk of forgetting to review any possible defect.
This application is only a demonstrator, but this technology can be extrapolated to many jobs in factories, simplifying the tasks of workers and drastically reducing their mental overload.
