Benefits of Industrial Smart Glasses
Industrial smart glasses offer many benefits to a variety of industries. From improved quality and productivity to faster audits, inspections and training.
Unlike consumer-grade AR devices, models designed for the workplace have a longer battery life, higher resilience to harsh conditions and greater compatibility with safety equipment. This makes them a suitable companion for any industry professional, no matter the working environment.
Benefits
Industrial smart glasses provide remote assistance solutions to help companies improve overall quality and productivity. This is primarily achieved through reducing rework and providing instant information to workers in the field without disrupting their workflow. It also helps them to do their jobs first time right and resolve issues quickly and efficiently.
Augmented reality (AR) is one of the most popular uses for this new technology. It superimposes virtual elements on the real world using a camera to display digital information and three-dimensional objects in the worker’s line of sight. It also enables them to interact with these objects, which is ideal for a lot of industrial processes. For example, a firefighter could use AR to project blueprints on their helmet to navigate a building in an emergency situation.
Aside from this, it can show them how to disassemble equipment or conduct a repair without having to remove their hands from the gear. They can also view and instantly reference operating and repair manuals, eliminating the need to hold a physical book and switching focus between the task at hand and the text.
Other features include remote video collaboration, augmented reality chat, barcode scanning, real-time image recording and live image editing. The best industrial AR solution will also support voice command and AI assistants such as Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Voice. This is especially important in a noisy environment where it can be difficult to communicate.
Apps
Industrial smart glasses with AR software are already transforming many sectors, including manufacturing. This is because of the Internet-of-Things, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data that have been integrated into digital factories under a project called “Industry 4.0”.
These new technologies offer substantial productivity gains by eliminating repetitive tasks for frontline workers, improving maintenance procedures, accelerating product inspections and shortening training times. With the help of AR, workers can access information at any time without interrupting their work, allowing them to focus on their task at hand.
AR apps for smart glasses can also make complex processes easier to understand and execute. For example, augmented reality can display step-by-step instructions for assembly or repair operations or indicate temporary prohibited areas in high-risk work environments. In addition, it can provide a 3D model of an object for visual process guidance or allow workers to interact industrial smart glasses with the virtual representation of a piece of machinery for more intuitive troubleshooting and repairs.
While different smart glasses come with a variety of features, models aimed at industry should offer resilience to harsh conditions and greater ability to withstand damage compared with everyday equipment, as well as compatibility with safety frames and easy operation through voice commands or touchpads (usually reminiscent of traditional end devices). They should also be lightweight and designed for wearing over protective eyewear, while keeping the field of view unobstructed for work and offering hot-swappable batteries for maximum uptime.
Compatibility
For industrial use, smart glasses need to be rugged enough industrial smart glasses for harsh environments. They also need to be compatible with safety equipment and allow users to operate them using voice commands without disrupting their work. They should also look and feel like a normal pair of glasses so that workers don’t feel awkward or distracted by them.
For example, the Pepperl+Fuchs brand ECOM Instruments has developed Visor-Ex 01, a hands-free AR smart glass that can be used in hazardous areas. It features a central camera with optimized field of view, powerful optical zoom, barcode scanner and hands-free communication via a headset and mobile phone. In addition, it has an advanced ergonomic design that ensures user comfort.
Another example is Goertek’s XR1 smart glasses, which are suitable for use in hazardous environments thanks to their ATEX Zone 1 certification. These smart glasses feature an AMOLED microdisplay planted into photochromic lenses and can be paired with a range of devices to display real-time stats including distance covered, speed, heart rate, power and more.
AR software for industrial smart glasses can help employees work more efficiently by providing them with clear, detailed instructions. For example, it can show them where to find parts or equipment and how to install or repair a machine. It can also help them communicate with colleagues in different locations, and even with remote experts if necessary.
Safety
Construction jobsites are kinetic environments filled with dangerous hazards, and a loss of focus can be disastrous. Smart glasses allow workers to access instructions, diagrams and video in the field of view without having to look at a screen or remove their hands from the controls of equipment. This can help improve safety performance, reduce reworks and maintenance costs and speed up production.
Many industrial smart glasses come with a built-in camera that allows users to record and relay videos and images in real time, allowing for a strong primary source of documentation that can be livestreamed or used later for training or quality assurance purposes. This feature is especially useful for training new hires or capturing best practices that can be shared across departments and teams.
AR glasses are also a great tool for performing inspections and audits. By providing real-time visual data that can be analyzed, these devices can significantly shorten audit periods and ensure that all the necessary steps are being taken to meet quality standards.
While augmented reality might seem like a gimmick at first glance, the technology has matured into a powerful productivity tool for manufacturing, medical and other industrial processes. However, companies looking to adopt this kind of technology must make sure that they understand their employees’ operating environment and perception and provide appropriate training and change management processes to ease the transition to these tools.
