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Augmented reality is a mix of virtual reality and reality. The user wears a headset or glasses, or uses a regular tablet or smartphone that has a camera or cameras and screen. Computer generated graphics and text are supplied to be device and overlayed on top of the user's real world view
The concept sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is and is more easily demonstrated:
The above video is by US firm Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), one of the world's leading engineering firms when it comes to the use of augmented reality into the development and manufacturing of their products.
NNS is owned by Northrup Grumman and builds nuclear powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the US Navy. The company, which is based in Portsmouth, Virginia, has been experimenting with augmented reality (AR) since 2011.
Mechanical engineer Mary Claire McLaughlin, who appears in this video, is an augmented reality engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding and is part of a 20 strong AR team at NNS. The team evaluates where AR could be used, judges if it will improve efficiency and lower costs, and then works out how to best implement it.
The AR team has now completed or has in progress 35 different projects, out of which four can be classified as really successful, says McLaughlin. “The uses today include inspection and quality assurance, work instruction and training. In the future, workflow management and operation, safety and logistics,” she says.
NNS' solution uses a combination of iPads and target markers which have to be pre attached in the work environment. The 2D fiducial markers provide dimensional data and product model information.
Could this work in your workplace? McLaughlin says that there a number of factors that influence the decision at NNS. “We Ask ourselves – do we have the 3D models? Can I access the data quickly? What are the environmental conditions and targeting requirements? Is it going to be beneficial?
“If yes then there is a good chance that we could use the AR technology we have at our fingertips right now.”
However, one of the major restrictions of this type of AR is that it occupies at least one of the user's hand to hold the iPad and requires space. This has been a determining factor in several of the projects.
For example, one project sought to use AR during the build of ballast tanks in a submarine, where wiring is passed through several angle bars. The job is unpleasant and slow in the cramped conditions of the tanks. The theory was that the use of a smartphone or iPad would enable faster and easier fitting. However, the reality was that the conditions were to cramped to even use a smartphone for this purpose.
In contrast, one of the more successful projects involved the removal of temporary structures from compartments in the shipbuilding process. Each ship contains thousands of compartments. Temporary bars and girders are used within compartments to stop them deforming during transportation and installation. The bars and girders have to be removed for when the ship is floated to reduce the ship's overall weight.
During inspection, the temporary structures would show up bright green on the iPad screen. The duration of the inspections were reduced on from around around 32 hours to just one and a half hours. “The engineer also found things in the compartments that were missing from the drawings. It was better, faster, easier,” says McLaughlin.
The technology is far from perfect - there are issues around occlusion and depth realisation that have to be addressed. It is also worth considering the low volume and unique nature of NNS' business – the firm produces two submarines a year and an aircraft carrier every seven.
Undoubtedly though, AR technology is maturing fast and similarly to virtual reality, fast reaching a point where it can be used by a tool by engineers and technicians. With the right planning and decision-making, there may be room for it to improve your workplace.