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The Forgotten Men in Industrial Plants

Nowadays each company manager can have a computer access with sophisticated research and advisory services on their desktops – only the most important ones producing values in physical space are neglected: the workers who are responsible to operate/interact with growing complexity of manufacturing facilities. Some of them have in best cases handies to scan barcodes or enter data.

But what about the workers obliged to carry out mission-critical operations? For example to open or shut-down a Central Gas Valve of a Power Plant. This process consists of very precise workflow consisting of 16 steps. The worker has to memorize the workflow or have a booklet to read in a windy place…. Any error in execution can lead to fatal consequences.

Another scenario: some equipments and facilities of the plant must be regularly checked and check/repair results reported. (Preventive maintenance, compliance checks). How can be the worker supported, if he needs the latest maintenance info of a new machine ? Or needs drawings, schemes, to inspect correctly the equipment or an electricity switch-box ? (with labels not updated)

A. The solutions today for both issues:

  • The worker takes the risk and do the job up to his best knowledge and experience.
  • Or Interrupts his work and searching advice from his supervisor who my seek advice from his supervisor …. To get the latest info resources about the equipment.
  • High risk or drop of productivity
  • In best case: paperwork to record the issues and on work reported
  • Hectic knowledge-sharing: new worker has to learn form the experience of the old specialist-worker, if he is not sick just today – sometimes even 6 months and take the risk again

B. The ideal solution (Innovation need):

  1. The specialist-worker wears smart-glasses under his helmet. In addition to the real plant scenario (layer 1) he sees the list of instruction to carry on (where and when) of the assigned work order.(layer 2).
  2. He can select all information up-to-date needed for each instruction execution (downloaded or linked to smart-glass from company technology systems to the smart-glass or wifi synchronized) as: drawings, voice instructions, video clips, 3D animations, etc.
  3. He can also report feedback (video, voice record, data, gesture control) on the result of instruction executed back to company database. Thus, the plant pays only for the instructions done with sufficient proof of evidence and history (and not for reported only)
  4. Operational plant benefits: with good instruction knowledge-support new workers can take over the job in the absence of their colleagues. One worker can cover more routine works without any training. And also less qualified workers can do more qualified jobs using the smart-glasses.

C. Preconditions for this innovative industrial service need

  1. The plant must specify and keep up-to-date the workflow and its instruction descriptions in a user-friendly work-instruction authoring platform suitable for non-programmer users: plant technologists, work safety instructor, shop-floor managers
  2. the plant has to equip the specialist-workforce with augmented reality (AR) smart glasses and provide an initial training (1 day) on their use.

D. Current problems

C.1 Our 5 months research on currently available virtual and augmented reality authoring platforms and consultations with 12 providers ended up by December 2016 with conclusions: (1) None of the platforms are user-friendly (2) none of the platforms are open for online integration with an external the plant database.(3) None of the platforms are commercialised (off-the-shelve) – they require intensive assistance of the provider.

Thus, for majority of industrial plants in the EU the authoring platform ownership cost is high (mainly for SMEs) and highly dependent on external SW provider assistance in customisation.

C.2 Only one platform is promising but its license cost is high and restricted to use only a given type of smart-glasses with high price around 4000 euro.

E. Justification of the I3D industrial AR/VR project

The industrial need is relevant, promising significant impact on cost savings and on performance and quality increase of worker assisted processes.

The outline of I3D Service Architecture (scope) and the method of service selection criteria are outlined in the 2 slides attached. We welcome participation in various development and commercialisation modalities of this “Open Source” and vendor independent platform:

  1. plants interested in participation of our pilot use cases (free). Currently two use-cases are in progress (Steel plant and Thermal plant)
  2. software development companies with VR/AR  development expertise
  3. ERASMUS Internships in our Luxembourg Development centre for university students and young graduates.

Industrial AR/VR work instruction service architecture (I3D) from tothattila