TAFE Queensland SkillsTech has hosted representatives from Energex, Unity Water, Santos, Lang O’Rourke, RoadTek, Bombardier, Senex, Georg Fischer, Queensland Rail and Aurizon to a presentation on Augmented Reality for industrial applcations.
TAFE Queensland SkillsTech AR P&ID demonstration:
Pic 1 shows a piping and instrumentation drawing (P&ID) of a Coal Seam Gas (CSG) Separator. Pic 2 shows the free AR application scanning the paper-based instrument drawing with Pic 3 showing the real world 3D equipment overlayed on the P&ID documentation via a smart phone. Pic 4 shows the augmented CSG Separator overlayed into the live SkillsTech CSG environment at Acacia Ridge campus.
For industry/trade applications, AR can:
- improve safety for workers (reinforced PPE requirements for each specific job task and each workplace device);
- provide ‘just-in-time’ job specific work instruction overlayed on the actual field-based equipment;
- field based standardised operating procedures (SOP) across multiple locations;
- more equipment or plant specific training of workers (make workforces more multi skilled and more portable);
- reduction in time to implement revised workforce instructions;
- better staff understanding and instant recall of complex work instructions;
- gain an efficiency dividend in competitive economic climates to improve net profits (leading to less redo’s in the field and in operations);
- capture of baby-boomer experience (sometimes called the Silver Tsunami) and transfer this “tribal knowledge” to ‘green hat’ workers reducing the impact from loss of corporate memory;
- reduction in paperwork and a centralised, systemic and searchable work instruction location;
- and exploit ‘cost and time saving’ measures producing better ROI’s
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TAFE Queensland SkillsTech AR Instrumentation demonstration:
Existing TAFE Queensland paper-based learning resources and training manuals can be easily augmented to offer users additional information. Diagrams, electrical drawings, pictures/photos and text can allow students to access 3D imagery of equipment appearing live on top the traditional existing paper resource. This permits the user to interact with the 3D model of the item they are studying – panning, rotating, dismantling, exploring using zoom, animate and ‘explode views’ whilst learning in any location. No need for a store room of expensive, clumsy equipment such as ‘cut aways’ of industry equipment donations. This approach also lends itself to discussions at higher the Blooms Taxonomy of cognitive understanding and assessment items.
Existing TAFE Queensland paper-based learning resources and training manuals can be easily augmented to offer users additional information. Diagrams, electrical drawings, pictures/photos and text can allow students to access 3D imagery of equipment appearing live on top the traditional existing paper resource. This permits the user to interact with the 3D model of the item they are studying – panning, rotating, dismantling, exploring using zoom, animate and ‘explode views’ whilst learning in any location. No need for a store room of expensive, clumsy equipment such as ‘cut aways’ of industry equipment donations. This approach also lends itself to discussions at higher the Blooms Taxonomy of cognitive understanding and assessment items.
The presentation also tested one of the first industrial wearable head device developed by RealWear. The technology allows onsite field workers to attach the head-mounted tablet to a hard hat allowing hands-free communication and access to remote help, documentation and data. The technology would be advantageous to field workers throughout the operations and maintenance fields and allows TAFE Queensland SkillsTech to explore further industrial training opportunities. To watch the live demo of RealWear technology click here.
Garry Hargreaves - garry.hargreaves@tafe.qld.edu.au
