When an industrial asset has a functionality issue, a technical expert typically travels to the worksite to identify and solve the issue. However, assets like equipment and machines might be located in a potentially dangerous area, and the travel requirement leads to significant downtime. One effective alternative to on-site maintenance is using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) remote assistance and support.
AR/VR, also known as Extended Reality (XR), is a natural fit for remote assistance because it provides technical experts with a Three-Dimensional (3D) visualization of their work site. This allows support teams to collaborate remotely and immersively with frontline workers and customers from any geolocation. Moreover, companies can monitor assets and operations in real time to identify problems or perform a function (e.g., remote surgery). As a result, AR/VR remote assistance ensures operational issues are resolved quickly and assets can be managed cost-effectively.
What Is AR/VR Remote Assistance?
Remote assistance and support involves technical experts leveraging AR/VR devices to help on-site workers and customers solve problems. Moreover, AR/VR can be used for remote asset management to safely and effectively resolve equipment failure or monitor assets. The 3D visualization provided by a live video feed removes geographical barriers that historically required travel to the work site. By bridging the virtual and physical worlds, technicians can collaborate with field workers and customers in an immersive, cost-effective way. AR/VR remote assistance lets the technical expert guide workers with interactive tools like on-screen pointers, fostering efficient support.
AR/VR Remote Assistance Benefits
AR/VR remote assistance and management provide the following four key benefits.
Workplace Safety
As reported by the UN, an estimated 2.78 million people die each year from work-related incidents. Workers in heavy industries like manufacturing, transportation, construction, and mining are the most at risk of a safety hazard. AR/VR can be used by industrial companies to remotely control a drone or robot with 3D accuracy and spatial resolution. VR-supported robotics allows companies to solve problems without requiring a human worker to be exposed to dangerous situations (e.g., harmful chemicals). With virtual reality headsets, you can see and interact with the environment as a human would in person, but remotely.
Time Savings
AR allows experts to remotely guide on-site workers through resolving issues, eliminating the need for physical travel to a work site. This not only accelerates problem resolution times but also relieves the burden of travel. For instance, platforms like VIRNECT and TeamViewer connect global teams, enabling them to see what on-site workers see. Remote assistance experts can point to various assets and provide guided steps through a digital overlay, saving time and effort for all parties involved.
The guidance AR remote assistance does not require prior XR experience, allowing employees at any experience level to perform job functions. The end benefits of these AR use cases include remote tracking of equipment/machine performance and issues, optimized predictive maintenance, and reduced complexity in problem-solving.
Reduced Travel Costs and Carbon Footprint
AR remote monitoring solutions let your experts inspect infrastructure, agricultural fields, construction sites, heavy machinery, and other assets from anywhere in the world. This eliminates requiring an employee to fly to a work site for asset evaluation. Not only does AR remote assistance and support reduce travel costs for your company, but it also lessens your company’s environmental impact from transportation-borne emissions.
Digital Twins and 3D Models
Finally, AR/VR devices are essential for creating digital twins of operations. Digital twin software creates a virtual replica of a work site, tools, equipment, machines, and even an entire facility. Remote experts can provide better assistance because the digital twin reveals a rich insight into operational flows and inefficiencies. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Matterport offer a 3D site model after scanning the real-world environment. Importantly, these AR/VR-based tools can be managed from anywhere, enabling companies to swiftly identify operational bottlenecks and equipment failure from afar. The main benefit here is that downtime is avoided.
Related Content: How Warehouses Can Transform Operations with Augmented Reality
AR/VR Remote Assistance and Management Case Studies
Manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and automotive are four key industries that use remote AR/VR assistance and management. This section highlights how each sector leverages AR/VR for remote operations.
Manufacturing
Krones AG is a manufacturing company that produces machines for the packaging and bottling industry. The company needed to accelerate its time to fix machine problems, especially as customers expect immediate, efficient support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, technical support was even more challenging for the German company. By choosing TeamViewer xAssist, Krones AG was empowered to quickly assist customers via AR. The AR-based live video stream allows Krones technical experts to remotely see what the customer sees, resulting in the best customer service possible. Today, roughly 200 Krones AG employees use TeamViewer xAssist as a daily tool for remote assistance.
Agriculture
Monitoring environmental conditions is essential for optimized crop cultivation. However, this is also one of the biggest challenges in the agriculture industry. To remedy this challenge, field control and monitoring solution provider Ranch Systems created RanchMaster, which features the Digi XBee Pro series offered by Digi International. The solution leverages augmented reality for field monitoring, soil moisture visualization, temperature, and crop health. Users see this live data feed directly in the AR smart glasses Field of View (FoV).
Healthcare
Intuitive provides AR tools for digital and robotic surgeries in hospitals, enabling less invasive procedures. Surgeons use sensor-equipped controllers to manipulate instruments through small incisions. The da Vinci system allows seamless transitions between augmented eality and the operating room. Surgeons can also use AR for fluorescence imaging to visualize hidden anatomical structures, ensuring smoother operations, fewer mistakes, and more precise surgeries. Importantly, this AR use case reduces the risk of ruptures and delays.
Automotive
South Korean industrial company Telstar Hommel faced technical support inefficiency due to the 4-hour drive between the headquarters in Pyeongtaek and the automotive parts plant in Gyeongju. This vast distance could potentially lead to an entire day of downtime and require technical experts to be on standby for emergencies 24 hours a day. After deploying VIRNECT Remote, Telstar Hommel technical support teams can now provide AR remote assistance from the headquarters. Technical experts can share documents and provide AR-based instructions remotely, significantly reducing the time it takes to solve assembly line issues and detect risks.
AR/VR Remote Assistance Uptake
ABI Research forecasts the demand for AR/VR remote assistance to explode in the coming years at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 43.7% between 2024 and 2030. By 2030, my team and I anticipate 132.5 million AR/VR users for remote operations worldwide. Organizations in the healthcare and manufacturing industries will be the biggest adopters of AR remote support and management.
If your company plans to invest in remote XR solutions or is a solution provider aiming to cater to the remote operations audience, it’s crucial to assess the market. ABI Research’s Remote Operation and Monitoring in XR report deeply delves into the applications, companies, adoption forecasts, and connectivity requirements within the AR/VR remote operations ecosystem.
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