Transforming Maintenance & Operations with AR Smart Glasses

AR Smart glasses improve remote assistance in manufacturing operations by reducing downtime & enhances the productivity & efficiency 
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Augmented reality has always been one of the promising technology reshaping and transforming different industries and business operations around the world. As technology is becoming smarter day by day so as the advancements and introduction of new verticals in the AR industry. This technology has been paving its powerful presence everywhere but it has really changed the scenario of manufacturing industries with the introduction of AR Smart glasses for maintenance, operations and support. 
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The rise of Covid-19 pandemic has surged a need for AR remote assistance as companies were forced to develop the solutions that can help and guide the workers and experts working remotely to resolve the complexity of machinery. AR Smart Glasses are the next big thing, especially for the workers in the manufacturing industry as these powerful devices hold immense potential to transform the business operations and enhance productivity along with providing seamless real time assistance and guidance from technical experts to the field personnel. 
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According to Future Market Insights research report, the global augmented reality smart glasses market will reach US$ 87,165.4 million by 2033 which shows its rising demand in various applications in different industries. The maintenance of machines is becoming complex day by day and to reduce such complexities, new tools and methodologies are very important. In this article, we will explore how AR Glasses are improving the maintenance and operations while providing efficiency, productivity, cost-effectiveness in the manufacturing sector. 

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AR Smart Glasses improving Maintenance & Operational performance

Augmented Reality Smart Glasses are wearable devices that enhance and project digital content or information onto wearable lenses through hand free access to the internet. These devices deploy the Augmented Reality Technology to overlay the digital information in front of the user field of view. The AR Smart Glasses serve many benefits in operations and maintenance across different sectors. Here are some of the following ways through which these smart wearable devices enhance the overall productivity, safety and efficiency in operations and maintenance.
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• Hands-Free approach to access information: AR glasses provide workers or technicians hands-free access to information in real time. This visual insight makes it convenient for them to quickly access the critical information or instructions while keeping their hands free to work on the tasks they are performing.
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• Remote Assistance & Guidance: These Smart glasses provide real time remote assistance and guidance to on-site technicians. Technicians wearing these devices receive step-by-step visual troubleshooting instructions from their supervisors and can see what they see, saving the time and need of expertise to be on-site.
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• Reducing Downtime & Cost Saving:  AR glasses reduce the downtime and leads to cost savings through reduced errors and increased efficiency. It helps technicians to identify the maintenance requirement and diagnose the issues more quickly. It enables them to repair and fix the machine faster by accessing right information while ensuring lifespan of the system or equipment availability.
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• Workforce Training : AR glasses when used in workforce training reduces employee onboarding time by 40 to 60 percent and improves trainees efficiency by providing them interactive engaging tutorials and real time step-by-step guidance. Workers wearing AR headsets can easily learn to operate on the complex machinery and follow the expert instructions in real time, hence reducing the time of learning a process.
  
  
• Quality Control & Inspection: Quality control and inspection is an important aspect of manufacturing. These glasses include tools for quality control and inspection that allow workers to identify the errors, missing components, incorrect assembly and much more in real time by overlaying the digital information on physical objects. This not only helps in inspection but improves the quality and reduces the waste.
  
  
• Data visualization & Integration: AR glasses display data in 3D visual format which help  workers to visualize the complex data in three dimensions, enabling them to analyze the information effectively and conveniently monitor the production while improving decision making.
  
  
• Safer & Improved Work Environment: Augmented reality glasses enhance safety of the work environment. It overlays the safety guidelines and warning alerts onto the work areas or equipment, helping the workers to follow the safety guidelines and providing them with information about potential hazards, accidents and injuries.
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The adoption of AR Smart Glasses in operations and maintenance is gathering momentum and creating impact in the equipment servicing field. Augmented servicing is boosting or facilitating the interaction and capability of self-support by removing the need of engineers traveling to on-site facilities, reducing downtime and increased efficiency. The heads-up display of information allows workers or technicians to access the right information at the right time, helping  them to complete their tasks more accurately and independently. 

These hands-free gadgets are valuable tools for the modern scenario of the manufacturing ecosystem. While the potential of AR Smart Glasses is clear, their widespread adoption in different industries are facing several challenges in terms of affordability and longevity. Industry leaders like Intel are working actively to address these challenges to develop cost-effective solutions and mass production with affordability for a wide range of businesses which will definitely advance more these wearable devices in future with the increasing innovation and update in technology.  

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