Telemaintenance

Starting point

We have all become accustomed to receiving support “remotely” in our daily lives. The simplest form is via phone, and with common apps, you can also easily add a camera.

For successful collaboration between the troops and logistics, it is crucial to ensure high availability of increasingly complex systems. The challenge for effective cooperation lies in the availability of knowledge and the transfer of knowledge despite distance. Augmented Reality (AR) offers an opportunity here.

Problem statement / Barriers

So far, AR has been used in very specific and mainly protected environments on a small scale. For example, in training or in airplane hangars. However, logistics for the troops must work everywhere and in every situation. Distance plays a crucial role here.

Example: For extraordinary repair or maintenance needs of vehicles, a specialist from the logistics center must be dispatched to address the issue on-site. Sometimes, only through the specialist’s on-site diagnosis can the need for specific spare parts be identified. Procurement then leads to further delays. This results in high travel times and inefficient use of these specialists. During a breakdown, operations come to a halt, and valuable equipment operational time cannot be utilized.

Solution approach

For the use of AR in the LBA and militia army, we focused on simplicity and security in developing the solution approach.

This allows you, as a troop technician, to now get support from experts in all logistics centers for complicated cases via AR glasses.

• It’s as simple as a standard tool from the toolbox: put on, turn on, establish contact, and work on the problem.
• You can use it anywhere – just like your smartphone. In an LBA workshop via Wi-Fi or with the 5G module in the field via the mobile network.
• You take no risk. The transmission is secure, and no data is stored. As usual, make sure the camera does not capture any sensitive data in the environment.

The expert sees live what you are working on and can assist you: for example, answer questions, guide the repair, display documents. You keep your hands free and can focus on the repair and the instructions. The solution is robust enough to withstand the “tough” requirements of a military and logistics environment.