Jamco America, a renowned commercial aircraft interior and services company, has entered into a partnership with mixed reality (MR) developer Object Theory, to bring forth a new training system for enabling maintenance service productivity to sort out the requirements of customers. The augmented reality (AR) technology created through the collaboration offers critical advances for aerospace industry product maintenance training.
Jamco America, an ancillary of Jamco Corporation in Japan, was set up as an interior products and services provider for commercial aircraft in 1982. Jamco, based out of Everett, WA, is regarded among the most accomplished interior product providers and aircraft industry interiors unifier.
The company, as a subsidiary of the Jamco Corporation, has contributed to the development of premium class seating for commercial carriers. It has also provided forward-facing business class seating solutions in recent years. Following the recently developed Venture business seats, Jamco is now focused on rolling out cutting-edge AR technology for aerospace industry interior maintenance and training. Jamco acknowledges that factors other than delivery and design are responsible for impacting success. Maintenance training is now mostly dependent on face-to-face demos, video tutorials, and training guides with accompanying maintenance manuals. This has given Jamco the motivation to invest in state-of-the-art augmented reality technology for creating increasingly productive maintenance services for customers.
Augmented reality involves the superimposition of 3D computer-generated images (CGI) within the real-world setting of a user. Using this technology enables them to get a composite view, ideal for guidance in fundamental maintenance tasks. A wide range of hardware can be utilised to display such technology, including tablets and HoloLens devices.
Jamco America entered into a partnership with Object Theory, a mixed reality innovator based in Portland, Oregon. Raven Zachary and Michael Hoffman, the founders of Object Theory, Apple and Microsoft alumnus, have created a solution considered in the list of “Most Innovative AR/VR Companies” by Fast Company Magazine. Jamco America has expressed excitement regarding the partnership, as it facilitates a more coherent and re-doable product maintenance training solution for customers.
Jamco America aims to ascertain that the operational efficiency of airlines is boosted. HoloLens implementation ensures that trainee mechanics can perform hands-free work on their products in real-time. It reduces their need to go back to an instruction manual. Step-wise instructions are relayed audibly to users using CGI, generating an overlay of guiding instructions atop the product. Simultaneously, the user gains full control over their work rate and can choose when to move ahead.
Additionally, the component maintenance manual and other documents can easily be accessed within the augmented reality device. Text information and visual guidance offer an efficient, complete and ready-to-use maintenance system to tackle problems.
Aircraft interior products often require supplementary troubleshooting due to them traversing the globe. The new AR system by Jamco America will enable field mechanics to access assistance whenever required, irrespective of what destination a problem occurs in. Jamco America showcased the technology at the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) Conference 2020. The full AR-based module is set to release at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo.
