Moscow-based Sibur and Luxembourg’s G-Core Labs S.A. have collaborated to launch a universal augmented reality (AR) service for facilitating remote repairs and maintenance of industrial machinery.
Sibur has recently launched a universal AR service for remote maintenance and repair of industrial equipment. The new service can lead to millions in savings every year. The offering comes with an IT platform that aids in reducing the needs of internal holding experts and service specialists to conduct face-to-face visits. Visits are replaced with video consultation sessions utilising augmented reality glasses. Sibur developed the system in collaboration with G-Core Labs, an international cloud and edge solutions provider.
Remote service technology was first tested by specialists at Sibur in 2018, with some AR glasses and widely available solutions. They soon identified the fundamental scenarios for using the technology and predicted the economic impact of it on the industry. The team proceeded to make preparations about holding enterprises implementation, once they became sure that the project was technically feasible and suitable for implementation. They also developed their own IT platform. Sibur tested out the service in its Tobolsk production facilities.
Alexander Leus, Head of SIBUR Industry 4.0 practice, talked in detail about the new service. According to him, the AR service developed by the company is easy to use and has two main components. These are the Epson and RealWear AR glasses, with pre-installed Android apps developed with the help of G-Core Labs. It is also integrated with the mobile media platform of Sibur. The platform enables users to achieve full digitisation of their maintenance and repair processes through HD broadcast streamlining in a WebRTC format. The company’s communication platform is useful for interactions of on-site specialists with remote experts. According to Leus, the system is voice-controlled and does not require people to go hands-on in it.
A Sibur internal expert or representative of the equipment manufacturer stays in contact with a specialist from the factory. The expert gets a link on their personal email and can easily start a video conference on any device using browsers such as Mozilla, Chrome, Safari and Edge. They can have meetings on their smartphones and tablets after mobile phone number based identity verification. Users of the system are not required to install any other applications.
Dmitry Samoshkin, VP of Products, G-Core Labs, said that the virtual pointer on the micro-display of the glasses helps a representative of the equipment supplying company to direct a specialist to carry out specific actions. They can highlight specific elements and give out instructions. The new AR platform also features stickers and chat. Stickers are mostly needed in case of any connection issues. The remote expert can send signal stickers that indicate if an action is being carried out with precision.
The AR-based Sibur solution has a few standout features that help it to outshine its competition. It offers superior integration and digitisation of repair processes, along with more deployment options.
