Scientists of IBM have revealed a mobile maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) prototype which is designed to help manufacturers and companies supplying and maintaining high-value machinery in sectors such as aerospace, oil & gas and shipping.
The mobile system, using a combination of augmented reality and robotics, will help field engineers to accurately locate equipment, provide them with critical information and receive real-time visual support from supervising experts based remotely. The new system allows a supervisor to monitor an engineer's progress towards the maintenance site, using GPS.
Richard Lanyon-Hogg, IBM Technical Director for the industrial sector, said, "The MRO prototype brings together two innovative IBM technologies, developed in our European research labs in Hursley and Haifa, into a single solution for our clients. It offers manufacturers the opportunity to lower their costs, provide just-in-time knowledge transfer and reduce the personal risk to engineers working in difficult environments."
The new system exemplifies how a new wave of mobile computing is revolutionizing how businesses can transform their processes.
A fully working IBM MRO system has been installed at the AMRC's Diamond Jubilee Knowledge Transfer Centre.
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