The Support Room is one of the two core features of the Eye4Task software, the other being the auditing function, with the execution of checklists included in the tasks. Remote support allows a mentor and an operator in the field to get in contact. Thanks to smart glasses or E4T- equipped mobile Augmented Reality devices, the operator can communicate and compare notes with the remote expert.
A face-to-face collaboration that shortens distances significantly reducing errors during repairs on machinery and during equipment maintenance.
So how does the E4T Support Room work and what advantages does it bring companies? Let’s find out in this HeadApp article.
What is the Eye4Task Support Room and how does it work?
Imagine an operator who is performing an inspection on a hydroelectric dam. At some point, he realizes that something is not working as it should. He tries to fix it but the problem remains.
What does he do? The on-field operator, wearing AR smart glasses, calls the Support Room. At the other end, as soon as the pop-up signals the incoming call, an expert answers it. The two begin to collaborate in order to quickly solve the problem and/or complete the task.
Thanks to the Support Room, the operator is able to work “hands-free”, focusing on the machine and the task to be completed. The mentor provides him with precise documents, important and detailed data about the machine, such as the electrical diagram, files, geolocalized maps, and so on and so forth.
This collaboration reduces intervention times. Indeed, the mentor sees on his screen what the operator frames: it is as if he were there, working together with the technician on the field.
What are the tools of the Support Room
The mentor, therefore, has a detailed picture before him: thanks to the real-time sharing of the video, he understands what the problem to be solved is. So, how does the expert support the technician on site? With E4T, the mentor has a series of tools to collaborate remotely with the operator, such as, for example, annotations during the live session, text chat and sending multimedia files.
The mentor can use pre-loaded documents to support the task (for example, a datasheet), or upload other documents in real time, such as photos with annotations (either freehand or customizable labels) and other useful files for the Support Room call.
The mentor is able to take pictures and freehand draw on the still image: thanks to “draw on freeze”, for example, he can circle the component of an element the technician must intervene on, facilitating the diagnosis.
The operator sees these instructions in real time on the screen of the wearable device he is wearing. He doesn’t have to use his hands to scroll through the images, but rather he can use voice commands. Thus, he has all the indications he needs to carry out the task with precision and close it “hands free”.
E4T Support Room: advantages for companies
The photos taken and the videos saved during the Support Room session can be extrapolated to become an integral part of tutorials, or training guidelines for other trainee operators. These same materials are also paramount for the subsequent analysis of certain activities, and will be shared with those workers who have access to the same work area.
The E4T Support Room is a sharing tool that facilitates intervention and reduces maintenance and repair time, especially in “mission critical” contexts; work environments, that is, where the expert in the field must avoid any distractions and stay focused on the task he has to perform “hands free”. Think for example of the energy sector, where extremely delicate interventions at high altitude on wind turbines take place.
The collaboration between the remote mentor and the operator in the field greatly lowers the margins of error, thus improving performance while at the same time preserving the high quality standards of the service. With the E4T Support Room in AR, the remote expert has a complete and detailed picture of the situation, so that he perform a rapid assessment and immediately identify the problem / fault to be solved.
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