Aeronautics is one of the sectors that has joined, in recent years, the adoption of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies to transform areas such as aircraft design, repair and maintenance, manufacturing and assembly, experience passenger and training. Companies in the sector are developing projects to integrate the use of these technologies into their procedures, due to the advantages they provide, especially when other emerging disciplines such as machine learning or ‘hardware in the loop’ (HIL) are combined. “Virtual, augmented and mixed reality are different types of experience, but it is common to group them in the same box, probably due to the overrepresentation of virtual reality in cinema,” says Sergio Ávila, professor at the ETSI Aeronautics and Space. from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM).
These types of technologies cover such a broad field that their application is not limited to the manufacturing or maintenance sector. “The flexibility of the three technologies allows them to be applied in modeling and assembly design techniques, as an alternative to traditional computer-aided design programs, to the development of simulations for training.”
As the teacher indicates, the great strength of augmented reality “is the superimposition of layers of information on the real world.” Visualizing information on real equipment from its sensors, its configuration or the force fields that act on the machinery, in addition to improving the training of technical personnel, “facilitates interpretation both for maintenance and to understand the operation of the devices,” he adds. .
Experts from Official College of Aeronautical Engineers of Spain (Coiae) confirm a great growth in the last decade of this type of tools, “going from small projects in very isolated processes that we could find years ago (as a pilot or through R&D projects), to being an important part of the manufacturing, inspection, maintenance and training processes.
Augmented reality, for its part, is mainly applied to manufacturing and inspection, “first giving value to the production process, reducing errors and improving production times, to later be used in inspection work to compare the real product with the theoretical design.” », they add from the Coiae. On the other hand, virtual reality is being implemented in maintenance tasks and “is more than established in operator learning training.”
Pros and cons
For the teacher of the ETSI Aeronautics and Space of the UPM Some advantages of these technologies are evident, such as the benefits in efficiency, safety, time and cost of both operation and training. «Virtual experiences allow visits to facilities with restricted traffic for security reasons; carrying out part of the training of technical personnel in virtual experiences reduces the risk of mishaps during the time of learning maintenance processes; present layers of additional information about the equipment; “It allows technical staff to make more precise diagnoses or predict the status of the equipment by having detailed information on the procedures in real time and also makes it easier to understand the operation of the equipment and facilities,” he gives as examples.
From Coiae they highlight the optimization of processes, “especially in those where the human factor plays an important role and it is more than likely that errors can be made (fixing supports, drills, manufacturing electrical harnesses, etc.).” Likewise, the inspection process of the operations carried out is facilitated, obtaining significant cost savings, both in the process itself and in possible subsequent rework that may be needed due to the aforementioned errors. In short, “the efficiency, safety and precision of work is increased.”
Regarding the drawbacks, Sergio Ávila talks about the cost and knowledge necessary for the development of the experiences, as well as the technical limitations of current devices. «The development of satisfactory experiences not only requires knowledge of software development for the chosen platform, but also technical knowledge of the industry. Both the development times and the resources necessary to implement the experiences in general are not negligible,” highlights the teacher. Coiae also remembers that technology does not advance so quickly as to adapt to what the operator demands in each case, and what may be very useful in one process may not be useful in another.
The company Arsoft is specialized in the development of augmented, virtual and mixed reality solutions and is responsible for developing its own platform, EyeFlow. «An innovative solution with which companies create XR content by themselves, reducing by more than 90% the time and cost that is necessary to invest in the creation of virtual reality simulators, augmented reality manuals and virtual content in general , making these technologies accessible,” says Santiago González Izard, CEO of Arsoft.
Arsoft is a company specialized in the development of augmented, virtual and mixed reality solutions. They have created their own platform, EyeFlow, with which companies can create this type of content on their own.
radical turn
Through this platform they work in the maintenance area, where thanks to augmented reality “technicians can identify failures and carry out operations with greater precision, showing the steps to follow directly on the equipment,” explains González. With virtual reality, for its part, “pilots can train in simulators by accessing personalized environments, reducing risks and operational costs,” he clarifies. And it is something that is revolutionizing traditional methods. “The main advantage of using XR technologies for pilot training and training is that they offer personalized immersive experiences that very faithfully recreate flight conditions,” he emphasizes. They not only simulate airplane cockpits, but also scenarios in which pilots can face extreme conditions “such as electrical storms, engine failures or emergencies on the runway. All this without taking any risk,” he highlights.
One of the projects that Arsoft is working on is the digitization of the maintenance manuals of the equipment that is installed on boats. «It is key to achieving efficiency and safety. It allows, among other things, instant access to information and keeping manuals always updated and available in real time,” says the CEO. With this digitalization, it is possible not only to reduce errors during assembly tasks, “improving product quality, but also to save time and costs, since the time necessary to train operators is reduced and avoid interruptions in operations.” », he adds. In addition, it eliminates the excessive use of paper, contributing to sustainability.
WayGroup is an innovation and technology company that develops simulators with immersive virtual reality. “What is new for the aeronautical sector is that they have moved from the airplane simulator to the cockpit work simulators by the onboard personnel,” says Ignacio Jaman Mewes, CCO at WayGroup Chile. With this type of training “you train workers in controlled environments by making them face different tasks, with their senses and emotions involved, which generates greater retention of what you are teaching them.”
At Waygroup they work in the field of occupational health and safety, “complementing the tasks where crews are trained, something as simple as the use of fire extinguishers or a critical risk for the airline, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can be better trained.” with virtual reality than with traditional models,” highlights the CCO. In short, a technology that marks a new direction of efficiency in the sector.
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