Remote Guidance for Machine Maintenance Supported by Physical LEDs and Virtual Reality

Abstract

Machines that are used in industry often require dedicated technicians to fix them in case of defects. This involves travel expenses and certain amount of time, both of which may be significantly reduced by installing small extensions on a machine as we describe in this paper. The goal is that an authorized local worker, guided by a remote expert, can fix the problem on the real machine himself. Our approach is to equip a machine with multiple inexpensive LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and a simple micro controller, which is connected to the internet, to remotely light up certain LEDs, that are close to machine parts of interest. The blinking of an LED can be induced on a virtual 3D model (digital twin) of the machine by a remote expert using a virtual reality application to draw the local worker's attention to certain areas. We conducted an initial user study on this concept with 36 participants and found significantly shorter completion times and less errors for our approach compared to only voice guidance with no visual LED feedback.