Assembling or performing maintenance on an aircraft are difficult tasks that require a lot of precision and focus in order to ensure that the aircraft functions correctly. Technicians and engineers make use of many different diagrams, indicating elements such as electrical wiring, cable management, machinery and such. But even after undergoing rigorous learning and training, their work can be very time-consuming.

Boeing and augmented reality

Therefore Boeing started to develop a new project : using augmented reality for maintenance and inspection of aircrafts. Equipped with AR goggles, one can inspect the aircraft in order to work on its assembly or repairs and modifications.

Checking the electrical wiring can be done in real-time, without having to move or touch anything. The goggles display 3D diagrams and instructions, and allow a technician to interact instead of relying on a paper diagram. This use of AR here drastically improves both the quality and efficiency of the work, in a very technical domain where mistakes cannot be allowed. 

My personal take

What really impresses me is the very technical application of AR on a very difficult domain to master. Hopefully it can help engineers and technicians to achieve their work faster, with more accuracy and confidence. Another point that I like is the see-through vision, just like x-ray vision where you can see what kind of cables or piece of machinery might be hidden and not directly visible.

Possible improvements

One of the possible improvements I can think of is installing multiple sensors and detectors on all the different pieces of equipment in the aircraft. This way you can see the in real-time status and check the durability or look for failures for example. Another possible option could be having a more user friendly interface and instructions, so it can be used for leisure or educational purposes such as in museums.

References

Boeing Tests Augmented Reality in the Factory, Boeing, https://www.boeing.com/features/2018/01/augmented-reality-01-18.page

Boeing Q&A: The future of aircraft maintenance powered by AR and machine learning, Unity, https://resources.unity.com/ai-ml-content/boeing-video