AR glasses - a future alternative to traditional training in industrial assembly
Everything is going digital, with transition at a rapid rate. For us here at CEJN AB, a quick connect coupling manufacturer, it is important to be at the forefront of technology. Smart inventions are key as more and more businesses are looking to improve productivity and efficiency to drive business growth.
At CEJN AB we have several research projects running, one involving AR technology (augmented reality). Could AR glasses serve as a future aid for training? Our Production Engineer Filip Palmkvist is optimistic: “We’re certainly looking into the possibility.”
‘Breaking in’ new staff
Instructions on paper and co-worker support are how we ‘break in’ new staff at CEJN AB. However, misplaced papers together with a stressed colleague might make you feel anxious in your first day on the job. We all know the feeling. But what if there was a way to ease that feeling just a little? “Absorbing new information is challenging, especially if you are stressed. AR glasses give the user a chance to work at their own pace without anyone looking over their shoulder,” says Filip. A plain and simple way of accessing instructions.
Filip and Anna Syberfeldt, Associate Professor of Automation Engineering at the University of Skövde, are working together on this research project, with the main aim of facilitating instruction and information handling
"We are still at a very early point in the process with much development work yet to be done, but it's intriguing for sure."
- Filip Palmkvist, Production Engineer CEJN AB
Anyone can do it
We meet with Filip as he is conducting a demonstration of the AR glasses. A 7-step assembly station for our 365 hydraulic nipple has been set up and eager colleagues have lined up to try it out. The AR glasses are connected to software, a kind of external hard drive, developed by the University of Skövde. When you put on the glasses, which you wear throughout, you see instructions. “What is important to know is that you control the process, you take yourself to the next step”. This means that a person who has never assembled a nipple or switch workstation can be taught the whole procedure without assistance. “We are still at a very early point in the process with much development work yet to be done, but it’s intriguing for sure. We’ll see where it takes us,” says Filip.
At the forefront of technology
But why is CEJN AB, a mid-size manufacturing company in the middle of Sweden, investing time and money in a research project developing new technology for the industry? Basically, we feel the urge to participate and take advantage of new technology early in its development; this gives us an opportunity to raise our level of technology and increase our competitiveness in the production processes, in terms of both quality and more effective processes. Our organization is full of solution-focused individuals with ambition. Let’s put them to work. This will ultimately benefit our customers.
