Upskill improve productivity with augmented reality technology (Part 1)

Workers assembling wind turbines at a GE Renewable Energy factory in Pensacola, Florida, for example, wear smart glasses powered by Upskill, a GE Ventures-backed company that produces enterprise software for wearables.

Before the team started using the devices, technicians often had to stop what they were doing, check manuals or contact an expert to make sure they were installing parts correctly. But with the smart glasses running on Upskill’s Skylight platform, workers can easily pull up digitized directions and study them in their line of sight. The technicians can also access training videos or use voice commands to contact experts for immediate assistance. They can even stream their point of view through a live video connection and show the expert what they are seeing. The expert can then walk the technician through troubleshooting.

An initial study yielded a 34 percent improvement in productivity the very first time the technician used the wearables, versus operating the standard way. “We’ve seen empirically across GE that we can make a heck of a dent in the skills gap by giving workers information on demand to do their jobs more powerfully,” said Brian Ballard, CEO and co-founder of Upskill.

Skylight is already being used by almost every GE business. The applications include complex production and assembly, repair, maintenance, and logistics management. For instance, in a GE Healthcare warehouse in Florence, South Carolina, that manufactures parts for MRI machines, workers wearing smart glasses might receive a new order for fulfillment directly from their devices. Skylight then helps guide staff to the correct storage area and bin to locate each item in the order.

In this scenario, GE Healthcare saw a 46 percent improvement in order completion upon first-time use of Skylight. “Imagine how much productivity is usually lost just trying to figure out where these products are located,” Ballard says. ”When you can digitize that information so that its available and dynamic in real-time, the opportunities for efficiency are quite meaningful.” Workers can use Skylight to view documents, charts, checklists, photos, and videos without using laptops, tablets, smartphones or papers. This will be a big step forward in the manufacturing industry.

Source: GE Report