Bitforge’s Holotram in the Swiss media

“Hologram shows how well the streetcar is in shape.”

“Bitforge turns the streetcar into a hologram.”

“The Zurich public transport company (VBZ) wants to use digitalization for everyday life.”

“Zurich streetcars become holotrams.”

“Almost like Tom Cruise in Minority Report.”

“VBZ tests augmented reality in streetcar maintenance.”

Augmented reality is still little known in Switzerland. The possibilities and opportunities that the technology brings with it are barely tangible for the general public. That is why we are working every day to make augmented reality better known in Switzerland. The media coverage of one of our augmented reality projects is a further step in this direction. The next steps will follow. Below you will find the official media release:

In the “Holotram” showcase, Bombardier Transportation, Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) and Bitforge are demonstrating the possible future of streetcar maintenance. On November 14, 2018, augmented reality (AR) can be experienced at VBZ’s Oerlikon streetcar depot.

At the “Best of Swiss Apps 2018” last week, the
app “Holotram”, which was developed by augmented reality specialist Bitforge on behalf of Bombardier Transportation, was awarded the silver medal in the prestigious AR/VR category. As a practical partner, VBZ contributed its specific knowledge of vehicle maintenance to the project in order to demonstrate realistic application possibilities.

The main task of the technicians at VBZ is to keep all vehicles operational and safe. As an innovative company, VBZ is constantly striving for improvements and trying to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization. VBZ expects applications such as the “Holotram” AR showcase presented here to offer various advantages for vehicle maintenance in the future: Better information during maintenance work and seamless documentation will allow the safety of the vehicles to be monitored even better. Efficiency gains will also be possible in the maintenance work process, from order entry to logistics. Last but not least, employees will be relieved of administrative tasks and can concentrate fully on their main activities.

The client Bombardier sees the main benefits as more efficient workflows and processes in maintenance. The maintenance process is being digitalized, from the authentication of authorised employees to the digital documentation of steps and the digital signature of maintenance work. Further developments include the connection to SAP and further development with real-time applications. In addition to the implementation for maintenance work in the depot, verification of the increase in efficiency is a requirement. Depending on the medium used, Bombardier does not expect the system to be in use for at least two years.

In collaboration with the technicians from Bombardier Transportation and VBZ, the programmers from digital partner Bitforge have designed and implemented various work steps in vehicle maintenance as a user story. During maintenance work on the streetcar, the employees wear a Hololens and therefore always have direct access to all the information they need. The best way to experience the application is directly. We are therefore inviting media representatives to the Oerlikon depot on November 14, 2018 to test the “Holotram” app for themselves at
. Experts from Bombardier Transportation, Bitforge and VBZ will be available at the event to answer questions about the technology and future areas of application.