The Future of Vehicle Maintenance
Holotram illustrates a possible future for a service engineer at Zurich Public Transport. He puts on a pair of augmented reality glasses and has direct access to all the information he needs while working on the tram. What makes this so exciting? The app’s information is available in the physical world as virtual panels and can be visually linked to the respective parts of the tram.
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Using computer vision, the app first locates the tram and overlays it with a transparent 3D model. The user can then access maintenance schedules and checklists, view fault reports, and see replacement parts that are hidden behind the trim.
The application runs on the Microsoft HoloLens: Users navigate within the app using voice commands, hand gestures, and clicks on a virtual panel. An important step at the start of the project was the tech check: This provided information on how well the tracking works, how clearly voice commands are recognized, and which SDKs are recommended for use. The project team wanted to take full advantage of the Hololens’ technical capabilities while still ensuring that the features were easy for users to operate.
Due to Holotram’s high level of innovation, members of the media were invited to the tram depot in Oerlikon. After all, augmented reality is best experienced firsthand on site. The feedback was exceptionally positive and sparked a lot of interest throughout Switzerland. Click here for the blog post.
The goal of VBZ and Bombardier was to improve efficiency in the maintenance process and reduce the administrative burden on employees. The Holotram showcase was the first step in this direction. Necessary further developments before the system can be put into productive use include, for example, integration with SAP and real-time functionality.
