Howden Pump AR/VR Demo

Sep 15

Gone are the days when the only way to know something was wrong with your machinery was the ominous clunking sound it made, or the smoke signals it sent up as a distress signal. In the traditional world of maintenance, these were the equivalent of a machine's cry for help, often leading to a mad dash of troubleshooting and repair, usually at the most inconvenient times.

Today, we're witnessing a seismic shift in how maintenance is approached, thanks to the advent of Industry 4.0 technologies. This new era is characterized by a move from the reactive "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy to a proactive "Let's fix it before it breaks" mindset. This transformation is powered by a suite of digital tools that are changing the game for industries worldwide.

Three nuggets of wisdom for embracing digital maintenance

Make friends with IoT: By outfitting your equipment with IoT sensors, you're essentially giving your machines a voice. These sensors can monitor everything from temperature fluctuations to vibration levels, providing a continuous stream of data that can be analyzed to predict potential issues before they escalate into major problems. It's like social networking for machines, where every post and status update helps you keep your operations running smoothly.
Trust in the crystal ball of AI: By feeding the data collected from IoT sensors into AI algorithms, you can uncover patterns and predict failures before they happen. AI acts as the wise sage that reads tea leaves in the form of data points, offering insights that can guide your maintenance decisions. It's like having a fortune teller on your payroll, but instead of predicting vague life events, it provides specific insights on when to service your equipment.
Step into the future with mixed reality: Using devices like the Microsoft HoloLens, technicians can see overlays of digital information on the physical machinery they're working on. This can include everything from step-by-step repair instructions to real-time data visualizations. It's like giving your maintenance team superhero goggles that provide them with x-ray vision and super intelligence, making them more efficient and reducing the risk of errors.

This cool demo at was at the Microsoft (former) booth at MxD in Chicago. It is a Howden pump with an Augmented Reality experience created by PTC’s Vuforia platform running on Microsoft Azure. This setup allows you to understand operational functionality (the part I am playing with now), train employees, troubleshoot issues, and even learn safety. I felt like a kid in a candy store 😀

If unfamiliar, Vuforia Studio transforms existing CAD and IoT data into detailed AR experiences that provide critical information to front-line workers when and where they need it most, like ensuring safe, efficient quality inspections by eliminating complex, manual processes, and guiding workers through step-by-step instructions.