Digitizing of Research and Teaching

The current Covid-19 crisis impacts all manufacturing areas and new processes are sought.

This presentation provides the audience with three examples related to assembly work instructions, logistics data handling and manufacturing education, for which innovative ways to obtain access to context sensitive data based on digital tools are investigated. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) facilitate access to relevant manufacturing information.

In order to provide logistic warehouse workers with immediate access to shipping documents, to avoid paper print-outs, and to eliminate error-prone typing of information, critical information should be handled digitally and hands-free. To support logistic workers to efficiently document, register and trace receipt, storage or delivery of goods, the presented solution is built on hands-free digital tools with AR technology in commercially available smart glasses.

Similarly, workers who execute complex assembly operations frequently require either assistance or support for the next assembly step. Depending on the context, relevant assembly process information is automatically displayed together with the environment in the AR smart glass. Thus, the operator is supported by the presented hands-free-tool to complete the next challenging tasks.

Currently, teaching is being transferred from physical class-room teaching to remote or hybrid education. For this purpose, Virtual Reality (VR) provides a very welcome opportunity to complement in-presence teaching with exposure to examples of real manufacturing operations captured in videos of industrial case studies. Students apply learnings from theoretical classes to manufacturing case studies by identifying best practices and also recognizing waste. The presentation shares experience in teaching of lean methods based on AR technology to graduate engineering students.