Smart Glasses: More Than Just a Second Set of Eyes

Over the past few years it’s become clear that two main factors are having a large impact on distribution centers across the country: e-commerce growth and a shrinking qualified workforce. In fact, the total U.S. e-commerce sales in 2018 were $513.6 billion, a 14.2 percent increase from 2017. E-commerce accounted for nearly 10 percent of total sales altogether in 2018.

When e-commerce grows, so does the need for warehouse workforces to keep up with consumer demand. But instead of seeing the workforce grow, DCs are dealing with a shortage of qualified candidates as baby boomers retire. To balance these two factors, most DCs are automating several areas of their operations. But the addition of automated warehouse solutions introduces potential maintenance challenges.

If automated systems or sorting conveyer systems go down, every minute counts, and it can take more than a few hours to get an experienced technician on-site. DCs require faster resolutions to get back on schedule. The good news is that developments in smart glasses and augmented reality technology are providing important solutions during critical times.

Show, don’t tell, with TechSight

Have you ever had equipment go down and been unable to get a technician on-site quickly? Have you ever tried to explain a problem over the phone and had the off-site technician not understand what you’re trying to say? 

Honeywell Intelligrated’s Lifecycle Support Services team understands your frustration. Because of the maintenance challenges across the industry, we’ve developed TechSight, a new augmented reality smart glasses technology. A robust solution designed specifically for distribution centers, TechSight employs the “show, don’t tell” philosophy. Wearing the smart glasses allows your technicians to project live images to our 24/7/365 technical support engineers for fast-paced troubleshooting and diagnosing of critical issues. In return, our support team can provide annotations that appear in your technicians’ field of view that help guide them when making repairs. This can get your operation up and running quickly while providing on-the-fly training to your team.

TechSight enables:

• Accurate diagnosis and decreased mean time to repair
• Hands-free video collaboration with real-time document sharing and annotation
• Expedited issue resolution without field service travel costs or delays
• Improved labor efficiencies with real-time access to our service experts

Transforming remote service

Until recently, working with a remote expert service team had frustrating limitations. Communicating by phone didn’t allow off-site technicians to see the problem. And while smartphones and other hand-held devices improved video communication, they create safety concerns for on-site staff in a maintenance situation.

TechSight augmented reality smart glasses offer hands-free technology that combines live video, audio, augmented reality overlays and secure networking capabilities. Instead of initiating a service call, remote experts can see exactly what your technicians are dealing with in real time, thereby greatly reducing the duration until your equipment is repaired and operational. 

This type of collaboration and multi-dimensional communication saves time and money while providing valuable troubleshooting training for your technicians. 

For a more in-depth look at TechSight and to learn how it can bolster your maintenance operations, read our feature article, Troubleshooting With New Eyes.

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