Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is rolling out augmented reality (AR) headsets for technicians in its van centres to help them deal with complex repair jobs.
The high-tech system allows experts based at the company’s Technical Support Centre to send precise visual instructions remotely, helping to ensure that any maintenance issues can be fixed quickly and efficiently and minimising the time a customer’s van spends off the road.
Each of Volkswagen’s 67 van centres and 30 authorised repairers across the UK will have access to a pair of the RealWear glasses, including microphone, head camera, display screen and voice activation.
If technicians face complex or unusual servicing issues they can use the technology to connect directly with Volkswagen’s Technical Support Centre in Milton Keynes. From there, an expert is able to support the technician through the diagnosis and repair by augmenting images and wiring diagrams and adding repair suggestions into their view.
According to VW, the nationwide rollout follows a successful trial that saved its customers a year of downtime, with repair efficiency up by 93%. The technology also cuts CO2 emissions because the experts from head office no longer need to travel to assist with repairs.
David Hanna, head of Service and Parts at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: “As part of our Working With You promise, we are committed to keeping customer vehicles on the road and minimising downtime – this technology provides the perfect solution by reducing the time a van spends in the workshop as well as improving the sustainability of our technical support operation.”
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Tags: AR, Augmented Reality
