Navigation

This use case pertains to use of AR-enabled systems that display symbols or provide audio cues synchronized with the real world to direct a person or people between locations without delay or safety risks.

Prior to AR Adoption

Navigation is defined as assisting a professional who is moving on foot, with assistance of a piece of industrial equipment or a vehicle to travel safely and efficiently between two locations. Locations may be separated by vertical and horizontal distance, obstacles, secure entrances and other barriers.

In factories or warehouses, for example, the worker may need to avoid moving through zones where robots are operating, where materials they are transporting do not fit through openings, or through any space that is secure and requires credentials for entry/exit.

Often, the professional is expected to travel to a place which is unfamiliar/to which they have never been. Even if the destination is known, it’s not always safe and reliable to use past trajectories as the guide for traveling to the location. Conditions through which a professional may have passed before may be unsafe or impassible so just following a previous route is not always possible. Conversely, a past route may have taken into account conditions that have since changed and a shorter, more efficient route may be available. In construction sites, the professional may need to avoid zones that are under cranes, where there are active machines or building materials have recently been deposited.

Business Challenges AR Introduction Addresses

Getting professionals safely and quickly to their destination can be of utmost importance. Yet, navigation to a job site or to a destination can require significant effort and time. A broken pipe in the field or an unconscious victim in a building on fire represent different spatial challenges than finding a specific washer in a warehouse.

Some job sites are precisely defined and there may be maps provided to the technician. Other sites are only roughly defined or unknown and the user must explore in the vicinity of landmarks. In some use cases, such as in a warehouse, the precise orientation and elevation (in addition to 2D position/location) is important to reduce a user searching for a part or product.

Without Augmented Reality support, a user may be provided a printed document (e.g., a map) or an app on a smart phone. In either electronic or print formats, the technician must focus attention on both the real world and the map to follow turn-by-turn instructions.

In cases where a human with specific skills is urgently needed, such as in emergency response, every second counts, and the responder may need to receive other types of information (not related to navigation) while in transit. In some highly complex environments, such as buildings under construction, even a digital map on an app that is not continuously updated may not be current and reflect all conditions. Hence, the professional going to a location will need to evaluate the safety of proposed routes before following them.

Use Case with AR

When a professional receives an order to go to a job site or destination using an AR-enhanced and network-connected system, the route is developed in real time by way of artificial intelligence using all of the current data about conditions available to the algorithms. The professional then, visually or through tones or words heard, perceives turn-by-turn directions. The system also perceives the user’s position when arriving at the destination and is automatically dismissed.

The type of AR display used for navigation depends on many factors:

• Need for use both hands (e.g., while operating a vehicle)
• Size and weight of the device, if there are other things that need to be worn or carried to the destination
• Connectivity to the main navigational systems containing all live data about the user’s environment.

An AR-enabled navigation system can be combined with other use cases so that the user is provided the turn-by-turn directions prior to or following completion of a task. By providing AR navigation, the professional in transit can focus more attention on gathering other information or being aware of the conditions surrounding them. The first and every subsequent step followed on the route defined by the system is either automatically detected by the system or manually dismissed by the technician.

At each step, the sounds and/or symbols providing the route are shown and registered. Upon arrival, the system automatically detects its status and can confirm the arrival of the professional at the assigned location in the management system. Alternatively, the technician can confirm arrival through voice, gesture or another interaction with the AR system.

Another possible feature of an AR-enhanced system for navigation is real time mapping of sites and facilities. Using the camera or other sensors on the AR display combined with real time positioning, an updated 3D model of the real world is produced for other users. The professional is contributing to the globally-consistent cloud-based map without dedicating any attention to environment or their destination.

Common roles of Users

Anyone moving between locations to perform tasks or achieve goals with least delay while being attentive to potential risks h least delay while being attentive to potential risks

Business Benefits:

The benefits of AR-enhanced navigation include providing real time instructions that do not interfere in any way with the user’s perception of the real world and following the route does not require diverting attention from the user’s environment. The route that is provided ensures minimum transit time, reducing down time, at the highest level of safety.   When available AR-enabled navigation increases the overall productivity of professionals, even if they have been to the destination before and regardless of the environment (indoor, outdoor, underground, etc).