A European classification society has adopted the latest smart glasses and software to improve inspections on vessels and offshore installations
Bureau Veritas has provided its engineers with Microsoft’s latest HoloLens software as part of its Twintelligence campaign of twinning expertise with technology.
Microsoft mixed reality smart glasses, HoloLens, help Bureau Veritas overcome the challenge of engineers trying to inspect hard-to-access assets and assists in surveyor training.
Bureau Veritas implemented HoloLens in conjunction with Smart Document Solutions to increase surveyor safety and lower costs of surveys for shipowners.
HoloLens delivers an augmented reality hologram that enables surveyors to view areas of a ship or offshore installation and digitally splices the asset to view cross-sections. This technology blends real and virtual worlds, allowing physical and digital visualisation to co-exist. The mixed reality headsets display interactive menus to help engineers digitally inspect assets and faults.
HoloLens technology is revolutionising how Bureau Veritas trains its engineers on difficult-to-access assets. The class society said this reduces site training time by 50%.
“Innovations like HoloLens help our engineers, inspectors and auditors to deliver a better service and our clients are already noticing the benefits,” said Bureau Veritas UK accreditation manager Rachel Rawlings.
“Through using technology in this way, it enables engineers to do their job safer, quicker or more efficiently.”
For engineer training, Bureau Veritas can introduce defects to the HoloLens program to enhance the training scope and provide greater learning opportunities.
“HoloLens will not fully replace onsite training as there is still a need for physical inspection on some sites, but it does speed up and enhance the process for our engineers,” said Ms Rawlings. She said Bureau Veritas has gone through a series of trials with HoloLens.
“Each set of technology comes with its own set of challenges and risks which we always take into consideration when trialling and using it.”
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