By DEMOND CURETON of XR Today
Kognitiv Spark's RemoteSpark immersive platform has empowered maritime firms with rapid workflows
The Microsoft HoloLens Manufacturing Industry Forum, hosted by the Virtual and Augmented Reality Association (VRARA), the world’s top forum for advocating extended reality (XR) technologies, gathered thousands of executives, experts, and industry thought leaders online on Wednesday.
Members of the global tech industry debuted vital use cases for the Microsoft HoloLens 2, a key hardware component for numerous industrial sectors adopting mixed reality (MR) technologies
Iain Whyte, Director of Defence at Kognitiv Spark, explained his work with the HoloLens 2, which has empowered workers in the marine sector, namely amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Kognitiv Spark’s Immersive Industry Story
According to Whyte, COVID-19 had “accelerated the update of remote support solutions” to provide businesses with greater continuity and resilience. He added that MR solutions also played a key role in digitally transforming enterprises, namely for operational efficiencies and sustainability strategies.
Kongnitiv Spark, a Gold Partner with Microsoft’s MR and cloud computing, currently empowers Canada’s maritime sector, he said, adding his company’s communications platform, RemoteSpark, allowed clients to quickly resolve challenges across the world via the HoloLens 2 and other hardware.
The Fredericton, New Brunswick-based firm also holds offices in the United Kingdom and works with numerous clients, including the Royal Canadian Navy and others, as well as collaborates on three ocean technology projects via Canada’s Open Ocean SuperCluster, he explained.
His firm also works to visualise sensor data sets and incorporate digital twins for offshore maritime operations, including major projects such as the Mariner of the Future, Shipyard 4.0, and others.
Leeway Marine Case Study
Personnel working on vessels had significantly reduced downtime and maintenance gaps with the firm’s MR tools, he explained, citing a case study from Leeway Marine Chief Executive, Jamie Sangster.
The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-based marine data acquisition service company provides some of Canada’s top technical and innovative teams in the maritime sector and has deployed immersive MR technologies to rapidly streamline operations across the Atlantic for his vessels and crew.
Speaking in a short recorded video at the presentation, Sangster explained that his crews faced “emergent issues that happen onboard ships,” which his teams have worked to tackle with remote connectivity protocols.
He continued, stating,
“What we wanted to do really is figure out if there’s a better way, rather than pulling the ship off charter, task, or mission that it’s currently undertaking? [That] fundamentally for us is a huge cost driver in our business. So any way that we can reduce those costs and downtime is important for us to investigate”
Leeway Marines later deployed mixed reality technologies for his staff for trial runs to use the product to directly solve issues as they arose on vessels, without having to dispatch additional crew on-site.
He explained further,
“In our case, we can put on the [HoloLens 2], initiate the software, and in an instant, our technicians back home really have an acute understanding of the technology and understanding of the equipment and are able to see what’s happening”
According to the executive, previous contact protocols such as sending messages, pictures, emails, and texts greatly extended downtimes for vessels, but the HoloLens 2 provided “direct visualisation, including video and audio” to crew staff, he said, adding “there’s absolutely no replacement for that.”
He concluded, stating the HoloLens 2 solution had become a “bit of a panacea” for his remote teams and added it was important to explore further.
Sangster continued, explaining that industrial installations required digital twins and 3D models to visualise specific engineering changes or repairs on vessels. The HoloLens also allowed crews to complete walkthroughs for refitting devices on the A-frame of ships, he said.
Citing figures on the benefits to Leeway Marine, the HoloLens 2 reduced equipment and platform downtimes by 30 percent, or a total of 14 to 20 hours per incident, as well as offered a 50 percent reduction in diagnostic times.
Travel costs were also slashed by 75 percent, allowing the company to meet critical sustainability strategies by reducing carbon emissions.
The news comes after Kognitiv Spark revealed in February it had expanded its offices to the United Kingdom, where the Canadian firm will operate its hub for clients across the European continent.
The company’s UK operations will focus on deploying AR and MR solutions for the manufacturing and defence sectors following huge growth across the Americas as well as for its global workforces.
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