Reducing Maintenance Error with Wearable Technology

Maintenance and assembly errors are an undesirable yet prevailing issue within the aerospace industry. Despite the costs and setbacks associated with maintenance errors, emerging technologies are not adequately employed to limit these errors. Wearable technology and smart tools have great potential for streamlining the maintenance and assembly process. GE Aviation recently conducted a pilot study, which assessed the utilization of wearable technology to minimize errors, improve product quality, and increase mechanic efficiency. The pilot combined numerous technologies including Google Glass optical head-mounted displays, Upskill Skylight industrial augmented-reality software, and a Wi-Fi enabled Atlas-Copco Saltus MWR-85TA torque wrench. The objective of the pilot was to demonstrate the integration of the hardware and software in an operational setting and to measure the effectiveness of the technology.