A wearable computer for quality assurance inspectors in a food processing plant

We were asked to try to improve the performance of quality assurance inspectors in a food processing plant. These workers walk around a very large, very loud, football field-sized plant and take food samples at various processing points. The workers pick up a sample, make a measurement (for example, temperature), wipe their hands on a paper towel, then use a pen and clipboard to write the measurement on a paper inspection form. At the end of the shift, the quality assurance inspectors give their paper forms to the quality assurance manager. For other members of the management team (such as the plant manager) to see the inspection data, the forms must be photocopied or the data must be typed into a networked computer. We faced several challenges in our effort to improve the performance of the quality assurance inspectors. The inspectors need a data collection system that is portable and allows inspectors to enter data without using their hands. The system must also provide the data to the plant management team as the inspectors actually gather the data. Finally, the use of sound to enter or receive information is a major challenge in the plant's noisy environment.