Microsoft’s HoloLens Technology Emerges as a Critical Tool for Converting Machine Owners

The use of HoloLens technology has proven to be effective at streamlining and improving everything from factory acceptance testing to servicing. As Delta ModTech increases its use of this mixed reality tool, you get the sense that we are only scratching the surface of its potential.

COVID-19 has disrupted our world in staggering ways. But for manufacturers, it’s merely accelerated trends such as digitalization. Nowhere have we found this more apparent than in our own adoption of mixed reality HoloLens technology from Microsoft.

WHAT IS HOLOLENS TECHNOLOGY?

Microsoft HoloLens is a pair of mixed reality smart glasses. It allows a wearer to superimpose a desktop environment over a real-world object, such as a piece converting machinery, and make notes, annotations, or view instructional videos, all in a mixed reality view.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “MIXED REALITY” AND AUGMENTED REALITY?

Augmented reality (AR) is defined by virtual objects overlaid on a real-world environment. You might see how a digitally created object, like a couch, looks in your living room.

With mixed reality (MR), you start with the real world, and then add digital content to it. In this case, we start with Delta ModTech machinery, and add videos, notes, and other forms of digital content to the shared environment.

HOW Delta Modtech uses this technology

The first time Delta ModTech had used the technology was on a remote FAT.  After first experimenting with FaceTime on an iPhone, Delta and the customer switched to the HoloLens. The customer was so impressed with the functionality that, “By the end of the week, they had purchased a pair, and one for their sister plant,” said Ryan Herman, Electrical Engineer at Delta ModTech.

Delta ModTech is primarily using the technology for Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Training and Service.

IMPROVING AN ALREADY SUCCESSFUL PROCESS

A foundation of Delta ModTech’s approach is making our technical and engineering staff available to our customers. HoloLens’ unique features allow us to extend this access in a number of unique ways. While HoloLens is a game-changer in terms of technology, it’s part of an ongoing process to deliver a great depth and breadth of service. “It’s simply a new tool in the tool box,” Herman said.

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