Boeing Augmented Reality Experiment 2015

Paul Davies of Boeing presented a wing assembly study in collaboration with Iowa State University, proving differences in quality and time when the assembly is performed using 2d work instructions (PDF) versus Augmented Reality. 

50 participants were divided into three groups to assemble part of a wing, requiring 50 steps to assembly nearly 30 different parts. 


Variables:

  1. Desktop computer displaying work instruction in PDF file. The computer was immobile and sat in the corner of the room away from the assembly area

  2. Mobile tablet displaying work instruction in PDF file, which participants could carry around the assembly area

  3. Mobile tablet displaying Augmented Reality software showing work instructions as guided steps with graphical overlays


Procedure:

The participants assembled the wing twice. During the first attempt, observers measured first-time quality before disassembling the wing and having participants reassemble for comparison.


Study Boeing
In conclusion, the study shows a 90% improvement in first time quality between desktop (what Boeing was used to before AR) and Augmented Reality method, with AR reducing time to assemble by around 30%. The researchers also found that using AR grants faster understanding and need less convincing of the correctness of the tasks.

This study shows and quantifies how complex tasks performed for the first time and by people with no experience can benefit from using Augmented reality. If the process is done with fewer errors and faster, the impact on productivity is highly significant.

Sources:
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-qJ6U-ixX0&t=908s&ab_channel=AugmentedRealityforEnterpriseAlliance%28AREA%29

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