It sounds a bit ridiculous for Baker Hughes to travel to a petrochemical plant in the city of Johor Bahru, Malaysia, to replace spare parts for an outdated turbine.
This small problem would have caused the factory to stop work and at least ten days to wait. It also required the professional staff in the United States to spend 50,000 US dollars to fly more than 10,000 kilometers. But now the situation is completely different. If the equipment is upgraded from 2017, then as long as five days, and do not need to purchase any tickets, just a technician at the scene, wearing a helmet-type camera, far away in Pomona, California, USA, the Baker Hughes engineers can monitor remotely. They observe the real-time scenes captured by helmet-mounted cameras and guide local staff.
AR (Augmented Reality) helmets are the reflection of the visual real world into digital images. This has driven a big step in the industry-leading FaceTime video chat software. In the next few years, technology stalwarts such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft will compete to develop mainstream AR products, but oil companies have surpassed them in AR technology due to their eagerness to seek ways to cut back on spending. Some of these oil companies only buy AR glasses and customize software, some directly invest in AR startups, and some also manufacture hardware. Baker Hughes called its AR helmet "Smart Helmet." John McMillan, the company's regional maintenance supervisor, said: "In the past we needed to pay for the travel expenses of two staff members and sent them to the customer's factory to provide on-site guidance." Now their maintenance staff often use it. This kind of helmet saves them a lot of money.
Apple is planning to combine autopilot and AR technology, or at least use AR technology to make drivers and passengers in the cockpit have a better ride experience. Apple named the related patent "Adaptive Vehicle AR Display Using Stereo Images", which can combine the vehicle's driving data with a pre-made real-world 3D map to provide passengers with more informative and in-depth information on the surrounding environment.
Baker Hughes and the Italian developer VRMedia S.r.l. invented the AR helmet and wrote the software. BP stated that their engineering sites all over the United States have obtained remote professional technical guidance through the use of AR glasses. Start-up company RealWear Inc. stated that it has signed contracts with more than 20 energy companies, including Anglo-Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil, to try out its AR helmet which is priced at US$2,000. On March 6th, AR software developer Upskill announced that it has received $17 million in venture capital from Boeing, Cisco Systems and other investors.
The remote device allows experienced workers to leave their homes for equipment maintenance without having to travel far. Alisa Choong, executive vice president of Shell, said, “With these technologies, talent is more important than hardware.” Janette Marx, chief operating officer of headhunting company Airswift, said that for skilled For technicians, being able to work remotely is very attractive because staying in Silicon Valley is more comfortable for them.
The greater benefit of this technology for oil companies is to shorten the time it takes for equipment to wait for maintenance. For example, a refinery that handles 200,000 barrels of oil a day will lose nearly $12 million in lost revenue each day. Offshore oil and gas facilities often stop working while foreign experts arrive by helicopter. According to data from industry analyst firm Kimberlite International Oilfield Research, each refinery has an average of 27 days of downtime per year. It is no wonder that ABI Research, an analyst firm, estimates that by 2022, energy and utility companies will spend US$18 billion annually on AR glasses and related technologies, ranking first in almost all industries.
However, remote AR work is not that smooth. Oil rigs often lack stable and reliable wireless networks, and many helmets have not yet reached stringent standards for use in hazardous materials or in high-risk areas. For example, in some cases, helmets may emit dangerous sparks. This is one of the reasons why many oil companies' AR pilot projects have not made more progress.
Alisa Choong, Executive Vice President of Shell, said: "With these technologies, talent is more important than hardware."
John Westerheide, emerging technology leader at Baker Hughes, said the company does not have to worry about these issues. Engineers in the United States can see the equipment in Malaysia, send images to helmet screens, and have direct conversations with the on-site staff. There is almost no interruption. Westhead said, "Our working methods will become more virtual, interactive and collaborative."
This small problem would have caused the factory to stop work and at least ten days to wait. It also required the professional staff in the United States to spend 50,000 US dollars to fly more than 10,000 kilometers. But now the situation is completely different. If the equipment is upgraded from 2017, then as long as five days, and do not need to purchase any tickets, just a technician at the scene, wearing a helmet-type camera, far away in Pomona, California, USA, the Baker Hughes engineers can monitor remotely. They observe the real-time scenes captured by helmet-mounted cameras and guide local staff.
AR (Augmented Reality) helmets are the reflection of the visual real world into digital images. This has driven a big step in the industry-leading FaceTime video chat software. In the next few years, technology stalwarts such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft will compete to develop mainstream AR products, but oil companies have surpassed them in AR technology due to their eagerness to seek ways to cut back on spending. Some of these oil companies only buy AR glasses and customize software, some directly invest in AR startups, and some also manufacture hardware. Baker Hughes called its AR helmet "Smart Helmet." John McMillan, the company's regional maintenance supervisor, said: "In the past we needed to pay for the travel expenses of two staff members and sent them to the customer's factory to provide on-site guidance." Now their maintenance staff often use it. This kind of helmet saves them a lot of money.
Apple is planning to combine autopilot and AR technology, or at least use AR technology to make drivers and passengers in the cockpit have a better ride experience. Apple named the related patent "Adaptive Vehicle AR Display Using Stereo Images", which can combine the vehicle's driving data with a pre-made real-world 3D map to provide passengers with more informative and in-depth information on the surrounding environment.
Baker Hughes and the Italian developer VRMedia S.r.l. invented the AR helmet and wrote the software. BP stated that their engineering sites all over the United States have obtained remote professional technical guidance through the use of AR glasses. Start-up company RealWear Inc. stated that it has signed contracts with more than 20 energy companies, including Anglo-Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil, to try out its AR helmet which is priced at US$2,000. On March 6th, AR software developer Upskill announced that it has received $17 million in venture capital from Boeing, Cisco Systems and other investors.
The remote device allows experienced workers to leave their homes for equipment maintenance without having to travel far. Alisa Choong, executive vice president of Shell, said, “With these technologies, talent is more important than hardware.” Janette Marx, chief operating officer of headhunting company Airswift, said that for skilled For technicians, being able to work remotely is very attractive because staying in Silicon Valley is more comfortable for them.
The greater benefit of this technology for oil companies is to shorten the time it takes for equipment to wait for maintenance. For example, a refinery that handles 200,000 barrels of oil a day will lose nearly $12 million in lost revenue each day. Offshore oil and gas facilities often stop working while foreign experts arrive by helicopter. According to data from industry analyst firm Kimberlite International Oilfield Research, each refinery has an average of 27 days of downtime per year. It is no wonder that ABI Research, an analyst firm, estimates that by 2022, energy and utility companies will spend US$18 billion annually on AR glasses and related technologies, ranking first in almost all industries.
However, remote AR work is not that smooth. Oil rigs often lack stable and reliable wireless networks, and many helmets have not yet reached stringent standards for use in hazardous materials or in high-risk areas. For example, in some cases, helmets may emit dangerous sparks. This is one of the reasons why many oil companies' AR pilot projects have not made more progress.
Alisa Choong, Executive Vice President of Shell, said: "With these technologies, talent is more important than hardware."
John Westerheide, emerging technology leader at Baker Hughes, said the company does not have to worry about these issues. Engineers in the United States can see the equipment in Malaysia, send images to helmet screens, and have direct conversations with the on-site staff. There is almost no interruption. Westhead said, "Our working methods will become more virtual, interactive and collaborative."
Source: 7tin Net
http://www.7tin.cn/news/110367.html
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