Augmented Reality Maintenance System (ARMS) for Complex Military Assets

Currently, equipment maintenance requires highly trained individuals and is labor intensive, expensive and inefficient. The Marine Corps and DOD use written technical manuals and Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM) to direct technicians through complex maintenance procedures for land vehicles, radar systems, radio communications systems, and ground-based weapon systems. Recently, the internet has made it possible to retrieve relevant maintenance data more quickly using computer search programs. However, technical manuals are still time consuming and tedious to use, and substantial training is needed to extract the appropriate data, understand the technical details for troubleshooting defective components, and the performance of critical maintenance and repairs. RMD, in collaboration with Dr. Steven Feiner at Columbia University, proposes a revolutionary new technology for equipment maintenance based on Augmented Reality (AR). The AR-based maintenance system will guide the equipment maintainer through the entire maintenance process, from the identification of defective components to the detailed repair methodology and the functional test sequence. The Augmented Reality system will be graphics intensive and interactive, making it simple and highly intuitive to use. It will augment the abilities of the technician by providing the type of guidance normally associated with an expert human trainer.