Keppel O&M trials augmented/virtual reality smart glasses

The smart glasses solution is being implemented with local communications company M1 under a pilot project, which hs received a grant from the IMDA 5G Innovation Programme.

The smart glasses are equipped with a camera lens, microphone, micro speaker, cellular or WIFI reception, and a micro-projector, which can project a digital overlay of text and images within the wearer’s field of vision.

The smart glasses are being test-bedded by Keppel O&M in three different scenarios at its yard:

Site inspection

For the process of inspection and asset maintenance the wearer is able to view work instructions that can be controlled through voice commands. The shipyard said it replaces labour-intensive manual check sheets and drawings and can reduce onsite inspection man hours by up to 50%.

Digital twin virtualisation remote monitoring

Using AR-enabled Smart Glasses, field engineers will be able to capture and stream live data to their main office to receive real-time remote guidance. Sensor data can be overlaying on the engineer’s field of vision allowing office-based support for troubleshooting and rectification.

Remote virtual walkthrough

This function allows for various parties on a project to perform pre-construction feasibility assessments simultaneously and this will enable potential engineering design issues to be identified earlier.

Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic when safe management measures limited physical inspections and site surveys, we were the first to officially conduct remote inspections for a newbuild vessel with a classification society using Smart Glasses.

“Today, we are further expanding its use to not only improve the efficiency of delivering projects and enhancing yard operations but also widening our capabilities to provide digital solutions for our customers’ assets. This is part of Keppel O&M’s Yard of the Future initiative, which harnesses digitalisation to transform our products, services, and operations.”

Manjot Singh Mann, CEO of M1, said: “Through M1’s robust 5G network, Smart Glasses can provide high-bandwidth immersive AR/VR environment that enables highly detailed representations and real time information to be relayed to users and control centres. The successful introduction of the Smart Glasses solution at Keppel O&M is a useful test case that can be scaled and replicated to boost operational efficiency and safety across businesses and industries.”

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