Looking through the training window 06 April 2020

VR and AR can be used to improve safety. Image: EU Automation

Companies across industry are starting to introduce virtual reality and augmented reality training into the workplace. This is providing operators and engineers with the opportunity to hone their skills and learn relevant safety protocols in a safe, digital environment

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are forecast to add £62.5 billion to the UK economy – a 2.4% boost to GDP – by 2030, according to a report released by global accountancy firm PwC in November. Most of the contribution to the UK economy will come from AR (£44.4 billion) with VR providing £18.1 billion. Furthermore, the technology will have a significant impact on the UK workplace with 1.19% of jobs (400,663 people) utilising it by 2030.

VR works by creating an interactive and completely digital environment for the user – a 100% virtual, simulated experience that is often experienced through the use of a head-mounted device. AR, on the other hand, superimposes a digital layer on to the physical world – integrating the physical, real environment with virtual details. This is typically experienced using smartphones, tablets, head-mounted displays and ‘smart’ glasses that project a small image on to a screen mounted near the eye.

The PwC report ‘Seeing is Believing’ explains that such technology will benefit a wide range of industries, including the engineering sector, the healthcare sector and retailers.

Two areas highlighted by the report are remote collaboration from different locations and the ability to superimpose diagrams and instructions in real-time. (OE focused on these two areas in December 2018). However, another key focus area, it adds, revolves around training.

“The use of VR and AR in development and training will provide a £265.2 billion boost to global GDP by 2030,” PwC says. “One way in which this will be possible is that it will provide a way to train employees where it is not always practical, or safe, to do so in the real world. It will also save businesses time and money by recreating physical environments and scenarios digitally which can then be accessed simultaneously anywhere in the world and on different scales.”

MAKING IT REAL
This is a point picked up on by Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at automation parts supplier EU Automation, who agrees that VR and AR can be used in the factory to improve safety. "Recently, the manufacturing sector has discovered the potential of AR and VR in cutting costs and increasing safety and productivity," he says, sighting examples such as digitally simulating the production processes to identify dangerous manoeuvres, training new employees, and preparing staff for emergency procedures.

Indeed, many companies across a wide range of sectors in UK industry have begun tapping into the training capabilities that VR and AR technology can provide. Public service provider Amey is one example, having recently launched a VR safety training programme for its utilities employees. The programme, which has been developed in partnership with VR training provider Edg VR, focuses on a series of virtual scenarios to enhance Amey’s induction process, including site safety, driver awareness and hazard perception.

The platform uses 360-degree photos, videos, CGI features and interactive platforms to deliver health and safety training modules. It also provides insight into employee performance by using live scoring, assessment and analytics, and Amey hopes that the training will increase retention, reduce costs around site defects, fines and vehicle damage, and protect employees on the front-line.

Several training sessions have already taken place across the UK, with more than 1,600 employees to be enrolled on to the training course.

NUCLEAR CHALLENGES
One sector that presents challenges and whereby employee safety and training are critical is the nuclear industry. There are numerous hazards including, but not limited to, exposure to radiation or radioactive materials and the risk of disrupting a safety-related or operation-related plant process.

In the UK, a well-known site is Sellafield, a large multi-function nuclear site close to Seascale on the coast of Cumbria. It approached digital engineering technology centre, the Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC), which is part of University of Liverpool, with a challenge to understand how VR could be used to inform and benefit the design process of new facilities and the installation of planned equipment – such as specialist cranes – in the early development stages.

Sellafield was looking to ensure the safety of specialist operators of its newly commissioned nuclear waste removal crane, designed to scoop up and remove hazardous material from Sellafield’s 70-year-old Pile Fuel Cladding Silo. The building was originally designed to be permanently sealed, meaning innovative ways of accessing and retrieving the waste have had to be developed.

A simulator was developed from existing Sellafield 3D design models containing information on the silo and crane. The VEC team integrated crane movements into the simulator, controlled from a chair with a built-in joystick identical to the real crane. The team then developed the training modules, including compliance and focus steps before finalising the crane training programme.

The training simulator now provides a realistic environment for Sellafield’s operators, both visually and physically. It replicates the real plant CCTV camera views and allows the virtual cameras to be controlled exactly as they would be onsite. Furthermore, it mimics both the look and feel of the crane waste removal process and the environment in which the operator will be working, as well as the potential challenges they may be faced. This allows operators to learn to ‘drive’ the nuclear waste retrieval crane in a safe environment.

The training simulator provides a realistic environment for operators

“As a team we are extremely proud of this project,” says Lynn Dwyer, head of commercial at the VEC. “It showcases the in-house expertise we have at the VEC. It was a pleasure to work with the Sellafield team to produce a cutting-edge training solution that has reaped huge cost and productivity savings.”

The realistic user experience of the training simulator is said to have built-up operator confidence and shortened the overall project delivery schedule. The Sellafield operators are now able to undertake manoeuvres requiring a high degree of accuracy and space perception in the virtual world, before they advance to the real equipment and working environment. The simulator has also allowed Sellafield to train all of its operators on the new equipment before installation and potentially being placed in a hazardous environment.

The simulator replicates the real plant CCTV camera views and allows the virtual cameras to be controlled exactly as they would be onsite

Furthermore, the project team has decided to use the digital platform as the primary tool for crane operator training. In the long term, this allows Sellafield’s full-scale training rig to be ‘re-purposed’ as a second operation retrieval system, saving £20m on the cost of future waste retrievals.

WORKFORCE UPSKILLING
These are just two examples of companies in the UK that have worked with VR technology suppliers and developers to enhance the skills of workers. But what other training platforms examples are out there?

One company working in the VR and AR space is Luminous, which says that it isn’t ‘tied to any immersive hardware’ and thus can ‘help you identify the best way to use the technology to get your desired outcome’. The firm uses gaming technology – the Unity games engine – to produce content which can range from structured training procedures to a ‘sandboxed’ environment that has been designed to test users on knowledge.

The advantages of immersive training, the company adds, includes the ability to simulate hazardous environments or procedures; work in a safe repeatable and controlled environments; use real world physics and mechanics; show consequences and anti-actions; and use real-time user monitoring and analysis.

Another example comes from engineering services provider Emerson. It released ‘Mimic Field 3D’ in February, which is an immersive training experience that has been designed to help new and incoming workers gain a deep understanding of how changes in the field impact industrial plant processes.

Emerson released ‘Mimic Field 3D’ to help new and incoming workers gain an understanding of how changes in the field can impact processes

This VR-based solution is said to give personnel simulated hands-on experience to prepare for any plant event, helping them make better decisions regarding operating changes and practise proper procedures before entering potentially hazardous plant areas.

“Emerson’s digital twin portfolio is changing how we prepare the future workforce,” says Jim Nyquist, group president of systems and solutions at Emerson. “Our industry will become increasingly reliant on VR tools like these to address the growing skills gap and improve training effectiveness. This advanced technology enhances training by offering a hands-on experience, which ultimately improves the safety of workers.”

A ‘mixed reality’ platform comes from global engineering solutions company Howden, which has leveraged its existing 3D models to create step-by-step mixed reality instructions with Vuforia Studio. Howden’s equipment typically operates as ‘process critical’ in its customer’s environment and any unplanned downtime can be costly. To enable customers to optimise equipment performance and operational efficiencies, it looked to provide customers with an insight into equipment in a visual and easily consumable way.

The firm needed a scalable solution for creating mixed reality content that incorporated IoT data and provided step-by-step instructions on how to solve problems. It chose PTC’s Vuforia Studio AR solution to create immersive mixed reality experiences for the Microsoft HoloLens. The MR experience is said to have provided Howden’s customers with an enhanced view of equipment – including the ability to visualise what’s going on inside the machine. Predictive maintenance alerts, rapid parts identification and easy to follow repair sequences also provide the information relevant to resolving problems and keeping equipment running as efficiently as possible.

Positive outcomes from this technology include the prevention of challenges and costs associated with unplanned downtime and better-aligned maintenance strategies. Plant operators also now have a range of knowledge at their fingertips through the mixed reality experiences on Microsoft HoloLens.

IN CONCLUSION
Immersive technology is certainly here and looks to be staying. Over the last decade, it has moved from a technology aimed at the gaming hobbyist to a full-scale market that can utilise the tools and software to help companies across UK industry and beyond to improve the skills and safety of employees.

As PwC’s Dalton concludes: “While many organisations might think VR and AR offer no major benefit to their business, our research has shown that's not the case. Now is the time for them to think about how these technologies can improve their performance or they risk being left behind.

“Organisations need to look beyond the software development stage and focus on designing the solution to solve a specific business issue – VR and AR can be used to speed up processes, improve safety, reduce costs or open up new revenue streams."

VR in focus for BEP Surface Technologies Radcliffe engineering firm BEP Surface Technologies, which manufactures and refurbishes chill rolls, is using virtual reality (VR) simulation to redesign its factory and processes (including training) to expand capability and target new growth, using Made Smarter support and advice. The firm wants to expand its electroplating operation, which means it must relocate its machining department to a new factory. To achieve this ambition, BEP needs to redesign its factory. The first phase of the project involves a 3D scan of BEP’s existing and new facilities and using 3D design software to create 3D models. This will enable the business to design elements of their new and existing workspaces and production workflows. The second phase of the project is to develop in-house visualisation and VR capability to create a 3D walk-through of facilities to market to prospective customers and enhance health and safety training for visitors and BEP’s 40 staff. “To be able to optimise the layout of the two sites will save us a lot of time and money,” says MD Andrew McClusky (pictured, right). “It will minimise downtime and disruption during the relocation of the machining workshop and even allow us to test processes and workflow before implementation, which will greatly increase resource efficiency. “There are many hazards around our factory, including toxic chemicals, machinery, cranes and loading bays, so the health and safety of our staff and visitors is paramount,” McClusky adds. “Rather than just reading through a document, our vision is to use VR technologies to enhance our induction process, so the new starter or visitor is familiar with the factory and its hazards before they even set foot inside.” The project is on-going.

Adam Offord

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