Application of augmented reality in manual inspection procedures: Visual assistance and digital protocols

Numerous safety critical components and structures in industrial environment operate under extreme mechanical and thermal conditions. Even small defects (hidden corrosion or cracks) in structures can lead to machinery damages and cause a stop in the technological cycle. That is why, the components are regularly inspected. Especially in power plants, the manual inspection procedures are widely applied. Information technologies bring strong advantages in quality assurance in industrial environment. By capturing the manual inspection process with cameras, tracking of the sensor position, automated processing of that measured data and writing a digital protocol combined in one system, a new class of inspection solutions is formed, which significantly simplify the inspection, protocolling and analysis of manual procedures. The aim is an assistance system, which supports an operator visually and generates the digital inspection protocol during inspection. For demonstration, the system with Augmented Reality based on eddy current testing is presented.