Utility Week

29 ISSUE 01 OCT/2018 particularly for training, with a positive return on investment on deployments," says Jason Glickman, leader of the Americas Utilities and Renewables practice at US consultancy Bain. According to forecasts from market analyst ABI Research, energy and utilities will account for 17 per cent of global AR headset shipments in 2018 and the market is expected to reach US$18 billion by 2022. e technology, which overlays context-specific data (and in the case of mixed reality, holograms) onto the user's regular view of the world, is able to enhance the capabilities of technicians in the field. Imagine the scenario of a lineman responding to an outage. Wearing a mixed reality headset such as HoloLens, which provides a form of augmented reality that overlays virtual 3D objects, or holograms, onto the user's view of the world or when holding a tablet, they need simply look at (or point the tablet camera at) damaged equipment to gain access to important data such as the asset type, product number or maintenance history. is makes it simpler to troubleshoot the problem and order replacement parts. e technology can also make the unseen seen, says Leila Martine, product director, commercial mixed reality at Microsoft: " ere are great examples of how HoloLens enables the discovery of GIS [geographical information systems] and CAD data, so users see things that aren't immediately discoverable, such as hidden pipes and networks, along with data from the Internet of ings and other data to give them additional context." Headsets like HoloLens can provide trainee field technicians with real-time access to remote experts to assist with diagnosis, or render an annotated image or video stream to the headset visor. is can serve as a form of on-the-job training and cuts the cost associated with transporting expert staff to the job site. Utilities giant Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has adopted Microsoft HoloLens to visualise its Smart Power Plant, provide an interactive 3D model for the plant's equipment, and offer remote expert assistance, including access to maintenance job cards, equipment, training manuals and Jargon buster So, what is the difference between virtual, augmented and mixed reality? Virtual reality (VR) aims to completely immerse the user in a simulation, viewed through a headset, such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, or Gear VR. e headset display is stereoscopic and the eye adjusts to it to create a 3D image, it tracks where you look and reflects that movement in the virtual world. Augmented reality (AR) is any type of computer-based system that overlays data on top of the user's current view of the world, while still allowing them to see the world. AR is therefore more suitable for use in day-to-day work, providing the user with context-specific information to enhance their understanding of the environment. Mixed reality is a form of augmented reality that is somewhere between VR and AR and is the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualisations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. So, for example, wearing a mixed reality headset, virtual 3D objects, or holograms, are projected onto the user's view of the world. Objects are locked into position and look as if they are part of the real world. For instance, a 3D model of a building projected onto a table top will remain static as the user walks around it. Microsoft HoloLens, Magic Leap and Meta 2 headsets all aim to convey this form of augmented reality. // VR technology is becoming a valuable training tool to test out potentially hazardous scenarios without the danger of injury, or the need to temporarily close down operations // e University of Sheffield is working with Yorkshire Water on VR

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