HoloLens

The shortage of skilled workers has rapidly become an enormous challenge in all sectors, and rail is no exception. In addition, many organisations are faced with an aging workforce. This will further increase the need to attract new employees in the coming years. Making more efficient use of existing technical expertise and training new talent more quickly and efficiently can contribute to an effective solution.

Secret weapon

In order to address skills shortages in our organisation, we have decided to harness the power of new technology. Our ‘secret weapon’ is the HoloLens, a technology that enables you to project digital images onto the real world and interact with them thus creating a mixed reality.

Microsoft HoloLens is virtual reality headset with transparent lenses that gives users an augmented reality experience. One of the system’s great advantages is that it enables users to experience 3D holographic images as though they are part of their physical environment. You can, for instance, pick up a virtual cup of coffee and place it on the real table in front of you.

Experimenting in three areas

Strukton Rail has been experimenting with HoloLens technology in three areas:

• Training employees in their own working environment. Training time can be shortened by up to 50% and as training takes place in a safe and familiar environment, more employees can be expected to successfully complete courses first time around
• Enabling remote troubleshooting. Experts no longer need to travel to a location but can access it virtually and provide workers on site with detailed instructions
• Improving multidisciplinary collaboration in BIM models. Viewing a design on location together ensures everyone is on the same page and helps to detect any major issues earlier on in the process.