ADIPEC 2019 Augmented and virtual reality applications by Booth Welsh

Martin Welsh- Managing Director at Booth Welsh

I’d like you to tell us a bit about the products that you have got on show today.

We’ve brought along to the show some technology that we’ve been using for two to three years, it originated in the pharmaceutical industry and used in other industries widely. Digital technology can help us reduce our client’s costs and increase in safety and at the same time there are real benefits for the operators, that covers operations, maintenance and testing and commissioning. So, what we can do very easily in the field is, by populating the field with QR codes or similar, we can actually use these as a window, and a window can really access the data that’s behind each devise. So the client, the field operative, when they are in a hazardous environment we want them to be as effective as possible. By linking all the data that they need via test sheet, via technical document or the process information, live from the control system we can do that quite simply by using field devises such as this. Field devises are certified to work in hazardous areas and really bring the information at a contextual level straight to the operator.

So, the technicians in the field will be scanning QR codes and they’ll be giving them information on what is going on in the process plan.

That is correct, and that information can help them test it, help them repair it, and help him maintain it.

You were talking about some of your augmented reality training technology.

In addition to helping them in this situation if there is a real difficult problem that they can’t call themselves, what we can do is sit beside them. So, we use augmented reality to be in the field to help them immediately with the problem. In most cases it takes us some time to get a technician or an expert into the field to help our client, this allows us to do it almost immediately.

That’s really interesting, and you’ve also got a virtual reality tool as well, can you explain how that works?

The virtual reality is slightly different, we’re using 3D models which we are creating now more and more to actually build in simulation and testing environments. We can use that information very easily to do testing outside of the hazardous environment and really make sure that by the time the operative goes into the field, they are robustly tested and qualified to do the task.

How is that being received here in the Middle East?

There has been a lot of interest in it, anything that now reduces cost and at the same time, increases safety and compliance. We’ve seen some good interest and we’ll be following up with a few operators and a few of the engineering businesses that have been here today.