We're finding ourselves in a world of new-tech on the plant floor, including in areas related to the never-ending quest for improved worker productivity and reliable equipment. In other words, we're looking at a lot of opportunities right now. But we're also dealing with plenty of challenges, just as we will be in the future. Luckily, there are some great solutions.
One of the most interesting solutions to our ethos of interrelated challenges comes in the form of augmented reality (AR). We’ve seen examples of it in certain areas of the RAM arena for the past decade. Now, though, AR is becoming more of a practical, user-friendly tool to improve plant AND human performance.
Just what is augmented reality? Moreover, why should you be interested in it? There are reasons:
First, AR combines the real world of equipment with a virtual view. Second, AR facilitates real-time interaction between personnel on the plant floor and experts in remote locations, such as engineering centers or other plant sites. Third, AR provides a 3D overlay of equipment information and a view of the actual asset on the plant floor. These three combined features of AR can be leveraged by a technician using a handheld wireless
device, such as a smart phone or tablet, that is conducive to the security and safety needs in the plant.
The biggest human-related challenge, however, is actual adoption of AR technology. Everett Rogers (1931-2004), a respected communication theorist and sociologist, originated the “diffusion of innovations theory” (aka. Innovation or Technology Adoption Lifecycle, c. 1962) that relates surprisingly well to AR adoption. We've seen Rogers’ theory play out over the decades in how consumers have taken to new technologies, including computers,
electronic games, handheld instruments, the Internet, early cell phones, and now smart phones.
Think of Roger’s technology-adoption lifecycle as a bell curve with five groups of people: Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and, lastly, Laggards. Each group is basically self-explanatory. Interestingly, the movement from the Early Adopters to the Early Majority is not necessarily easy.
The 1991 book Crossing the Chasm, by Geoffrey Moore, focused specifically on marketing high-tech products to consumers. Referring to Everett Rogers’ Innovation Adoption Lifecycle, Moore described a "chasm" separating the Early Adopters, i.e., those who are genuinely excited about and using new technology, and the Early Majority, i.e.,those who will adopt the technology as a
viable plant-floor tool.
The challenge in today’s plants regarding deployment of AR solutions is getting buy-in from the Early Majority. Alas, this group of pragmatic skeptics often sees new technology as a disrupter: “We don’t do things that way here. We like our current tools and technology just fine.”
The key to crossing that "chasm?" Get a small group of interested volunteers (potential Early Adopters) to work on demonstration projects with AR suppliers (Innovators) to show how it can really work in your plant, in a very small, but worthwhile pilot area. Train/coach these volunteers to use AR in this small area. Be incredibly open and flexible with this “experiment” to show what it takes to make the technology work, how easy it is
to use, and the significant benefits it provides.
As Geoffrey Moore wrote, once others see how a technology works in their plant, the “bandwagon” effect begins. In the case of augmented reality, this is the point when the pragmatic skeptics who have seen it adopted by others in the pilot area will want to jump to the front of the parade. That's an emerging Early Majority.
Remember this, however, reliability improvement is more about people than tools and technology. AR is no different.
In the meantime, for more information on using augmented reality in your plant, check out our latest "Solution of The Week" at the end of this newsletter. It features a new AR offering from Emerson.
bwilliamson@theramreview.com
