Lockheed Martin reduces training time by 85% using Augmented Reality Technology!

Consider how difficult it was for you or a child to put together complex LEGO creations when you were a kid. Imagine putting together a fighter plane from a room full of pieces. Even highly skilled engineers may benefit from technological advancements in order to increase accuracy and efficiency.

How exactly is Augmented Reality or Mixed Reality now leveraged into ultra high tech manufacturing of military aerospace machines? It’s a technology that overlays a computer-generated image over one’s view of the real world, resulting in a more enhanced version of reality. It’s becoming a powerful tool for the industry to use, with too many small parts and complicated assembly. Similarly, The combination is targeted directly at large corporations like Lockheed Martin, which is one of the leading and most technologically advanced multinationals in aerospace, defence, security and advanced technology corporations based in the United States. The F-22 and F-35 programmes at Lockheed Martin gave the company its first taste of virtual reality design in the early 2000s.

In this article, Let’s find out how Lockheed Martin used these advanced technologies.

𝐓𝐨 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

Previously, the defence giant needed a team of technicians with years of experience to work on the complex machine, but now engineers are using virtual reality glasses to ensure that every component of the warplane is in perfect working order. Using Virtual Reality, The team can simulate tasks that would normally take hours with a crane and even more hours with equipment in a matter of seconds. They can pick up components with their hands and shift them weightlessly to the side to get a better look at another element of the VR demo.

Military personals can view the equipment from any perspective, at any distance, and control it as needed within the virtual scenarios to better understand its function and suggest improvements. Through their operational experience, the armed force personals were able to see items like generator positioning and exhaust, and made suggestions to remove excess equipment for weight. We at InfiVR provide cutting edge Virtual reality based collaborative solutions to leading aerospace and manufacturing companies with a very high focus on remote collaborative design, research and product development.

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬

Drawings, models, and a lot of data must be interpreted in order to design Lockheed Martin spacecrafts. Engineering team of Lockheed Martin often develops a small number of spacecraft for use in space. They have programmes with higher volumes, but they’re interpreting data in almost every construct in many instances. And it takes time to decode. There is simply a huge benefit of being able to position data spatially. It takes out a lot of the guesswork. They’ve seen in the past that going through all of the data and making sure, as well as working with colleagues to make sure the decision about to be taken is the right one, takes about half of the time. And so, Lockheed Martin collaborated with Augmented Reality experts on the shop floor to create training manuals that provide animations for assembling spacecraft components. Engineers who have been trained to use the tool complete maintenance and repairs much quicker than previously possible. Orion is a Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft and their technicians’ training time was cut by 85 percent. The resulting workflows have been used to minimize touch labor for Orion spacecraft components with tight tolerances, such as fasteners and accelerometers.

According to the Lockheed, Augmented Technology technology has reduced touch labor for drilling by 45 percent and torque applications by 50 percent. The job of tightening Orion’s fasteners was cut in half, from six weeks to two. Overall this technology has enabled engineers to work 30% faster while maintaining 96% accuracy. They’ve seen a 35–50 percent reduction in total technician time, a 90–99% reduction in time to information, and an 85 percent reduction in total training time.

Prototypes must be made, tested, and retested in order to produce products that meet requirements. This can be very costly. Manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin’s are using virtual reality to eliminate the need for full-scale models.

We @ InfiVR offer such collaborative product R&D virtual reality and MRO assistance, training augmented reality solutions to few of the leading players in Aerospace industry. To know more do reach out to our experts: hello@InfiVR.com