New generation of tech docs meld man and machine

Wearable computers and Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) are revolutionizing the way machinery and equipment is being repaired and upgraded.

Plain Words reports.

Wearable computers may sound like science fiction - the melding of man and machine. But they are now very much in the realm of science fact. They are increasingly being used in equipment repair situations where engineers and technicians need to have their hands free while following the instructions from an online technical manual.

Virginia-based Xybernaut Corp. is a major player in the wearable computer industry. Its Mobile Assistant V wearable computer was used during the Pentagon's $700 million reconstruction and restoration project. The device comes complete with touch-screen display, digital camera, and headset fitted with an earphone and microphone.

Xybernaut says tests show that the wearable computer increases productivity.

Bell Canada supplied Xybernaut wearables to workers who climb poles or go down manholes to repair or lay data lines. This meant they could access their computers all the time. Previously they had to return to their trucks to look information up on laptop computers.

In 2001, Federal Express ordered $1 million worth of wearables from Xybernaut, and gave the devices to its aircraft maintenance workers. This allowed them to have the necessary digital manuals and diagrams with them as they crawled around an aircraft, saving them having to go back and forth to a PC or laptop in the workshop. The wearable computers were operated using speech recognition.

Car industry adopts wearable computers

At the end of January this year, U.S. firm Microvision, Inc. announced the launch of its Nomad Expert Technician System (NETS), the first wireless wearable computer with a head-mounted monitor. Scheduled to be shipped in the first quarter of 2004, the NETS weighs in at only 4.5 ounces and the head-worn display delivers high resolution images that can be overlaid on the user's vision. Users have the choice of two headgear options - the display device can be mounted under the brim of a baseball cap or integrated into a headband.

The NETS includes a wireless Windows CE.Net "thin client" computer, which connects to existing computer terminals or to a remote server to access car makers' web-based technical documentation.

"I've been a service technician for 19 years, and this is the most significant change I have seen in that 19 years," says Ray Mesa, master service technician at Roger Beasley Lincoln-Mercury, Texas. "Nomad is going to revolutionize the industry. Words can't describe how neat it is and how much time it can save you, because the more complex these cars get, the more information you need. Instead of having information just in the manuals, on a computer or laptop, it's right there at your fingertips. Right there in front of you - information all the time."

Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals

Another technology revolutionizing the maintenance industry is the Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM). IETMs have differing levels of sophistication. At their most basic, they are electronic reproductions of paper technical manuals - page turners. At their most sophisticated, they are changing the face of how equipment is repaired and upgraded.

IETMs use multimedia, as well as conventional text and diagrams, to lead engineers and technicians through the repair or upgrade job. If an aircraft engine needs repairing, for example, the engineer can click (or use voice commands) to launch a video of the whole process. Trainees gain a great deal of benefit from this as it is like having an expert on hand to learn from.

Weighed down by paper

In the late 1990s Continental Airlines, the fifth largest U.S. air carrier, was getting bogged down in a mire of paper and microfilm - a common scenario for all major airlines. Flight manuals and other technical documents were shipped out all over the world on paper (weighty), microfilm, and on CD. A costly and cumbersome process.

"The way we solved it was to have all our documents deliverable via the web," said a spokesperson for Technical Publications at Continental Airlines. "Our web deliverable documents range from PDF to XML. The Electronic Technical Manuals, which include Aircraft Maintenance Manuals (AMMs), Fault Isolation Manuals (FIMs), Component Maintenance Manuals (CMMs), and Illustrated Parts Catalogues (IPCs) are hyper linked to each other where possible and a click away from our General Maintenance Manuals, Flight Manuals, and In-Flight Manuals."

Not only was the distribution of documentation speeded up, but maintenance crews found electronic technical manuals easier to navigate than their paper predecessors.

24/7 instant access manuals

Car firm Jaguar has also gone down the road of digitisation. Last month it rolled out its Global Technical Reference (GTR) website, which offers dealers, independent motor traders, Jaguar employees, and the public with instant, 24-hour access to detailed vehicle maintenance documents. The GTR site is subscription-based and provides materials on a sliding cost scale, depending on the range of information required - vehicle owners, for example, wouldn't normally need as much detailed information as Jaguar service technicians.

All of Jaguar's technical materials are available on the site - from maintenance check sheets and body repair manuals, to vehicle inspection advice and service bulletins. U.S. and European legislation already dictated the need to supply all emissions-related technical information to the IMT and general public. But the GTR site has grown into a far wider database of technical materials. Before the Internet, this would not have been feasible.

Plain Words editorial
March 9th, 2004