ivii

The shortage of skilled workers is apparent in almost every company. It’s a problem that is growing rapidly, particularly on the back of the automation and digitization of our working lives. Insufficient basic education, outdated knowledge and lack of time for further education all contribute to one major challenge for companies looking to fill vacancies. Thanks to our smart glasses ivii.assist, however, networked learning in the digitized world is now a reality.

The BFI education centre in Leoben is utilizing the latest technology in their further education programmes for electrical engineering. Our smart glasses ivii.assist now feature in the apprenticeship training programme for mechatronics and mechanical engineering.

Skilled workers can be trained quickly and easily using ivii.assist as part of a guided induction. Learning by doing is the motto when it comes to training workers using the smart glasses, which saves a great deal of time. Theory and practice are combined and together result in a well-rounded learning experience.

Mr Nimmrichter, you’re a trainer at BFI Leoben and teach all the different fields encompassed in electrical engineering. How did you first find out about the smart glasses?

C. Nimmrichter: The ivii.assist was featured at an event where it was being presented to schools and training centres. That was when I first heard about the smart glasses and I knew right away that I could integrate them into the electrical engineering teaching programme. The rest went pretty quickly! I took what I had learned in a brief introductory training session at the ivii site at the KNAPP Campus in Dobl back with me to Leoben so that we too could start using the smart glasses. Despite some initial minor difficulties with the software, which were solved almost immediately, we were then all set to integrate the ivii.assist in the learning process.

What are the benefits of using the smart glasses in your teaching programmes?

C. Nimmrichter: Using ivii.assist means we are working with the latest maintenance technologies available on the market as part of our courses. The apprentices learn to be independent and to work with systems in a wide range of disciplines, as well as how remote maintenance works. Our apprentices like receiving instructions via the smart glasses as it means they can completely focus on the task at hand.

 The use case: Which areas is the ivii.assist being used in?

• First and foremost in maintenance process installation. This means that our trainee automation engineers,
• mechatronics technicians
• and our electrical engineers all use them
• Another target group is servicing and maintenance employees who receive instructions for the next documentation step from ivii.assist.

Sascha, a mechatronics apprentice finds the system really cool as it means he can work together with a fellow apprentice on the same service case. What do you like most about it?

Sascha: It’s so cool and I reckon it will be used in companies in the future,” he told us excitedly. “The smart glasses display the plans, which means both your hands are free for work. If I didn’t have the smart glasses, I’d have to print out the plans and bring them with me. I also like that I don’t have to learn anything off by heart. The glasses help me whenever I need.

Thanks to ivii.assist, BFI has taken a significant step closer to the digitized working world. How will smart glasses be used in the future?

C. Nimmrichter: Using smart glasses is particularly interesting when it comes to senior students and specialist workers. They already have the basic knowledge and can therefore use the glasses to gain complementary practical experience. From 2020 onwards, we will be offering our own BFI course called “Digital maintenance – maintenance glasses” with the ivii.assist as part of the new product catalogue.

C. Nimmrichter: Insbesondere für höhere Lehrjahre und Facharbeiter ist der Einsatz mit der Brille interessant. Sie kennen die Grundkenntnisse und können so Zusatzerfahrungen und Praxisbezug sammeln. Mit dem neuen Produktkatalog werden wir ab 2020 einen eigens geschaffenen Bfi-Kurs namens „Digitale Wartung-Wartungsbrille“ mit dem ivii.assist anbieten.

The ivii.assist smart glasses are also used for guided system startups. Please find more information on the ivii.assist product here.