One of the main objectives of quality control is to ensure a consistent level of product and service quality. This means that every piece of product or every service provided must meet the set standards and norms. This process is continuous and dynamic in order to achieve the highest level of quality and customer satisfaction. However, there are various risks and problems that can affect the quality and safety of products, especially when transporting products from the factory to the customer. In many cases, the fault falls on the supplier of the product, with the fact that the product was already damaged during production, and thus additional costs are incurred for re-production and delivery of new pieces to the customer. In order to protect the supplier, it is necessary to record the quality control process, therefore we in AYES company offer you a solution using smart glasses and assisted reality.
Reinforcement for Quality Control Processes with Assisted Reality
Typical uses:
- shipment – pre-shipment inspection, elimination of claims for damage during transportation;
- launching new products on the market – newly created products in a short time for MVP (Minimum Viable Product) verification, product control after the introduction of a new production line;
- training of new QA/QC staff – emphasis on precision and reduction of human error during inspection;
- temporary quality problems – reduction and elimination of defective pieces sent to the customer.
Here comes the use of assisted reality (aR) with the use of various brands of smart glasses, especially RealWear, Vuzix or Almer, which are suitable for longer to full-shift use. You can also use Microsoft Hololens 2 and other glasses that offer the option of mixed reality (MR). All the mentioned glasses have the ability to take photos through a built-in camera. This feature allows workers to quickly and easily document their work, capture errors and problems so that their hands are free to work. Sharing media with colleagues or superiors and their documentation is a key process, as well as sharing media and documentation directly with the end customer. All this in accordance with maintaining the company’s security policy and data protection. We will present you several concrete solutions for the use of smart glasses in quality control processes.
1. Using a RealWear camera with a OneDrive account link
RealWear smart glasses have the “My Camera” application for taking photos and videos from the integrated camera/thermal camera and the “Cloud Sync” application for synchronization with a Microsoft business account. The advantage of this connection is the automatic and immediate uploading of the captured photo/video to the OneDrive storage. A new folder named “RealWear Cloud Sync” will then be created on the OneDrive storage with two additional subfolders “Photos” and “Videos” in which the media is automatically saved. The file name of each media contains information about its creation in the format: year, month, day, hour, minute, second (eg: IMG20240422_140132.jpg), making the media in the folder easy to find and recognize. The advantage of this solution is ease of use and quick setup that takes less than 60 minutes and the technology is ready to deploy.
OneDrive storage.
On the left – a worker’s view of the voice-controlled display of RealWear glasses during a photo shoot. Right – OneDrive storage with a photo taken with the glasses.
2. Using the own AYES application with a OneDrive account connection
If it is a quality control process that takes place in several precise steps, you have the option of documenting the process through a separate AYES application that you can install on your smart glasses. Unlike the “My Camera” application, you can define precise workflows through the AYES application and instruct workers to properly document the quality control process. Documented media is stored in the memory of the RealWear smartglasses or automatically uploaded to OneDrive storage if the account is linked to the smartglasses. A new folder named “AYESapp” will then be created on the OneDrive storage, in which the media is saved.
OneDrive storage./em>
A worker’s view of the voice-controlled display of RealWear smart glasses during a photo shoot, when the worker proceeds according to pre-defined simple work steps in the AYES application.
Automating processes with documents in a OneDrive account using Microsoft Power Apps
You can make the automation of saving documents on OneDrive more efficient by using Microsoft Power Apps integration. This platform enables automated follow-up processes in your company, such as moving stored media to any folder across the entire Microsoft world (storage, database, application), sorting them, inserting them into reports and emails with subsequent automatic sending, etc. The main advantages of connecting OneDrive with Microsoft Power Apps include better integration, central storage, easy application creation, offline access and increased security. Thanks to this, you can create applications that automatically respect the security settings and permissions in OneDrive, increasing the protection of your data and the efficiency of work.
3. Using the Frontline application
Frontline is a suitable tool for companies that perform quality control directly during the production process. This process, from the production itself to the shipment of the product, can be very complex and consist of many procedures. Therefore, it is first necessary to correctly identify the entire process and then create its digital instructions in the Frontline application. Production workers can thus follow the work instructions from the digital manual on the display of the smart glasses, which will help them to correctly carry out the required documentation of the process or recording of photos and videos for quality control purposes.
The media record along with the completed work activity are automatically saved in the Frontline web platform and await the next utilization process. The platform contains many advanced components in cooperation with taking photos/videos. A great case in point is the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) component, which allows you to capture text from manufactured products and automatically categorize it into the correct customer/database categories. The text from the photo is stored directly in the Frontline platform, where it can be quickly searched or filtered. Although these described scenarios look complex, their setup is simple and typically takes a few hours.
A more complex QA process from the Frontline application, consisting of many components including the acquisition of documentation through photos (in red) and other components such as: checklists, barcode scanning, text recognition, measurement recording, remote support.
In conclusion
The main difference between the three solutions lies in their complexity. The first solution only requires OneDrive storage and suitable smart glasses, or additional automation can be added through Microsoft Power Apps.
In the second case, you can use a separate application through appropriate glasses that guides the user in how to document the product with subsequent automatic uploading of photos to OneDrive.
The third option solves already more complex use cases, which require a wider workflow of solved processes.
At AYES, we understand that working hours need to be constantly streamlined and care must be taken to protect the company when resolving disputes that arise. We will be happy to advise you on the analysis and definition of new foundations, followed by the selection of the right smart glasses and software. We will advise and guide you through the procedures of setting up processes so that they meet the company’s security policy and data protection.
CUSTOMER STORY 1: the largest steel producer.
Solved use case: checking the correct loading of material on the truck during dispatch.
The original process: manual taking of photos and videos by a worker using a phone and a digital camera, followed by manual data transfer to a PC and sorting into folders.
The problems that arose: low-quality and inconsistent data, difficulty in tracing in case of frequent complaints.
Updated process: simple and fast process of taking and taking photos of data with glasses, with automatic transfer of photos/videos to a specific order. Also, with the help of OCR, data can be saved and immediately found by quickly filtering data.
CUSTOMER STORY 2: manufacturer of plastic components for the automotive industry.
Solved use case: quality control of manufactured pieces, with subsequent loading and shipment to the customer.
The original process: manually performed eye checks by workers without recording and documentation.
The problems that arose: frequent complaints from customers – delivery of damaged pieces, difficult traceability from the QC process, limited documentation.
Updated process: simple and fast process of scanning and taking pictures of data with glasses, with automatic saving of photo/video in the Frontline application for a specific order. Photo/video records also serve as documentation of QC processes and as proof that the inspected pieces from production were loaded and shipped in order.
CUSTOMER STORY 3: supplier of composite components to the automotive industry.
Solved use case: registration of prototype parts for the end customer (automotive OEM), when it is necessary to record photos and videos for each piece.
The original process: manual photography by a worker using a phone.
The problems that arose: lengthy manual work with the phone and transferring photos to the PC.
Updated process: simple and fast process of capturing and photographing data with smart glasses, automatically saving photos/videos to OneDrive storage and matching them to a specific piece.
Streamline workflows
Smart glasses display accurate information right in front of your eyes and guide the worker step-by-step through complex workflows or checks. Read more about the benefits of digital workflows.