Aircraft Maintenance Technician's Device: Requirements of an Augmented Reality Headset for Daily Maintenance Work
2015 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (professional degree), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
Aircraft maintenance include actions that are complex and the systems used are often difficult due to poor usability. Several people in the personnel often work on the same aircraft simultaneously which can cause misunderstandings about who is in charge. The different sources of communication and information is an explanation of why the work situation can include human factor related error risks. However, an individual is seldom to blame exclusively for the actions of human errors. For example; a technician is following the manual where it says that the left screw should be tighten and not the right one. It reveals later on that it should have been the other way around, although, this it is not the technician’s fault. That manual was made on higher level management thus the organisation is to blame. In order to prevent errors from occurring we need to redesign the system according to the human, taking a human-centred approach in the design of environments, tools, systems and organisation.This work is presenting suggestions of how to improve aircraft technicians’ daily work operations, what the risks of human errors are and what actions can be taken to improve the situation. Product design development of an Augmented Reality headset has been done. Augmented reality technology lets the user view data and information as a layer on top of reality, similar to a hologram. Through this technology, all information and communication is gathered in one place, decreasing the cognitive workload on workers, thus helps preventing the situations of human factor error risks. This work was limited to the physical appearance and design, using technology available, implemented in the device. The users have been consulted during interviews for their opinions regarding this product and wishes have been considered and fulfilled. The requirements were; the headset should be comfortable thus lightweight, soft and hygienic. The material should be comfortable against the skin and the construction needs to be simple although robust enough not to break easily. The design of the device should be insignificant and discreet, not draw much attention. The methods used in this work are based upon principles and guidelines of ISO9241:210-2010, which describes human-centered design. It can be concluded that human factor error related risks are present in aircraft maintenance within the use of printed out paper, the way information is distributed and handled, the inconsistency in communication, the slow updates and the ergonomics and weather conditions.The final result is an AR-headset placed around the head over the forehead for a steady fit during the varied working positions of the aircraft maintenance technicians, it made of lightweight and smooth fabric, which features elasticity and comfort for the skin. It is adaptable to different head sizes, the construction is made all in one piece to be simple yet robust to handle. The headset is designed in a way where it is possible for testing in its realistic environment with the intended users in order to further develop the concept of implementing this kind of equipment in future aircraft maintenance.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2015. , p. 78
Keywords [en]
Technology
Keywords [sv]
Teknik, Product Design, Augmented Reality, Aircraft Maintenance, Headset design, Produktdesign, flygplansunderhåll
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-45489Local ID: 32f50af0-bbf0-4b8d-98ed-73dad04b81c0OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-45489DiVA, id: diva2:1018781
External cooperation
Subject / course
Student thesis, at least 30 credits
Educational program
Industrial Design Engineering, master's level
Supervisors
Note
Validerat; 20150618 (global_studentproject_submitter)
2016-10-042016-10-04Bibliographically approved