Accso - Accelerated Solutions GmbH

SmARt Factory - fischertechnik factory model virtually extended

As part of the "SmARt Factory" project, Accso has extended a fischertechnik factory model by several mixed reality and augmented reality applications. A digital twin to a sorting plant complements the physical plant model. This twin can be influenced by the signals of the real sensors and actuators. The Smart Factory and Augmented Reality applications thus enable the planning, analysis and visualization of production plants and processes. The mixed reality data glasses HoloLens 1 and 2 from Microsoft serve as the medium for this mixture of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and machine learning.

The potential of predictive maintenance is demonstrated with data analytics via cloud services and machine learning. For example, the status of the engine is highlighted in color in the mixed reality display. The aim of predictive maintenance is to identify potential operational disruptions in advance (e.g. engine overheating) and thus prevent downtimes and production losses from occurring in the first place.

Another augmented reality application was designed specifically for smartphones and tablets to enable remote control of a factory plant in a team. Here, several users can simultaneously remotely control an industrial  plant and, with the help of the digital twin, both view the current status of the production plant and leave comments for other users on key components such as the vacuum pump.
 
Planning, analysis and visualization with the mixed reality application for Microsoft HoloLens 2.
Collaborative remote control of a factory plant with the augmented reality application on an iPad.
These applications are realized with the help of state-of-the-art technologies, services and hardware components such as sensors and actuators of a programmable logic controller (PLC) from Siemens, an IIoT gateway from INSYS, the protocols MQTT, OPC UA, as well as Amazon Web Services. The augmented reality applications are platform-independent, so that they can be run on iPad OS, iOS and Android as well as HoloLens 1 and 2.

The augmented and mixed reality applications are only an intermediate step, the SmARt Factory is continuously being developed. In the meantime, the project has been expanded to include self-organized, intelligent agents (robots). This enables both decentralized processing of tasks and a high degree of flexibility and adaptability of the overall system. Accso is also currently working on a drone based logistics solution, in which workpieces are transported back and forth with the help of autonomous drones.
 
The topics of augmented reality, 3D and web will continue to merge in the future. Already now it is possible to place 3D objects on your own smartphone with augmented reality technology always and everywhere in its real environment. Accso gives a first insight into this future technology and transports the fischertechnik models fully animated to the web. The SmARt Factory can be experienced by scanning the adjacent QR code.

Company profile

Accso Accelerated Solutions GmbH with headquarters in Darmstadt is the specialist for accelerated IT solutions and offers software engineering and IT consulting. The focus is on sophisticated, individual solutions in dynamic environments with customers from different industries. From consulting, planning and conception to implementation. Founded in 2010, the company has been successfully realizing projects in the Industry 4.0 environment for several years, always combining the latest innovations such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality, Machine Learning and Robotics.
 
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