The Effectiveness of RVI: Pros & Cons

Remote visual inspection (RVI) solutions can improve the safety of inspections and reduce costs. Modern AR/XR technologies can optimise operators’ work in the field and capitalise on the advantages of augmented reality to make industrial inspections safer and more efficient.

Inspections are a critical activity for companies and often involve high costs and an unsatisfactory result. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of visual inspection and how to improve inspection work with the most innovative augmented reality and cross reality technology.

How effective is visual inspection?

Making visual inspection more efficient is a priority for many industries. Preventive checks allow companies to plan maintenance work better, reducing the risk of sudden faults and interruptions to production cycles. In general, visual inspections are carried out by technicians manually, using traditional tools that don’t offer the adequate precision and take a long time.

A remote visual inspection allows for greater precision, making it faster and easier to collect essential data. However, RVI also has its limits because technicians use specific devices to collect images and data, which are then sent to the software to produce the required information.

With remote visual inspection, there is no remote collaboration with experts, so operators have less efficient communication with them or have to split the work across two stages. In the first stage, they collect all the data and inspect the industrial equipment with a measuring tool, then in the second they focus on the critical points detected by the system when analysing the data.

This process is not very efficient, especially when the inspection requires an interruption to the company’s industrial activity. In those cases, it is crucial to minimise disruption for the company and carry out remote inspection as quickly and accurately as possible. This can be achieved thanks to AR/XR technology, which helps to optimise RVIs.

RVI inspection: the advantages of AR/XR solutions

Augmented reality allows operators to view virtual elements in the real environment. AR/XR technology optimises inspection processes because it enables the provision of digital instructions, connection to remote support and storage of virtual information. Using technologies like 5G, augmented reality, automated machine learning and artificial intelligence, it is possible to simplify and automate industrial inspections and make them more efficient.

Naturally, remote visual inspection with AR/XR does not fully replace the workforce – operators are still essential for the inspection work. It’s more a case of technology enhancing the workforce and improving remote visual inspections. These solutions improve productivity and ensure higher accuracy and safety standards for the workforce.

Here are the main advantages of RVI with AR/XR:

• #1 Reduced health and safety risks: operators can visit dangerous sites or sites with various restrictions safely, for example performing safe inspections in areas where there is a chemical risk or other factor that could affect their safety.
• #2 Remote support for inspections: experts can monitor field work remotely, providing instructions to operators in real time to improve the quality of the inspection.
• #3 Reduced costs and more affordable inspections: with RVI and AR/XR, companies can reduce their inspection costs because a remote inspection only requires one operator to be in the field instead of a team, which makes inspections more affordable.
• #4 Remote customer participation: customers can take part in the inspection remotely and monitor it in real time, communicating with experts and technicians, so they can acquire more knowledge and check that the inspections meet their expectations.
• #5 Global access to remote support: remote visual inspection and augmented reality solutions allow companies to access a global support network and connect remotely to highly specialised experts located in other parts of the world.

Kiber 3: best AR/XR technology for RVI

Kiber 3 is an AR/XR solution designed to enhance the workforce in industrial operations, to improve the efficiency of remote visual inspections thanks to remote collaboration and immediate access to the required skills. Kiber is a wearable AR remote communication solution with fully integrated software and hardware, designed to optimise industrial work, reduce costs and increase productivity.

With the Kiber K3S visor, inspectors in the field can examine equipment with their hands free and with remote access to expert instructions and all the information they need. Experts and customers can monitor the inspection remotely in real time, using the software platform to experience the on-site inspection as if they were there and communicate with operators in the field in real time. Thanks to the involvement of only one field worker, the risk percentage calculated by the HSE Managers is significantly reduced.

Furthermore, thanks to the Atex – Zone 1 certification, Kiber 3 can also be used on-site in potentially explosive atmospheres, keeping field operations in maximum safety.

With the Kiber 3 all-in-one solution, it is possible for companies to optimise remote visual inspections, making them safer and more efficient, and take full advantage of the potential of RVI technology.