Fighter Pilot Heads-Up Technology For Honda Mechanics

Seattle-area start-up Microvision Inc. said a test of its headset display technology with Honda automobile mechanics improved efficiency by nearly 40 percent. DCLnews reports.

TIME IS MONEY to auto-mechanics. The faster a repair job gets done, the bigger the pay check. The only problem is, no matter how skilled and "swift-of-spanner" a mechanic is, they still have to get up from under a car and wade through technical manuals to find the wiring diagram or other repair information they need; or they have to hotfoot over to the nearest work station to consult an online manual. Either way, it is time consuming -- and according to industry insiders can lead to mechanics cutting corners.

But this could be about to change, thanks to new technology from Seattle-area start-up Microvision Inc. American Honda Motor Company recently tested the firm's Nomad Augmented Vision System. The device projects automobile diagnostics and repair instructions directly in front of mechanics' eyes -- which means they no longer have to leave the job to consult technical manuals.

Mechanics wear a small computer in a special vest, which controls a light-emitting diode suspended at eye-level. A beam from the low-power diode moves rapidly back and forth across the field of vision, "painting" on the retina an image that appears to float in space. In other words, the virtual world is superimposed on the real world.

Apart from making repairs faster and more precise, the Nomad device should make it easier to train new mechanics, which are in short supply.

Microvision plans to market Nomad automotive devices for a list price of under $4,000, and hopes to get the price down to around $2,000 for volume orders.

Tests prove positive
Microvision, which developed its first system for aircraft pilots, turned its attention to vehicle repairs in 2001. Early results were promising. Using Nomad, a team that maintains ambulances in Seattle cut 57 percent off the time spent repairing a brake system, and 70 percent off an emission-system repair.

Recently, using a newer version of the device, mechanics at Honda's training facility in Torrance California, performed a series of tests on a battery 39 percent faster than with previous methods.

Allan Snow, manager of service information at American Honda, said the car company was very impressed and placed an immediate order for a set of Nomad devices for field testing in January -- with the proviso that Microvision make a number of design changes. For example, Honda would like to see the headset shrunk into something as light and as comfortable as a baseball cap (the current version is more like a hard hat). Honda is also concerned about image quality. The Nomad display cannot provide as much information as the multi-colored pictures Honda currently puts in both its print and online manuals.

Microvision and Honda said they will evaluate the Nomad system using a wireless connection to Honda's integrated service information kiosks.

Huge market
American Honda has over 1,500 Honda and Acura dealerships with about 18,000 mechanics as well as 50,000 Honda-certified independent mechanics in the U.S. All these mechanics are potential users of the Nomad Augmented Vision System.

On top of this, there are approximately 25,000 new car and truck franchises in the U.S.; plus more than 160,000 after-market repair shops, according to U.S. Government Census statistics. All face the challenge of increasing complexity in new vehicles.

"Honda is applying technology as a solution," said Honda's Allan Snow. "We are excited about the potential of the Nomad System in bringing diagnostic data and instructions for specific procedures right to the mechanics' visual field while keeping his or her hands free."

Fast fixes, every time
Tests suggest that mechanics will want Nomad. Like many mechanics, Honda's are paid set rates for particular jobs based on how long the tasks are expected to take. The more work the mechanics do, the more they earn.

Honda hopes head-set displays will counter some mechanics' tendency to cut corners when they are going back and forth between the car and the information they need to service it.

"We have a great set of information but people don't follow it all the time," said Snow. "By improving productivity and quality [using Nomad], not only does the customer get the car back faster, but Honda and our dealerships can meet our common goal of making sure the car is fixed the first time, every time."

DCLnews Editorial

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